Die for Me by Shirlene Obuobi is a sinfully good paranormal romance. As soon as Chloe and I read the first chapter, we knew it would be our July Love, Parnassus pick. Sean is a brilliant doctor uninterested in love who finds herself falling for the alarmingly sexy, much younger man with a deadly secret. Suspenseful. Addictive. Sexy. You’ll be absolutely consumed by this love story.
Enjoy this interview with romance bookseller, Katie Garaby and Shirlene Obuobi as they chat all about Die for Me, Shirlene’s day job as a cardiologist, and what she would present at our upcoming PowerPoint night, Love is the Point. (Grab a ticket here and celebrate Bookstore Romance Day with other romance obsessed readers!)
Katie Garaby: Hi Shirlene! Our entire Love, Parnassus committee was feral for Die for Me from the minute we saw the cover. And once we all read it – we couldn’t stop talking about it. Tell us a little bit about Die for Me!
Shirlene Obuobi: Die for Me is a genre-bending paranormal romance about a 38 year old Black female interventional cardiologist who falls for a “27” year old man with a dark secret. Sean, our protagonist, meets Julian at her best friend’s ex-husband’s second wedding to a 24 year old woman he works with (she’s there to support her goddaughter.) He pursues her diligently, and despite their age gap, they’re highly compatible. But then strange things start happening to Sean- lapses in memory, bouts of flu-like symptoms- all that seem to be associated with Julian. Soon, she has to wonder who, or what, she’s falling in love with.
KG: Die for Me is a bit of a pivot from your previous work. What made you decide to write a paranormal romance? And how did Sean and Julian take shape?
SO: At the time that I came up with the story behind Die for Me, I was in my cardiology fellowship and navigating an abusive marriage. I watched many older male proceduralists and surgeons start romantic relationships with younger women who were part of their interdisciplinary teams, and also was waking up to the realization that I was caught in a trauma bond. These observations and experiences got me thinking about power dynamics in relationships. A paranormal romance, in which at least one of the main characters is a “monster,” often center a power dynamic, and so allowed me to really play with these ideas in supernatural terms as well as true to life ones.
KG: I have to ask, is this going to be a series? There are so many side characters (Winnie and her new man? Rose? Leila’s redemption arc?) that could provide delicious additional stories. And we know romance loves a series.
SO: Ha! Whether it’ll be a series or not depends on the demand! But I would love to write a story centered on Rose. She’s decided to live her final life, and is starting over as a single mom in her “40s!” I think there could be a very beautiful story told from her perspectives.
KG: I want to ask so much about the ending, but I also don’t want to spoil it for readers who haven’t started it yet (what are you waiting for? – sheesh). So I’m going to be as vague as possible – why that ending? Was it always going to end like that or did it shift and change as the book took shape?
SO: This book was always going to end this way, though there were some minor tweaks to the details in the finale. I can be a bit pedantic, and there’s a strong message I’m trying to push at the end about self determination that I hope comes true. Also, I’m only half joking when I say that this book is an allegory on the patriarchy, and how in order to love fully and wholly some of us have to willingly cede our power, even at the loss of great privilege.
KG: By day you are a cardiologist, just like our heroine, Sean. How does your work in medicine impact your writing career and vice versa?
SO: I am a cardiologist! Sean and I are different types- I’m a general cardiologist, and so I only do a limited number of procedures, but I refer and work closely with interventional cardiologists all the time. My medical career exposes me to so many different kinds of people and circumstances. I always say that one of the most important things you can know about a patient is who they love and who loves them, and as a person obsessed with love as a concept, I’m constantly inspired by my career! When it comes to my protagonists’ careers… Well. I think I offer a unique perspective as a Black woman who is knee deep in healthcare, and love having it as my niche. Also I’m lazy and only want to look up one main characters’ career.
KG: August 15th is Bookstore Romance Day, a wonderful way of celebrating the genre we all love so much. This year, we are hosting a PowerPoint night on August 16th called “Love is the Point,” where folks will get five minutes and five slides to discuss their romance hot takes. Given the chance, what would you want to give a presentation on?
SO: Ha! My romance hot take is that “miscommunication” isn’t a real trope! Falling in love requires vulnerability, and most people are insecure, withholding, or uncertain. Some people don’t like it because it holds up too much of a mirror to how they may be conducted themselves in this space!
KG: Who is an author that got you interested in romance? And who are you reading right now that you’d like to shout out?
SO: I’ve been reading love stories forever, though I don’t think I initially was specifically seeking out romance. That being said, my forever icon is Kennedy Ryan. Her novels are so expansive, human, and genre defying! I think more people should be reading Regina Black, Myah Ariel, Nikki Payne, and Terah Shelton Harris’ work.
KG: What are you working on next?
SO: Ha! I can’t say too much, but I’m still playing with the paranormal realm, though this time I would love the monster to be my female lead. I love a monstrous woman!
KG: We ask everyone, what is your favorite thing about independent bookstores?
SO: Independent bookstores were some of my first homes as a child. I love that they are so often a curated community space, that the workers there so often feel like family to each other, and that everyone present shares a love for books!
Die for Me is on our shelves now! If you want picks like this delivered to your door every month, check out Love, Parnassus, our subscription box curated by romance experts.
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