Tia Williams’ spicy second-chance romance, ‘The Missed Connection,’ is simply irresistible.

On this episode of Fully Booked, New York Times bestselling romance author Tia Williams joins us to discuss her scintillating latest, The Missed Connection(Grand Central Publishing, June 16). “Desperate to reconnect with the perfect man she met on a plane, a woman hires a private detective with ties to her past,” Kirkus writes in a review of “an immensely satisfying love story. 

Williams is the bestselling author of The Accidental Diva, Seven Days in June, and The Perfect Find, which is now a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Her novel A Love Song for Ricki Wildewas nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and her YA rom-com, Audre & Bash Are Just Friends, was an instant New York Times bestseller and GMA Book Club pick.She lives with her family in Brooklyn.

It’s been a hard few years for casting director Sasha Cruz, since a traumatic stalker incident broke her trust in humanity. When the opportunity to fly to Paris for an exciting new job arises, she makes good on her New Year’s Resolution to get back out there and books a flight. On that fateful flight, sparks fly between Sasha and the man in the seat beside her—but they part before she has a chance to get his name or number.

Here’s a bit more from our review of The Missed Connection: “Back in Brooklyn, Sasha seeks out Wesley Dane, the Private Investigator who caught her stalker, and asks him to track down her dream man.…He agrees to one last case for Sasha—helping her find love feels like a full circle moment. But they both crossed some boundaries last time, and that old attraction reignites, leaving Sasha torn between the man meant to usher in a new future and the one who reminds her of her painful past.…Flawed yet lovable characters shine in this celebration of human connection.”

In an illuminating conversation, Williams shines a light on Sasha: her mindset, her goals, and her potential for healing and evolution. We discuss writing process, banter between characters, the importance of representation in fiction, what it’s like to have your novel adapted for film, and much more.

At the end of our interview, Williams recommends a spicy paranormal romance. Follow @kirkus_reviews on Instagram, DM us the title of that novel, along with your email and location, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to receive a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of Kirkus. The giveaway is open to legal residents of the U.S. who have reached 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

This Never Happened by Kent Heckenlively

In His Own Time by Kathy Lemoine

Awaken Your Sexuality by Stephanie Covington and Vanessa Carlisle

Parrot Heaven by Jessica Howland Kany

Beauty by Christina Chiu

Fully Booked is produced by Jessica Lockhart and Megan Labrise.