What is the title of your latest release?
HONEY AND HEAT
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
She’s known as the Ice Princess. He’s got a reputation for melting hearts… except hers. Let the rivalry begin.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The main characters – Cynthia and Rohit – were initially in my debut novel, Sunshine and Spice, which takes place in a medium-sized city that I chose for its picturesque landscapes and bustling tourism, which creates an interesting backdrop for ambitious business professionals and issues around gentrification. Although Honey and Heat is a standalone novel, fans of Sunshine and Spice can expect to see familiar faces and places.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
100% and I’d probably have a girl crush on her, too.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Ambitious, fierce, and intelligent.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
How to create a makeshift birthday candle in a pinch, both in theory and in practice. Note, crayons burn fast.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
For the first few chapters, I edit as I go to find my groove and immerse myself in the story. But around chapter four or five, it’s time to stop nitpicking and follow my characters’ lead.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love popping into cafes that specialize in chai, especially when I need a little TLC. I also make my own from scratch sometimes. Also, a good slice of cake may very well be the key to my heart.
Describe your writing space/office!
A baby’s nursery turned home office, my writing space is colorful, full of my favorite books, and a walking pad that faces a whiteboard of deadlines, ideas, and goals.
Who is an author you admire?
There are too many to choose but I can’t leave you hanging, so I’ll pick Regina Black. Her prose is soulful, her characters complex, and her knowledge of the craft is incredible. She is also so kind and supportive, and, once upon a time, I was lucky enough to be mentored by her (and Nikki Payne!).
Is there a book that changed your life?
There are so many! I never dreamed I’d become a published author, but Farah Heron’s novel, The Chai Factor, was the first time I read an adult South Asian romance novel I could relate to, and it made me realize that there were stories from the margins that needed to be told – like mine!
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Like an absolute geek, when I got “the call”, I took a screenshot of the Penguin Random House caller ID and then pulled it up many times afterwards for those “pinch me” moments. The call itself is a blur of insightful questions (from my editor) and gibberish answers (from me), but I do recall this surreal, almost out-of-body moment when my would-be editor gushed about my book — I couldn’t believe we were talking about something I had written.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance in all its wonderful forms.
What’s your favorite movie?
Cool Runnings – I’m a sucker for feel good, inspirational sport movies.
What is your favorite season?
Autumn generally, but nothing puts me in a better mood than those long, sunshine summer days.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
For the most part, quietly! I like to take the day off and go where the wind takes me – usually to a very nice cake. My best friend and I recently started a tradition where we go on this Y2K party boat after a fancy dinner, and I love that, too.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I recently read Alexandra Vasti’s Ne’er Duke Well and I couldn’t put it down. It was so charming and witty!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Korean and Vietnamese generally top my list, but I’m very flexible when I don’t have to cook it myself.
What do you do when you have free time?
Exercise. This is such a boring answer but it’s my favorite form of self-care, and so important for those of us who dedicate a lot of time to hunching over desks and despairing over plot holes and line edits.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m currently working on a few projects, including a contemporary romance with a speculative twist that involves a main character coming into her own with the unexpected help of her loving, sassy grandmother.
She’s known as the Ice Princess. He’s got a reputation for melting hearts...except hers. Let the rivalry begin.
Cynthia Kumar always wins. She’s successful, competitive, and knows exactly what she wants: to be the heir to her father’s multimillion dollar business.
Except, her father just chose his successor and it’s not her…it’s her one-night stand.
Rohit Patel can’t believe his luck. He’s just landed the opportunity of a lifetime, his future is once again on track, and the woman he spent one steamy night with could be the love of his life.
Except, she’s his new boss’s daughter and now she hates him.
When Kumar Constructions falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see its tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. As they each try to swoop in and save the day, their game of one-upmanship fails spectacularly, leaving them no choice but to set their differences aside and work together. But as their partnership to save the company—and their feelings for one another—blossoms, they’ll have to decide what’s more important…their careers or love?
Romance Comedy [Penguin, On Sale: September 16, 2025, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593640203 / eISBN: 9780593640210]
A first generation Bengali-Canadian, Aurora Palit grew up in rural Alberta, where she was always the only South Asian student in her class. Her love of reading began at age four but it wasn’t until high school—when she wandered into the romance section of a bookstore—that she realized happily-ever-afters are her jam. Flash forward [an undisclosed number of] years and Aurora is now writing those stories with her own unique brand of humor, perspective, and belief that people of color deserve love stories too. During her time pursuing a master's degree in English literature, Aurora was drawn to discourses on diaspora and identity, racism, and multi-generational immigrant experiences; topics she now explores in her writing. When she’s not testing her characters’ patience, Aurora is raising small humans, roasting her spouse, prowling for chocolate, and dancing for all that she’s worth. She also spends her days adulting as a communications professional for a not for profit organization
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