Aria Devi - Unputdownable Forbidden Workplace Romance

Aria Devi is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who loves writing meaningful stories that change the way people look at the world. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree. When she is not writing, she enjoys reading, spending time with loved ones, and learning just about anything she can get her hands on (though one of her favorite subjects is Eastern philosophy). Devi lives in Austin Texas. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, The Other Woman.Please give us a short introduction to what The Other Woman is aboutThe Other Woman is a novel about ambition, betrayal, and forbidden love in the world of New York publishing. When rising editor Sarah Jones falls for her married executive at her company, she risks everything—including her career and her integrity—for love.The Other Woman is your debut novel, but it doesn’t read like a first book. What inspired you to start with such an emotionally raw, high-stakes story?Go big or go home, I suppose. If I was going to tell a story, I wanted it to matter—the last thing the world needs is another watered-down plot written for the sake of putting something out there. I wanted to write something that would make people feel, maybe even stir something in them—whether that reaction is love or discomfort.Most of us, in one way or another, have been “the other woman,” or we’ve experienced betrayal in some form. Maybe we’ve watched it unfold around us. It’s more common than we like to admit, yet it's surrounded by shame and way too much guilt. There’s a specific kind of loneliness in that experience—one that isn’t often talked about.I wanted to put a light on that. To say the quiet part out loud.Maybe a woman out there, who’s currently keeping secrets for the sake of love, will read this and realize she’s not alone—and more importantly, that she deserves so much more. Someone who chooses her fully. Someone who’s proud to show her off, not hide her. Someone willing to love her the way she truly deserves.The emotional rollercoaster Sarah experiences feels incredibly real. How much of her story was drawn from personal experience or people you've known?Of course, The Other Woman is a work of fiction—but as writers, how can we not pull from our own lives? If I had to put numbers to it, I’d say about 60% of the story has been fictionalized—names, places, careers, circumstances. But the emotional truth of it? That’s very real.In my early twenties, I found myself in a relationship with a man who, as it turned out, was married to one of my role models through work. Many of the events in the book actually happened. And the feelings Sarah experiences? I lived those too.Honestly, the real story was even crazier. I couldn’t fit every detail in or stretch it out over the years it actually unfolded. But the bones of it—the heartbreak, the secrecy, the confusion, the anger, the shame—were strong enough to build something worth sharing.I wrote this for every woman who’s ever loved in the shadows. For the ones who’ve questioned their worth because of someone else's lies. For the Sarahs of the world who have struggled in silence, thinking they were alone. You’re not.You’ve said you love writing meaningful stories that change the way people look at the world. What message did you most want readers to take away from this book?Since I was a little girl, I’ve been a voracious reader. But somewhere in my early twenties, I drifted away from fiction. Years later, approaching my thirties, I picked up a novel again—and instantly remembered how much I loved getting lost in a story.But as I dove back into the romance genre specifically, I kept feeling a little disappointed. I’d finish a book and think, That was fun… but I don’t feel different. It didn’t shift anything in me. It didn’t make me see the world in a new way. And I started to ask myself, If a story doesn’t do that… what’s the point? If I live the exact same way after reading a book as I did before, did it really matter?That question became my personal mission.I decided I wanted to write fiction that means something—stories that move people. That change a perspective. Open a heart. Challenge a belief. Maybe even help someone make a different choice in their own life.That’s what I hope The Other Woman does. Whether the shift is big or subtle, I want my readers to walk away seeing the world just a little bit differently than they did before they turned the first page.How did your background in Eastern philosophy influence the emotional or moral arc of the novel?This will come through much more in Book 2… 😉But even in The Other Woman, there are subtle threads of Eastern philosophy woven throughout—especially in the emotional and moral tension. Ideas like non-attachment, karma, dharma, acceptance vs suffering, and the illusion of control quietly influenced how I shaped the characters’ internal worlds.That said, Book 2 is where those themes really come alive. Let’s just say… the Sarah’s soul gets louder. Alot louder.Sarah is ambitious, driven, but also deeply vulnerable. What was the hardest part about writing her character?Sarah finds herself in an incredibly lonely place. She can’t share much about her life—even with the people closest to her. So a lot of the book is her thoughts, her inner dialogue. And I think any woman who’s been through something similar will relate to that—because it really does feel like you can only talk to yourself about it. And after a while, that kind of isolation can drive you a little crazy.Some readers say, “She’s so back and forth.”Exactly. That part was intentional. When you’re in something like this, your emotions are jumbled, your mind is confused, and you don’t have anyone safe to process it with. The hardest part about writing her character was sharing her vulnerable, conflicted inner world in a way that felt real—without overwhelming or exhausting the reader.Striking that balance—between emotional truth and readable storytelling—was probably the biggest challenge of the book.Let’s talk about John. Readers had a love-hate relationship with him—was that intentional? What did you want readers to feel about him by the end?What narcissistic, charming, successful, wealthy, attractive coward don’t we love and hate at the same time?I don’t want to tell readers exactly what to feel about John—I want them to have their own experience with him. But for me, he’s the man you root for, even when you know you probably shouldn’t. He’s magnetic. There are parts of him that are incredible—he’s smart, captivating, vulnerable when he wants to be. Heck, that’s why we fall in love with him. And yet, the parts that aren’t… are just too big to ignore.That’s what makes him so hard to walk away from. That’s what makes it so gut-wrenching for Sarah—and for any woman trying to leave the married man. You love him. You hate that you love him. And you hate to hate him. But you also know, deep down, that you can’t stay.It’s the impossible choice.To me, John is the “great guy” who makes terrible decisions out of fear and cowardice. Because he can’t own his own truth. And fear, when left unchecked, destroys everything good he might’ve been.Jane is a powerful figure who adds another layer of tension. How did you approach writing a character who is both a mentor and the “wife” in the triangle?Wow, there’s so much to say about Jane. She’s such a powerhouse. Often, in stories like this, the wife being cheated on is portrayed as meek or pitiable—and I wanted Jane to be the complete opposite. I wanted Sarah’s feelings toward her to be complex: a mix of admiration, envy, and resentment. Sarah both hates Jane because of the stories John shares, yet craves her approval at work and aspires to be like her professionally.Much of Jane’s character was inspired by real life. I definitely amplified her “fear factor,” but in many ways, she represents how I felt toward the wife in my own The Other Woman experience.What’s truly remarkable—and what I hope for any women who find themselves in situations like these—is that the real-life “Jane” who inspired my character and I have since become close friends—almost like sisters. That’s a testament to how much healing can transform us, even in the most complicated circumstances. While it may be rare for “the wife” and “the other woman” to become friends, I believe it’s one of the most beautiful possibilities that can come from such painful situations.You explore some tough topics—narcissism, manipulation, forbidden love, workplace pressure. Was there one theme you struggled the most to write about authentically?Once I healed emotionally from these experiences in my own life, writing about them stopped being hard—it started to feel like a responsibility. A duty, even. To share the insights, the lessons, and the perspective I’ve gained with others who might still be deep in it and searching for clarity or support.When you're in situations like these—narcissism, manipulation, forbidden love—it’s like your mind is foggy. Your emotions are all over the place. You can’t see clearly, let alone make sense of what’s happening. But once you step outside of it, once you’ve healed and become the observer instead of the participant, that’s when you can really start to transmute the pain into wisdom—and share it.And honestly… what’s the point of going through something traumatic if you can’t turn it into something meaningful for someone else? I just figured the most fun and consumable way to share about these topics was through fiction. Through story. What does “choosing yourself” mean to you, especially in the context of Sarah’s journey?Biologically, as women, we’re often wired to choose others first—our partner, our babies, our children, our families. It’s a beautiful part of our nature, this ability to care for others so instinctively. But in modern day relationships, it can sometimes come at the cost of our own needs. That’s where things like codependency, resentment, and broken boundaries start to creep in.To me, choosing yourself means taking the time to check in with your own truth. What do I want? What do I need? What boundaries must be honored for me to stay healthy, grounded, and whole? Who belongs in my life—and who doesn’t?For Sarah, from the moment she met John, everything that made her special started to dim. She compromised on what she wanted, her goals, her aspirations, her values. She began shrinking herself, bending to fit into a mold she thought she had to occupy in order to be loved by him. But real love isn’t about losing yourself. It’s not about sacrificing your identity, worth, or dreams for someone else’s attention.True love includes you. It elevates you. It never asks you to abandon yourself or to leave yourself out. If it does, then it’s not real love—it’s something else pretending to be.The pacing keeps readers hooked—how did you balance the slow-burn romance with the rising tension in Sarah’s professional life?Thank you. The real-life events that inspired this story were dramatic enough on their own that I had a lot of material to pull from—I just had to condense timelines and shape it into something cohesive. That said, it definitely didn’t come together in one draft. I rewrote this book five or six times. Because it was my first book, and so personal it was the most challenging project I have worked on, and may ever work on. With each revision, it became clearer where the tension needed to build, where to let the romance slow-burn, and where to inject more surprise or raw emotion. It was a constant dance between pacing and honesty—making sure it stayed gripping, but also real and loyal to the reality of these messy dynamics we explored.If The Other Woman were adapted into a movie or series (and many readers want that!), who would you cast as Sarah, John, and Jane?I want to answer this so badly—but I also don’t want to disrupt the magic of the reader’s imagination. One of my favorite things is hearing who you envision while reading. One woman told me she pictured John as a young Gerard Butler, and I absolutely loved that visual! I definitely have my own ideas, but I’d rather leave the casting open-ended for now and keep putting those movie vibes out into the ether—because I’d love for that to happen one day.As for a series… yes! I’m currently working on Book 2 (and possibly Book 3), and I’m hopeful it will do right by everyone who fell in love with Book 1.Finally—what’s next for you? Are you currently writing another novel, and if so, can you give us a hint of what it’s about?I have so many exciting projects on the horizon! I’m currently working on a new novel set to launch around Christmas—imagine Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston mixed with a Thomas Shelby vibe from Peaky Blinders, but set during Christmas in NYC.I’m also collaborating on a nonfiction book with my spiritual advisor that will share the Eastern philosophies that transformed my life and helped me heal from my own The Other Woman journey.And of course, I’m deep into writing Book 2 of The Other Woman series.Plus, I have several other book ideas brewing that I can’t wait to bring to life. So much is coming in late 2025 and early 2026!Feel free to follow me on Instagram and TikTok @ariadevibooks for updates and sneak peeks.