The Literature Times: “Love is Home” beautifully captures the quiet magic of emotional connection. What inspired this particular story of Arunika and Sirish?
Anushka Agrawal: “Love is Home” was inspired by the idea that love, at its core, is built not on grand gestures or fleeting moments, but on deep understanding, patience, and emotional intimacy. In a world where instant gratification and hookup culture often dominate the narrative around relationships, I wanted to tell a story that honors the beauty of slow romance where two people, Arunika and Sirish, come to know each other deeply over time.
Their journey is not rushed. It’s filled with quiet conversations, shared vulnerabilities, and the kind of trust that only grows when two people choose to stay through doubts, differences, and life’s unexpected turns. They fall in love not at first sight, but through a thousand small moments of connection. “Love is Home” reflects the belief that true relationships are not just found, but built patiently, tenderly, and with intention.
The Literature Times: Your background in psychology adds depth to your characters. How did your therapeutic work influence the emotional arcs in the novel?
Anushka Agrawal: My background in psychology and especially my work through Heal With Anushka, my online platform dedicated to emotional wellness deeply influenced the emotional arcs in Love is Home. In therapy, I’ve witnessed how people carry their pasts, how they navigate vulnerability, and how healing often begins in safe, understanding relationships. I brought that same sensitivity into Arunika and Sirish’s story.
Both characters are shaped by their emotional histories, and their journey reflects real therapeutic themes: the fear of being truly seen, the challenge of setting boundaries, and the courage it takes to open up again after being hurt. I wanted readers to see how emotional growth and connection often go hand in hand and how love, when it’s grounded in empathy and emotional safety, can be profoundly healing. Writing this novel was, in many ways, a continuation of the healing work I do with others through Heal With Anushka.
The Literature Times: The theme of second chances and love returning at the right time feels very personal. Is there a real-life experience that shaped this idea for you?
Anushka Agrawal: That’s such a thoughtful question. While the theme of second chances is indeed close to my heart, I’d prefer to let the story speak for itself rather than tie it to any specific real-life experience. I believe many of us, in our own ways, have felt the impact of timing and the quiet hope of love returning when we least expect it. Through Arunika and Sirish, I wanted to honor that universal feeling without making it too personal.
The Literature Times: Unlike most modern romances, this book thrives on silence and subtlety. Was it challenging to write emotions that are ‘felt’ more than ‘spoken’?
Anushka Agrawal: Yes, it was definitely a creative challenge but also a deeply rewarding one. As someone who has always been quite expressive, both emotionally and verbally, I naturally gravitate toward open communication. But in writing Love is Home, I had to learn how to slow down and allow emotions to unfold in the quiet moments in glances, silences, and gestures that often speak louder than words.
This process taught me a lot about emotional restraint and the power of subtlety. I had to trust the unsaid and let the reader feel what the characters were experiencing, rather than always spelling it out. It mirrored a personal journey too learning that not all emotions need to be loud to be real, and that sometimes, the most profound connections are built in stillness. Writing those layers into Arunika and Sirish’s relationship helped me grow, both as a writer and as someone who works closely with emotions every day.
The Literature Times: Arunika and Sirish are both deeply introspective characters. Did you identify more with one of them while writing?
Anushka Agrawal: I found parts of myself in both Arunika and Sirish while writing their story. I deeply identify with Arunika because, like her, I’m a writer. Her need to process the world through words, her quiet observations, and the way she internalizes emotions all reflect a part of my own creative and emotional rhythm. Writing her felt almost like journaling in disguise.
At the same time, there’s a lot of me in Sirish too especially his romantic nature. His belief in love, his patience, and his willingness to show up with sincerity and depth really resonate with me. So in many ways, writing Love is Home was like weaving together the introspective and expressive parts of myself through these two characters.
The Literature Times: What do you hope readers take away from Love is Home about love, healing, or the timing of relationships?
Anushka Agrawal: I hope Love is Home reminds readers that love doesn’t have to be loud or immediate to be meaningful. Real love often grows slowly through trust, understanding, and the quiet courage to be seen for who we truly are. I wanted to show that healing and connection go hand in hand, and that it’s never too late to open your heart again.
In a world that often celebrates speed and surface level connections, this story is a gentle reminder that timing matters that sometimes love comes into our lives not when we’re looking for it, but when we’re finally ready to receive it. I hope readers walk away feeling comforted, seen, and reminded that true love feels like coming home to yourself and to someone who truly understands you.
The Literature Times: Your previous books, Bad Bitch Philosophy and My Summer Romance, are very different in tone. How was the writing process for this one unique?
Anushka Agrawal: Writing Love is Home was a very different and deeply personal experience compared to my previous books. Bad Bitch Philosophy was bold, empowering, and unapologetically fierce a call to own your voice and reclaim your power. My Summer Romance had a lighter, playful tone, capturing the charm of fleeting moments and youthful love. But Love is Home asked something else of me it asked for stillness, patience, and emotional vulnerability.
The writing process was slower, more introspective. I spent more time sitting with the characters, letting their emotions unfold gently rather than driving the story forward quickly. It felt less like writing and more like listening to the silences, the hesitations, and the quiet shifts in their relationship. It was a grounding experience, one that reflected my own growth not just as a writer, but as a person learning to value depth, timing, and emotional truth.
The Literature Times: The setting is quiet, reflective, and academic feels almost like a character itself. How important was the backdrop to this story?
Anushka Agrawal: The setting was incredibly important in Love is Home almost like a silent character that held space for the emotional journey of Arunika and Sirish. I intentionally chose a quiet, reflective, and academic backdrop because it mirrors the tone of their relationship: thoughtful, slow-burning, and rooted in introspection.
Environments shape how we feel, connect, and process our emotions. A calm, intellectual space allowed their conversations to breathe, their silences to speak, and their bond to deepen in an organic way. It wasn’t about dramatic moments or big-city chaos it was about finding stillness, both in their surroundings and within themselves. The backdrop created a sense of emotional safety, where healing could happen and love could grow, one quiet moment at a time.
The Literature Times: You write about emotional wounds and healing with such tenderness. How do you balance vulnerability with strength in your characters?
Anushka Agrawal: Thank you, that balance is something I’m always deeply mindful of while writing. For me, vulnerability is a form of strength. Through my work in psychology and with Heal With Anushka, I’ve seen how powerful it is when people allow themselves to be honest about their pain, their fears, and their hopes. I brought that same perspective into the characters of Love is Home.
Arunika and Sirish both carry emotional wounds, but they don’t let those wounds define them. Instead, they move through their healing with quiet courage by showing up, by allowing themselves to be seen, and by learning to trust again. I wanted their strength to feel real, not performative something that comes not from avoiding vulnerability, but from embracing it. To me, the most powerful characters are the ones who feel deeply, fall apart sometimes, and still choose love anyway.
The Literature Times: What’s next for you, another romance, something psychological, or perhaps a blend of both again?
Anushka Agrawal: Right now, my heart is fully set on writing more romance. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about exploring the many layers of love the quiet moments, the emotional depth, the unexpected connections that change us. I feel drawn to stories that go beyond just falling in love and instead dive into what it means to love someone through healing, vulnerability, and growth.
While my background in psychology will always influence how I shape characters and relationships, romance is the genre where I feel most at home as a writer. So yes, you can definitely expect more love stories from me filled with emotion, tenderness, and the kind of depth that lingers long after the last page.
To Contact the author – www.healwithanushka.in
About the author
Anushka Agrawal is a psychologist and storyteller who found her voice through the pages she filled with pain, love, and hope. What began as a quiet outlet for her emotions soon turned into a calling to be heard, to heal, and to remind others that their imperfections are what make them whole.
She is the founder of Heal with Anushka, an online platform for accessible, empathetic, and transformative therapy. Through her work as a mental health professional, Anushka has helped countless individuals reconnect with their inner strength and emotional truth.
Deeply fascinated by the intricacies of the human mind, she weaves her understanding of psychology with her passion for romance and emotional transformation. Her writing is both a mirror and a balm, reflecting raw realities while offering comfort and light.
Anushka is also the author of two previously published books ; ‘Bad Bitch Philosophy’, a bold and empowering guide to self-worth, and ‘My Summer Romance’, a light-hearted yet emotionally layered tale of love and rediscovery.
A lifelong lover of art, philosophy, and words that stir the soul, Anushka identifies strongly as a feminist, often drawing from women’s inner strength and resilience in her stories. Through her work, she hopes to inspire readers to embrace their truth, find beauty in their brokenness, and fall in love with themselves, with healing, and with life.
Author Contact: www.healwithanushka.in
