Play Nice (Make the Play Book 3) (19 page)

When I originally outlined the MAKE THE PLAY series, I had the first two books all mapped out, but the final two books remained a mystery. But once I wrote PLAY SAFE and PLAY HARD, I fell in love with Hayes and knew that I wanted him to have his own book. Now all the remained was figuring out who his romantic interest would be. After writing PLAY SAFE, I knew that I wanted the last book in the series to be about Josh. A little insider info: In the last book Christian’s mom and Josh’s dad will get married, so I’m bringing back Chris for the wedding. So I sort of had to make the final book about Josh so I could explore his relationship with his new stepbrother. With this in mind, it became clear that Ashley would need to be Hayes’ love interest. At first the idea scared me. I had no idea how I would redeem Ashley. She’d been our villain for two books and so far I hadn’t seen a lot of redeemable qualities. But as I sat down to think through her story, I realized that all of us have been like Ashley at one time or another. We’ve all screwed up, made mistakes, and been mean. And in high school it’s even worse. Teenagers step on each other to climb the social ladder. At times they’re selfish and cruel. We’ve all been there, right?

At one point or another we’ve all needed redemption. So that was the spirit in which I started writing Ashley’s story. I’d already set up Ashley’s family dynamic in earlier books, so all I had to do was expand on that. And the more I got to know Ashley the more she grew on me. The more I liked her.

Hayes was great from the beginning. He’s the jokester. The nice guy. The giant teddy bear. I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him a huge hug. I hope you felt the same way about him. And I hope you enjoyed his story.

As always, I have many people to thank:

First, I have to thank the love of my life, Andrew. You always support, encourage and love me. I’m the luckiest woman alive.

Second, I have to thank my kids – Kayleen and Eli. You are constant inspirations to me. And I love you more than words can express.

Third, I have to thank those who helped me shape this book. They are as follows:

Matt and Kagen – your baseball knowledge is priceless.

Lisa Richardson – your editing skills are unmatched. So lucky to have you.

Megan Squires – Thank you for reading as I wrote and encouraging me along the way.

Fan club – Your enthusiasm keeps me going.

Matt at the Cover Lure – Your cover is so perfect. I’m in love with it.

Beth Shelby – Thanks for being my blurb fairy.

And mostly, thank you to God. Everything I do is for you.

Amber Garza is the author of the bestselling
Playing for Keeps Series,
as well as many other bestselling young adult romance novels including
Tripping Me Up
and
The Summer We Fell
. She also has several new adult and adult romance novels including
Break Free, Star Struck
and
Head Above Water
. She has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Coffee and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they’re real people. She currently lives in California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.