Interview with Gia Hartley, Author of Faking It with the Ex-SEAL

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Faking It with the Ex-SEAL?

This story started with one irresistible question: What happens when a fake relationship collides with very real danger? I’ve always loved fake dating, but I wanted to push it further—add higher stakes, emotional baggage, and a hero whose past refuses to stay buried. Luke came to me fully formed: protective, guarded, and carrying the kind of scars you don’t see right away. Harper was the perfect counterbalance—strong, compassionate, and absolutely unwilling to be steamrolled by his walls. Once I dropped them into a situation where pretending felt safer than telling the truth, the story took off and refused to slow down.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Faking It with the Ex-SEAL, what would they be?

This one is fun. Luke’s song would be something gritty and intense with a slow burn—moody, controlled, and simmering just beneath the surface. Harper’s would be confident and emotional, with a strong heartbeat to it—the kind of song that reminds you she’s soft and unbreakable. Together? Definitely something charged, a little dangerous, and impossible to ignore. Luke’s song would be Hurricane by Luke Combs. Harper’s song would be “Girl” from Maren Morris.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Romance will always be my first love as a reader—especially contemporary romance with emotional depth and high tension. I do enjoy reading outside the genre, but when it comes to writing? Romance is home. I love exploring knowing glances, slow burns, emotional risk, and that moment when two people finally choose each other.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene to write was the moment when Luke’s PTSD surfaces, and Harper is the one who grounds him. Up until then, Luke is all control—muscle memory, discipline, and emotional lockdown. In that scene, everything fractures at once. His past crashes into the present, and for the first time, he can’t muscle his way through it. What I loved most was writing Harper’s response. She doesn’t try to fix him or rush him through it. She stays. She listens. She anchors him back to the moment in the quietest, most human way. That scene stripped away the fake relationship and exposed something real and fragile between them. It was powerful to show that strength doesn’t always look like protection or bravery—it can look like trust, vulnerability, and letting someone see you when you’re at your lowest.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I’m very much a “same drink, same spot” writer. Pop or tea nearby, phone face-down, and absolute silence—or instrumental music only. And once I’m in a scene, I’ll reread the last few paragraphs obsessively until the rhythm feels just right.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

A little love. A little trouble.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That love doesn’t always arrive quietly or neatly—but it’s worth the risk. Even when the past is heavy and the stakes are high, choosing connection can change everything.