What Happened When a School Teacher Found Success As a Romance Author

Author Tani Hanes at home/Courtesy of Tani Hanes

I first became aware of New York author Tani Hanes through the Twitter writing community. Her profile photo depicted a kindly, bespectacled, middle-aged woman with a cat peeking over her shoulder, but the first line of her bio read, “MARRIED. Seriously married! Stop with the creepy PMs!”

What, I wondered, was triggering people to send this sweet-looking lady creepy personal messages? And then I checked her website.

Formerly a substitute high school teacher in Central California, Tani is now a successful, prolific writer of “smexy” romance novels with titles like Peppermint Silk, Finding His Touch, and Her Own Private Celebrity. Smexy is a blend of smart and sexy and refers to her protagonists, who have both brains and beauty.

Many of Tani’s books have covers featuring gorgeous models, sometimes provocatively posed. Her most frequent characters are young men and women learning about real love for the first time.

Cover of Peppermint Silk/Courtesy of Tani Hanes

Apparently, some readers figured that a writer of such stories might like to conduct extramarital research. However, Tani has been faithfully and happily married for 31 years.

NB: What attracts you to romance writing?

TH: I’ve always been a hopeful romantic. I’m in love with love. I’m fascinated by emotional involvement, whether it’s romantic between two adults, or parental, or whatever. I also love to write about children. They’re in many of my books.

NB: How do you do research for sexy romance novels when you’re happily married?

TH: I don’t actually research [laughter]. I just kind of make it up as I go! I use my imagination, and I actually read what other people have written. I’m an unabashed and unashamed thief when it comes to inspiration. It isn't easy, though.

All but one of my books are what I call “smexy” (smart and sexy) romances; that’s a lot of getting busy to write about! I’m sure if you lined up all the bedroom scenes in a row, there would be a lot of repetition, so hopefully, no one ever does that.

NB: Where do you draw inspiration for stories?

TH: I hate to say it, but they just come to me! It’s much harder now than when I started, though, so perhaps I’m finally running out of ideas...

Tani says she wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old, but she worked as a substitute teacher for most of her adult life. Finally, at 50 years old, she wrote and self-published her first novel, Living In The Shallows, the first in a series featuring a pop music boy band called the UK Crush.

NB: What finally got you to launch your writing career at age 50?

TH: I was talking to a friend of mine, literally on my birthday, about a story idea. I was still subbing at that time, and most of my students were seriously flipping their collective s*** about a very popular boyband going on hiatus; it was all they could talk about.

So I thought that I’d write something for all of us to enjoy to kind of see us through this extended break. I was telling my friend how I’d made lists of what my kids would like to see in a story. She pulled out a legal pad and pen, thrust them at me, and told me to start writing. So I did, and the UK Crush series was born!

UK Crush Series/Image courtesy of Tani Hanes

NB: Your website says you grew up in the Central Valley of California. What brought you to New York?

TH: My husband and I moved to New York five years ago when he got a job working for Columbia University. This coincided with my quitting substitute teaching, and we decided it was time for me to try writing full-time.

NB: What do you like about NYC? Are there qualities of New York that facilitate your writing?

TH: I love just about everything about New York! I’ve always wanted to live here, and it hasn’t let me down. I love the hustle and bustle; I might be the only person in the world who enjoys the sound of traffic!

I set many of my stories in New York. I think my living here has given them an authenticity they wouldn’t have otherwise. I’m glad I can write about taking the M57 bus to Carnegie Hall or going to Whole Foods in Columbus Circle or whatever.

NB: What is the demographic of your fanbase? Can you share your favorite fan feedback?

TH: I’m not sure, though they do seem to be female mostly. I’ve gotten feedback from readers in their teens to all the way in their seventies! My favorite was when a girl from Australia actually vlogged herself opening up an Amazon package that contained my book. She was so excited to get it! I’ve also had some readers create fan art and share photos with me, which is pretty amazing.

Tani first debuts her stories on Wattpad, the story-sharing app, where she has over 17,000 followers, then self-publishes the completed books for distribution on Amazon. Since 2016, she has published 26 novels. She says she hasn’t had the patience to go through finding an agent so that she could find a publisher – plus, she likes the control she maintains from publishing herself.

In January, however, Cherry Publishing discovered her on Wattpad and asked if she had any unpublished stories that they could represent. It turns out that she did, and she agreed to have them publish and represent her latest book, Puppily Ever After, which was released on March 24th.

Cover of Puppily Ever After/Courtesy of Tani Hanes

Puppily Ever After is about a young woman named Robin who is supposed to be having a summer of fun before heading off to pursue her lifelong ambition of becoming a veterinarian at the prestigious Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Instead, she finds herself nursing a broken heart after her boyfriend of three years ends their relationship.

When Robin’s ex starts dating a cute summer hire at PetWorld, where they all work, she has to watch them make googly eyes at each other every day. Now she doesn't want to go to work, go to vet school, or even get out of bed. However, a handsome, if annoying, new arrival named Remington Picasso may be what she needs to get out of her funk...

NB: Where did you draw inspiration for Puppily Ever After?

TH: For that one, I wanted a few things. I wanted a story set in the Central Valley of California, where I grew up. I wanted it to be lighthearted and funny, and I wanted it to be about a young woman making choices for herself, not necessarily for a man or her love life. I wanted the man to be the one to make the choice. Within the narrow realm of romance writing, I try to stretch when I can.

And I thought that setting it in a pet store would make it fun and funny. I’m an animal lover, and I try to put in shelter pets and the idea of spay/neuter and adoption in all of my stories.

NB: I read “Puppily Ever After” and was struck by how well you captured a sense of place and the qualities of a primarily blue-collar community in a partially rural setting. It was evident you were familiar with the story’s setting and the people who live there. What’s your best-selling book?

TH: Ironically, by far and away, my best-selling book is the only non-romance book I’ve written. It’s called “Obachan,” and it’s my grandmother’s memoir as told to me.

She was born in 1916 in rural Japan, the oldest girl in a family with eight children and no money, with nothing to depend on but her clever brain and indomitable spirit. Sent away at thirteen to live with relatives, hired out at fifteen to pay off a family debt, desperate for an education at any cost, it’s the story of a young girl who never gave up on herself.

Cover of Obachan/Image courtesy of Tani Hanes

NB: I read Obachan and absolutely loved it. It’s an amazing, intimate window into a poor woman’s life in 1920s to 1940s Japan that's a lesson in persistence. What’s next?

TH: I’m currently working on a book called "Music in the Key of Love" on Wattpad. I think this is my favorite for some reason. I’m so in love with this story. It wouldn’t surprise me if I finished it before the end of the month. It's just spilling out of me.

NB: Any advice for aspiring writers?

TH: I wanted to write when I was ten, and I finally did it when I was 50. If you want to write, don't wait as long as I did. It's pointless and frustrating!

NB: Tani, I've enjoyed learning about your career!

TH: It was my pleasure!

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