Ask a Romance Author Anything
Plus, a free book promo and details on my summer book tour!
I’ve got a lot of author news today, so let’s get into it!
My Gift to You
Today is special because it’s the first anniversary of my debut novel. I can’t believe that one year ago I published Love Apptually, and next month I’m releasing my third book.
To celebrate this milestone, I’m doing something I haven’t done before: I’m offering the Love Apptually ebook for free! The promotion ends Friday, so if you haven’t started the Glam Fam series, now’s your chance.
I’m Going on Tour!
Okay, “tour” is a bit of a stretch since I’m organizing it myself, but June is right around the corner, and I’ve packed more events in one month than I’ve done all year.
Here’s where you can find me:
Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, CA, on Sunday, June 1 (free to the public). I’ll have a booth at the Outdoor Fair, and this will be the first opportunity to get your hands on a Love and Paklava paperback before anyone else!
San Francisco Authors Fair at Sports Basement in San Francisco, CA, on Saturday, June 7, at 1-4 p.m. (free to the public). Come hang out in the beautiful Presidio and meet independent authors of all genres.
Love and Paklava Launch Party at Judging By the Cover Bookstore in Fresno, CA, on Tuesday, June 17, from 6-8 p.m. (free, but RSVP to save your seat). I’m heading back to my hometown to celebrate the release of Love and Paklava, in conversation with my romance author bestie Kel Bruem.
Love and Devotion in Burbank, CA, on June 20-21 (tickets required). Kel and I are then driving down to SoCal for a romance book convention with 100+ other authors.
I’m so excited to meet readers across the West Coast, so come say hi! It’s going to be tons of fun.
Answering Your Top Author Questions
The one-year anniversary of Love Apptually has me feeling reflective, so last week I hosted a lively “Ask Me Anything” session on my Instagram Stories.
I received a ton of questions, so in case you missed the AMA, I’ve recapped my responses below.
Keep reading to learn the latest about my indie romance author life, and join the conversation! Whatever’s on your mind, I’m happy to weigh in and offer my two cents.
Romancelandia
What’s your favorite trope to read and favorite to write? Reading: enemies to lovers, always and forever! Writing: considering every single book of mine has this trope—opposites attract.
What’s a trope or type of romance you’d like to see more of? As a loud and proud atheist, I would love to see more explicit atheists in romance—especially during the holidays. Which is why I’m writing one!
What are your thoughts about the sports romance subgenre? As someone who wrote a rock-climbing romance, I’m less interested in team sports, especially ones that don’t critique their own whiteness. I also want to see more class consciousness! I would love to tackle the privilege of bougie sports (crew, golf, polo, lacrosse, sailing, etc.) at some point in the future. Also, people call Love on the Rocks cringe for it, but if you don’t reference the sport during the spicy scenes, what are we even here for???
Author Life
How are you feeling? To be honest, I’m feeling bittersweet. It’s been an absolute dream to prioritize my writing, but this year has brought more economic uncertainty and anxiety. If you’re struggling to balance pursuing your passion while making a more-than-decent living, I’m right there with you!
What’s your latest writing schedule or routine? I’m currently on the hunt for content marketing opportunities, either part-time or full-time (contact me if your tech company needs help!). But in the meantime, writing keeps me busy. I’m a slower but cleaner drafter, so right now I’m writing at least 1,000 words per day, 3-5 days per week. My goal is to finish my 20,000-word novella by the end of the month!
How do you manage your work/life balance as a writer? Well, I don’t think I managed very well, considering I abruptly quit my Head of Marketing job years ago. But in all seriousness, I have never regretted not having children. Not for a f*king second.
What does your process for drafting and editing look like as an indie author? Now that I’m four books in, my process looks something like this:
Planning: outline the book’s themes, character arcs, and story beats in a Google sheet, while conducting any necessary research (1-2 weeks)
Drafting: use my Freewrite Traveler for distraction-free writing, then export to Microsoft Word to clean up the manuscript (3-6 months)
Developmental editing: share manuscript with critique partners and beta readers, then address their feedback (1 month)
Copyediting: send to my editor, then address her feedback (2-3 weeks)
Proofreading: use a real-aloud tool to catch remaining typos (1 week)
Formatting: design with Vellum (a few hours) and voila! The book is ready to share with readers.
What was your biggest fear when you published your first book? Do you still have that fear? My biggest fear while publishing my debut novel, Love Apptually, was getting slapped with a cease-and-desist (there’s a reason why I write fiction and not memoir). But making your art available for public consumption is always scary, and it’s worth doing anyway! Most people never get their work rated 1-5 stars by complete strangers, and there’s bravery in that.
What’s the hardest part of being an indie author, and the easiest? Hardest: spending my own money on expenses that trad authors never have to pay for. Easiest: calling my own shots. I set my prices, I manage my sales events. I can crowdfund and sell direct. Being in charge is empowering!
If you could tell yourself two years ago what you know now about indie publishing, what would it be? I would tell myself that you’re gonna get a lot of pressure of things you “should” do, but trust your gut. If it’s not fun or you know the ROI isn’t there, don’t do it. You don’t need special editions, PR boxes, street teams, a personal assistant, and all this stuff out of the gate. Grow slower and more sustainably!
If you weren’t a romance author, what else would you write about? I have a Master’s in Journalism, so I’d probably be writing nonfiction, actually. In grad school, I wrote papers on atheists in popular media, feminism in America’s Next Top Model, and MTV’s impact on preventing teen pregnancy with Teen Mom. So I’d probably be working on a cultural study of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives right about now.
The Glam Fam Series
Which Glam Fam character was the most fun for you to write and why? It sounds narcissistic as sh*t because it’s my biggest self-insert, but probably Tania and Nolan. Love on the Rocks burst out of me—I was obsessed with them. I drafted that book in only three months, and the editing I did was relatively minimal. I’m so proud of that book 🥹
Did any of your characters take you by surprise in some way while writing them? I was surprised how hard it was to write Tori in Love and Paklava. I have a lot of complicated feelings about my hometown, and processing them through her eyes was a journey. I am territorial about defending the Central Valley to outsiders, but I also can’t imagine living anywhere but the Bay Area. I hope I did justice to both places.
I would love to see your fancast of your main characters! I love this question. Here’s who I would cast:
Casey and Evan in Love Apptually: Hilary Duff and Harry Shum, Jr.
Tania and Nolan in Love on the Rocks: Claire Saffitz (she’s a celebrity in my eyes) and a rock climber I won’t name because fan-casting real athletes is weird lol
Tori and Vahe in Love and Paklava: Kristen Stewart and Joe Manganiello
Up next: Brittany Snow and Machine Gun Kelly 😝
What’s one thing we aren’t ready for in Love and Paklava? If you thought my climbing jokes were cringe in Love on the Rocks, you are gonna die from my cooking puns 😈
Favorite line you’ve written? I can’t pick between my darlings! But here’s one I adore from Love and Paklava: “I pick up my mug and blow on the top, always prepared to get burned by men I’ve just met.”
What are you working on now? I’m about 8,000 words into a holiday novella. We’re going back to Yosemite, baby! I’m shooting to release Glam Fam #3.5 in late October or early November. Feel free to guess which Glam Fam characters it stars!
Now’s Your Chance to Ask Me Anything
Much like the novels I write, I’m pretty much an open book. If you’ve got questions about writing, publishing, marketing, freelancing, or anything else you’ve been dying to ask me, drop them in the comments.
Don’t be shy—I look forward to hearing from you!
Your Moment of Sunshine ☀️
Every month, I share the things I loved most to bring a ray of warmth wherever you are.
(Note: All links, where available, lead to Bookshop.org. If you make a purchase, you’ll support local, independent bookstores, and I’ll earn a small commission as an affiliate. It’s a win-win!)
Reading 📖
Cher: The Memoir (Part One)
When I’m not reading romance, I love celebrity memoirs, and wow has Cher lived a life! So big a life story, in fact, that she needs two books to tell it.
Part One covers her childhood through her pursuit of acting in the 1980s. True to form, she’s not afraid to get real, revealing the toxic underbelly of her marriage to her first husband Sonny Bono, who emotionally and financially controlled her from a young age.
We Armenians don’t have many celebrities to call our own, but Cher’s ability to grow from humble beginnings to a level of fame most people never experience is testament to her resilience. She’s refreshingly honest and unapologetically herself, and I can’t wait for Part Two later this fall!
Watching 🍿
Wear Whatever the F You Want on Amazon Prime Video
Like many Millennial women, I was obsessed with What Not to Wear and its hosts Stacy and Clinton. So when I heard about its modern successor, Wear Whatever the F You Want, I was immediately in.
This show tosses out the judgmental commentary and instead positions the makeovers as ways for the guests to lean into their aspirational style. They test out looks, and then refine them after feedback from loved ones.
Despite its informercial-like feel with its partnership with Amazon and lack of emotional depth compared to other popular makeover shows like Queer Eye, it’s an uplifting and enjoyable way to spend your time. When the chaos of the world is getting me down, I appreciate this show’s nostalgic comfort.
Listening 🎧
Beauty School Dropout
Nine times out of ten, if I’m listening to music, it’s to a pop-punk band. Anyone who knows me knows I can’t resist a man in eyeliner and a nasally voice.
Right now, I’m spreading the word about Beauty School Dropout (BSD), an LA band formed in 2020 that’s signed to Verswire, the label formed by Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy and Mark Hoppus from Blink-182.
With only two studio albums under their belt, BSD is just getting started, and I’m excited to see where they’re headed next.
What else should I be reading, watching, and listening to? Leave your recommendations in the comments!
I am now so curious to read your essay about MTV's effect on teen pregnancy!!