Ana Huang: Don’t Be Afraid of a Messy First Draft
In this interview, bestselling author Ana Huang discusses mulling over the characters in the writing process of her new contemporary romance, The Defender.
Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Best known for her Twisted series, she writes new adult and contemporary romance with deliciously alpha heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of steam, angst, and swoon. Her books have been translated in over two dozen languages and featured in outlets such as NPR, Cosmopolitan, Financial Times, and Glamour UK. A self-professed travel enthusiast, she loves incorporating beautiful destinations into her stories and will never say no to a good chai latte. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Ana discusses mulling over the characters in the writing process of her new contemporary romance, The Defender, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Ana Huang
Literary agent: Kimberly Brower at Park, Fine & Brower
Book title: The Defender
Publisher: Sourcebooks/Bloom
Release date: October 28, 2025
Genre/category: Contemporary romance
Previous titles: The Striker; Twisted Love; Twisted Games; Twisted Hate; Twisted Lies; King of Wrath; King of Pride; King of Greed; King of Sloth; King of Envy; If We Ever Meet Again; If the Sun Never Sets; If Love Had a Price; If We Were Perfect
Elevator pitch: A famous footballer is forced to move in with his coach’s daughter after a security threat. He knows he can’t get romantically involved with her—but when their new living arrangements spark unwanted emotions, all bets are off.
What prompted you to write this book?
This is the second installment in my Gods of the Game series, and I knew Vincent and Brooklyn had to have their own book from the moment they popped up as side characters in The Striker. They both have so much personality and charm, and I had a blast writing their banter in The Defender. I also have a weakness for the forced proximity and bet tropes, so this was the perfect book to re-enter the Blackcastle world with.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I started The Striker in winter 2023/spring 2024, so Vincent and Brooklyn have been on my mind for a while. I knew what their dynamic would be but didn’t get a chance to dig into their story and who they are as characters until earlier this year. If we’re talking about first idea to publication, it’s been a year and a half. If we’re talking outline to publication, it took just under a year. The overarching idea never changed, but I did change their conflict and resolution when I started writing the book. I can’t elaborate on that without giving spoilers, unfortunately!
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
The actual publishing process after I finished writing the book has been pretty smooth and predictable in a good way. This is my 15th book, so bar minor changes and hiccups outside our control, my team has the process down pat. However, one thing I’ve learned is that if a previous book in the series gets a special edition, some readers will wait until the special edition for the new release gets announced before they preorder—even if that means waiting for months! So, from a business perspective, it’s best to announce those editions sooner rather than later.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
While there weren’t any major surprises, a previous learning moment that I had to re-learn this time around is that I can’t force things. When I’m feeling stuck and like the story isn’t flowing, especially during the first draft, it usually means I don’t know the characters well enough, and that means I haven’t given myself enough time to brainstorm.
I panicked a bit during the process because the words weren’t coming as easily as they should have, but I realized that was just my impatience talking. I’m the type of writer that needs a lot of time to mull over the characters and story before I’m ready to put pen to paper, and writing The Defender has definitely reinforced that.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
The Defender is one of my more light-hearted books (even with the small suspense subplot), so I hope readers will find as much joy and escapism reading it as I did writing it!
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid of a messy first draft. Placeholder scenes, plot holes, grammatical errors—all of that can be fixed during later drafts and editing. Some people are clean first drafters, and that’s amazing! But if you find yourself constantly stuck or overthinking things, give yourself the grace to make mistakes. Your first goal is to finish the story. After that, you can work on polishing it to where you want the final product to be.
