We chat with author Naina Kumar about Just a Highland Fling, which features fiery first impressions, fierce clashes, and undeniable chemistry, making for a bumpy ride through the Highlands in this swoony, witty romance about family, forgiveness, and finding love where you least expect it.
Hi, Naina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a former civil rights lawyer and current romance author! I love writing stories about love, and complicated families, and putting characters in situations that force them to grow!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I don’t remember ever not wanting to be a writer! The first book I ever wrote was a picture book I scribbled and taped together when I was a child. I just loved reading so much and I always wanted to tell stories of my own!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Probably some picture book! The first books with plot that I remember were the Cam Jansen chapter books!
- The one that made you want to become an author: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I loved that book so much as a child. I read it over and over and remember wanting to write a story like that one day.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: So many! But right now it’s Die For Me by Shirlene Obuobi! A paranormal romance that’s tense and sharply written and will truly keep you on the edge of your seat!!
Your latest novel, Just a Highland Fling, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Travel, sheep, family, poems, and spice!
What can readers expect?
Just a Highland Fling is about Neelu, a woman who travels to Scotland for her estranged father’s wedding, but finds herself on a road trip through the Scottish highlands with her jilted father and Jacob, the bagpiper she hooked up with the night before, as they attempt to find her father’s runaway bride.
Where did the inspiration for Just a Highland Fling come from?
I love romance novels set in Scotland! I think the genre has a really interesting relationship with Scotland as a setting, but I never read any with South Asian characters. But there’s a large South Asian diaspora in the UK, and I happened to attend a school in the US with a Scottish arts program, so I grew up learning highland dance and my brother was a bagpiper! I thought it would be fun to write the kind of romance novel I’ve always loved to read, but with characters like me!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really love both of the main characters of this novel! They are complicated people who have really different fears and walls that are holding them back from love. They both push each other in different ways, and their journey together over the course of the novel was really rewarding to write!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I was really lucky with this book! Just a Highland Fling came together somewhat easily, and it’s the first book I’ve written that feels like I truly was able to capture the story in my mind. It was really a joy to write!
What’s next for you?
I have two books coming out next year! Diamond of the Rebellion is a historical fantasy coming out in summer 2027 about an Indian princess and a freedom fighter in Victorian England who are trying to steal back the Kohinoor diamond with magic! I also have You’ve Been Ghosted coming out fall 2027 about a woman who finally matches with the perfect man, only to find out that he’s a ghost. He’s somehow only able to communicate from the beyond through the app, and only to her! They’ll have to work together to help him move on, and try not to fall in love with each other in the process.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
Married with Benefits by Ellie Palmer is a perfect marriage of convenience! Pot Shot by Laura Piper Lee is one of the funniest romcoms I’ve read all year! I already mentioned Die For Me by Shirlene Obuobi, but I’m mentioning it again! It’s so so good! I read an advanced copy of Let’s Kiss and Tell by Joss Richard and it’s an absolute delight, and feels like the romcoms of the 90s and 2000s that we all loved! And Alexandra Vasti, one of my favorite voices in historical romance, has a paranomal romance mystery called Swipe Bite coming out this fall and it’s incredible!!
