Pyae Moe Thet War: Don’t Wait for Inspiration
In this interview, author Pyae Moe Thet War discusses overcoming the second-book syndrome while writing her new romance novel, Here For A Good Time.
Pyae Moe Thet War was born and raised in Yangon. She holds a BA from Bard College at Simon's Rock, and MA's from University College London and the University of East Anglia. She currently shares a home (and her food) with her dogs, Gus and Missy. Follow her on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
In this interview, Pyae discusses overcoming the second-book syndrome while writing her new romance novel, Here For A Good Time, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Pyae Moe Thet War
Literary agent: Hayley Steed (Janklow & Nesbit U.K.)
Book title: Here For A Good Time
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release date: August 26, 2025
Genre/category: Fiction, romance
Previous titles: I Did Something Bad; You’ve Changed
Elevator pitch: When bestselling author Poe Myat Sabei has writer’s block for her second book, she books a getaway for herself and her best friend Zwe at a luxurious island resort in the hopes that she’ll become inspired for her next story. But the holiday of their dreams goes off the rails when the island is taken over by masked gunwoman and Poe and Zwe have to avoid both getting caught and their own secret feelings for one another.
What prompted you to write this book?
Firstly, this is a verry slight spoiler, but I wanted to put my own spin on stories like The White Lotus that take place in these lush and extravagant tropical resort settings (I want to say more, but I’ll leave it at that for now). Second, I love reading books about authors, and I was having second-book syndrome as I wrote this book—which, you guessed it, was my second book—so I channeled my anxieties into Poe, and it ended up being a very cathartic process.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I tend to draft really quickly, so I finished the first full draft in a couple of months. Then as always, my brilliant editors gave their brilliant feedback, and we worked together on several more rounds of drafts before the final version was sent off to copy edits. I just checked my calendar, and I handed in the very first draft on December 13, 2023, and it’s being published on August 26, 2025—so overall, from idea to publication took over a year and a half. We made some scene additions—there is an “only one bed” scenario that wasn’t in the initial draft—but the overall story stayed the same. I also added an epilogue that I now love that wasn’t in the first draft.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I was very pleasantly surprised by the fact that basically every author who read an early copy of this book told me that they related to how Poe felt. Most of writing is solitary and it’s easy to see other authors seemingly breeze through finishing book after books, so it was reassuring to know that regardless of if you’re a debut or a bestselling veteran, every new book feels like climbing a new scary mountain.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I researched various island resorts around the world to see just how extravagant they could be, and it blew my mind just how extravagant they could get. Also, when I first started this story, I knew who Poe was, but I didn’t have a very concrete idea of Zwe’s character, and I had a lot of fun crafting this soft, proactive, golden retriever type man.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
It’s OK—totally normal, even—if you get to a point in your life where you’ve accomplished everything you thought you wanted, only to realize that you still don’t feel fully happy. That’s part of life, and the good news is that once you do get to that point and you start putting work into interrogating why you feel that way, that’s how you’ll discover what actually makes you feel fulfilled and where your true priorities lie.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t wait for inspiration! Write even when you would rather be doing anything else, and even if you hate every word you put on the page. I think of writing as a muscle, and like with any muscle, the only way it gets stronger is by using it regularly. I’m proud of myself whether I write 30 or 3000 words at the end of the day, because at least I still wrote.
