We chat with author Vanessa King about Ellie Hayes and the Himbos, which sees a medical scare leads to life-changing developments when a recently single woman moves in with three lovable himbos.
Hi, Vanessa! Welcome back! It’s been four years since we last spoke. How have you been and what have you been up to?
Hi there! It’s great to be back. I’ve been in Austin, Texas, where I’d just moved when last I was on the Nerd Daily. I’ve been writing and working out and running two AirBnbs off the back of my house. I iron sheets now. What have I become?!
Your latest novel, Ellie Hayes and the Himbos, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Funny, sexy, swole, hopeful, kind
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect to laugh and swoon and gain an appreciation for the potential sexiness of identifying muscle groups. They’ll encounter no shortage of himbo nonsense—beefcake shenanigans, if you will—found family (subcategory: intergenerational, meddlesome), and a deeply, deeply decent hero.
Where did the inspiration for Ellie Hayes and the Himbos come from?
There are several entry points to HIMBOS.
In April 2022, I was looking for a new project to work on. About that time, social media became saturated with promos for The Lost City. Channing Tatum was everywhere, clips of character offering protein bars and not knowing what to do with cake.
A himbo.
An inspiration.
For the uninitiated, a himbo is simply a kind, hunky, stupid man. “Stupid” may be harsh, but they’re….not bright. At all. Any wisdom is 100% intentional and they are incapable of irony. But they are also beefy, and, most importantly, they are kind. And I wanted to write about kind men.
I’ve lived in a few college towns, and have witnessed countless young men wandering the aisles of grocery stores with carts full of Pop Tarts and deli meat and fought the urge to gently nudge them toward the produce section. There’s also a rental property next door to me, and the undergrads who lived there when we moved in were a group of guys who’d taped a sign reading “DAWGHOUSE” to their mailbox and somehow labeled the residence as a hostel in Google Maps.
Considering the state of things inside the DAWGHOUSE given what I observed of its residents had me thinking about what it would be like for a slightly older type-A woman having to live among them. From there, I needed to come up with the circumstances that would lead her to that desperate point. My first thought was a breakup. But what caused it?
A friend of mine had gone through a divorce a few years earlier. The circumstances were infuriating; it was already a “death by a thousand cuts” situation, but she’d gone through a medical nightmare and was still recovering when her husband served her with divorce papers. It’s fair to say that there’s never an ideal time to be served, but when you’re a few weeks out of a medically-induced coma, it’s particularly heinous.
The medical situation felt like a good angle, and I had one of my own to work with. One morning in December 2018, I’d woken up blind in my right eye. It was optic neuritis, an autoimmune issue which, 50% of the time, is the first sign of MS. The MRI I had then showed no sign of MS, but there was a six-month window where, if I experienced another nerve flare-up, I’d automatically be diagnosed. I never had that second flare-up, but the experience did give me the story’s catalyst, and a ticking clock.
Then there’s the gym. Having given Ellie endometriosis as well as the MS scare, she views her body as unreliable. She’s never considered exploring what her body can actually do, and with the threat of MS on the horizon, she doesn’t know how long she’ll have to find out. That’s where the “fitness is for everyone” theme comes in. I started cross-training in 2017, and it’s become a critical element of my life; I can barely function without an early AM endorphin hit. So Ellie leans in to the opportunity to push herself at the gym her roommates work at…which is conveniently owned by the hero, Ian.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
A particular favorite is the moment Ellie and Ian give in to their attraction to one another. It involves a deadlift gone awry, some private instruction on lifting form, quality banter, a celebratory hug… and then they cave. It’s a long time coming, so it’s very satisfying.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My poor agent, Tara. She was subjected to nine months of attempts at the first three chapters of this thing because I couldn’t let go of an opening that I couldn’t get to work. I wanted readers to see the breakup that kicks everything off! Ultimately, it was just too many words devoted to the crummy ex, and the sooner we got to the himbos, the better. Once I accepted that, it was smooth sailing!
What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned between your two novels?
I should say learning to let go of something when it isn’t working, but given that I just had to axe half of my WIP because I’d clung to an opening concept (what is it with me and beginnings?) that wasn’t serving the story, it seems I’ll need more time to let that one sink in.
What’s next for you?
I have another book due to my publisher in January. It’s a follow-up to HIMBOS, and the hero is Grant, one of the roommates. It takes place five or so years after HIMBOS, because I’m not writing about the romantic lives of college students. I’m too old for that; their ways confuse me. The heroine/POV character shares a connection with another figure in HIMBOS, but you’ll have to read it to find out more! Though I’ll have to finish writing it first…
In any case, LEDA BYRNE IS NOT TO BLAME is set to release December 6, 2026.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up in 2026?
My reading has been all over the place this year. I’m listening to Heavenly Bodies for book club, have bookmarks in Demon Copperhead, All Fours, and Terms of Endearment (folks, it’s unfair how well Larry McMurtry wrote women’s interiority. And the book is so, so funny. Yes, I know what’s coming, but for now, I am delighted) and recently finished My Mother Cursed My Name.
2026 will see the release of Sarah MacLean’s final(?) installment of the Hell’s Belles and I am seated. I came to that series at a point when I was questioning whether to even continue writing himbos, and it inspired me to carry on! If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a must.
