At the start of this year, I decided to write a novel. It was a novel about henna and being Bengali and being gay. It was a novel that was fun. It had been a rough couple of months and writing a romantic comedy seemed like the thing to make me feel better.

And it did! Writing this novel is probably the most fun writing I’ve had in a long time. While I was working on my first draft, I kept messaging my friend, Alyssa, to say, “I know nothing will probably come of this but I’m having fun,” and, “I’m writing these jokes that are probably not funny but I’m laughing and that’s the important part!”

I finished drafting in March.