From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.
We had the pleasure of chatting to author Sandhya Menon about her new novel, Of Curses and Kisses! Sandhya tells us about its inspiration, what’s next for her including the next instalment of the series, book recommendations, and more!
Hi Sandhya! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! I’m Sandhya Menon, the author of many swoony, kiss-filled romances including the New York Times bestseller When Dimple Met Rishi and my latest, Of Curses and Kisses. There are few things I adore more than writing heart-fluttering scenes about true love, and I’m so excited to be here!
Your new novel, Of Curses and Kisses, publishes on February 18th. If you could only use five words to describe it, what would they be?
Glamorous, intriguing, star-crossed lovers!
Now tell us more! What can readers expect?
Oh, good! Having only five words to describe it was torture! 😉 Of Curses and Kisses is a boarding school-set Beauty and the Beast retelling about modern-day royals. It follows an Indian princess who’s hellbent on revenge and the misanthropic British aristocrat she must trick into falling in love with her. There’s also a very mysterious family curse that may have something to do with the rose pendant our princess wears around her neck…
Where did the inspiration for Of Curses and Kisses come from?
I’ve always had a deep and abiding love for boarding school novels, as well as fairy tale retellings. I remember thinking, when I was in the middle of watching Gossip Girl, “I wish there was a series that was set at a boarding school, but was also a series of contemporary fairy tale retellings, that had Gossip Girl vibes.” And then I went, “Oh, wait a minute. I’m an author!”
Was there a certain character, scene, or piece of dialogue that you really enjoyed writing?
So many! This book was truly such an enjoyable one to get lost into. Let’s see; there’s a particular scene in a hot tub that was so much fun to write, as well as a scene with a snowball fight that ends in a soul-melting kiss!
Of Curses and Kisses is the first novel in the St. Rosetta’s Academy series. Can you give us a little teaser as to what comes next?
With pleasure! The next two books are set in the same universe (and in the same boarding school) and will follow different main characters and different fairy tales. I just finished drafting book two, which will be a loose retelling of The Frog Prince!
Your first novel, When Dimple Met Rishi, published in 2017. Has your writing process changed at all over the years and what is the most important thing you have learned?
It’s changed in so many explicit and implicit ways! I think writers are ever-evolving beings, which is the way it should be. Art shouldn’t stagnate, in my opinion. The most important thing I’ve learned has been how to be a better, more thorough plotter. I don’t enjoy editing too much, so the cleaner my first draft is, the better!
You also have 10 Things I Hate About Pinky releasing in June. Was there any overlap while writing your 2020 releases?
No, and it was planned that way! I can’t work on two different novels at the same time; my brain just doesn’t work that way, unfortunately. I tend to get completely immersed in my fictional universes when I’m writing, even going so far as to dream about my characters hanging out with me when I’m working on their stories! So I made sure I budgeted time to finish one book before diving into the next.
What’s next for you?
I just finished working on book two in the St. Rosetta’s Academy universe, as I mentioned, and I can’t wait for readers to be able to pick it up! I’m also super-excited to dive into edits on my very first adult rom-com, Make Up Break Up, due out in 2021!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Recently I’ve read and loved Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan and Light Years by Kass Morgan!
Bio: Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi, Of Curses and Kisses, and many other novels that also feature lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been included in several cool places, including the Today show, Teen Vogue, NPR, BuzzFeed, and Seventeen. A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado. Visit her online at SandhyaMenon.com. You can find Sandhya on Instagram and Twitter.
