Exclusive Interview: Ali Hazelwood Discusses Love on the Brain

Ali Hazelwood is best known for writing contemporary rom-com novels featuring women in STEM and academia. She is also a cognitive neuroscientist who is pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with this New York Times best-selling author about her latest book, Love on the Brain.

PC: What was your writing process like for Love on the Brain?
Ali: Love on the Brain is the story of a neuroscientist who finds herself having to work on the most important project of her career with her grad school archnemesis. (And of course, in the process they end up falling in love)!

PC: What was your writing process like for Love on the Brain?
Ali: In some ways, it was the first book I ever wrote, so I read several books on craft and then…I just tried it out! It was very much a trial-and-error process, and I had to rewrite several parts, both on my own and during edits.

PC: What are your favorite fictional tropes?
Ali: Fated mates, enemies to lovers, and fated mates who happen to be enemies (and then become lovers).

PC: Who was the easiest and hardest character to write?
Ali: The easiest was Rocío, Bee’s research assistant. I feel like she sprang fully formed in my head. I’m not sure who the hardest was, but probably Levi and Bee? I struggle a lot with making sure that my main characters have coherent arcs, so they’re always a challenge to write!

PC: What inspired your title Love on the Brain?
Ali: Bee’s profession as a neuroscientist came first, then the title followed. I do remember having Love IN the Brain as the title for a while and also wanting to change it to What Would Marie Curie Do? At some point during edits, I think my editor talked me out of it!

PC: How much of your personal experiences do you include in your plot or characters 
Ali: I definitely take a bunch of little things that have happened to me in academic/research settings and use them as inspiration! But I’ve definitely never fake-dated a professor in my department or collaborated with an archnemesis (sadly, perhaps).

PC: You write the tension between characters and the romance so well. What advice do you have for other writers who struggle with writing tension in their books?
Ali: I actually struggle so much, too! What I try to make sure of is that the stakes are high throughout the story and that both characters have a lot to lose if something goes wrong in their interaction, which heightens the emotions for a specific scene. But it’s such a delicate balance, and I often find myself having no idea how to make it work!

PC: I also noticed in a recent IG post you talked about getting into Korean dramas. Did any k-drama have an influence on how you write romance?
Ali: I’m currently writing my fourth book, and I feel like the way K-dramas unfold and slowly build the relationship between the characters has inspired me sooo much. K-dramas have given me a ton of happiness in the last few months, and I hope I’ll be able to inject some of that happiness into what I’m working on!

PC: What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects that you can tease?
Ali: My next book, Love, Theoretically, will be out at some point next summer (2023). And I truly cannot wait to be able to talk about my following project, which is the closest to my heart so far!

PC: What is one thing you think all writers should invest in?
Ali: It’s so hard to say because I really do believe that the writing process is different for everyone, but I really recommend Scrivener as a writing software, especially for people who don’t write strictly chronologically.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Are you a plotter, pantser, or plantser (both)?
Ali: Plantser! (Or, as my friend Adriana says, a panty liner).

PC: Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, or audiobooks?
Ali: Ebooks.

PC: What’s one writing essential you can’t live without?
Ali: Quiet! (I cannot write in noisy environments)!

PC: What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to?
Ali: I’m reading Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, watching Doom at Your Service, and listening to Taylor Swift on repeat.

You can follow Ali Hazelwood here. Pick up your copy of Love on the Brain today.