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Seressia Glass | 20 Questions: THE LOVE CON

December 14, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release?

THE LOVE CON

2–What is it about?

THE LOVE CON is a romcom about Kenya Davenport, a Black plus-sized cosplayer who’s made it to the final round of a cosplay reality show. She has to return home to make couples costumes with her significant other, but she currently doesn’t have one. Desperate, she blurts out the name of her best friend, Cameron Lassiter, on live TV. He’s willing to cosplay as her boyfriend, but as they fake date for the show, their feelings for each other become very real.

3–What do you love about the setting of your book? 

Like most of my stories, it’s set in Atlanta, my hometown. It’s based on a mashup of little neighborhoods I’ve lived in and frequented over the years. I love the community feel and I love the nerdiness of these characters and their friends.

4–How did your heroine surprise you? 

What surprised me the most was how Kenya comes to believe that her relationship with Cam is unbalanced because she feels she hasn’t done as much for him as he’d done for her. Luckily he sets her straight. I love how important her friend s and family are to her even as she defies her parents’ wishes.

5–Why will readers love your hero? 

I think readers will love Cam because he truly is ride-or-die for Kenya. He’s devoted to her parents, supportive and sweet, and his care and concern for Kenya lights up the page. He’s truly a cinnamon roll hero who will turn into a bear to protect Kenya

6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)? 

You mean other than the panic I felt every time I opened the document? I had to write through a pandemic, health issues, televised social injustice, and serving on the national board of a writing organization. It was taxing, mentally and physically. Like a mirror, Kenya had some pressures she had to overcome just as I did. So in a way, her triumph was my triumph too.

7–Do you look forward to or do you dread the revision process? 

I actually love the revision process because a) it means I actually completed the story and b) now I and my editor can work magic to make it even better!

8–What’s your favorite snack to have on hand while writing? 

I have these little Keto chocolate-covered caramel treats from the No Sugar company that are my favorite snacks right now and only 1 net carb each.

9–Where would you go for an ideal writer’s retreat? 

I have a group of authors friends and we’ve rented a house in Destin, Florida for the last five years. Author Farrah Rochon found this cute little bookshop in New Orleans that has an apartment above it, and we had a great little mini-retreat there last year. Any place that was quiet space o work or daydream, an area where we can all congregate if we want, and close enough to walk to restaurants or have something delivered.

10–What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received? 

“You can’t fix a blank page.” I don’t remember who said it, but it really stuck with me all these years.

11–Who is the fictional character you want to hang out with the most? (anyone in literature!)

That’s a good question! There’s so many to choose from. Maybe everyone from A Wrinkle in Time? That was one of my favorite books growing up.

12–What’s one of your earliest book memories? 

I was on a big horse kick at one time, so Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague books like that. I also read comic books.

13–If you had to write in a different genre, what would it be and why? 

I’ve written paranormal, contemporary, historical, and erotica romance, and urban fantasy. So I guess the genre I would write in would be pure fantasy or alternate history because I still like writing a different world that I can set the rules for, rather than here and now.

14–What song will automatically put you in a good mood? 

Anything by Lizzo and The Gap Band, Golden by Jill Scott, and all 80’s music.

15–What is your favorite way to practice self-care?

I use the Breathe app. It has a bunch of guided and regular meditations and affirmations. I have sleep headphones so I can listen to nighttime hypnotherapy while I’m sleeping.

16–What can you eat and never get sick of? 

It used to be pho with a plate of rolls and a swirl of hoisin and sriracha sauce to dip them in. Now I’m on a ketogenic diet but I’m still going to say pho without the rice noodles. I put shirataki noodles in the broth instead, and it’s really delicious and less carbs.

17–Will you share a favorite, recent-ish book you recommend? 

THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT by Farrah Rochon. I really like the friends in that book.

18–Do you have any hobbies? 

Watching too many K-dramas and anime. I also garden, and plan to do a whole pollinator garden for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds next spring. I really love watching the hummingbirds dive bomb each other even though there’s plenty of nectar to share!

19–Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I am completely a night owl. Even when I get up early, I find it difficult to write until late afternoon or just before sun goes down—which is early now that we’re back to Standard Time.

20–What can readers expect from you next? 

Right now I’m working on another nerd romcom with a Black female gamer and a gaming company CEO. That’s all I can say right now, but I can’t wait to share more!

THE LOVE CON by Seressia Glass

The Love Con

He’s cosplaying as her boyfriend but their feelings for each other are real in this romantic comedy from Seressia Glass.

Sometimes Kenya Davenport believes she was switched at the hospital—how else could a lover of anime, gaming, and cosplay come from STEM parents? Still, Kenya dreams of being able to turn her creative hobby into a career. She finally has a chance to make it big when she joins the reality show competition Cosplay or No Way.

There’s just one catch: the challenge for the final round is all about iconic pairs, and the judges want the contestants’ significant others to participate. Unfortunately, Kenya is as single as can be at the moment. Luckily her best friend, Cameron Lassiter, agrees to be her fake boyfriend for the show.

Roleplaying a couple in love will force them to explore what they’re hiding under the mask of friendship. Can Kenya and Cam fake it until she makes it, or will she be real about her feelings, knowing it could cost her the best friend she’s ever had?

Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: December 14, 2021, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593199053 / eISBN: 9780593199060]

About Seressia Glass

Seressia Glass

Seressia Glass is an award-winning author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance, and paranormal romance. Her current series include the Shadowchasers urban fantasy series and the Sons of Anubis paranormal romance series.

Seressia lives north of Atlanta with her guitar-wielding husband and two attack poodles. When not working on her next story, Seressia is an instructional designer for an international home improvement company. She spends her free time people-watching, belly dancing, and watching way too much anime.

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