Interview: K. Bromberg talks Hard to Lose, Driven season 2

K. Bromberg’s new book Hard to Lose arrived the same week as MLB Opening Day, which makes perfect sense because the latest book in her Play Hard Series revolves around baseball. We talked with Bromberg about her latest release, and of course we had to ask about the upcoming second season of her wildly popular Driven series at Passionflix.

Thus far, the sisters at Kincade Sports Management have worked (and fallen in love with) a hockey player, a soccer star and a football standout. But destiny has something special in store for Chase Kinkade when a mysterious letter arrives at KSM. Chase has been looking for a change in her life so she decides to investigate the letter.

Ryan Camden was a baseball phenom with a bright future in the game, but life took a detour and he ended up leaving his dreams behind for a career in the military. Years later he’s the owner of FU-Bar in Destiny Falls. Ryan is gone and he’s known as Gunner now. And when a mysterious woman walks into his bar, she catches his attention in a big way.

Hard to Lose is very different from the other three books in the series, and that makes it even more special. Chase and Gunner’s story will hit you hard and fast, just like their romance, and it will leave you with lots of feelings long after you’ve turned the final page.

Interview: K. Bromberg on Hard to Lose, Driven season 2 at Passionflix

Culturess: Can you talk a little bit about how you came up with the Play Hard Series? I love that you don’t hold back from incorporating each book’s sport (hockey, soccer, football, baseball) into the story.

K. Bromberg: I love writing interconnected standalones. Books that are in the same world, that can be read as a standalone and out of order, and that tell a complete story with each book. At the same time, I love the connection of family, writing strong women, and writing athletes. With that in mind, I decided to write a series about (4) seriously independent sisters who are working together to save the sports agency their father started. That allowed me to play some and showcase a different sport in each of the books. 

The fun part for me about writing sports romance is that I don’t focus on the sport, but more the athlete. So that allows for readers who aren’t a fan of sports to be able to read without there being a heavy dose of terminology. At the same time, I write enough of the sport so that readers who love sports romance get their fix.

Hard to Lose is a bit different than the other books in the series. Can you talk about how you came up with the story, and what you wanted for Chase and Gunner’s characters?

Funnily enough, I read a review that commented on how she could figure how this whole series would go. Agent meets athlete. Agent falls for athlete but can’t. Some back and forth. They figure love can conquer all. Happily Ever After. She stated she didn’t think I could write outside of that box. And I’m not sure why that review stuck with me, but it did. And then for some reason, I got the idea of this lost letter in the mail and loved that mysterious element . . . so I combined the two. I figured that you can have a sports agent who doesn’t always win the prize athlete at the end of the day. And honestly, even with that in mind, this book took a total turn from where I thought it was going to go and I love it all the more for it. 

Gunner’s story is so special because of his ties to the military and what he’s been through. Like the military, athletes develop strong bonds with their teammates, but Gunner never had a chance to play. Was that your plan when you started out writing the book, or did things take an unexpected turn?

My plan for the plot was completely different when I started writing Hard to Lose. I had ideas of her uploading footage of him pitching and it going viral so that all kinds of attention were brought on him. But as I wrote, I found a much deeper love story that developed with baseball being present but more of a plot guide instead of the plot itself. 

The Kincade sisters can handle their own, but there’s something very unique about Chase and Gunner’s relationship. How did you know Chase was the right sister for this story?

To be honest, I had them each pegged as different personalities in the first book (Hard to Handle), but I never really delved into who I thought they really were until I started each book. My fifteen year old daughter was talking one night about her list of accomplishments she wants to achieve before she ever even will think about marriage (if she ever wants to at all) . . . and so in a sense Chase is based off of my daughter’s strong sense of self and complete desire to accomplish many things.

Now that you’ve told the sisters’ stories, are there more stories in the sports world that you’d like to tell? I know Finn is getting his own bonus story, but will there be others?

I’m not sure. Finn was originally supposed to end up with Chase when I first started thinking about this series a year ago. But the more I thought on it, I wondered if readers would respect her decision to get back with the man who cheated on her and I didn’t think they would. I felt like I was opening myself up to a lot of negativity. Therefore, I decided to write him how each different sister saw him. I found there were some redeeming qualities in him and then wanted to write his story too. 

As for if there will be more books in the series, I never say never because creativity strikes at wild times. But for now, I think I’ll end it with Finn.

Passionflix is currently working on Driven season 2 and 3 and fans are so excited. I know you had a chance to visit the set while they were filming. Can you talk about how you’re feeling knowing that seasons 2 and 3 are coming?

Anyone who would say they weren’t excited about their books being made into movies is crazy. It’s a very surreal experience to watch your words and characters come to life. It’s even more surreal to have a company who wants you involved with the process from start to finish like Passionflix has allowed me to be. All I can say is that I’ve seen a short snippet of it because Tosca (the director/founder) wanted me to make sure I was okay with how a few scenes were cut and it all looked GREAT.

What were your first thoughts when you met Michael Roark? He seems like such a great guy, and perfect for the role.

Michael is a perfect Colton. In the role he has that swagger and attitude but the minute ‘cut’ is yelled, he’s all smiles and laughter. 

The funny thing is when I was on set, it was super hard for me to watch scenes because they (Michael and Olivia) were so much like Colton and Rylee that it made me uncomfortable – almost voyeuristic in a sense—as if I was spying on them. 

On a scale of one to smoldering, how hot is the chemistry between Michael’s Colton and Olivia Applegate’s Rylee?

Ha. Let’s just say it’s perfect. Equal amounts steam and playfulness.

What are you working on right now? Can you tease some of your upcoming releases?

Right now I’m writing a short story that’s really stumping me (I can’t talk about it yet) … and then I’m going to move onto Finn’s story in Hard to Love. I can’t wait to figure out how this heroine is going to turn the tables on Finn and show him what it’s like to want. 

Many thanks go out to K. Bromberg for taking the time to speak with us, and we can’t wait to see what’s next in the incredible universe she has created.