Haleigh Wenger is a fellow CamCat author, and her romance, Managing the Matthews, is due for release in August, 2023 and available for preorder now. It’s the perfect summer read! Managing the Matthews, Wenger’s third novel, is a clever story about Kell Simmons, who happens to be the Hollywood manager for the three Matthews brothers, one of whom is an action star, the second of whom is a romantic lead, and the third of whom is a sports star. Talk about love triangles! Haleigh is a super-nice person and was kind enough to answer a few questions.
1. Where did the inspiration for Managing the Matthews come from? You write with lots of authenticity about what it’s like to manage Hollywood stars. Have you ever had a job like that? If not, how did you research Kell’s vocation?
The original inspiration for the book came after attending a Jonas Brothers concert! I started thinking about the dynamic between three adult brothers with varying levels of fame and what that might be like, and then to throw a reality show in the mix. I had to do a fair amount of research about talent managers vs. agents and the ins and outs of Hollywood, and even then my editor Helga at CamCat helped fill in a lot of what I was lacking.
2. Writing love triangles has to be really fun. What’s your process like? When did you know that you wanted to write romance? Do you mostly read romance also?
I started with Sarah Dessen novels in late elementary school and haven’t looked back from romance since. I think that love is such a powerful and important part of life and I think it deserve as much as space as death and loss and war. As for love triangles, I know it’s a controversial take, but it’s one of my favorite tropes! If done right it really represents the growth of the main character and can feel really authentic to those choices we make in real life about who and what we want for our futures.
3. I have always loved Sarah Dessen, too - as did my daughters! Managing the Matthews is your third published book. Both of your previous books have had romantic themes, and they were YA. Managing the Matthews is adult fiction. How did you make the transition from YA to adult fiction? Was it difficult?
Making the transition from YA to adult was surprisingly easy. I started reading more adult books and spent a few years ghostwriting for some adult projects, and I found myself naturally gravitating toward older protagonists along the way.
4. All of your books have had romantic themes, and two have also had the theme of living with chronic illness. This is a topic that isn’t often explored in fiction, especially romantic fiction. How did this theme evolve in your writing?
Having lived with chronic illness since I was a younger teenager, it’s been an important theme in my own life and something I’ve always craved in fiction. It’s fun and encouraging to see people living their best lives in spite of physical limitations and I think everyone deserves a happily ever after.
5. You have five children. When in the world do you write?
I set aside time during my toddler’s nap and after the kids are in bed at night to write. But funny enough, I think having a lot of young kids pushes me to prioritize writing because it gives me a chance to have balance between always being mom and having a creative outlet that feels like it’s just for me.
6. What is next for you? Can you talk about it?
I’m working on a book with my agent that makes me smile every time I think about it. It’s partially inspired by my love of the movie The Parent Trap as well as my love for another trope, second chance romance. I also would love to write another Matthews brother book, but we’ll see!
7. Where can people buy your books?
Anywhere online that books are sold and in Barnes and Nobles in San Antonio as well as my local bookstore, The Twig!
