Thank you to Berkley for gifting me a review copy of On Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith. This book has all my favorite things, rolled into one—enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and national parks! Scroll down to read an interview with the author, and read more about the book.

Q&A with Sarah Smith

Q: Tell us about ON LOCATION!

It’s a sweet and sexy romcom about Alia, a Filipino-American television producer who gets to make the series of her dreams: a show about Utah’s national parks. It’s the career break she’s been working years for, but she’ll have to navigate working with the hottie who ghosted her and a diva host to make her professional—and romantic—dreams come true. 

Q: What inspired you to write this novel?

So many things! My love for travel mostly but also the pandemic and subsequent quarantine too weirdly enough! Like everyone else last year, I was stuck at home dreaming about all these places I wished I could visit. Southern Utah is one of my favorite destinations with its breathtaking desert landscape and jaw-dropping red rock formations. I used that as the setting for the book and came up with the actual idea for the plot around that. It’s also an ode to a couple of my favorite TV series, Rock The Park and UnREAL. Very different shows, I know! But I love the adventure aspect of Rock the Park and how it highlighted the national parks in each episode. And I adore the reality TV drama of UnREAL. That inspired some dramatic moments and characters in ON LOCATION. 

Q: Do you relate to the heroine, Alia, in any way?

Absolutely, I can definitely relate to her struggle as a woman working in a male-dominated industry and constantly trying to prove herself. I’ve worked in similar situations in the past, and the frustration you feel when people are constantly doubting and undermining you just because you’re a woman is very real and very upsetting. I also relate to her closeness with her family and her experience as a Filipino-American, since my background is also Filipino-American.

Q: What was your favorite part of writing the book? What was your biggest challenge?

My favorite part was writing the tension between Alia and Drew. I love their meetcute (it’s my favorite I’ve written so far), and building off of their instant chemistry and turning it into conflict and banter as they work together was really fun. 

My biggest challenge was learning about the outdoor television industry! When I pitched this idea to my publisher, it was kind of a whim and I wasn’t sure they would go for it because it was a bit out there. But then they did and after the excitement of getting the contract wore off, I thought, “Crap...now how do I pull this off?” haha. Luckily I have a couple of friends who work in the TV industry so I spent some time interviewing them to get a better idea of how things operate. I watched tons of episodes and behind-the-scenes footage of Rock The Park, a TV show that follows two hosts as they explore national parks in the US. I also watched the entire series UnREAL to get some inspo for behind-the-scenes TV production drama. I think ON LOCATION ended up being an excellent blend of romcom, TV drama, and nature show. 

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from reading ON LOCATION?

I just hope that my book can be a fun escape. Life is stressful and full of uncertainty, and if reading my book can be a pleasant distraction for people and bring them a small bit of joy, that means the world to me.

And I also hope they show some love for the national parks! I think the national park system is a treasure, and I would be so happy if reading ON LOCATION inspired people to visit a national park or support them in some way by volunteering or donating.

Book Synopsis:

Nothing like a rocky start between enemy coworkers stuck together on location to prove that love isn't just a ploy for ratings—it's a force of nature.

Alia Dunn has finally gotten her big break. After years of working her way up at TV's top outdoor travel channel, she gets the green light from network executives to bring her dream project to life: produce a series about Utah's national parks. It's a touching tribute to her late apong, who sparked Alia's passion for travel and the outdoors as a kid.

Alia is thrilled—until she meets her newest crew member, Drew Irons. The same Drew she had the most amazing first date with two weeks ago—who then ghosted her. The same Drew who has the most deliciously thick forearms and who loves second-guessing her every move on set in front of the entire crew. It's not long before the tension between them turns hotter than the Utah desert in the dead of summer, and their steamy encounters lead to major feelings.

But when the series host goes rogue one too many times, jeopardizing the entire shoot, Alia realizes that she'll need to organize one hell of a coup to save her show—and she'll need Drew's help to do it. It's the riskiest move she's ever made. If she pulls it off, she'll end up with a hit series and her dream guy . . . but if it all goes wrong, she could lose both.