We chat with debut author Priyanka Taslim about The Love Match, which is a delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security—just as she’s falling in love with someone else—think To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice!
Hi, Priyanka! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me! I am an author and educator from New Jersey. I am of Bangladeshi descent and often write about characters who are as well, in an attempt to write the representation I didn’t have growing up. When I’m not writing or teaching, I’m usually eating or playing with my debonair tuxedo cat, Loki.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I think I’ve always loved stories. When I was a kid, I loved reading with my mom and often sought escape in libraries and the pages of the books that they held.
When I was about twelve, I finally gathered up the courage to write some of my own stories—which were fanfiction to begin with. There was something really thrilling to me about getting to fill in the gaps in media that I loved but which had disappointed me in some way. It gave me a sense of control that I suppose I didn’t always have in my life at the time. The craving to tell stories only grew and by the time I finished high school I knew it was my ultimate dream to be an author. At the time, however, it felt like an impossible dream, so I’m still pretty blown away that it came true!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The very first book I remember reading is a series of early readers starring a dog called Sad Sam. Because she was anxious about her own language barrier impacting me at school, my mom took a lot of time reading with me every night and I think that sparked my love of books. It was around the time that I went to high school that I started giving serious consideration to what I thought might be an impossible dream—being an author. The book that made me want to write…I’m not sure! Back then, I read a lot of Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Stephanie Meyer, Kendare Blake, etc. I think it was my love for books in general that made me want to author my own—although I will say that some of my writing pieces were anime fanfics, so maybe I have the mangaka group CLAMP to thank, haha. A book I can’t stop thinking about is Adiba Jaigirdar’s A Million to One. There’s a dearth of historical fiction, particularly in YA, by authors of color, and this is a fascinating, intersectional one by a queer, Bangladeshi, hijabi author who has long been a friend and inspiration, about a heist by a diverse group of young women aboard the ill-fated Titanic. I hope readers seek it out.
Your debut novel, The Love Match, is out tomorrow! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Hmmm, I think…meddling mothers matchmake their kids.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect fake dating, a love triangle, matchmaking, social commentary in the spirit of Austen and a headstrong heroine reminiscent of Lizzie Bennet, amazing platonic bonds in addition to the romance, and a little taste of the beauty of Bangladeshi culture
Where did the inspiration for The Love Match come from?
The Love Match is a little inspired by my own upbringing in Paterson, New Jersey’s vibrant Bangladeshi diaspora community, often fending off attempts at matchmaking, but also by my visit to a tea shop early in 2020, before the pandemic. It made me want to set a book in one.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really loved getting to write Zahra’s friend group. I grew up loving those Disney and Nickelodeon shows that featured really tight knit friendships, particularly between girls, so I loved getting to write this diverse group of girls who are there for each other through thick and thin even as they all navigate what it means to grow up and embrace change.
I’m really excited for readers to meet Dalia and Dani, the twin daughters of Zahra’s employer who work at the tea shop with her, as well as the final member of their group, Ximena, Dani’s girlfriend.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting The Love Match published?
I actually wrote two other books prior to The Love Match that never went on submission. The Love Match became my escapist novel when the pandemic hit, filled with fun tropes and scenic dates. I thought that readers like the teens I was teaching at the time deserved books like it where even a working class brown girl could be at the heart of an epic love story. It took me some time to get the beats right—I couldn’t decide how I wanted it to end. Thankfully, when I finally figured that out, I was able to find a publisher who believed in the story I wanted to tell.
Do you have any advice for those who may have set some writing resolutions for the new year?
Oftentimes, people attempt to write a certain amount of words every day, but I really struggle with that. If you’re like me, I recommend you write until you find some closure—whether that’s the end of a scene, the end of a chapter, or even the end of a particular arc in the story. Sometimes, when I’m really tired and a thousand words feels impossible, I tell myself I just have to finish a scene, which feels much more doable and positions me in a better place when I tackle the rest of the chapter the next day, because I’m starting somewhere that’s still relatively fresh rather than right in the thick of things. Other times, I might be incredibly motivated and even get a chapter or several done. I like to believe the latter makes up for the former, so it’s okay not to beat yourself up if you aren’t always hitting a particular concrete goal. Your mileage may vary, though! Do what works for you!
What’s next for you?
I have another young adult romance coming from Simon & Schuster at some point and recently also announced my adult debut, From Mumbai, with Love, which is a women’s fiction novel with elements of romance, following a young woman who, after the loss of her mother, wants to feel tethered to something again, so she takes a DNA test and discovers family in very unexpected places. I can’t say too much about either project yet, but both deal with complicated family dynamics, which The Love Match did as well, so if that was your cup of tea, I think you’ll like these future projects!
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
I’m excited for SO many books, but just a few in particular are:
- The Do’s and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar
- The sequels of The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman and Drizzle, Dreams and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad
- Blood Debts by TJ Benton-Walker
- A Grim and Sunken Vow by Ashley Shuttleworth
- Last Chance Dance by Lakita Wilson
- The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas
- Kismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
- Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz
- If You’re Not the One by Farah Naz Rishi
- Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
- How to Win a Breakup by Farah Heron
- Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
- The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer
- Out of Character by Jenna Miller
- Always the Almost by Edward Underhill
