We welcome Alisha Rai to discuss the latest novel in her “Modern Love” series, FIRST COMES LIKE, which is a feel-good romance novel about a fauxmance turned relationship between a beauty influencer and a Bollywood star.** Alisha tells us about the time she went viral after a tweet regarding a bad date and two cake pops! Thankfully Valentine’s Day has taken a turn for the positive for her these days! (01:43)** Alisha’s social media presence is next level but that comes with a price sometimes. We were interested in how she strikes the balance and protects her mental health while still engaging with comments and followers. (05:26)** We discuss Jia, the complicated heroine of First Comes Like, and how being “too much” and “alot” is exactly what she wanted to celebrate in her character.  (08:46)** The fauxmance turned romance trope is one of our favorites and clearly it is for Alisha too. We discuss why she loves it and then discuss Bridgerton and whether this means we will get more romance novels adapted for the screen. (10:48)** Alisha explains why happiness is subversive and how it is harder to write a happy ending than a tragic one. (13:53)** We talk to a lot of lawyers turned authors and loved to hear how Alisha went from being an attorney to writing romance novels and why she intentionally keeps her toes in both pools. (15:53)** The characters in First Comes Like subvert traditional gender roles and Alisha shares why it is so important to reflect how humans appear in the real world.  (18:08)** Alisha tells us about her writing process and how the pandemic and falling in love has affected her writing experience. (20:31)** Alisha is a true Gemini, demonstrating her duality at every turn, and we nerd out about astrology with her! (24:45)** Alisha shares what she is loving right now in books and TV. She also shares news of her next book! (29:10)Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @popfictionwomen and on Twitter @pop_women. To do a full deep dive, check out our website at www.popfictionwomen.com. Stay Complicated!We’ve launched a platform at patreon.com/popfictionwomen to keep making the podcast you love -- and to make it even better. For a one time contribution to support this episode, use venmo @carinn-jade. Thank you for your support and enjoy the show!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.