Ana Huang Is Ready to Rule Over Romance

There’s nothing Ana Huang has more fun with than a morally gray man.

“I love those characters that have a little bit more edge,” Huang says. “When I write them, I don't necessarily have to adhere to social boundaries; it’s a bigger box for me to play in.”

Her readers feel the same. They ate up her Twisted Love series, turning it into a New York Times best-selling megahit in 2023; it’s now being adapted for the screen by Netflix. And they’re snapping up her latest series, Kings of Sin, with the same voracious appetite—even though the heroes (“Who I also love!” Huang emphasizes) have been a little softer than Huang’s usual bad boys.

That changes with King of Envy. Huang returns to her morally gray roots with Vuk Markovic, a silent, brooding character who has popped up as a minor role in previous Kings of Sin books. “It got to a point where I wanted to write something a little bit more unhinged again, and it also matched up with the storyline in this book, where the hero is in love with his friend's fiancée, but he doesn't know that their marriage is a marriage of convenience,” Huang explains to Marie Claire. We’re Zooming exactly three weeks out from the book’s debut, but Huang is cool and calm in her Jersey City apartment—no pre-release jitters for this pro. “When it came time to write his book, I was like, ‘I'm just gonna go for it with the suspense,’ and it was so much fun to return to form in that way.”

It’s been a wild ride for Huang, who first started self-publishing her romance novels during the pandemic as a side gig from her day job in communications. Her career as an author kicked off with the sweet If Love series in 2020. Then came the Twisted series, which went so viral on BookTok that publishing house Bloom came knocking to be her official publisher in 2022. She’s been a best-seller mainstay ever since.

Ahead of the April 29th release of King of Envy, we chatted with the 34-year-old author about the big boom in romance publishing, her relationship with her fandom, and what she makes of your Twisted Love fancasts.

Marie Claire: What was the inspiration behind the Kings of Sin series?

Ana Huang: I've always been fascinated by the seven deadly sins, especially how they play out in pop culture and media and the different interpretations of them, and I thought it would be interesting to try to take those seven sins in contemporary romance. It was a challenge to me to see what kind of different storylines I could do with that.

MC: What do you enjoy about bringing characters of yours back in different books?

AH: I never really have to say goodbye to the previous characters—even if I don't write a whole other book about them, I can still pop in to see how their life is going. It's like catching up with old friends. And it's a little wink toward my audience as well, which is fun. Some of [the fans] are so dedicated; they create entire maps where they'll connect every character in my series with every other character, and how they're connected. Sometimes I screenshot because it’s very helpful for me. [laughs]

MC: What is your relationship with your reader base like?

AH: I think there is kind of a special relationship when you start off self-published, because it's so direct-to-reader. When I first started, I was super engaged; I responded to every comment, every DM, everything that they tagged me in. I can't respond to every comment and message anymore, but I do try to do it as much as possible, and it's a really great relationship that we have. I wouldn't be where I am without them.

MC: What is it about romance that you love?

AH: I love the comfort of knowing that no matter what happens to the couple, they'll always have a happily ever after, especially in a world where there's so much chaos and a lot of uncertainty. And there's so many different sub genres under romance: I can read a fluffy rom com about a baker falling in love with a guy from out of town, or I can read a really unhinged romance about monsters.

MC: Romance is one of the few genres that is growing in sales instead of shrinking. And as you said, there's so many sub categories within it: there’s paranormal, there's historical, there's romantasy, there's dark romance. Where do you feel like your books sit?

AH: I've had some people say they're dark romance, and then I've had other people say they aren't dark at all—they’re pretty fluffy. I would say it's a gray romance. The great thing about contemporary is that I can experiment with so many different things while still keeping to the core of what my stories are. I do billionaire romance; I have a new sports romance series that I launched last fall.

MC: Would you ever dabble in romantasy?

AH: I thought about that! I do love a good romantasy, but it's a little outside of my wheelhouse. And sometimes, when I write something, it's harder for me to read it; I don't want to start writing fantasy romance and then not like fantasy romance anymore. So never say never, but I don't have any plans for that at this time.

MC: What has it been like as an author to be in romance as the category has blown up?

AH: Being here and seeing how much it has changed, seeing people openly talk about how much they love romance books, and to see it in stores before that would have never carried romance because there used to be a stigma, it has been incredible. This is especially true for the indie romance community—so many indie romance authors have broken out because of BookTok and this resurgence, and it's been wonderful.

MC: Alongside that, there have been a lot of conversations about the need for diversity in romance, both on the page and off, for authors and creators alike. What do you feel is the importance of those conversations in your own work?

AH: When you see a lot of the trending books, if you look at the BookTok tables, they aren't as diverse as they could be; a lot of it is overwhelmingly white and cis and straight. We've made strides since I was 12 years old, but we still have a long way to go in terms of diversity. I always try to make the cast reflect the world that we're in, and that is a very diverse world—especially because my books are set in cities like DC and New York. I want to represent that range of experiences, because that is just what the world is. As a Chinese American, I can write the most about that experience, but I also try to incorporate all of the other types of groups that I can as well.

MC: What is sexy to you?

AH: It's when [the characters] are able to see each other truly for who they are, and still love them for who they are, flaws and all, and the other person feels comfortable and seen by the communication. Obviously, they have their own kinks in some of the scenes, but it's all consensual, and they feel safe enough to explore and play around with those fantasies, which I think is really amazing. That passion—that feeling that you are the only person that can make me feel this way—is the best.

MC: Okay: If you were to date one of your heroes, who would you want to be with?

AH: Oh god! (laughs) We're talking like real life, right? Because my taste in fictional men and my taste in real life are actually opposite. If I had to date someone in real life, probably a Rhys Larson type from Twisted Games. In fiction, I love the morally grey characters, but I think in real life, murder is not gonna go that well. (laughs) If you ask my mom, she would love a Kai Young from King of Pride: very polite, well-educated, untroubled, very green flag.

MC: What are you excited for readers to discover in King of Envy?

AH: This book has quite a bit of suspense, but I love the dynamic between Vuk and Ayanna. I've never done a romance where she was already in a relationship with someone else—and with a pretty decent person. And I think readers will love some of the side characters that pop up in this book. One of them in particular has already popped up in a previous book, and I've already gotten so many questions about whether or not he will get his own story—which they'll see.

MC: What's it like when readers get attached to a side character like that?

AH: As an author, it's something that I'm proud of, that they're able to connect to someone enough that they want to see a whole story for them. I always love that type of enthusiasm, even though sometimes I'm like, ‘I'm so sorry, I'm gonna let you down on that one, that one's not happening.’ (laughs)

MC: And it's so early, but I do have to ask about the Twisted series being adapted, because everybody is so excited about that. How is that process going for you?

AH: It's going really well! I can't say much at this time, but we are getting along in the process. And I love all of the people on my team. The writer for the show, they really get the vision that I want to have for the series. We're waiting for a script to be done, and once that is finished, then we can get on to all of the fun stuff, like the cast—which everyone has been asking me about and I'm like, ‘I'm sorry, we don't have an official cast yet or announcement yet!’

MC: How do you feel about readers doing their own fan casts?

AH: It's really interesting to see who different people see as different characters. There's a huge range. And also it's very helpful for me —like, let me see the options here. (laughs) It's a fun thing that the readers can connect with, and it builds that sense of community. After you read the books, you can still have all of these other conversations about it.