Bill Rancic talks about writing his first novel, his marriage with Giuliana and the advice he got from Donald Trump

By: Gibson Johns

Bill Rancic recently took a surprising career turn: He wrote a romance novel.

Rancic -- known primarily for being the first winner of "The Apprentice," an accomplished businessman and the husband of television personality Giuliana Rancic -- most likely wouldn't have been pegged to be the next best-selling fiction writer of a romance novel, and he knows that. But that didn't stop him from writing it anyway.

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The New York Times best-selling author's first fiction book, "First Light," which was based on his relationship with Giuliana, hit bookshelves on November 1, and it's been very well-received by critics.

"I went in with my eyes wide-open because I knew people would critique this a little more than they would probably a traditional writer," he told me during an exclusive Facebook Live interview. "You know, I've written books before, but those were business books -- they weren't fiction."

"This book has to be better than your traditional romance novel because people are going to question it a bit more," he explained.

See photos of Bill Rancic through the years:

That willingness to go above and beyond to prove naysayers wrong is something that Rancic has taken with him throughout all of his business endeavors, especially his restaurant group RPM, which has establishments in Chicago and Washington, DC.

When asked about his experience on "The Apprentice," Rancic was frank and open to talk about Donald Trump, the host of the reality series that he won in 2004.

"That was an experience that changed my life," he told me. "And I will always recognize that, but I think that you have to think big, and that was something that he taught me."

Check out my full conversation with Bill Rancic about "First Light" below:

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