Nisha Sharma
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma
Author of The Letters We Keep
Two students—worlds apart—unite to solve the mystery of a legendary decades-old love story gone tragically wrong in a captivating romance by the award-winning author of The Karma Map and Dating Dr. Dil.
It doesn’t take long for ambitious freshman and aspiring engineer Jessie Ahuja to learn about two university legends. One is the haunted history of Davidson Tower, where more than fifty years ago, two ill-fated lovers disappeared in a devastating fire. The other is Ravi Kumar, a privileged billionaire nepo baby who’s aggravatingly charming and occupying more brain space than Jessie has room for. Things change when a campus prank locks them both in the old tower’s ghostly library.
There, Jessie finds letters from the fabled lost lovers, forgotten in a hollowed-out copy of Persuasion. One by one, the letters suck Jessie and Ravi into a beguiling mystery and an achingly beautiful long-ago romance destined to go up in flames. It’s also drawing Jessie and Ravi—every bit as star-crossed—closer together. Can they overcome whatever fate has in store for them? Or are they just as doomed as the young lovers whose tragic end has become legend?
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma
Author I draw inspiration from:
I love the emotional depth of Nalini Singh's books. Specifically her psy-changling series. I adore the "real-ness" in Emily Henry's relationships like Beach Read and Book Lovers. I aspire to the lyrical prose of Akwaeki Emezi's books. My favorite is 'You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty'. I know that's more than one, but it's so hard to choose!
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I love reading out in my hammock during the spring weather, but my favorite is my couch with my dogs sleeping beside me.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I would love to be stuck in an elevator with any of Ana Huang's Vallhalla billionaires. My plan would be to grill them about the stock market, investment strategies, and business advice because how the hell are they so young and so rich?
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
It was the summer after fifth grade, and I wandered into the adult section of my local library where I found a beautiful paperback with a peachy beach scene on it. Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts. That was it! After that book, I knew I wanted to write stories that made people feel the same way for the rest of my life.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I read in all formats! Hardbacks are usually my preference for non-fiction because the structure helps with annotation. Paperbacks for trad romances, e-books for series and for KU titles. Audiobooks for duet narration and re-reads!
The last book I read:
I'm completing an independent study this semester as part of my PhD coursework, and I have to read a book with literary theory every week. This last week i read THE CANDID LIFE OF MEENA DAVE by Namrata Patel. The book is women's fiction, and the theory I read with it was Gayatri Spivak's 'Can the Subaltern Speak'. The book is a fantastic representation of the way that groups within a national identity can be othered, and people can enforce a voice FOR them. In Meena Dave, the heroine is left a condo by an unknown woman, and in this condo there are these hidden postcards with all of these definitions on them. Words and definitions specifically can be used as a way to impose an unwanted, or unaccepted identity on behalf of a subaltern group, which Meena feels with rapid escalation as she learns the truth about her origin story.
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer all the way. My poor hands can't do pen and paper anymore. I sadly have developed arthritis in my knuckles so anything to alleviate the pressure!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
This one is so difficult! I feel like Raj from THE LEGAL AFFAIR (a billionaire romance I wrote a few years back) would be awesome friends with Sascha Duncan from SLAVE TO SENSATION by Nalini Singh. Both are kickass "alpha" heroines and Nalini has always been an inspiration for me.
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I spent over 10 years in DEI in corporate. I feel like i would do more of that!
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love the 90's. I miss my chokers and mix pattern t-shirts.
Place I’d most like to travel:
My hubby and I are big travelers but I haven't made it to South India yet to meet his extended family. We got married right before COVID and now, it's just been difficult with book release and work schedules, but hopefully soon!
My signature drink:
Ginger Ale. It reminds me of my grandfather.
Favorite artist:
I generally don't have strong opinions about artists other than authors and books. I really enjoy beautiful things and beautiful music but it's really based on my mood and the context of the situation. Sometimes I'll listen to Nirvana for three weeks in a row, followed by folk trip hop for like six months. It really depends when you catch me and the mood I am in. Or, if I'm being honest, if I am on book deadline.
Number one on my bucket list:
I have so many things, but sadly I am a practical Taurus and most of them revolve around paying off my student loans.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thank you for having me!
Find more from the author:
Twitter/Instagram/Threads @nishawrites
Author Bio:
Author Interview - Nisha Sharma
Nisha Sharma, pronouns she/her, is a YA and adult contemporary romance writer living in the Philly suburbs with her Alaskan husband, and a plethora of animals named after characters in literature. Her books have been included in best-of lists by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Time Magazine and more. Before she left the corporate world, Nisha spearheaded DEI initiatives at billion dollar companies. She has continued her advocacy work by fighting for marginalized authors in publishing. When she’s not writing about people of color experiencing radical joy or teaching about inclusivity, Nisha can be found hitting the books for her PhD in English and Social Justice. You can find her online at Nisha-sharma.com or on TikTok and Instagram @nishawrites.
