Alexis Daria: Trust That You Have Something To Say
In this interview, author Alexis Daria discusses concluding a series with her new romance novel, Along Came Amor.
Alexis Daria is the award-winning and internationally bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola, A Lot Like Adiós, Take the Lead, and more. Her books have been featured on several “Best of ” lists and have received starred reviews from multiple trade publications. A former visual artist, Alexis is a lifelong New Yorker who loves Broadway musicals and pizza. Follow her on Instagram.
In this interview, Alexis discusses concluding a series with her new romance novel, Along Came Amor, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Alexis Daria
Literary agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary Agency
Book title: Along Came Amor
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Release date: May 27, 2025
Genre/category: Contemporary Romance
Previous titles: You Had Me at Hola, A Lot Like Adiós, Take the Lead, Dance with Me
Elevator pitch: Newly divorced middle school teacher Ava Rodriguez discovers that her secret lover Roman Vázquez is in the wedding party for her cousin’s upcoming nuptials. As the maid of honor and best man, respectively, Ava and Roman have to help plan the wedding, all while keeping their relationship hidden from Ava’s marriage-obsessed family.
What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to write a trilogy about three cousins from a big multicultural Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, and thus the Primas of Power were born. Along Came Amor is the third book in the series, following You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adiós. While it can be read as a standalone, this final installment wraps up not just Ava’s story, but Jasmine’s and Michelle’s as well.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea for Along Came Amor changed a lot from what I originally pitched. At first, the main character Ava Rodriguez was paired with a younger playwright, but I struggled with the “story within a story” aspect, which the previous two books in the series have. I abandoned the theater plotline and went in a different direction, writing a few chapters where Ava reunited with her ex-husband. The interesting thing is, whenever I revisit those pages, I really want to read that story! But unfortunately, I didn’t want to write it. So, I started over again, this time examining the tropes and archetypes that would give Ava the fairy tale ending I envisioned for her. That’s how I ended up with Roman, her perfect match, a man who accepts her as she is and never gives up on her.
All in all, the ideation process took at least six months, and then I wrote a quick and dirty first draft, in about two months’ time. Editing the book, however, was an incredibly long journey—and not only because I paused in the middle of it to have a baby. (Who will be 2 by the time the book comes out!) It took a lot of refining and rewriting to nail down the character arcs and emotional beats. Since the story hinges on Ava’s internal growth, every step had to feel authentic to her. And despite all the false starts, I wouldn’t have had such a clear understanding of her character without them.
What’s funny is that I ultimately scrapped the “story within a story” element. It’s there if you look hard, but including separate interstitials didn’t work for the book, so I left them out.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I worked with three different editors on this book, and I’m lucky they were all so supportive of me and this series! There’s a lot of turnover in publishing, and sometimes, when an author’s editor leaves, the book falls through the cracks. But I never felt like that was the case with Along Came Amor, and for that I’m truly grateful.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I was surprised by how much I was able to relate to Ava by the end. When I first started working on this book, I felt like I had nothing in common with her. She was a difficult character to know, even for me. She’s very guarded, and her actions often don’t match her thoughts or feelings. At the beginning, I probably wrote her a bit like a doormat, but as I developed her character, I discovered in Ava a deep inner strength and a fathomless well of love and patience for those around her. Her journey is not one of learning to love, because she already knows how to do that, but rather of believing that she’s worthy of receiving love that is freely given without conditions.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers will leave this book feeling that they are enough, just as they are. And I hope the ones who’ve been following the series from the beginning will feel that this is a fitting and satisfying ending for the Primas of Power.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Your characters have a limitless capacity to reflect human emotion, and they will take you on that journey with them, if you allow it. Trust that you have something to say, and let your characters help you bring it to light.
