Pop-Culturalist.com

Writer and teacher Priyanka Taslim is a rising new voice in young adult literature. Her debut novel, The Love Match, is a swoony rom-com starring a spirited Bangladeshi American heroine dealing with family meddling, experiencing first love, and forging her own path in the world. The Love Match has earned glowing industry reviews ahead of its January 3rd release. Publishers Weekly praised the novel’s “textured exploration of South Asian Muslim identity.” Kirkus honored The Love Match with a starred review for being “candid, textured, and amusing.” It’s also been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Pop Culturalist had a chance to speak with Priyanka about The Love Match, her creative process, and her journey to becoming a writer.

PC: Hi! Welcome to Pop Culturalist, Priyanka! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. To start, please tell our readers about your debut novel, The Love Match.
Priyanka: Hi! I’m so excited to discuss The Love Match with you! It’s a YA romantic comedy with plenty of drama, following eighteen-year-old Bangladeshi American teen Zahra Khan during the summer before she’s meant to start college—except, Zahra’s deferred her acceptance to her dream school to help her family, which has been struggling since her father’s death two years ago. When her meddling but well-meaning mother decides the solution to all of their problems is to set Zahra up with Harun, of the wealthy Emons, Zahra and Harun scheme to fake date and sabotage the relationship from within. Everything’s going according to plan until Zahra develops real feelings for her decidedly unsuitable new coworker, Nayim Aktar. Falling in love with him would threaten not just her plans, but her heart!

It’s meant to feel a little like a natok—a Bengali serial drama—or a Bollywood movie, since those are more familiar to western audiences—that’s set in America, with swoony romance, beautiful settings, and exciting, high-stakes twists!

PC: What aspects of your own life helped inspire this book?
Priyanka: The book is far from autobiographical, but it is inspired by my upbringing in a vibrant, working-class Bangladeshi diaspora community in New Jersey. It’s set in my hometown, and like me, Zahra is an aspiring writer. My family has never discouraged that, and have been the most enthusiastic cheerleaders of The Love Match, but for the longest time, it was seen as something I should keep as a hobby since it wasn’t as reliable a career as teaching.

I’ve also undergone quite a few matchmaking attempts and took inspiration from those. The tea shop element came from my visit to a Pakistani tea shop right before the pandemic—which was when I first started writing The Love Match. They, unfortunately, had to shut their doors before I could visit again, but it was such a memorable visit that it left a lasting impression on me. I wanted the settings in the book to almost feel like characters in their own right and come alive for readers, so I hope that will be the case!

PC: What are the prominent themes that can be found within The Love Match?
Priyanka: This is where my English teacher hat comes on, I suppose because I thought about themes so much throughout the process of writing!

I think one of the biggest themes is grief and change. Zahra, like many teens, is in this very liminal place during the summer before college. Since she can’t go yet, it feels like everything is changing around her while she remains stagnant, and her fear of that change is punctuated by the fact that she’s still grieving her father. I think that these themes of coming of age and accepting change will resonate with a lot of young adult readers. There’s also that exploration of college accessibility since not every teen has the means to go, or knows what they want to do when they get there, and as a high school teacher who’s had so many teens in my classroom, I wanted to speak to that. Other themes include learning that it’s okay to choose yourself and your dreams, that Brown girls and other marginalized people who want it are worthy of being seen as protagonists and being loved, that people aren’t always what you expect of them, love letters to diaspora experiences, etc.

PC: There’s a great balance of romance and comedy in The Love Match! Which type of scenes are the most fun for you to write?
Priyanka: My absolute favorite scenes are the ones that set up the romances while still being funny! I think for me, it’s easier to jump back into a draft when I’m having fun and laughing at the characters’ antics. In The Love Match, the scenes where Zahra and Harun are scheming together to thwart their parents’ matchmaking were the most enjoyable, so hopefully readers feel the same way! I love the swoony moments as well, though—like the ones where Nayim puts the guitar on the cover to use, because as a teen, I didn’t think books where Brown girls get serenaded (especially by a Brown love interest) would ever exist!

PC: You crafted a compelling love triangle between Harun, Zahra, and Nayim in The Love Match. How did you approach writing this trope and was there anything particularly challenging about the process?
Priyanka: I’ll be the first to say love triangles can be tricky! I did several revisions just to make sure each boy and his relationship with Zahra felt earned by the narrative, so for any writers struggling to write a good love triangle—don’t give up! It didn’t help that I changed my mind a time or two about who would be Zahra’s endgame relationship (though I think that’s not necessarily a bad thing, since you want a bit of conflict amongst your readers and they’re more likely to be torn if you are). But the biggest thing I thought about was what each boy represented for Zahra’s personal arc and the overarching story, because overall, I think that’s what matters most. If you’re writing a love triangle, I recommend asking yourself these two questions: 1) what about the protagonist changes because of their relationships with these other characters? 2) are you giving each character enough page time to properly develop the romance arcs? If the answer is “nothing, no,” then is it the most dynamic choice? How can you make it more dynamic?

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Priyanka: At one point in the story, Zahra mentions her grandmother telling her bedtime stories. Like that, my parents often put me to sleep with a story, so when I started school, I was already primed to love reading with my mom. Since English wasn’t her first language, she was extra anxious about me doing well and I remember we read through the stack of early reader books my kindergarten teacher gave us in advance. She did that for the next few grades too. I think this really instilled a love of stories in me. I sought them out everywhere—not just in books, but in movies, shows, comics, and video games, anywhere I could!

Being a voracious reader made me yearn to see my name on the spines of books as I got older, but it was only after I started writing fanfiction around the age of thirteen that writing snowballed into my ultimate dream. I wrote all the way through college, where I got a minor in creative writing. Before that, I never actually wrote Bangladeshi protagonists, because I thought at least my characters might have to be white for me to ever achieve my goal. Then, a professor asked me to take more inspiration from my culture, and something unlocked in me the first time I tried. Everything suddenly felt right in the world.

I didn’t seriously attempt a career in publishing until a few years after graduation, but all of these things led up to me pursuing it and some of these experiences are reflected in Zahra.

PC: What writing lessons have you learned on your journey as a debut author?
Priyanka: Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned are:

1. Much of writing a good book is being able to revise. Don’t feel bad if things don’t feel perfect when you’re writing a first draft! Keep going—you can fix it later!
2. Be less shy! Being a debut author was my secret identity for the longest time, but so many of the people I’ve told have been very enthusiastic and that makes the journey less lonely. Reach out to your local bookstores, libraries and schools with ideas to collaborate if you think it’s appropriate and want to! The worst they can say is “no” (and I know that stings sometimes, but if you’ve made it this far, you’ll be okay, I promise)!
3. So much of publishing is out of your control. Do what you can, know that it’s your best, and don’t beat yourself up for what you can’t accomplish.

PC: How do you replenish your creative well to keep yourself excited about writing?
Priyanka: A hard lesson I had to learn is to take breaks! As much as I love writing and am constantly thinking about the next story, I had some negative experiences with severe burnout after trying to juggle multiple deadlines with my day job. It was only after I got a break from both to read and watch other media, to get away from my laptop and live other experiences, that my creative spark returned. All of that is necessary for inspiration.

I think it can be hard for anyone to ask for that time, but especially marginalized authors. We know how much luck and hard work it took to get the opportunities that we have and we want to avoid squandering them at all costs. But you have to know your limits, because no matter what, we’re only human, not book making factories.

Fortunately, I’ve encountered some lovely and well meaning people in publishing who have been so courteous when I needed a little extra time. In the long run, everyone you work with wants the best possible book, and taking care of yourself is part of that, so don’t be afraid to ask for the things you need.

PC: Can you share anything about what you are currently writing or any upcoming projects?
Priyanka: I am currently drafting my next YA, which is also a romantic comedy. I should also be able to announce a secret project soon. Both have interesting and complex family dynamics, just like The Love Match, so if it resonated with you, these should too!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Writing session must have? (ex: music, food, drink, etc)
Priyanka: 100% need tea to keep my brain functioning and some music in the background! A snack always helps too!

PC: Plotter or pantser?
Priyanka: I’m very much a plotter, but don’t always end up following my outlines religiously, or end up changing things comprehensively during revisions.

PC: Audiobooks, physical books, or e-books?
Priyanka: All three depending on my mood! I love the aesthetics of physical books, but find e-books and audiobooks easier on the go. Audiobooks have been a major lifesaver for me in particular, because I can just let one play while doing something else. It makes my busy schedule a little more digestible. Rumor has it The Love Match has an incredible audiobook narrator…

PC: Genre(s) other than contemporary or romance you would like to write?
Priyanka: Very much fantasy! I actually signed with my agent with a fantasy novel and have another one written that also never went on sub, so someday, it would be wonderful to publish one, but for now, I’m fortunate to have enough to keep me occupied.

PC: Currently watching or reading?
Priyanka: My copy of Drizzle, Dreams and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad just arrived and I am so excited to dive into my fellow teal Desi book! 

PC: Go to self-care activity?
Priyanka: Being active is surprisingly effective at making me feel better if I’m in a funk, so I love taking walks while listening to audiobooks! Oh, and something tasty almost always improves my mood. [laughs]

Follow Priyanka Taslim online, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

The Love Match will be available on January 3rd, 2023.