Sidney Halston’s The Valentine’s Hate is a delightful enemy to lovers/fake engagement rom-com themed around Valentine’s Day—think Jennifer Lopez’s movie Marry Me meets Erin Sterling’s holiday themed The Ex Hex. We chat with Sidney all about her latest release, writing, and more!
Hi, Sidney! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me here today. A little about me…I’m a mom of 3, a wife, and an attorney. On my “spare time” I’m also an author. I love to read and write and The Valentine’s Hate is my 19th release under Sidney Halston. When I’m not working or writing, I love to travel with my family and I’m always planning our next adventure
When did you first discover your love for writing?
While I was on maternity leave with my twins. I just picked up a pen after reading Twilight for the three hundredth time, and said…I’m going to try writing a book!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Oh this is easy: If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon, Twilight, and Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley (I often think of her heroes)
Your latest novel, The Valentine’s Hate, is out December 27th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fun, Funny, Sexy, Valentines, Passion
What can readers expect?
An enemies to lovers story with some good laughs and a lot of heat. I really enjoyed writing this one since I love to add humor into my stories.
Where did the inspiration for The Valentine’s Hate come from?
Funny enough…my editor! The wonderful Tessa had a great title and idea and I ran with it.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing the character’s banter, especially at the beginning while they were not getting along. Since they knew each other from before, they were really able to throw in some digs at one another. And then when they started softening up to one another, but didn’t want to admit it, those were some fun scenes as well.
What do you love about the romance genre?
There’s so much going on in the world right now. You turn on the news and all you see is hate. I like a good escape with a happily ever after. It may not always happen in real life but I think romance gives you that hope we all need.
What’s next for you? Anything you are looking forward to in 2023?
My heroine’s are usually tough professional women and my heroes are usually alpha males. But one of the reasons I enjoyed writing Valentine’s Hate so much was because the hero was a regular guy. He wasn’t a push-over by any means, but he wasn’t a caveman, either. My next book will be more of that. More rom-coms and more relatable characters. Maybe you’ll see two teachers at war with one another over their kindergarten classes (wink wink).
Lastly, what have been some of your favourite 2022 reads? Any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
I was on a historical fiction journey this year and read a lot of Tessa Dare. I did really enjoy By a Thread from Lucy Score. Next year I’m looking forward to reading the final version of When Jasmine Blooms by Tif Marcelo. I read an early copy and loved it and I can’t wait to re-read it when it’s released to the world.
