Spotlight & Giveaway: The Nanny by Lana Ferguson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Lana Ferguson to HJ!

Hi Lana and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Nanny!

 
Hello, I’m Lana! Thanks for having me.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

The Nanny is a forced proximity, single dad/nanny story that puts a spin on second chance romance and offers a ton of spice and open door scenes. Cassie is a grad student with a now-closed OnlyFans account. Aiden was one of her top subscribers. Neither of them realize this when he hires her. Mutual pining and heaps of sexual tension ensue.
 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

I’m writing this with the assumption that everyone currently reading has sampled the classic 90’s sitcom, The Nanny, but if you haven’t—what are you doing here? Go watch it right now. It’s 2022. You can stream anything these days. Go on now. I’ll wait.

Okay. You’ve watched now, right? Good.

I was a preteen watching The Nanny reruns on CBS, and even then I remember avidly rooting for Mr. Sheffield to open up his big dumb eyes and realize that the loud, floofy-haired hottie with the crazy laugh and the gorgeous smile was obviously his soulmate. Sure, he finally figured it out, but it took him six long seasons to do it.

As an adult, I imagine there were all sorts of complications standing in their way; Fran needed her job, Mr. Sheffield wouldn’t want to risk the delicate balance between his nanny and his kids (and himself, I imagine), but to young, impatient and already romantic at heart Lana—that was all just background noise. That Lana was more concerned with shouting at her television for those two boneheads to “just kiss already”!

So when I got all grown up, The Nanny reruns roused all sorts of new questions. Ones far too NSFW for little Lana’s innocent ears. Things like: what would Mr. Sheffield be like in the bedroom? How would they manage a physical relationship with rugrats running around? Would the secrecy of it all make it more exciting? And of course, being the sensible adult that I am, I decided to write a ridiculously dirty reimagining, one that would satisfy all my questions and give me the closure I needed to put these two characters to bed. (See what I did there?)

(Also, fun fact, we can thank CC Babcock for Cassie’s OnlyFans username, Cici!)

Basically, I burst into the teenage scene imagining people falling in love, and as an adult that just morphed into, well, much of the same but with a healthy dose of spice. While I can’t give an old sitcom boasting a laugh that I can recall on demand in my head all the credit for this, it certainly played a part. I hope that anyone else out there still looking for closure for Fran and Maxwell almost thirty years later might find peace in my debut. (Which I assume is all of you, since you all stopped reading to go watch. Right?)

I love the idea of forced proximity in general, but a scenario where two characters have to dance around their growing attraction to each other but feeling like they can’t act on it because of one reason or another—that sounded downright delicious to me. (Thanks to the original show for sowing the seeds for this preference in me at an early age.) Add in the fact that one of them has already seen the other naked, and they don’t know it? *chef’s kiss*

The OnlyFans element was really exciting for me. Bodily autonomy is a concept that has been hard fought and even harder won, and it is one we’re still fighting for—especially women. So with that in mind, having the opportunity to shed light on the industry in a positive way, to show a young woman who is not ashamed of being in the profession but instead owns her body and her choices in regards to it made me incredibly happy.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

I think during their first interactions with each other on OnlyFans, their attraction was purely physical (at least for Aiden, since Cassie couldn’t see him)—until it wasn’t. Eventually little interactions sparked the desire to talk more, and they realized they’re both lonely and seeking something more. In the present, I think Aiden was attracted to the way Cassie “fit” so easily into their little unit. She immediately loved Sophie, making their little family that seemed to be missing something feel “whole.” I think for Cassie, Aiden’s strong desire to be better for Sophie was endearing. Given that her own parents could never be bothered to give the bare minimum when it came to her care, seeing Aiden wanting to succeed as a parent made her all gooey inside. Plus, let’s be real—they’re both two hot people living under the same roof.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I wrote chapter sixteen (which is…extremely open door) while staying with family. You don’t know embarrassment until you’ve been interrupted by a relative while writing detailed oral shenanigans. My poker face game is strong.

Readers should read this book….

I have heard more than once that fans of Rosie Danan or Sierra Simone would enjoy The Nanny! Basically, if you like heavy banter, fluffy moments that contrast nicely with frequent (and heavy) spice, then this is the book for you.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

Currently, I have a contemporary fake dating shifter romcom due out in the fall that centers around two doctors working in the same hospital in which one grumpy cardiologist finds himself in need of a “fake mate” at the same time a sunshiny ER physician lies to her Gran about having a boyfriend. Shenanigans ensue.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One print copy of The Nanny by Lana Ferguson

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What would YOU do if you found out your boss was your biggest (only) fan?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Book Info:

A woman discovers the father of the child she is nannying may be her biggest (Only)Fan in this steamy contemporary romance by Lana Ferguson.

Suddenly unemployed and on the brink of eviction, Cassie Evans is left with two choices: get a new job (and fast) or fire up her long-untouched OnlyFans account. But the job market is terrible, and as for OnlyFans. . . . Well, there are reasons she can’t go back. Just when all hope seems lost, an ad for a live-in nanny position seems like the solution to all her problems. It’s almost too perfect—until she meets her would-be employer.

Aiden Reid, executive chef and DILF extraordinaire, is far from the stuffy single dad Cassie was imagining. He shocks her when he tells her she’s the most qualified applicant he’s met in weeks, practically begging her to take the job. With hands that make her hindbrain howl and eyes that scream sex, the idea of living under the same roof as Aiden feels dangerous, but with no other option, she decides to stay with him and his adorably tenacious daughter, Sophie.

Cassie soon discovers that Aiden is not a stranger at all, but instead someone who is very familiar with her—or at least, her body. Given that he doesn’t remember her, Cassie is faced with what feels like an impossible situation. As their relationship heats to temperatures hotter than any kitchen Aiden has ever worked in, Cassie struggles with telling Aiden the truth, and the more terrifying possibility—losing the best chance at happiness she’s ever had.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Lana Ferguson is a sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass. A faded Fabio book cover found its way into her hands at fifteen, and she’s never been the same since. When she isn’t writing—you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings. Lana lives mostly in her own head, but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppices of the great American outdoors.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |