Lexi Alexander

A corporate communications professional by day and a romance writer by night, Lexi Alexander has found plenty of ways to put her English degree to use. Born in Romania and raised in the Motor City by a family of engineers, she loves to write characters who dream big, hustle hard, and conquer the odds. And when she’s not dreaming up romance novels and book boyfriends, she’s cheering from the sidelines of her sons’ sports games or perfecting her margarita recipe!

Alexander's new novel is Dead Set on You.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

A title can make or break a book – so choosing the title for Dead Set on You was many iterations in the making. In fact, my original working title was Hating You, Interrupted, because I knew from the beginning I wanted something that telegraphed rivals-to-lovers energy (“hating you”) with a twist in the relationship (“interrupted”), plus a nod to the supernatural hiccup at the heart of the story: my heroine waking up as a ghost tethered to her former friend, now rival.

Along the publishing journey, the title changed to Dead Set on You. This was also many ideas in the making – there’s a notepad with all the scribbled options shoved into a desk drawer somewhere. As for Dead Set on You – it does so much work as a title. It signals the paranormal element, keeps the romantic tension front and center, and still winks at the rivalry at the core of the book. I’m biased but I also think it’s sharp, memorable, and gives readers an immediate sense of what kind of ride they’re in for.

What's in a name?

Evie Pope came to me fully formed—voice, name and all her quirks! “Evie” felt soft and approachable, while “Pope” had a crispness that mirrored the control and structure she clings to. What readers don’t see right away is that her name carries a personal history she’s chosen to rewrite for herself. I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say: Evie Pope is the name she claims when she’s trying to shape her life into something new. It’s simple on the surface, but the meaning underneath is more complicated—just like her. A character’s name is as part of the character as their personality and physical traits!

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

My teenage self would absolutely lose her mind knowing she’d grow up to be a published author—and it wouldn’t surprise her one bit that I wrote a rivals-to-lovers romance with a dash of the unexpected. That was my comfort zone as a reader. I devoured anything with banter, tension, and that something extra. Beauty and the Beast was probably my gateway: two impossibly opposite characters forced into proximity, challenging each other, changing each other, while being so very physically different. Belle and Beast walked so Evie and Raf could run! Teen Lexi would be thrilled that I finally wrote the exact kind of story I used to obsess over.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings are always the hardest for me. I usually start with the end in mind, so figuring out the exact moment where a story should begin—and where I want a reader to first meet the character—is a much trickier task. It’s not just when you introduce them, it’s how. Those opening pages are where you build the connection that convinces a reader to follow you anywhere. If you don’t get that right, the ride never takes off. So yes, beginnings get rewritten the most, because they carry the weight of the entire emotional journey that follows. It's why Dead Set on You has had at least ten first chapters!

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I sprinkle parts of myself in all my characters. It’s never a one-to-one match, but there are bits and pieces of me scattered throughout every character I’ve ever written. Evie holds the parts of me that crave control, that want to achieve every goal, and that quietly worry about getting it right—because we don’t always. Rafael, on the other hand, reflects the side of me that wants to live fully, make moments matter, and make people feel seen. And yet he’s also wildly different from me: he’s effortlessly charming and can talk his way out of almost anything. Meanwhile, I’d be mortified to even attempt half the things he does. So they both contain pieces of me, just magnified and rearranged in ways that make them feel entirely their own.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Romance movies—especially romantic comedies—have been a huge influence on my writing. Rom-coms are my favorite way to decompress and escape into the joy of watching two people fall in love. They all have a recipe that makes them so good: the banter, the mishaps, the slow unraveling of defenses. There’s a comfort in knowing what you’re signing up for, and yet every great rom-com still surprises you emotionally. I think that blend of predictability and delight is something I’ve carried into my writing. When I sit down to watch a rom-com, I know I’ll walk away feeling a little lighter—and that’s the feeling I hope my stories give readers, too.

Visit Lexi Alexander's website.

--Marshal Zeringue