Author Interview with Swati Hegde (Match Me If You Can)
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I recently had the pleasure of reading Swati Hegde’s debut novel, Match Me If You Can, and I absolutely loved it! Her unique take on desi romance is modern yet traditional. If you’re in the mood for a Bollywood style rom-com with tropes such as friends to lovers and forced proximity, you’re in for a treat!
In this exclusive interview, we’ll dive into a conversation with Swati Hegde about her inspiration behind Match Me If You Can, her writing journey, and what readers can look forward to next.
A young magazine writer in Mumbai must prove her matchmaking skills—and contend with growing feelings for her close family friend.
About Swati Hegde
Swati Hegde is a freelance editor, mindset coach, and self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast who lives in Bangalore, India, and can often be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea. She looks forward to a long career bringing Indian stories and voices to light.
Hi Swati! I’m so happy to have you on the blog. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi Sonia! Thank you for having me. I’m a 28-year-old freelance editor and mindset coach from Bangalore, India, and my debut romance novel, Match Me If You Can, released this June from Dell Romance (US) and Penguin India!
Could you share with us a bit more about your journey to becoming a traditionally published author?
Oh gosh, it was a long and difficult road! I wrote and queried 6 books over the span of 5 years, and it was the 6th one (Match Me If You Can) that got an agent and a book deal. I think the reason I kept trying for so long is because I’m a deeply stubborn person, and I wanted to prove to others and myself that I could actually become a published author. Guess my Aries fire sign personality came in handy eventually, haha!
Rapid fire round!
- What was the last book that made you cry? Funny Story by Emily Henry.
- What song do you have on repeat? So High School by Taylor Swift.
- What is your wildest dream? To see Taylor Swift reading my book or acknowledging its existence–probably never going to happen though!
- If you could date any fictional characters/book boyfriend, who would it be? Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker from The Amazing Spider-Man movies, or an age-appropriate Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games.
What does your writing routine/ritual look like?
I usually write in the mornings/afternoons, because that’s when my mind works best. I don’t have a fixed schedule unless I’m on deadline, but I always need good music and black tea next to me as I write.
What is next for you in your author career?
My next adult romance book (Can’t Help Faking in Love) with Dell Romance is releasing in early 2025, but I can’t say much about it just yet. I also have a queer YA romance novel, As Long As You Loathe Me, releasing in Spring 2026 with Delacorte Press, and I’m very excited about starting my YA career with a Penguin Random House imprint too.
About Match Me If You Can
Confident fashionista Jia Deshpande spends her days writing cliché-ridden listicles for Mimosa, Mumbai’s top women’s magazine. When she can, Jia dishes about the messy truth of real love on her anonymous blog, attends her family’s weekly game nights, and ignores her true feelings for her childhood friend. If that wasn’t enough, Jia needs to successfully set up a coworker with her perfect match to get the green light for her new matchmaking column. Thankfully, organizing meet-cutes has never been difficult for her.
Local pub owner and cocktail genius Jaiman Patil can’t help but be enamored with Jia and her meddling spirit. He’s always been an honorary part of her family, but even more so since his own moved to America. Life with the Deshpandes is chaotic and loud, but it’s also more loving than anything he experienced growing up, and he wouldn’t risk losing that for the world. It feels manageable—until his pub begins to struggle and his long-hidden feelings for Jia grow deeper.
When Jia’s attempts at office matchmaking go haywire, risking new friendships and her relationship with Jaiman, she must reevaluate her own thoughts on love. For the first time, Jia Deshpande realizes that love may be a lot more complicated than she thought. Luckily, happily-ever-afters are never in short supply in Mumbai.
One of the first things that grabbed my attention was that Jia is a blogger—just like myself! I was super excited to read her blog entries in the book. I am curious though, why did Jia choose blogging over setting up an Instagram page or TikTok account?
Well, as much as I loooove agonizing over trending audio and the whims of the algorithm, I can’t imagine sharing my thoughts with the world only through video, and I like to think Jia had the same thought. Plus, since Jia’s blog “Love Better with J” is an anonymous blog, it wouldn’t have made sense for her to show her face or her voice on social media. Hence, the blog!
Where did your inspiration for MMIYC, a rom-com set in Mumbai come from?
Match Me If You Can is inspired by Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, which I truly believe feels like such a desi book with all its meddling and matchmaking vibes. MMIYC deviates from the original storyline in many ways, but its roots are in Emma.
Were there any Bollywood movies or songs that inspired any of the romance scenes?
Match Me If You Can, with its clueless friends to lovers trope, definitely gives me vibes of the Bollywood movie Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na!
Who were your favourite characters to write besides Jia and Jaiman?
Definitely Charu, the new astrology writer at Mimosa (Jia’s workplace). She’s just such a sweet, kindhearted person, and funnily enough, I fell in love with astrology while doing research to write her character! So I owe that to her as well.
In what ways do you relate to Jia?
We’re both very stubborn, persistent, and meddlesome, and I love rosy cocktails too! But besides that, not much. I spend my money on books and scented candles, not designer clothing, and I’m definitely not as confident in myself or my appearance as Jia is. Also, I kinda sorta believe in the concept of The One–and Jia doesn’t!
Are we going to see any of the other couples from MMIYC get their own books?
Well, I don’t have any contracts in place yet, but I would love to someday write books for Charu, the astrology writer, and Damini, the intern at Mimosa. I guess we’ll see what happens!
Writing Advice for Aspiring Authors
Did you have challenges writing characters from your own culture and how did you overcome them? Do you have any advice for writers who are trying to do the same?
I think it was definitely the fear of “is my lived experience going to resonate with readers from my culture who’ve had different experiences?” But I’ve realized that we can’t worry about that. My book is a representation of Indian culture as I’ve experienced it, and many others do live similar lives… but it might not relate to EVERY Indian’s experiences, and why should it?
One single book will not universally relate to every human being, and that’s fine. I hope readers will enjoy Match Me If You Can whether they’re desi or not, whether they relate to the Indian aspects in their own lives, or not.
A piece of advice for writers who have faced rejection.
Get used to it. Publishing is an ebb and flow of rejections. Once you get an agent, you get rejected by editors/publishers until one of them gives you a chance. Once you get a book deal, you get rejected by reviewers, journals, or book clubs.
Once you get published, you inevitably get negative reviews because no book can appeal to every person. It goes on and on, so the best thing you can do as an author is develop thick skin for rejection and keep an open heart for hope. You’ve got this!
If you could have done one thing differently in your writing career, what would it be?
I would have worked on my craft more in the first few years of querying, instead of pitching first or second drafts to agents. My gosh, I cringe looking at those manuscripts now! I’m so glad Match Me If You Can is my debut and not any of those older, shelved manuscripts. But all in all, I’m proud of myself and my journey. I wouldn’t be here without all the ups and downs.
