They were best friends. Sisters of the heart. Partners in crime. Until they got caught…
Five years ago, Frannie Willets committed grand larceny to help her best friend, Lexi Maddox, escape an awful situation. Now paroled and prospectless, Frannie needs to disappear from her dead-end life. To do so, she’ll need her share of the stolen money that Lexi has been hiding all these years. But Lexi has other plans.
By all appearances, Lexi is thriving, but in truth, nothing in her life is going according to plan. She can’t carry a pregnancy to term, her sweet stepdaughter hates her, and even the family’s new rescue dog knows she’s a failure. Lexi’s only path to happiness is making amends with the friend she dearly misses. But the only thing Frannie wants from Lexi is cash.
Out of desperation, Lexi offers Frannie all the money, with one catch: Frannie must stick around for one month. Stranded in their suffocating small town, Frannie gets tangled up in Lexi’s issues, her mother’s questionable dating life, a lonely kid’s desperate attempts to find friends and a high-school crush’s fantasies about what could have been. Suddenly, leaving doesn’t look as easy as it once did. But when an old enemy surfaces, Frannie realizes her staying endangers everyone she loves. And even though she might have found her heart’s true home, there’s no guarantee she can keep it.
Reviews~
"How far you would go for your best friend? Prison? In the compelling When We Were Friends, Nancy Yeager explores how trauma, a fateful decision, and a cache of stolen money can test the bonds of friendship. Add in a touch of romance and an irredeemable villain, and you have the recipe for your next weekend read." - Jennifer Klepper, USA Today Bestselling author of Unbroken Threads
"Told in dual timelines where the innocence of a childhood friendship must stand up to the rigors of adulthood and all its complicated ugliness, Yeager spins a bold tale of truth and lies and peppers it with a passion that will leave you breathless." - Barbara Conrey, USA Today bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye and My Secret to Keep
"Taut, intricate and ultimately warm-hearted, WHEN WE WERE FRIENDS is one of the best girlfriend friendship stories I've read. Yeager's romance chops are on full titillating display when Frannie is re-introduced to an old crush. Escalating danger, accelerating romance—[this book] is one fun, precipitous ride! - Read+Worthy Reviews
Tell us a little about yourself and how you started writing.
The important things about me are laid out in my official author bio: I write historical romances, contemporary romantic suspense, and women’s fiction books. When I’m not reading, writing, or binge-watching stories, I’m often pursuing physical goals like completing 90-day fitness challenges and aspiring to achieve the perfect crow pose. I also spend my time drinking too much coffee, not enough red wine, and just the right amount of bourbon. I live in Maryland with my husband and our spoiled rescue cats, not too far from my adult daughter and son-in-law.
As for writing, it was the first thing I ever wanted to do, but I followed a circuitous path. I studied sciences and pursued other careers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, I was often recognized for my writing skills and eventually hired for new positions because of them. Along the way, I decided to pursue fiction writing on the side.
Shortly after I made that decision, I was visiting my hometown, about an hour from where I live, and walked into a bookstore where a local author was speaking. After her presentation, I asked her if she knew of any local writing groups. I don’t know why I thought that was the time or place to ask that question, but she had an answer and gave me the name and phone number of another writer. I called that stranger, learned about and started attending a monthly critique group, and eventually attended semi-annual writing retreats with them. It took me a long time to realize I also needed to study my craft and pursue more formal training, but from that wonderful, supportive group, I learned the basics of fiction writing and formed my first author friendships.
Is there anything major that changed in this novel from when you first plotted it out?
There have been two major changes in the novel since the early draft. The first came before I sent the book out on submission. I knew there was something missing in the story, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I started fiddling with the structure and added a second timeline, and finally the story clicked for me.
Weirdly, though, while the “now” of the story was written in third-person point of view, the earlier timeline was written in first-person. When my editor at the publishing house asked me why I’d used first-person, my only answer was that it had come to me in that voice. I’ll fight to keep something I think is integral to a story, but that reasoning sounded lame, even to me, so I agreed to change it. Thus began the second major revision, which moved the earlier timeline into third-person perspective. During that revision, I also changed one significant plot points, but that will have to be my little secret because I can’t explain it without revealing spoilers.
If I had to spend a week on a deserted island, I would need…
Let’s see… Indoor plumbing, running water, electricity, my own pillow. What can I say? I’m a comfort hound. Maybe it would be best just to send me to Richard Branson’s private island some week when he’s not using it.
What is something about you that would surprise people?
I
think people who don’t know me or have just met me IRL don’t realize what a
klutz I am. Maybe because I’m small, the size of a ballerina or a gymnast, they
think I’m graceful like those athletes. Meanwhile, I regularly trip over pets, sidewalk
cracks, and occasionally, my own feet. I get minor injuries during workouts all
the time. Then there was the time I fell up the stairs and broke a
finger.
What
was the original title of this book?
Originally,
this was was going to be a caper book. The main characters were going to be a
less destructive, and less doomed version of Thelma and Louise. The title of
that book was Take the Money and Run. That idea didn’t survive the trip
from my brain to the page, and once I realized I’d written a friendship story
with a colorful cast of secondary characters and a strong romantic subplot, I
knew I had to change the title.
Is
there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or
decision to write?
I
owe a lot to Dr. Seuess! I was about four years old when I realized he was a
person whose job was to write books. I think I asked my mom multiple times if
that was really something you could do when you grew up. Books were my favorite
things in the world, so if being an author was an option, I was all in.
What
are you working on now?
I
don’t like to say too much about books-in-progress, but I’m very excited about
my current commercial fiction project. It’ about a group of women who are
friends through their suburban book club. Of the two main characters, one is in
politics and the other is a “mommy influencer.” The book group members read a
high-profile book by a hot new author, draw undue attention to themselves,
nearly derail the author’s book tour, and get themselves cancelled on social
media. And that’s just the beginning of their problems.
What
would your dream job be if you didn’t write books? (assuming this is your dream
job!)
Truly,
the very first thing I ever wanted to be was an author, so I’ve come full
circle now. But I’ve taken a lot of detours. As a teenager, I wanted to be a
vet, and I started my college career as a biochemistry major with a pre-vet
advisory. I also loved archaeology, which is a subfield of anthropology. In my
second year of college, I changed my major to and ultimately earned my degree
in anthropology.
Another
subject I’ve loved since childhood is astrophysics, although I could not have
told you that was the name of the field when I was six and desperately wanted
to be an astronaut. I’m still a big NASA fan and delight over every new
collated image that comes in from the space telescopes.
What
was some unique research you had to do for a book?
I
have a romance series set in Victorian England, and in one of the books (Four
Corners of Heaven), the female protagonist is trying to get into medical
school. Among the subjects I researched for that book were Victorian-era
surgery (yikes!), the Edinburgh Seven (the first class of women medical
students at the University of Edinburgh), and all the hoped-for and abandoned
medical uses of the poison curare.
Favorite
band or music?
I
am a lifelong, die-hard Beatles fan, even though I’m not old enough to remember
when they were still together as a band. And of course I have a favorite
Beatle! It’s Paul, and not just because he was the cute one and I’m shallow. I
also love that he’s a huge reader, and I think that love of story comes through
in his music and creative projects. But also, he was (and still is) super cute!
Is
there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?
To my biggest fan, I’d like to say, “Hi Mom!” To other readers, I’ll just say that if you like stories about strong women weathering life’s ups and downs with grit, determination, humor, and snark, you should check out my books. Also, I love to hear from readers, so feel free to drop me a line.
To connect with Nancy ~
nancyyeagerbooks.com
https://www.facebook.com/
