Date Night Done Right (and Wrong) in Romance with Anna P

Ready to turn up the heat on your date nights? In this episode of We Read Smut, Alesia sits down with author Anna P. to discuss the art of crafting the perfect date night in romance novels. They explore why dates are crucial for character development and building intimacy, delve into the elements that make a date truly swoon-worthy, and share some hilarious and cringeworthy date-night disaster stories.

Anna studied journalism and has a Masters in Creative Writing, and a love for music and writing got her jobs with Rolling Stone India and Sony Music, and after a couple of years of selling her soul to advertising, she’s finally following her childhood dream of writing books. She’s currently working as a freelance copy consultant and book editor, while sipping on copious amounts of black tea and white wine.

In this episode, we're discussing:

• The Importance of Dates in Romance: Discover why Anna believes dates are essential for creating believable relationships and building tension, especially in strangers-to-lovers stories.
• Elements of a Perfect Date: Learn about the key ingredients that make a date truly special, including understanding your partner's interests, keeping things casual and pressure-free, and incorporating meaningful conversations.
• Date Night Disasters: Alesia and Anna share their own dating horror stories and discuss red flags to watch out for, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and genuine interest.
• A Sneak Peek at Anna's Cricket Romance: Get excited about Anna's upcoming sports romance featuring a cricketer and learn why she chose this unique setting.

Don’t forget to check out Anna’s new novel, Stumped.

CONNECT WITH ANNA P:

Website

Instagram

THINGS MENTIONED:

Love In Wildes Series by Anna P (Amazon*)

Thank you for listening to the We Read Smut Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag @WeReadSmut. Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast.

Connect with Alesia:
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This podcast was produced by Galati Media.
Proud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Date Night Disasters
• 0:10 Meet Anna P: Crafting Memorable Dates in Romance
• 1:34 The Love in Wildes Series: Real Stories of Diverse Women
• 3:03 The Importance of Dates in Romance Novels
• 7:36 Creating the Perfect Date Night
• 17:53 Date Night Disasters and Real-Life Inspirations
• 24:41 Exploring Cricket Romance: A New Venture
• 33:23 Conclusion and Where to Find Anna P's Books

Transcript

Alesia Galati: 0:00

Get ready for a steamy and insightful conversation about date night done right and oh so wrong in the world of romance. We're joined by Anna P who knows a thing or two about creating really memorable dates with their diverse characters. Wow. Anna, I am so excited to have you on the podcast, our very first author interview, and I was trying to go back and remember when I started reading your books. We read smut. Had done a challenge in the first quarter of 2023, which eons ago, had done a challenge and it was new to you, authors encouraging us to get outside of our comfort zones and read new authors to us. And I had spotted your book specifically because Amanda from talk about swoon, had mentioned you and your book as one that actually had dates in it. And I was like, oh, wait a minute. I don't think I have ever read a book other than the billionaire romances, where he takes her out on dinner and it's this extravagant over the top but like everyday people, there's no dates, it's just Insta, bang, typically. So I was so excited to read your book, and absolutely fell in love with your characters and your series and just the world that you created. If you could start by telling everyone a bit about your series. First of all, I'm

Anna P: 1:37

really excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Yeah, the love and loyal series Currently has five books, with the sixth on its way very soon. It just follows a bunch of friends in a small town, and I picked the state of Delaware. Don't ask me why. I just picked it on a map, and then it just stuck. It's about women of all kinds of sizes and from different backgrounds, and just it's about telling real stories about women like me. So we've got I've written about fat women, I've written about queer women, I've written about nerdy characters and those who love food, which is why there's so many dates. Because I think that eating food is like a love language, eating and making food, and I think dates are a good way to do that. And I've discovered this term called issues writer, where authors tackle sometimes really difficult subjects and put it into their books to sort of show that it doesn't have to be a bad thing to talk about it, and that's something that I've been trying to do with my books. So yeah, so five books out, and they're a mix of sweet and swoony and sexy, and they're fun. I think they're fun. I hope they're fun.

Alesia Galati: 2:40

I think they are and they love books that tackle big issues here the author who's being interviewed after you. In that one, we're talking about trauma and reframing trauma in romance and like why it's so important to create characters, because you can relate to these issues and these problems. Now, getting back to the dates in the first book, it's like date after date. How did you come up with what all of those dates? But why do you think that was important, specifically for those two characters?

Anna P: 3:14

Why I came up with the idea for all the dates is these are two complete strangers. And I think that when you divide the strangers to lovers. Romance, you need to have them get to know each other. And for me personally, if I am put in a room with someone, that's the best way for me to get to know somebody, whether it's over food or just sitting at a table together. It's fine, because it's conversation. You get to know someone. And so I thought that was really important for aleander and Jackson to have that kind of moment to bond, and then coming up with all these dates was just simply because Jackson's such an ego, he's eager to please, and he's so obsessed with aleander that he wants to find all the time that he can with her. So he plans all of these dates, and he takes them so seriously. And I was like, oh, nobody's ever done that for me, but if someone did, I would totally say, Yes, I will be with you forever. I was just like, why? Not only I never thought we did the exact same thing, yes,

Alesia Galati: 4:09

and I, like, knew that he incorporated a lot of the friends where it wasn't like, I'm gonna whisk you away and hoard all of your time. It was very practical. And like, I know that your friends make you comfortable, and how can I incorporate that into our date in a way that feels like I'm being really intentional, and not just like I like this thing, and so let's go on this date like I've dated guys like that word, yeah, I like this kind of food. I am not someone who likes seafood. So to have someone be like, Oh, we're going to a seafood restaurant. I'm like, what great. I hope they have chicken. But yeah, I love that you had those elements of bringing the friends in. Why do you think that authors maybe don't add in those days? I know it's maybe a little extra work, but like, Why do you think that we. Don't tend to see this in romance books.

Anna P: 5:03

I think, like you said, maybe it is a lot of work because it's setting the scene, and sometimes that takes a lot of time and effort. Like the story that we're creating is these two people meet, they fall in love, they have a conflict, and then they get back together. That's the formula that we follow, right? The falling in love. Part is we sometimes just it happens really quickly, which is fine, because Insta Love is a thing, and I completely believe in it, because I think that crushes are a form of Insta love in a way. So I completely believe in and I know why people don't do the dates, because once you've met, you have your meet cute, and then it's the whole wooing process, but then everyone does it very differently. If I was to say, why don't authors do it, I I think I would probably need to ask people. And now I'm going to ask people the question, because I think it's really interesting, like, why don't more authors do it? And I recently, I've been seeing it happen a lot more. I mean seeing authors put their characters through dates and these sort of these awkward situations where they don't know what to do with themselves and how to behave with each other, because it's so real. That's the whole thing about dating, right? It is awkward and is uncomfortable, but it's also fun. Like you said, someone will take you to seafood restaurant when you don't like seafood, and you're just like, why would you do this to me? It's an awkward fumble. And then they can be like, Oh, I'm so sorry. And then they can backtrack and they can fix it, and I feel like that's the whole fun of it, but I think in some way, it probably is, like you said, more work, and also it may probably cuts down the amount of time that you have to get them to fall in love. Personally, I think dates are when the characters do fall in love, but it's also, I guess, depending on what the characters are like the story that you're trying to tell I think it all falls into place depending on the plot that you're following. I just make sure that all my books have dates. It's so strange to me now that if I write a book without dates in, it just be bizarre.

Alesia Galati: 6:54

I love that, though, and I like thinking about the books that are specifically strangers to lovers, some type of catalyst that kind of puts them together in some way, whether they're neighbors or their work together or something like that. And I feel like the date aspect really can help if they're maybe not in those type of combined elements, or maybe they're in the same city, but they don't see each other often. And so I think that you do that in a really good way to create something different that we don't see a lot in romances. And so I love that so much. You create some really incredible dates in your books. What do you think are the elements that are needed to create a perfect date night. So if someone's listening and they're like, I want to make better dates, or I want in my own personal life, like, what makes these romance dates in your books, specifically, really swoony? And what are some of those ingredients that you always want to make sure that you have in those dates? Ooh,

Anna P: 7:55

this is one of the situations where it probably works better in fiction than it does in real life. But I think if I'm going to talk about in terms of writing them, and I think you can maybe replicate them in real life, it's just like you said, understanding what the other person wants dating someone, I think it has to start with getting to know them in a very casual sort of setting. I feel like the word date has so much pressure on it, like it's the time when you have to dress up and you have to be perfect, and you have to be all of these things, and you have to present yourself in certain way. But I think getting to know each other over, say, coffee, just a drink, cup of coffee, I think that's a good way to build that relationship, and then from there, so you get to know the person, and then you start having these dates. And if I can use almost, maybe it's my debut as an example, the first time that they actually talk to each other, he's having a cup of coffee, and she's having hot chocolate. Then he takes her out to a food truck festival, and then he starts all of these dates that he plans, and I think getting to know her through that first cup of coffee, hot chocolate, and then the food truck festival, and then he was able to create all of those special dates made such a difference because he was still winging it. Because I know this woman, but I don't know her well enough, but let me try and the one thing that he did know about it was that she enjoys food, and he implements food into all of the dates. And I think that is a good way to plan dates, whether it's with your best friend or with your partner. I think knowing what they would like to do is really important. So if there's someone who just wants to go to a rec room, I mean, take them, let them trash things, let them throw axes at things, whatever it is, we need to stop making dates such a pressured thing. Let it be fun and let it be relaxed. The idea is, find something that the both of you will enjoy less pressure. I think less pressure is the most important thing. Keep it so casual that it feels like it's just two friends hanging out, but actually like learning about the other person so that you can figure out what to do next. So I guess that would be my only advice. This comes from a person who is not dating right now. They. That how you would?

Alesia Galati: 10:02

I like it though, I think that there's such great ideas I'm thinking back to now. I've been with my husband for 11 years now. Yes, wow, it's just yay, easy. But how we met was mutual friends in college, and he will say that the first time he saw me, we started chatting it up, and he knew right away he wanted to bang me. And I'm like, love that you do know that time when our friends reintroduced us because we had met before that, but you were high as a kite and you don't remember we ended up getting kicked out of the library because we were laughing so loud. We went up to the other kind of study room where nobody else was in there, and he had me cheesing, and then we were talking from there, I gave him my phone number. I was dating somebody else at the time. Let me Ooh, look at you scandalous. But then I think about like the friends part before we actually hooked up. And then I owned up to my boyfriend, and then started, you know, hanging out with him. We did a lot of sitting in the library together or texting or even, hey, I'm hungry. Do you want to drive with me to Burger King, get breakfast and things like that, where it's like, those were the getting to know you moments. And then three months later, we moved in together. It's fine,

Anna P: 11:22

if it makes sense, you just have to follow it. I think that's the key.

Alesia Galati: 11:26

But like that first part, right? I think is so important in getting to know somebody or dating someone like get the pressure off. It's okay. They don't have to be your life partner forever, and you also don't have to do anything overly extravagant. I don't need 50 gifts. Honestly, just going to dinner and like, shutting the place down like that is a lot more fun to me, which, like, that's what my husband and I did for our 10 year anniversary. We went to a restaurant and they were like, Hey, we're closing 20 minutes. You gotta go. And we were like, Oh, wait, everyone is gone our bed. That's what I want personally in my relationships, and that's even what I like in my friendships. Is like, Hey, we are supposed to only have an hour on here. It's three hours later. I know you gotta go. I gotta go. I got more to say, though, those are the really like kinds of conversations that really create that intimacy. And so I love that you add these dates in, because I think it does add in that intimacy that a lot of Insta love or Insta lust books tend to miss. And even the slow burn books, I feel like they miss. A lot of readers lately have been saying this thing, and I'm like, Oh, yes, I see what you're saying. And that is, I didn't feel like these characters were meant to be together, or I didn't really feel like I was cheering them on in their relationship, because you don't really know them well. And I feel like when you create these dates, you as a reader, get to know them so well that you're like, Yes, I get it. You guys are great together. I can understand why he did the dates this way, or I can understand why she's hesitant, but also a little intrigued. I can see all of that. I love it, and I think that it's so great. You know, a lot of your not all of them, but some of your books are that slow burn. Do you find that the dates make that slow burn a better payoff? Oh,

Anna P: 13:21

I don't know. I've never thought of it that way. That's a really interesting way to look at it. I think the biggest slow burn that I've written so far is almost home, and a lot of their dates are at home because he cooks. And I think that in a way, maybe because you're building all this tension, and that's the whole thing about these dates as well, right? Like, even you said, like you when you met your husband and you guys were talking and you were spending all of this time together, and you build this relationship, and that relationship is still building some tension, because there's all this attraction, you don't know, oh my God, what do I do with this? How do I react? How do I behave? And, oh my God, I've got this other person that I'm seeing, but what do I do? What do I do? There's just so much going on. So I think dates do help with building that sort of tension in a slow one, because then it sets the scene for where these characters are going. And you get to see them in different situations where one of them is just flustered about being with the other person, the other person, just like with Everly and Laughlin from almost home, he's always flustered around and she's so oblivious, because she's just so unaware that she has an effect on him. And that tension was really fun to write, because he's just like, why does she not get it? And she's just like, what's going on with this, man? I don't get it at all. So yeah, maybe you're right. I never thought of it that way, but I think that dates can definitely the payoff for that slow one, because the whole reason people like slow bonds because of the tension that you're building within these guys, will they, won't they? Oh, my God, an almost kiss or brushing of hands, it's like this, oh, you're building it. And all that can happen on dates. So yeah, let's go with Yes, because now I love that idea.

Alesia Galati: 14:55

And I have to say, almost home in Blackland, my absolute favorite. Character that you have ever written. I love him so much. And also the fact that she's demisexual, I think also ties in really well to that slower burn and her obliviousness and him being like, No, I'm in love with you. It's official. It doesn't even matter. Yeah, it's just exactly so good, so good. How do you approach writing these date nights? So are some from experience or stories that you've heard? I mean, I just gave you my whole dating history story, but what are some of those things that you use as inspiration?

Anna P: 15:33

I don't have a lot of dating experience. A lot of my dating experience was meeting eligible bachelors, but when I was getting getting married off, which is one of the things that I put into aleia and his book where she meets with an eligible bachelor found by her grandmother, and that date was as uncomfortable in real life as it was on the page. I thought it was important that everybody see just how cringy it can be. But I think most of my days just come from my imagination. It's something that my mom has always said, that I have always had the most vivid imagination. I love people watching. So I will put two random strangers who have never looked at each other before in a situation, and by the end of the the hour that I'm sitting and watching them, they're married with a bajillion kids. This is just the way my brain works. And I think with creating these dates, it was the same thing. It was just, what would I want to do when I meet someone? And as I said, all of my dates involve food. I hate the word foodie. It's something that I've always tried not to use. It's a weird thing. I'm not even going to explain explaining why, but it's just this weird dislike I have for the word, but that's what I am. I grew up not having a good relationship with food, and as an adult, I've just built this amazing relationship with it that I want. So food is a positive thing in my books. It's something that we love and we cherish and we appreciate. So if I was to go on a date with someone, what would I want to eat? And then so the first one had milkshakes, the second one had pies, and then the third one just had everything. And then I think it just goes from there. So it's just my imagination. One, two, what would I want to do on date with this person that I've never met, and then build it from there? It is really hard, though, like, I completely understand a lot of people don't do it because coming up with unique data ideas in every work. And I've written six books now, and all six books, I had to make sure that I do not overlap any of the dates, because I was sometimes I'm writing two books at a time, and I will find so many similarities, and I'm like, oh my god, this is annoying. So the same thing with dates. And I think if you are someone who has a partner and you go on dates, it's probably easier to come up with ideas, because you've got this real life experience. I don't have that, so I'm just like imagination. Let's open up my mind and see what I can get out of it. So yeah, it's just things that I would like to do and things I would probably do with my friends. So what

Alesia Galati: 17:53

do you consider as the date night disasters, or maybe that you mentioned the one in your book? If you could tell us a little bit more about that one for anyone who hasn't ready yet. And then, what are some things that you think really can ruin a date?

Anna P: 18:08

Ooh. Think Bollywood has done a good job of it. But like Indian families, when the girls are 2122 they start sending us out to meet these eligible boys who are like perfect husband material. We're not perfect wife materials, but they're perfect husband material. And then you have these really uncomfortable dates with these men who talk about themselves and don't ask you questions. I think any date is a disaster when the partner, when the person sitting across from you, pretends to be interested in you, but is actually only interested in you if you care about what they have to say. And I think that is like the nightmare of all dates between the ages of 22 and 24 I met a whole bunch of guys, but by the end of it, I was just like, oh my god, I can't do this anymore. It's just It hurts, because there's only so many things that you can talk about on a date. So disaster dates are just people who are sort of seeing you to feel good about themselves, or because they're forced into it. Sometimes blind dates can be really uncomfortable, and I think that I've heard lots of horror stories about blind dates, and I'm just like, Oh no, technically, that's what these arranged marriage meetings are. They're all blind dates because you just see a picture of them. Sometimes you don't even see that. You're just going off of what someone else's stole someone else and told someone else. Because my grandmother would get all this information from her friends, and she'll say, Oh yeah, he's perfect for you, because he does this. And I'm like, what he does what? Which is exactly what I did in Bucha. Oh, yeah. And his grandmother says, Oh, he works at NASA. You like space. And she was like, when I was a child, not now. So she still meets this guy. And then, of course, there is the other thing, where they belittle you because your job is not as as fancy as theirs. I think disasters are just basically when the partner doesn't matter who it is, but if the partner sitting across from you just does not give two hoots about you or your life. All the things that you've experienced, and they think that all of the choices that you make in life are less than theirs. We don't have time for that. Just not they're not important at all. No,

Alesia Galati: 20:11

oh, my goodness. So I have had, I'm thinking about, like, my own dating experiences. I remember I went to go see a movie, and it was a horror movie. I don't like horror movies, I can't that was a miserable date, good. And this was somebody that like, Okay, this is 2010 online meeting, like appdating. Oh, poor app dating was even like a thing. This was the hookup appdating, because that's all you're there worth. I was like, in New York City, and I was meeting some guys, and I was having a good time, and I'm like, my mom's like, Alesia, you're meeting people on the internet, you're gonna end up in a suitcase somewhere. And I'm like, whatever, Mom, you don't know anything like so I went to this movie, and it was terrible date, but then he took me to this Cuban restaurant afterwards, and that was a lot of fun. But even thinking about like, conversation that I've had, I don't get out a lot now, because I like to be home. I already got the husband and the kids were fine, like I don't need to go out and meet people. But as a podcaster, which I do for my day job, I meet a lot of people virtually, and I have had conversations, and I'm thinking about one person that was on my podcast where it's video, I can see her, she can see me. And every time I started talking, she looked down at her phone, and I was like, Oh, no. Oh, this is really uncomfortable. But like doing that at a date, that would be terrible.

Anna P: 21:39

Yeah, that's what I'd like, right there? Just no, don't even No, and then

Alesia Galati: 21:45

thinking about this other guy, like, I mean, I have some ADHD tendencies. I tend to look around as I'm talking. I do all that, but if someone's talking, I'm hyper fixated and focused on you and what you're saying. And yes, my brain's running a million miles an hour, but I want to make sure that I'm visibly staying focused on you. And I was on a podcast, so I'm the guest, and this guy, as he's talking, or as I'm talking, he's going like this, you can't see me if you're listening, but I'm swinging back and forth in my chair, and I'm looking up at the ceiling, and I was like, bro,

Anna P: 22:24

oh my goodness,

Alesia Galati: 22:26

that is not like, it's literally just a 30 to 45 minute conversation. But if you can't even give me that,

Anna P: 22:37

come on, that's terrible. Oh god, yeah.

Alesia Galati: 22:40

And I could tell that he was at the point where he did not want to keep doing his podcast. He was having a lot of conversations that were just not really fulfilling. I'm like, at that point, pause, reassess your life decisions before you move on. And maybe that's something that we need to do if we're finding ourselves getting really bored with dates. Then maybe pause, reassess

Unknown: 23:03

what is working,

Alesia Galati: 23:05

what's not. Then does this need to continue? So yes, those are my personal experiences for terrible situations. Those

Anna P: 23:15

are those are definitely disasters, nightmares, things that could happen on dates, and I'm sorry that happened to you even though they weren't dates. I'm still sorry that it happened to you at all. Happened to you at

Alesia Galati: 23:24

all. Thank you. Have you written any that were maybe less than spectacular dates where the characters still end up together? So it wasn't any like side character drama, but there was one a date where maybe that it didn't go to plan, or didn't go the way that the people wanted to, but it still actually moved the relationship forward because they were more real or more personal.

Anna P: 23:50

Oh, wow, I don't know. I think with in almost yours, Ginny and Gavin, that book is just full of rage. They love each other, but they hate each other. It's just chaos. And I think all of the dates, all of the things that they do together, there's always this underlying sort of tension of, oh my god, one of them is going to snap. And I think I tried very hard not to put it, but at the same time, I think thought it was kind of important for their relationship. Because if so much of this history, I don't think so now that I'm thinking about it, but I feel like I should do that with my next couple books, because it'd be so fun, right? Imagine putting those characters in that situation where it seems really perfect on the surface, but on it's actually just, it's almost a disaster, and they end the night and you're just like, Nope, they're never going to see each other again. Oh, my God, that would be so fun to write. Thank you. I'm gonna, I'm gonna put that into the next book. Looking

Alesia Galati: 24:41

forward to your new cricket romance, which is going to be coming out very soon from when this airs, why cricket? First of all, I think about cricket, and I immediately go to, I don't do sports teams in general, like sometimes I'll watch NASCAR, but that's about as good as it gets. My husband and my kids. They love watching football. They love watching soccer. We've watched a little bit of hockey, any animal teams. They get the Hura right, like and so we introduced them to these things. But cricket is one that I don't think I've ever seen on TV. And only time I was like, oh, Cricket is a sport was from a blue episode, which is very apparent of me. I think I said to the episode, because I was like, Oh my God. And it's such a great episode. Go watch it. We'll have it in the show notes. If you're like, wait, cricket and Bluey, what is this? Go watch the episode. It's so cute. But that was my first introduction to, like, other sports out there that are not American, that people love and people enjoy, and cricket is one of those first like, what is cricket? For anyone who's like, wait a minute, I don't think I've ever heard of a cricket romance. And then why cricket?

Anna P: 25:51

Now, I think a lot of people would say that cricket, if you the minute you think of cricket, to think the Indian cricket team, because my country has just made it into this. I don't know what we've done with the sport, but we've made it huge. But it was started by the British, and then they brought it to all of the sort of the the colonized nations, and they introduced it to the people. But cricket is it's like baseball. That is probably because there's a bat, there's a ball, there's a batter. In baseball, there's a pitcher, but in cricket, there's a bowler. You've got to do runs to get points. In baseball, you have a home run. In cricket, you have boundary shots. There's a six which is like the home run, because it flies. There's a four which is on which sort of runs across the whole field and hits the boundary line. It's a really interesting sport, once you sort of wrap your mind around it. And now, just so you're aware, there's a US cricket team. They participated in the World Cup this year. The US was actually one of the hosts for the World Cup. They had it in New York. I think it was in New York. Yeah, they didn't do very well. I think they have potential the US team, but they just really did not deliver what they should have considered the number of incredible players they had. As for why I decided to write a cricket romance. Why not? No, I'm kidding. I wanted to write a sports romance. Obviously, that's something that it's always been in my mind. But I don't know American football, I don't know hockey, I don't know baseball. The only sport that I do know is basketball, because when I grew up, I used to play it, and I used to watch. I was a huge NBA watcher, like I supported the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls. These were, like, my teams, and I was obsessed, like, obsessively NBA. But it didn't seem right, as an Indian, to write about American sports, because I'm just like, What do I know besides what I'm seeing, other people write what I'm watching. And fun fact, for the last, say, 15 years, I have hated cricket. It's so strange to say, but I think all of us in India grow up watching cricket. It's not even a national sport, by the way, but people treat it that way because it's just the athletes are so good. And it used to be called a gentleman sport, because when the British were doing it, till maybe 15 years ago, when I stopped watching it, I still thought of it as a gentleman spot, because it's just pure athleticism. And I thought these guys were incredible. And then I feel like it switched, where all the athletes started becoming celebrities, and they started getting brand endorsements, and they became, I don't know, it just it took away the essence of what Cricket was, which is why I stopped watching it. But there's something called the IPL, which is the Indian Premier League, which happens every year. I think there are 12 or 13 teams. I may be getting that wrong, because my stats are just so bad. But teams named after cities in India, which has players from India, I think Sri Lanka, from England, from Australia, so from all of the big cricket teams, all these players come together in different city teams, and they play against each other over the period of one month to become the champion of the IPL. So this year, during the IPL, I was with my dad, and he's, he watches it every year, and I sat down to watch one match, one match, and it completely changed my life. And I was just like, oh, this is why I don't watch the sport anymore. It is just there was this one young player on the some of the team that I supported the Chennai super kings, because Chennai is a city that I'm from, and there's this one player on the Chennai super kings just watching him. Was like, he blew my mind. I was like, oh, okay, so we're gonna write this romance now. And then I actually wrote that first draft in the period of when the IPL was happening, and by the time I finished it, I was just like, holy smokes, I'm actually going to publish this. And then so, yeah, here we are. First cricket romance of my life.

Unknown: 29:30

I love that. Yeah,

Anna P: 29:31

there we go.

Alesia Galati: 29:32

I think it's so great. I like that one. You're you're taking one that you the sport, that you understand, that you enjoy. I watch, or I read some of the sports books, and I'm just like, what is happening? Go sports team. That's literally how I feel every time something's on. I'm just like, Yay, waving my number one little finger gun thing. Like, yeah, it's everything's fine. But when I think about like sports in other countries, like the number one that I think of like, oh, this is a good romance. Is rugby? Because, God, those Oh yes, please, those players, good lord. I mean eye muscles, I know. And then every time I see soccer like me and my husband are always making fun of like, soccer players because they the slightest bump, and they're like, so dramatic, so dramatic. NBA. Yes, I grew up like watching that. That's fine. Hockey. Never grew up watching it, and all I imagine was like, hockey players. And it always makes me laugh when I see these hockey romances, and I'm like, how many teeth does this dude have? Because every hockey player I've seen has had a lot of work done or has no teeth. What is happening? It feels almost like out of the realm of possibility to me, sometimes, especially with some of these, like college level ones. I'm just like, this getting out of hand. And so I love that you're taking a different sport, a different approach, from what we typically see right now. And let's just say you're starting to trend, because I know there are a few ones coming out next year, are in the next two or year, two years or so, that are going to be based around this, with that in mind and your cricket specifically romance. Are there any dates that we can look forward to in that book specifically so the

Anna P: 31:32

because he's a professional athlete and he's been the spotlight, a lot of their dates are like, quiet and private and under the radar. So there's I do have a couple of things in my first draft. I had, I think one date, which is so sad now that I think about it, but I plotted out a couple of dates for the second draft, which is what I'm working on right now. I don't want to give anything away just yet, but there's some sneaking around midnight meals, because that's the only way they can probably escape the paparazzi. So yeah, I think that's what that was. One of the things that I really enjoyed about the second draft was sort of finding ways around the celebrity sort of thing. And I think what a lot of billionaire romances have is that the billionaire is always really famous, so he has to sneak her away on his private jet or whatever to go, but that I don't do any of that here, because even though he's even though he's famous, she's richer than he is, but she doesn't fly him anywhere, because she's just like, I can't be bothered. But so, yeah, I think there are some cute dates. I think one of the things I've started doing now is a lot of domestic dates. I like seeing the characters in the kitchen moving around each other, bumping hands and bumping hips and cooking together. There's something that, which is why we did a lot with in almost love, which is the fifth book, it had them moving around the kitchen a lot, spending a lot of time together in in close spaces, like her home or his home. And which is what I'm trying to do with this one as well, because there's something. Those are still dates, but they're just, they're slightly more intense because it's just the two of them, and it builds that sort of the tension that we were talking about earlier as well. But this is not a slow one. It starts with the one night stand, and it just goes from it, oh, I love those

Alesia Galati: 33:18

two. Some of my favorites where it's those are always really fun, Anna, this has been so much fun. Where can people find you? Buy your books, get to know you all of that fun stuff. You can

Anna P: 33:30

find me on Instagram. Unfortunately, that's the only place that I am on right now at Anna writes here, and my website is annaiteo.com all of my books are in Kindle Unlimited, except for Love Song take two, which is a holiday romance that is available wide. So if you use Kobo or acro books, you can get the book there. But yeah, so my love and wild series finishes earlier this year, and then on to the next, now on to the next. So look forward to the Greek romance.

Alesia Galati: 33:58

Yes, I am so excited. I think it's going to be wonderful, and I cannot wait to read it. It's to read it. You.