One thing I knew I wanted to do when I started writing Take the Shot, the first in my hockey romance series, was come up with a team name. I’m a Flyers fan, so I wanted my team to be set in Philadelphia, but for legal reasons, I didn’t want to basically be writing Flyers fan-fiction. I know there is a hockey romance writer that did write fiction using The Flyers, but obviously all the guys on the team are fictional. From most of the books I’ve read all the teams have been fictional, and legally that is probably the better way to go. So how did I come up with The Philadelphia Bulldogs? It was kind of a placeholder!
I wanted the team to have similarities to the Flyers — not making the playoffs again, kind of known for being enforcers, ex-players had some really bad concussions — because that came from a level of understanding that this hockey team forever lets me down. So originally I toyed with using Broad Street Bullies, but that’s too close to the actual Flyers. Then I stuck with The Philadelphia Bruisers. I felt like that worked for a hockey team in Philly, but also Sarina Bowen’s hockey series, which I LOVE by the way, is called The Brooklyn Bruisers, so I didn’t want to use that name. So I just changed it to Bulldogs and thought, “I’ll figure it out later.” READER, I never did and the name stuck.
I wasn’t really sure about what their theme or colors were going to be, but it kind of just came to me. I like strong colors in sports teams, and I kind of like using red for another team in Philly (goes along with Sixers and Phillies and like the whole Philly is the birthplace of America thing). I also LOVE black hockey jerseys, so I decided this team’s color scheme is red and black. Which is the color scheme of a lot of teams, but whatever! I even whipped up a quick moodboard for it! I’m actually toying with the idea of getting a logo created for this fictional team, but I’m not sure if I need to go that far…yet!
When I wrote that first book for NANOWRIMO, I didn’t think anyone other than myself and my friend who enabled my romance writing would ever read this thing. I didn’t even know I was writing a freaking hockey romance series! Until the couple from book two decided to insert themselves into the first book! Or how when I was in Canada on vacation, I was wondering, “Hmm…what if I right one about TJ’s sister who hates one of the players?” Because I love hate-to-love romances and I wanted to try my hand at it. So now here I am, in the throes of editing the first book and trying to figure out my next step.
I’m planning this book series to have at least 4 books, I’m working on a fifth book, but am unsure about it right now. I have a YA series I also want to publish, so I’m thinking of loosely connecting them so they are in the same universe. All the books are going to be standalone books, about a different couple and their struggles, so you won’t necessarily need to read them in order. But you can if you want. I’m really excited to have you guys meet the Bulldogs hockey team, and I hope you fall in love with this guys as much as I have.
Love & Hockey Pucks,
Danica