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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Dodging Mr. Right?

It started with an impulsive yes. I saw that my local University was taking a professor-guided trip to India. I called my husband and told him about it. He encouraged me to go. He said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So, I signed up immediately after getting off the phone. Many vaccine shots later, I found myself in India—touring palaces and temples, riding camels, learning history, and pestering the professor with more questions than he probably wanted to answer. I was curious about the family life and what it was like to be a woman living there, especially what the people felt about matchmaking.

As we traveled through both South and North India, I read ads in newspapers where the parents were searching for a match for their grown child. That led to rich, open conversations with locals about arranged marriages versus love matches. When I got home, I read an article about how, historically, a few women used herbs to try to influence who fell in love with whom. These marriages affected not only the couple getting married but also the quality of life of the families involved. That got me to thinking … what if those women using the herbs were successful? What if they did find a way to have a secret love potion to help them gain more influence and power for their families? And that still existed … what would that look like? How would that affect people’s choices of who they loved? Do we really have a choice about who we love?

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Dodging Mr. Right, what would they be?

“Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

That is not easy to answer, since I read widely, but lately I have really enjoyed women’s fiction and suspense novels.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, and James by Percival Everett.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The scenes are set in India. I arrived home from India in late January 2020 and started to write the novel in March during COVID. Like most people at that time, I often felt trapped in my house and feared for the safety of my loved ones. I loved being taken away from everything and being transported back to India—its colors, chaos, beauty, and crazy traffic that I currently miss. When I researched and wrote about India, it was a magical experience. Writing those scenes kept that experience alive for me, and I learned more about a land and culture that is complicated and enriching. It reminded me how transformative and expansive travel can be.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Does running to my La-Z-Boy so I can drink my green tea count? I have a rule: no green tea until I am writing. It's how I motivate myself to get into the chair.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Go for your dream—NOW.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I hope they remember something that made them laugh or smile. And I hope they remember it’s okay to love—even when it is messy, and it wasn’t with who and how they planned. Love, with the right person, can be worth all the pain that comes with being with another human.

Anastasia Alexander is the author of the new book Dodging Mr. Right

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