We chat with author April Asher about The Cupid Dilemma, which is a new paranormal romance and follows a down-on-her-luck wedding planner demigoddess and a Muse-less rockstar who agree to a fauxmance that quickly turns anything but…
Hi, April! Welcome back! How has the past year been since we last spoke for the release of A Simple Twist of Fate?
This past year as been quite the whirlwind (both in writing life and personal life). If I sit down for longer than a few minutes, I’m pretty sure I’ll sleep for a few months straight.
Your latest novel, The Cupid Dilemma, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
There’s a three-headed Cerberus puppy. (But no, really, I’d say: Unhinged in the best way.
What can readers expect?
A grumpy (her)/sunshine (him) fake relationship where the heroine is the daughter of Aphrodite (and a wedding planner) who doesn’t believe in love. When she gets outted and her business starts to suffer, her gorgeous (and annoying) new nextdoor neighbor (a rockstar who DOES believe in love) offers a ‘fauxmance’. There are Coney Island hotdogs, baseball dates, and yes, the heroine has a three-headed dog named Do-Re-Mi.
Where did the inspiration for The Cupid Dilemma come from?
I wanted something different from the witches I’ve previously written and I’ve always been fascinated by the gods. I also knew I wanted a heroine who didn’t believe in love, so naturally that led me to Aphrodite. And then things just went a little haywire from there, lol. But fair warning for lovers of hard core Greek mythology…the gods in The Cupid Dilemma aren’t mean and blood-thirsty.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Honestly, I loved writing the scenes with Do-Re-Mi in them, lol. But I also loved writing any scenes with Addie, her sister, and their cousin. They may all be related, but their relationship goes well beyond and I always try to put a focus on friendships that become family.
With Nix being a rockstar, was there a soundtrack to your writing at all?
You know, I tried to listen to music while writing, but then I always get distracted by singing along so I usually need quiet.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I did. I’d had some devastating family things happening while writing this book, and at times, I wasn’t sure if I’d actually get it written. The gods knew I wasn’t feeling very rom-commy through it, but the people around me kept pushing me onward and it’s because of them that we’re finally at release day!
What’s the best and worst writing advice you’ve received?
The Best: The first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be written. Even now, after 13 books published, I constantly have to remind myself not to get stuck on the little things and just get it written and worry about all the little things later.
As for the worst, I remember someone in the pub industrusty once telling me that I should write to the market (and what’s hot). Yeah, I can’t do that. It took a while, but I eventually realized that I can’t write to the market. I need to write what’s in ME.
What’s next for you?
Other than the upcoming book tour, I have only 2 other really fun appearances scheduled this year. I’ll be focusing another out-of-the-box paranormal rom-com, but will going on submission soon with a super excited project that I cannot wait to shout about.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up?
Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed? I read an ARC of Avery Flynn’s Hexy Beast and loved it! And I just picked up Mai Cortland’s Verity Guild on my birthday book haul and am waiting for some beach time to sink into that. There’s been so many good books coming out recently!
