Exclusive Interview
Ana Huang Is On Point With ‘The Striker’: Inside Her 13th Novel & That Ballet Studio Scene
No one is doing it like Ana Huang. The Striker is yet another winning goal for the author. The New York Times best-selling author released her 13th novel, the first in her new Gods of the Game series, on October 22. The Striker follows hot-shot English Premier League football star Asher Donovan, who winds up cross-training all summer with former ballerina Scarlett DuBois, the sister of his teammate/enemy.
There’s an immediate spark between Asher and Scarlett, which continues to ignite the more time they spend together. Swooon spoke with Huang about her newest novel, giving readers a nearly perfect book boyfriend in Asher, that spicy scene, and what’s next.
What inspired you to kick off the Gods of the Game series? What was it about the Premier League that really intrigued you?
Ana Huang: Asher has shown up in my universe of characters since Twisted Hate, which came out in January 2022, so it’s been a while coming. As a side character, he literally just kind of popped out on his own. I hadn’t planned for him to be there, but he decided to make his debut back in that day. When he made his debut, I was like, a professional athlete is not something I’ve ever done before, but it intrigued me at the time. As the years went on, I was kind of like, I think I could really turn this into a sports series, especially for the Premier League, because football is the only sport I enjoy watching. So, if I were to write a sports romance, it would be with that sport. I think there’s just something so fun and kind of glamorous about it. They do have the found family team dynamics. It’s set in London, which I’ve never done before. I think it was just a really nice change of pace for me to do something different.
Asher is not a new character in the Anaverse. What was it like crafting him as a book boyfriend and fleshing out his character in The Striker?
Huang: He is probably one of my more green flag men. He’s definitely a green flag, but he was actually so much fun to write because he just has this very easy going, kind of flirty personality that made his dialogue and his banter with Scarlett just so much fun. It was really enjoyable. When I was talking to my editor about it, when we were plotting out this book, this just seemed so fun. With some books, they can be a little bit angsty, a little more drama-filled, so they feel a little bit heavier, but not necessarily in a bad way. This one was just so enjoyable all the way around. I think the way that he deals not only with his relationship with Scarlett, but his overall relationship with his career was something that was really enjoyable for me to flesh out.
Scarlett deals with chronic pain after her accident. Did that aspect of her journey come from a personal place?
Huang: I do not personally have chronic pain, but I do know people in my life who have that. In Scarlett’s career as a dancer, and even with Asher, so much of their livelihood depends on their physical health. It really is one of those things where one accident can change everything, right? I also wanted to show the the other side of things. It all looks so glamorous, right? But it is a reality of people in those careers. I was lucky enough that I had a lot of alpha sensitivity readers who did have chronic pain who were also able to help me flesh out that representation a little bit and hopefully made some readers feel seen when they see that in her.
We’ve got to talk about the ballet studio sex scene. How long did you spend in a ballet studio to craft this moment?
Huang: I’ll be honest, in real life, I think I’ve only been in a ballet studio like twice in my life. That was for a barre workout class where I was in the middle of it and was like, ‘Wow, why did I ever decide to do this? It’s so hard.’ When I first wrote the story, I was like, okay, football [and] ballerina. I was thinking of the steamy scenes that I would put in here, and obviously, they had to have a ballet studio scene. It just seems like a given. I also do love the fact that it’s also a mirror scene. I love a good mirror scene. There’s something so hot about it. But I will say, even though I was not in the studio myself, I did Google a lot of studios. YouTube and Google Images were my best friend. I had some alpha readers who were dancers as well, so that was really helpful. The ballet studio is very important to both of them, and the place where they bonded that intimacy for their relationship. So for me, it just felt like that was the most natural place.
Are spicy scenes challenging or you to write?
Huang: I mean, to be honest, I think they’ve gotten more challenging for me as I write more books. In the beginning, with my first few books, they were really easy because they were kind of new, you know? The Striker is my 13th book. The more you write, there’s this pressure to do something different than what you’ve done in the past. There’s really only so many different ways that you can write a steamy scene, so it’s gotten harder. But I do find now when I write them, I have to set them aside. When I’m writing a story, I’ll put a placeholder every time I come up to a spicy scene, and then I’ll go back to the book, and I’ll kind of fill them in because I do have to be in a little bit of a different headspace for them. But once I do start getting into the groove, they will flow again. It’s just it takes me a bit longer to get into that groove.
Was there ever a point in the writing process when you considered having a spicy scene in a stadium or a locker room?
Huang: It’s fun because with sports, there are actually so many different locations for you to play with. I actually did think about a stadium or the locker room and all of those sports places. But I was like, for their story, it just never came up naturally as a location, especially because they were trying to keep their relationship semi-secret, right? But that’s not to say that in the future, those scenes may or may not pop up.
You have the second book in the series, The Defender, coming out next year. What can you tease about Brooklyn and Vincent’s journey?
Huang: Obviously, Brooklyn is one of Scarlett’s friends, and then Vincent and Asher are teammates. Brooklyn is also the coach’s daughter. I’m still crafting the outlines of their story at this moment. But I do think for them, their dynamic is a little bit different because Brooklyn is so outgoing and outspoken, and Vincent is a little bit different from Asher as well. But I do think that their personalities might not necessarily clash, but I think because they’re both more outspoken, it’s a little bit less soft than maybe what Scarlett and Asher were, but still really fun, very banter-y, very flirty. I will say they have a forced proximity moment as well. I can’t spoil what it is that forces them to be close to each other, but it’s going to be a good time.
More than any other author, you are so connected to your fans through Bookstagram and BookTok. How does it feel to have such support from your fans and be so connected to them?
Huang: I think it’s a little surreal. When I first started writing, I did it mostly as a creative outlet. It would be fun if a couple of people read my books, but mostly I wrote just because I enjoyed it, and I just needed something outside of my day job at the time to spark that creativity. But I used to see these authors have people who write fan fiction about their books, and I’m like, how amazing is that? That you were able to create this world that other people can see themselves in and that they connect with so much that they would take the time and energy to invest in all of this fan content. At the time, I never thought I would ever inspire that type of fan, but it’s truly been incredible to see how the readers have taken the Anaverse and run with it. Honestly, it’s amazing because it can be a very isolating career. As a writer, you’re in your house and you’re by yourself basically most of the time. Most of my connections do come online, and I think the great place about books is that it is a very common point that we all have in common here. Even if we’re different in background and geography and all of these things, there is this one thing that connects us. They are truly my community in the online space, and they’re wonderful.
Do you see the Anaverse expanding into Hollywood?
Huang: I think every author would love to see their books adapted onscreen one day. I can’t confirm anything at this time, but it’s definitely something I would love to do.
What makes you swoon?
Huang: I think one thing that’s really swoonworthy is when the characters, especially the hero, are able to show that they have actually been paying attention to their love interest. Whether they can tell that they’re not feeling that well and they come up with something that’s able to comfort them in a very subtle, low key way they’re able to take care of them. They’re able to do these things that are not these big, splashy gestures, but it’s in the small moments. Sometimes I think the small moments say the most. That is just so sweet to me. More than any words, more than any big actions, it’s the little things.
