(Editor’s note: NonDoc’s Author Umbrella interviews up-and-coming writers, particularly authors of color, authors of disability and LGBTQ+ authors. The interviews have been transcribed and lightly edited for length and clarity.)
This installment of the Author Umbrella series features an interview with Armenian-American author Taleen Voskuni. After discussing her first novel — Sorry, Bro — for an Author Umbrella installment in January 2023, Voskuni recently spoke to NonDoc again about her sophomore romantic comedy, Lavash at First Sight, which is in bookstores now.
A quick preview from the publisher:
Twenty-seven-year-old Nazeli “Ellie” Gregorian enjoys the prestige of her tech marketing job but is sick of the condescending Patagonia-clad tech bros, her micromanaging boss, and her ex-boyfriend, who she’s forced to work with every day. When Ellie’s lovingly overbearing parents ask her to attend PakCon — a food packaging conference in Chicago — to help promote their company and vie to win an ad slot in the Super Bowl (no big deal), she’s eager for a brief change and delicious distraction.
At the conference, she meets witty, devil-may-care Vanya Simonian. Ellie can’t believe how easy it is to talk to Vanya and how much they have in common — both Armenian! From the Bay Area! Whose families are into food! Their meet-cute is cut short, however, when Ellie’s parents recognize Vanya as the daughter of the owners of their greatest rival, whose mission (according to Ellie’s mother) is to whitewash and package Armenian food for the American health-food crowd.
Sworn as enemies, Ellie and Vanya must compete against each other under their suspicious parents’ scrutiny, all while their feeling for each other heat to sizzling temps.
Following your blockbuster debut Sorry, Bro, what can fans expect in your latest, Lavash at First Sight?
You are too kind! Lavash at First Sight is a light-hearted, queer joy celebration. Sorry, Bro featured a coming out plot which felt vital for me to write, but now that I’ve told the Armenian coming out story, I wondered what would be next. In Lavash, the protagonist and her love interest are fully out, and they meet at a food conference in Chicago. Both women’s parents own Armenian packaged foods brands, but the women don’t know that their parents know each other. And hate each other. They do find out in a supremely awkward scene, including the world’s most uncomfortable elevator ride, and then the two women have their budding romance with sneaking around their parents, all while competing head-to-head in a cooking challenge at the conference. It’s fun and upbeat and full of joy.
Lavash at First Sight had garnered an enthusiastic critical reception with featured reviews in publications, such as Kirkus and Booklist. After the success of your debut, Sorry, Bro, did you feel more or less pressure when drafting Lavash at First Sight? How do you overcome the writing jitters that so often plague authors when writing their sophomore efforts?
I had the cheat code, which is that I wrote Lavash at First Sight long before Sorry, Bro was published (almost a full year in advance)! I didn’t get dragged down by the overwhelm and the worry of living up to book one because I had no idea what that was going to feel like and how Sorry, Bro was going to perform. So, I just puttered around writing my sophomore novel, blissfully ignorant and having a great time.
One thing I love about your newsletter is that you truly give the readers rare, behind-the-scenes glimpses of what goes into creating a Voskuni romance. More recently you shared a hilarious mock-up that inspired your cover art. Could you tell our readers about the process that went into shaping Lavash at First Sight’s cover?
Lavash’s cover is so beautiful. Shout out to Sarah Madden the illustrator and Katie Anderson the cover designer for creating such a vibrant cover. The team at Berkley asked if I had any ideas for the cover, and I had two. One was a heart-shaped piece of lavash bread with two women presumably kissing behind it and the other looked a whole lot like the final cover in terms of the setup — two women on the opposite sides of a long chef’s table with their respective families looking on, disapprovingly. First, I received cover sketches that delivered so wonderfully on the idea. Then, after a few iterations, they surprise you with a full-color mockup. When I saw the final cover version I was stunned! I never expected orange but fell hard for it.
I feel like Lavash at First Sight is best consumed with wine and dessert because of all the mouth-watering foodie descriptions. What wine/dessert combo do you think best pairs with a cozy read of Lavash at First Sight?
That’s a fun one. Definitely an Armenian wine from Zulal, Zorah, or Yucoubian-Hobbs wineries. Though what I think Vanya, the love interest, would choose is a natural wine made by Armenian winemaker John Semerdjian, one of his Pét-nats, perhaps. And then some gata or baklava for dessert. There’s also my favorite Armenian cookie, ghourabia, a melt-in-your-mouth butter cookie. That would probably pair well with a Karas chardonnay.
Both sets of parents are absolutely hilarious in Lavash at First Sight, and each is so lovingly drawn and unique and real. What inspires you as you create new characters, and what do you think readers will love most about this cast?
Thank you so much for that! I had a blast writing them. When crafting characters, I think of all the people I’ve met in my lifetime and how many of them are such characters themselves. I usually use elements of one, elements from another, then another, to create new, original characters. Armenians, for being a people with so much tragedy, are also hilarious — some of the funniest people I’ve met in my life — and I wanted to share that side of us on the page. I so hope readers will enjoy the one-upmanship between the two sets of parents. The machoism, the passive-aggressiveness, and how it slowly turns into kindness toward the end.
