We chat with author Alexis Daria about her latest release Along Came Amor, which is an emotional rollercoaster ride of a novel that will have you laughing and crying and believing in happily-ever-afters – with a blend of spice and swoons along the way.
Hi, Alexis! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi there! I’m Alexis Daria, a romance writer living in New York City, and the author of the Primas of Power series. The inspiration for these books came from my desire to write about my own experience growing up in a big, multicultural Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. I wanted to explore complicated family dynamics and cousin bonds, along with the emotional journey of learning to love and be loved.
Your latest novel, Along Came Amor, is out now! What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a fairy tale romance between a romance-loving heroine who no longer believes in happy endings and a Prince Charming-level hero with an actual personality and inner growth of his own.
Ava, the main character, has been through a lot. She’s made all her major life decisions based on what her family wants for her, including marrying her first boyfriend from college. Now she’s divorced, and trying to earn back her family’s favor by having nonexistent boundaries and doing everything for everyone.
Roman is the perfect man for Ava not because he’s rich and handsome, but because he listens to her and learns from his mistakes. He respects Ava and where she is in her healing process, while also being careful not to enable her in staying stuck in unhealthy patterns.
Along Came Amor is probably the most emotionally mature relationship I’ve ever written, but it’s also super sexy, and there’s a lot of situational humor as Ava and Roman try to keep their romance a secret from her nosy and marriage-obsessed family.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed exploring Roman’s bond with his mother and sister and having it serve as a counterpoint to Ava’s dynamic with her own family. He was raised by a single mother who remarried when Roman was in college. Roman stepped in to support his mother and his much younger sister after his stepfather died, and he probably embraces the role of protector and provider a bit too much. When the story begins, his sister is preparing to leave for college and his mother is making plans to move into her own place, leaving Roman, a bachelor, feeling like an empty-nester. He’s worked so hard to make sure they’ll both be provided for, but now he has to face the fact that he’s fulfilled this goal, and it’s time to think about his own life. And then he meets Ava!
Much of Roman’s story arc is centered around his family and his relationship to work and money. I loved writing about his connection with his mother and sister, and giving their bonds nuance and depth.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I ran into a lot of challenges with this story, including starting from scratch three times! But even after I’d settled on Roman as the hero, I had to rewrite the entire second half of the book during edits. Because the story follows the events leading up to a wedding (bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, etc), all the plot beats stayed the same, but the emotional undercurrent in each scene flipped and became hopefully more unexpected for the reader. I also expanded the first act to show more of Ava and Roman’s relationship development, and condensed the third act to keep the focus on the romance.
What’s next for you?
On September 16th, I’m releasing an expanded version of Dance with Me, the second book in my Dance Off series, which went out of print a few years ago. It features Natasha, Gina’s best friend from Take the Lead, and Dimitri, one of the show’s judges. There’s forced proximity and a lot of angsty sexual tension as they try to keep their hands off each other.
I also have a very steamy holiday novella coming out October 7th called The Holiday Hookup List, where two former school rivals create a sex pact leading up to Christmas. It’s sexy and silly, but also deals with grief and forgiveness, all in one neat little package.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year?
I’ve read a lot of great books this year! So far I’ve really enjoyed I Think They Love You by Julian Winters, Unlikely Story by Ali Rosen, A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera, Deep End by Ali Hazelwood, and the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning (yes, I know, I’m like 20 years late to it). I’ve also read a bunch of books that are coming out later this year that everyone should add to their TBRs, like When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa (out June 24th), Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle (out June 24th), It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram (out September 2nd), and Julia Song is Undateable by Susan Lee (out October 28th). When I read, I’m looking for humor, tension, voice, and a story that sweeps me away, and all of these books had those qualities in spades!
