Thrilled to have contemporary romance author Negeen Papehn on the blog today, who’s here to discuss her Forbidden Love series. Welcome, Negeen!

Author Name: Negeen Papehn

Book Title: Forbidden Love Series. Book 1: Forbidden by Faith /Book 2: Forbidden by Destiny

Book Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: Forbidden by Faith is out now; Forbidden by Destiny out 2/19/19

Publisher: City Owl Press

Welcome, Negeen. Please tell us about your books.

Forbidden by Faith: Sara and Maziar struggle to find a way to navigate through the cultural and religious prejudices that threaten to tear them apart. Deep within the trenches of their battle, they must each decide if fighting for love is worth the ultimate cost: their family. 

Forbidden by Destiny: Leyla had never known what it felt like to fall in love. Not until her best friend Sara broke Ben’s heart. 

What sparked the idea for this series?

I’ve always been a fan of complicated, difficult romances. The love affairs that are undeniably meant to be but forbidden due to circumstances beyond the lovers’ control. I hate when it all come easy. So I wanted to incorporate the element of forbidden into my own stories.

How long did it take for you to write each book? Did you have to do any research?

Forbidden by Faith took me about a year to write and Forbidden by Destiny about five months.  Being that both are considered own voices and set in Los Angeles, my MCs and I share the same culture, as well as, the same hometown, so there wasn’t too much research needed to set the scenes. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but for Forbidden by Destiny, I did have to seek the help of an officer so I could figure out the series of events that would take place.

For you, what’s the hardest thing about writing?

The toughest part about writing for me is finding the time. Life is consistently crazy hectic and I’m always juggling, sacrificing one thing for the other. Most days, I feel like I’m losing my mind. Carving out time to actually sit down and string some coherent sentences together proves to be a major challenge. As for the writing itself, the hardest part is coming up with the initial idea and getting the first few paragraphs onto the page. I always have this fear of running out of storylines, like the well will dry up and I’ll realize that I really wasn’t author material and have to give up on my dreams. Guess it’s part of the whole “imposter syndrome” we share as authors.

So true! What do you love most about it?

I love the ability to lose myself in the words that flow through my fingers. To create a world that I only know the small details of, the characters I bring to life, the heartache I bestow on them. I hide bits and pieces of the real people I love, into my stories. It feels like a way to make them timeless. I may be the only one who knows it, but I think being able to do that is magical. The whole process of writing is emotional and healing for me.

If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read your books?

The entire Forbidden Love series is a crazy emotional roller coaster ride. My characters are real and flawed, they make the wrong choices, are selfish, and will break your heart along with theirs in the process. Then in the end, they’ll redeem themselves and have you rooting for them without even realizing that you are. If you don’t mind having your heart yanked out of your chest and stomped on a few times, then these are the books for you! 🙂

How does your day job inform your writing?

I’m a dentist by day, so in the arena of how my day job helps the actual writing, the third book in the Forbidden Love Series: Forbidden by Time, has a dentist MC. In addition to that, it’s taught me how to multi-task. I work in a high-volume office, so I’m running in between 2-4 rooms at any given time. Because of that training, I have the ability to jump from one thought to the next, which allows me to put a few sentences down on the page, go see patients, run an errand, or make dinner, then pick up right where I left off without skipping a beat.

What are your interests outside of writing and reading?

When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my boys, hanging out with friends, binge watching shows and movies in pjs on the couch with my hubby, and drinking wine. Oh, and I love to sing!

Where can readers find you?

Website: http://www.negeenpapehn.com

Twitter handle: @NegeenPapehn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NegeenPapehn/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/negeenpapehn/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17379780.Negeen_Papehn

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/negeen-papehn

Thank you, Negeen! Forbidden by Faith is available now and Forbidden by Destiny will release on February 19.

Forbidden by Faith

Sara knows her life would be easier if she married a man of her faith, but when has love ever been easy?

Raised by her immigrant Iranian parents, she’s been taught that a good daughter makes decisions based on her family’s approval, and she’s spent most of her life in their good graces. Until she meets Maziar, and her world is turned upside down. 

An instant electricity ignites between them, and it seems like fate when she discovers he’s also Iranian. Just as her mind begins to soar with the possibilities, he shatters her hopes.

Sara is Muslim. Maziar is Jewish. Will faith tear them apart?

Despite centuries of unrest behind them, Sara and Maziar embark on a forbidden love affair, attempting to navigate through cultural and religious prejudices.

Deep within the trenches of their battle, Sara finds herself more empowered and careless than ever before, but will her love and newfound life be worth the ultimate cost—her family?

Forbidden by Destiny

Leyla had never known what it felt like to fall in love. Not until her best friend Sara broke Ben’s heart. 

After the devastating break up, Leyla reluctantly agreed to pick up Sara’s things from Ben’s home. Leyla thought she was being a good friend, but when she finds Ben completely shattered, her loyalties are tested. He had been her friend too. An afternoon of an innocent lunch and a walk on the beach to cheer him up turns into fireworks when Leyla can’t get Ben out of her head. 

Pushed to her limits, fighting for a love she’s always dreamed of, and against a demon she never knew existed, Leyla must ultimately make a choice. Her decision will come down to loyalty to her best friend, the expectations of her family, or the desires of her wanting heart. Is love worth taking the risk? 

Author bio:

Negeen Papehn was born and raised in southern California, where she currently lives with her husband and two boys. She wasn’t always a writer. A graduate of USC dental school, Negeen spends half of her week with patients and the other half in front of her laptop. In the little time she finds in between, she loves to play with her boys, go wine tasting with her friends, throw parties, and relax with her family. Her debut novel FORBIDDEN BY FAITH (Forbidden love series Book 1) is currently out with City Owl Press.