The No Kiss Contract
by Nan Campbell
Released: Apr 11, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Why this book and why now?
I wanted to do a faux-relationship story because it’s one of my favorite tropes. I think it’s a favorite trope for a lot of people, so I wanted to make sure I did a good job with it. The hardest thing to develop was the reason why both characters would be invested in making a fake engagement work, and once I had that figured out, the rest of the elements—found family, career ambition, second chance, enemies-to-lovers—fell into place.
What is a significant way your book has changed since either the first draft or the way you thought it would turn out when you first had the inspiration?
This book has a prologue that establishes when Davy and Anna meet and explains their somewhat complicated origin story. I didn’t include this until after I had gotten some feedback from beta readers who had questions about stuff that happened before Chapter One. Packing all that into the prologue allowed me to jettison a ton of exposition from the early chapters, and showed the genesis of my characters’ attraction.
Would you and your main character(s) get along?
Knowing them as I do, of course we would get along! What strangers might see as faults or negative attributes, I see as armor built from the scrapes and swipes of life. I already know that Anna’s suspicion and judgment comes from a place of maternal protection, and Davy’s blind ambition stems from a lack of love and support from an early age. I know them like I know myself!
What TV show would your main character(s) most likely binge watch and why?
As mentioned in The No Kiss Contract, Anna is a fan of Game of Thrones while Davy is barely aware of its existence. I have a feeling that very soon after the book ends, Anna would force Davy to sit down and watch the entire series of GoT with her all the way up to the last two episodes. Anna would then refuse to rewatch what the showrunners reduced Daenerys to at the end of the series, but Davy would have to know how it ended and would watch it on the sly while Anna was working in her studio.
Aside from the obvious food and shelter, what 3 things would your main character want with them if they got stranded away from civilization, and why?
Davy, who is an ambitious, workaholic attorney at the start of The No Kiss Contract, would only mourn the loss of her phone until she realizes she is free from all her work obligations. Of course she would want her new family with her, even if they aren’t so happy about stranded far from civilization, but three items? In true survivalist fashion, she would want her Italian espresso machine, a solar-powered generator to operate it, and a supply of good coffee beans so she can perfect her coffee-art game.
Publishing a book is a huge accomplishment and it’s time to party! Choose a celebratory beverage for one of your main characters to toast the release of your new book!
Since we’ll be celebrating Davy and Anna, my two main characters, I think they would choose to toast with a fuzzy navel—that starter cocktail that seems exotic and cool to teenagers. Equal parts orange juice and peach schnapps, it’s the drink they shared on the night of their first kiss. After the nostalgia and the sugar rush has subsided, they would switch to champagne—because who doesn’t like to celebrate with champagne?
What song does your character put on to start your book launch party?
Anna would start the party with “Build Me Up Buttercup” because it’s her mother’s favorite song.
