Denise Williams Books In Order

Publication Order of Airport Novellas Books

Publication Order of DeniseWilliams Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Denise Williams is a romance author from Des Moines Iowa best known for her debut novel “How to Fail at Flirting.” She started writing when she was a second-grader and wrote “I Hate You” and another soon after titled “I Still Hate You.” Her novels featured a quirky hero, a funny and tough heroine, and a dragon. Denise still likes to write novels that fit that description but without the dragons. As a teenager, she went to college and then earned a doctorate in education and went on to find work in academia. After a childhood spent as a military brat in which she spent a lot of time moving across the United States and the world, she now lives with her husband and child in Des Moines Iowa. If she was not an author, she would still be working in academia as an administrator which is her day job. She believes that writing romance has made her better at academic writing as she is more proficient at book critiques and peer review of academic articles. She wrote her debut novel “How to Fail at Flirting” in 2020.

Williams was inspired to pen her debut when she got her firstborn child and went back to work. She found herself stretched thin with her motherhood duties and her job and sought to find an outlet. Writing, which had always been something that she liked looked like a viable escape. She set her character in academia since she understood best the rhythm and culture, the tenure uncertainty and research demands but also the fun, laughter, and love. It would take four years before she was published even though the original idea for the novel would change several times along the way. She had intended to write a lighthearted tale about a woman and some of her exes and still hopes to write that story in the future. In her debut, she writes about Naya a woman on a quest to find trust and strength that she never could find in her exes. When Denise started, she knew nothing about publishing and gleaned much of her information from fellow writers’ podcasts and blogs about writing, Googling, and reading the romance genre. After signing on with her agent, she got to understand all the nuances of publishing and that everybody’s publishing journey is different.

Denise Williams knew she was destined to be an author when she was a kid and loved to tell stories. She used to make up some fancy stories about her favorite shows and toys and by the time she was in the third grade, she wrote a seven act three page play that she acted in alongside the other children of her neighborhood. In college, she saw her work in print when she wrote a poem on the quarter-life crisis which showed her just how much power writing had. The campus literary magazine published the poem and seeing her words in print was the best feeling ever. The theme of the poem was similar to what she would later write in her debut novel “How to Fail at Flirting” several years later. Nonetheless, she never thought seriously about becoming an author until very recently when she started reading the romance novels of her favorite writers. Once she had read a few, she thought that it was something that maybe she could do.

“How to Fail at Flirting” by Denise Williams is a crash course in flirtation and a daring to-do list that turns the world of a Type A overachiever upside down. When the university decides that her flailing department needs to be folded up, Professor Naya Turner is devastated. But her friends intend to cheer her up and tell her that they should hit the town for some fun. For just one night she has the chance to focus on other things apart from a very demanding job and she will also be looking to fulfill a different kind of to-do list. When she bumps into a charming stranger who is in town for business, she has the perfect chance to check off a few items from her to-do list. Get someone to buy her some alcohol – check, try a one night stand – almost check, try something new – check. Jake the new man in town challenges her to rebuild what little confidence she has left and also makes her laugh. Her boyfriend had left her and destroyed her faith in love and her confidence too but she believes she may just get it back. She is flirting with an opportunity at what could be a more serious relationship but there may be complications just around the corner that might complicate her life and career. She has two options. She can continue the forbidden relationship with the mysterious stranger who makes her feel alive or go back to her old life thereby protecting her reputation but feeling like she is sleepwalking.