Kathryn Nolan's Blog

Happy Pride, my darlings! Do you want to enter to a contest for a chance to win a paperback of a romance that’s like if the movie ‘National Treasure’ was hotter and gayer? Guess what, you can!! My lovely publishers at Entangled are hosting a paperback giveaway via Goodreads — with a chance to win one of ten copies. Good luck!

Blurb:

When rivals Harper and Eve are forced to team up on a high-stakes treasure hunt, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and the biggest prize might just be their hearts.

Reporter Harper Hendrix is chasing a career-making story—and the legendary Blackburn Diamonds are her ticket to the top. She’s smart, ambitious, and definitely not distracted by the infuriatingly hot antiques salvager standing in her way.

Eve Bardot has spent years searching for the diamonds, and she’s not about to let a pesky, too-charming reporter ruin her shot. But when rival treasure hunters close in, Eve and Harper strike an uneasy truce to track down the prize together.

Their partnership? Purely strategic. The bickering? Nonstop. The chemistry? A complete disaster.

As clues pile up and tension turns explosive, Harper and Eve must decide what’s more the hunt…or falling for each other.

Theo, Daria and the rag-tag crew at 92.1 KSUN ("radio for the people") got a sexy refresh from the lovely Kari March Designs (and her original bad-ass cover is still on the paperback, which we love!)

If you haven’t enjoyed this story yet: RIVAL RADIO is a smokin' hot, enemies-to-lovers romance that's the perfect summer read (and free in KU)

BLURB:

𝑨𝒍𝒍’𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒐…

𝐃𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐎𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 “𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞,” 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐢𝐫? 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝟐𝟒/𝟕.

My romance-obsessed adversary might be stupidly attractive—with unfairly broad shoulders—but his cocky arrogance and cool demeanor only lead to constant bickering. Which is just fine by me. I prefer arguments over candle-lit dinners anyway. My radio show, “Choosing Yourself,” is all about embracing being single. And since being left at the altar by my no-show groom, I’ve built a career out of rejecting love and romance.

Until a budget crisis at our radio station forces us into the same sound booth, answering listener calls about love, sex and romance…together. Sure, our opinions are diametrically opposed. But if we can manage to keep it friendly on the air, our combined popularity might just save the station.

If we can keep it friendly.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡, 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫…

When rivals Harper and Eve are forced to team up on a high-stakes treasure hunt, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and the biggest prize might just be their hearts.

Reporter Harper Hendrix is chasing a career-making story—and the legendary Blackburn Diamonds are her ticket to the top. She’s smart, ambitious, and definitely not distracted by the infuriatingly hot antiques salvager standing in her way.

Eve Bardot has spent years searching for the diamonds, and she’s not about to let a pesky, too-charming reporter ruin her shot. But when rival treasure hunters close in, Eve and Harper strike an uneasy truce to track down the prize together.

Their partnership? Purely strategic. The bickering? Nonstop. The chemistry? A complete disaster.

As clues pile up and tension turns explosive, Harper and Eve must decide what’s more dangerous: the hunt…or falling for each other.

The FREE FALL audio is live (and whispersynced)!! Ellis Evans and Drew Adams are truly fucking amazing and they nailed all that snarky flirting and intense longing. God, it's incredible to listen to. Full goosebumps, all the way. Anyway, here's a snippet from chapter one:

Fifteen years as a protection agent and I've never—not once—been tempted to break the rules.

My reputation and professionalism are the reasons I'm about to secure the promotion of a lifetime. So the last person I need anywhere near me is Luke Beaumont, the very definition of temptation and the man I've just been ordered to protect at any cost.

Luke is everything I'm not. Charming and wealthy, messy and reckless. And he's made it his mission to make my job impossible. While my irritatingly impulsive client would rather ignore the dangers of old family secrets and new forbidden attractions, I know better.

If this job's taught me anything, it's that emotions are a complication, and complications lead to distraction. Though nothing can prepare me for the onslaught of emotion when Luke is kidnapped. I'm hit with the glaring truth: I'll risk it all to save him.

Even if that means losing everything.

Free Fall is a steamy, standalone M/M bodyguard romance filled with flirty banter, forced proximity, action-packed suspense, small-town secrets, and all the queer joy.

It’s time for some BIG BISEXUAL BOOK NEWS…and to reveal the secret I’ve been anxiously awaiting permission to share for way too long. I am absolutely overjoyed to announce THRILL OF THE CHASE, my F/F adventure romance, will be coming to bookstores near you (!!!!!!!) summer of 2025 with Entangled Publishing.

This is how I pitched THRILL OF THE CHASE when I was querying literary agents: When feuding rivals Eve and Harper are forced together on a hunt for buried treasure, they’ll face hidden dangers, unearth scandalous secrets…and discover a love worth fighting for. Also, if you loved the romantic comedy “The Lost City” but we’re also like “what if it was two hot women instead of one? And they were chaotic bisexuals who can’t figure out if they want to argue with each other or kiss each other on the mouth?” …that’s it, that’s the book!

I have been (secretly) dreaming of and working on this story (in one way or another) for almost four years. And it’s filled with everything I ever wanted: feuding rivals who have to reluctantly learn to trust each other, queer longing in the desert, snarky-enemies-banter, scandalous family secrets, twisty mysteries, a mad dash through New Mexico, ghost towns, forced proximity, also Eve has tattooed fingers and a cocky half-grin and Harper shoves pens into her messy bun and rocks a bold red lipstick (my dream girls!).

Some short and sweet details:

THRILL OF THE CHASE is my first-ever traditionally published book (not indie) which means it will be available in bookstores (!!!) and in ebook (wide distribution, not in KU) and probably in audio too and also at your local library. It will have a longer preorder, which I’ll share as soon as it’s live. All prices, release dates, sales, etc. will be set by Entangled (not set by me, which is how it works with my TWSS friends currently ).

I signed a two-book contract with Entangled, which means as soon as I'm done all the edits on TOTC, I'll start work on the second book immediately after (tentatively scheduled for 2026, but it'll be awhile until I've got final details on that).

Those are the next two releases I've got planned, so while I love publishing indie with TWSS and hope to continue, contractually I'll be with Entangled for a bit and on a slightly different schedule. If you just recently found this newsletter via FREE FALL (hiya!!!) and are like “we have to wait another year for a Kathryn Nolan book????”, don’t worry ‘cause I’ve got a big, juicy backlist in KU you can enjoy. (click here)

Yesssss, I sure did! Four summers ago I was watching a parade of fireflies, lingering in the tall grass on the side of the road, when Harper and Eve strode into my brain. Their love story has changed dramatically since then, as I poked and prodded at various drafts in my spare time from the fall of 2020 through April of 2023 (including not one, but two massive editing overhauls that were messy, stressful, exhausting and then ultimately euphoric!).

Through it all, my dream remained the same, as bright and hopeful as those fireflies: to write a swoony queer romance with two bisexual heroines (bi4bi!). To write an action-adventure romance that felt like the wind in your hair when driving with the windows rolled down and the music cranked all the way up.

To write a love story that tasted like freedom. THRILL OF THE CHASE is that story, and I’m so unbelievably proud of it.

This is a picture I snapped of myself hysterically and happily crying on January 27th of this year…notably, the day I signed with the amazing Flavia Viotti of Bookcase Literary as my literary agent! This is known as the ‘querying process’, when you send a finished manuscript and query letter (which kinda looks like a longer, fancier blurb) off to literary agents, seeking their representation and hoping they’ll take a chance on you. It feels like riding in a roller-coaster for approximately six months until…forever???? A roller-coaster that’s both too fast, teeth-grindingly-slow, full of nonstop rejection and refreshing your email inbox every .5 seconds, every hour, of every day, also for forever. It’s one hell of a mind-game, that’s for sure! A mind game that sounds like “hey Kathryn, did you know your book is terrible because YOU are terrible and every rejection is confirming you’re terrible????”

It’s silly now, but I’m not ashamed to say that it’s easy to read every rejection from an agent as that exact message. I sure did. (even though it’s important to note here that is not what they’re saying, it’s never, ever personal and almost never about your skill or value. You are amazing!) Being an author is scary, vulnerable, and involves putting yourself out there in truly terrifying ways. In some ways, publishing since 2017 had prepared me for this specific kind of joy/heartbreak…but it was still really rough for me for most of 2023. Especially since I was dealing with my new chronic vestibular migraine diagnosis, so I was super dizzy, fighting insomnia and full of brain fog and anxiety.

Every helpful how-to article or writer friend in the biz will tell you that having a community truly gets you through, whether that’s other writer friends, family, folks online, your pets, mother nature, cool hobbies…I had the most amazing friends (and sweet Rob) who knew I was Really Going Through It™️ and listened so patiently when I needed to vent, or be sad, or be really hopeful and excited, or feel unsure of myself. The only way out is through, and the only way through is by leaning on each other for help and support. ❤️

A few readers have asked me why I pursued an agent and a book deal when I’m already publishing indie with TWSS (a great question). This is all personal preference really, and how you’d like to build your career. I have loved indie publishing and working with TWSS is truly such a joy and a privilege. But having a literary agent can help open a few extra doors for you that can be hard without, like movie deals or selling foreign rights, or pitching your stories to big publishing houses. As a queer romance author, I wanted to expand my career as much as possible. At the very least, I felt this tug in my heart that said it was the right time to take the leap and I’m so glad that I listened to it.

That being said, keeping Harper and Eve as a “special side project” was very hard. For the first year, I would manage little 250-word bursts here or there, squeeze in 1,000 words on a random weekend maybe. Then I scrapped the idea, since it wasn’t working. Re-plotted it, took a whole month off from writing for TWSS to draft this new idea…which somehow ended up even worse?? 😂 I really wanted to trash the whole thing and give up after that…until December 2022, when Faith and I tore it down to it’s very bones and I started over from scratch. I finished the draft in April 2023, went through some copy-edits and polishing, and then it was finally ready for querying.

But if you were wondering what my Secret Project™️ was last year…and why I only released a tiny novella at the end of 2023, this is why. 😉

Overall, I sent out 50+ queries from May - December last year, signing with Flavia in January. From there, your agent takes your manuscript “out on sub” (that’s the lingo the cool kids use) which is just as terrifying, since now you get to have big publishing houses reject your book 😂Sub stories vary widely. I read one where it took an author two+ years to find an agent…only to have their book sell 48 hours after going on submission. For some, it takes more than a year to sell. And then, many times, your manuscript just never sells at all — a truly heartbreaking experience.

Entangled Publishing expressed interest in THRILL OF THE CHASE at the end of February, this year, after just one month on sub. I’ll never forget refreshing my inbox for the fourteenth time that hour and seeing Flavia’s email with the subject line “News!”

I can’t wait for this next year and all the exciting changes it’s going to bring. Thank you for sticking by me and sticking with me, thank you for cheering me on, thank you for showing up in our romance community as your beautifully authentic selves. I’m so grateful to each and every one of you.

FREE FALL is finally here!!! ☀️☀️☀️ My apologies in advance for all the fraught gay yearning, mutual pining, grumpy/sunshine banter, fast-paced action and SUPER HOT MAKE-OUTS.

My heart is absolutely overflowing with all the early love y’all have shown Luke and Elijah these past couple weeks. Thank you thank you thank you…these two mean SO much to me. I’m so happy and grateful that you get to know them now too. ❤️

****
Fifteen years as a bodyguard and Elijah Knight has never been tempted to break the rules. This close to the promotion of a lifetime, the last thing he needs is Luke Beaumont. The very definition of temptation.

And the man he’s just been ordered to protect at any cost.

Falling for his flirty, reckless client breaks every single rule in the book. But when Luke is kidnapped, Elijah realizes he’ll risk it all to save him.

Even if that means losing everything.

He’ll risk it all to save the man he loves…

FREE FALL is a steamy, standalone M/M bodyguard romance filled with flirty banter, forced proximity, action-packed suspense, small-town secrets, and all the queer joy. And it’s coming to Amazon and KU on Wednesday, June 5th!!

As always, Kari March gave me the perfect cover for this story -- beachy, hopeful, colorful, Luke being broody with his hand in his hair (!!!)

Preorder FREE FALL: https://mybook.to/knff

Add to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213397463-free-fall

Fifteen years as a protection agent and I’ve never—not once—been tempted to break the rules. My reputation and professionalism are the reasons I’m about to secure the promotion of a lifetime. So the last person I need anywhere near me is Luke Beaumont, the very definition of temptation.

The man I’ve just been ordered to protect at any cost.

Luke is everything that I’m not. Charming and wealthy, messy and reckless. And he’s made it his mission to make my job impossible. While my irritatingly impulsive client would rather ignore the dangers of old family secrets and new forbidden attractions, I know better.

If this job’s taught me anything, it’s that emotions are a complication, and complications lead to distraction. Though nothing can prepare me for the onslaught of emotion when Luke is kidnapped. I’m hit with the glaring truth: I’ll risk it all to save him.

Even if that means losing everything

What’s the first rule of wedding planning? Don’t fall for the couple…

KEEP YOU BOTH (an MFF Holiday Novella) is coming to Amazon and KU on Friday, Nov. 17th!! And this sparkly, decadent cover was designed by the immensely talented Staci Hart, who captured this story’s festive and sexy New Years Eve vibes perfectly.

BLURB:

What’s the first rule of wedding planning? Don’t fall for the couple…

It was supposed to be a quick trip to the mountains. I was going to show my best friends Beau and Flora their wedding venue, hope they said “yes,” and check another task off the long list of things to do before they tie the knot. Oh, and continue to keep my feelings for the bride and groom under wraps.

What I didn’t plan for was a sudden blizzard to trap all three of us in a cozy cabin over New Year’s Eve weekend. Just me, the dirty-talking paramedic, the flirty baker, and too many bottles of champagne.

Oops.

Talk about a disaster. Resisting temptation is the only option—because revealing my secret would ruin their relationship and our friendship.

I’m not willing to lose them both.

Even if the couple I’m forbidden to have…might want me back.

KEEP YOU BOTH is a (super) steamy MFF novella set over New Year’s Eve weekend with a guaranteed Happily Ever After.

It's going to be a lovely year! So here’s what you can look forward to from me, publishing-wise.

From now through April, I'll be furiously working on a Secret Project™️ that I can't share details about...yet. But I promise that it's a steamy romance, and the vibes are hot, gay and fun (!!) So even though I can't say much right now, I've been writing up a storm the past couple weeks -- and will keep doing so to hit a few spicy deadlines the next few months.

Next, I'll be writing a very smutty, very hot, very gay holiday novella (!!!) that will be releasing to KU in November! I'll be working on that special sexy treat in the spring and early summer of this year, so I promise more details will be forthcoming! Plus a very long lead-up to the book coming out, so I'll just tease ya a ton 😉

After that, I'll get started on my next standalone romance (full-length, this time) which will release in Spring 2024! Absolutely no details on that yet except that it's probably going to be uhhhhh hot, gay and fun!!

Obviously, the Secret Project™️ makes this year a little bit funky -- with releases in November 2023 and then Spring (2024). So you know I’ll be keeping things exciting this year -- with lots of sales, a new cover on an old favorite (!), giveaways, FB lives, interviews in my reader group...and (if I can pull it off) a new merch shop!

Having a year-long wait between releases isn't my usual schedule -- and isn't a decision I made lightly. But I'm in this for the long-haul babyyyy (😜) and part of that, for me, means accepting that the years will look different sometimes and it'll all even out in the end.

Because most importantly...I'm gonna be having myself a year of hot, gay, fun and queer joy...and am super stoked to take you all on that journey with me!

Ooooh baby, we got a playlist! Some of these songs are pure Charlie, or pure Rowan. Some of them fit the story vibe — second chance, friends-to-lovers, fraught pining, heaps of yearning. Like…a lot of these songs are about being obsessed and that’s Rowan-and-Charlie to a T.

Some of these songs kept me company on late writing nights or helped me dance around the kitchen on writing breaks. Many of them shook me out of funks or helped me push through blocks. All of these songs traveled with me while writing this story — I finished the first draft in Sacramento. Wrote the second draft through the Canadian Rockies, finishing it in Saratoga, Wyoming (where I soaked in the natural hot springs every night as a treat for hitting my word count goal!)

These songs showed up on road trip mixes, or I hummed them on the hiking trail, or they gave me last-minute story ideas I scribbled down on post-it notes.

It’s an eclectic playlist, but it’s OFF THE MARK all the way — fun and relaxed and empowering and dance-y and feel good. And if you can close your eyes and picture Charlie on her dirt bike, or Rowan whistling while walking down the streets of South Philly, even better.

And if you can picture Rowan and Charlie being obsessed with each other…then you’ll love reading about it even more. 😘

Have fun!!