1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
An Armenian-American woman rediscovers her roots and embraces who she really is in this queer rom-com. Nareh Bedrossian goes hunting for an Armenian husband to appease her mother, but none of the men on her mother’s list strike her fancy. Instead it’s Erebuni Minassian, a witchy Armenian woman invested in preserving Armenian identity. Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on her double life—a major banquet is coming up and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave and to claim her happiness.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, surrounded by the Armenian diaspora community here, so I wanted to set the book in this place I know so well. I have complicated feelings about the Bay and included some of them in the book. Number one complaint: it’s too cold in summer!
4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Oh absolutely, I think we’d be good friends, but because our energy is so similar (fast and neurotic), I can imagine us getting tired after hanging out for a few hours.
5–What are three words that describe your hero?
Emotional, quick, and optimistic
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Each chapter begins with an Armenian proverb, and I wasn’t familiar with them until Armenian author Nancy Kricorian began posting them on Twitter. I purchased two books of Armenian proverbs and enjoyed pouring through them, thinking about the centuries of tradition that created each one.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I mostly wait until I’m done but I’ll do tiny edits here and there. Also, sometimes I hand write a scene, and when I type it up I’ll do an edit pass as I’m transcribing. But I like to draft as quickly as possible, and for that, you have to let the editing urges go.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
CHOCOLATE. I’m a dark chocolate fiend, I literally (not figuratively) always have at least one bar of dark chocolate in my purse.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I wish I had an office! I write on the only table in our house (which is where we eat dinner, put flowers in vases, let bills and books collect) but I do have a beautiful view of San Francisco to gaze at while taking a break from typing.
10–Who is an author you admire?
My mentor, Jesse Q. Sutanto. She is the definition of perseverance and hard work. Her writing journey leading up to being published is inspiring, and the work she has done since is incredible. Also, the way Jesse infuses her culture into her writing, in so many different and layered ways, is something I greatly admire.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
They all did, to some extent. Each book I read built some type of empathy or inspired my life in some way. But one book that made me sit up and realize my privilege is a nonfiction book titled “How Children Succeed” (which I read long before having kids). I did not expect what was inside, but it forever changed the way I thought about myself and my upbringing.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
Oh my goodness, it was while speaking with my editors Cindy Hwang and Angela Kim for the first time, and they offered during our video chat! I actually crossed myself right there on Zoom I was so shocked. My phone call with them is and will forever be one of the top memories of my life.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love women’s fiction with romantic elements (which I believe Sorry, Bro fits into, even though it could also be seen as a romcom). Any book that’s very much “a woman’s journey” will speak to me and I also love love.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
While it’s hard to pick one, I am going to go with Clueless. It is impeccably written, directed, acted, costumed, soundtracked, etc. It’s both a product of its time and timeless.
15–What is your favorite season?
Late spring and early summer. I love the heat and long, long days.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m a Leo and the stereotype is that we are obsessed with our birthdays and I am no exception. I love a combination of doing something special all by myself (like going to get some fancy dessert or browsing in a bookstore) and then hanging out with my favorite people.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
For TV: I adored White Lotus. Movie: She Said. Podcast: Armenian Enough. Book: The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Besides my mom’s cooking? I think there’s no cuisine for me personally that could top it. But, otherwise, Japanese food of all kinds. Sushi, yakitori, udon, street food, a proper Japanese breakfast ahhh.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I used to have so much free time, I miss it! I used to walk around San Francisco taking in both the usual and unusual, finding a nice cafe or outdoor spot to sit and read a while. I am not trying to be annoying when I say this but I don’t think I have any longer than ten minutes of free time in a day now, and I appreciate the question because this made me realize things about my current state! I need to upend my routine.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I have a second romcom coming out with Berkley in 2024. I’m not sure how much I can say about it but it will be sapphic, it will be foodie-focused, and it’ll take place in one of my favorite cities, Chicago. And this time, the parents of the two women are long-time rivals!
SORRY, BRO by Taleen Voskuni
When Nareh Bedrossian’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance.
Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or the wealthy engineer who catch Nar’s eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy?
Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on her double life—the Explore Armenia closing banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave and to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.
LGBTQ Romance | Women’s Fiction Family Life [Berkley, On Sale: January 31, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593547304 / eISBN: 9780593547311]
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About Taleen Voskuni
Taleen Voskuni is an Armenian-American writer who grew up in the Bay Area diaspora surrounded by a rich Armenian community and her ebullient, loving family. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in English and currently lives in San Francisco, working in tech. Other than a newfound obsession with writing romcoms, she spends her free time cultivating her kids, her garden, and her dark chocolate addiction.
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