Who is Irina Angelova?
My debut romance novel, There Are Worse People, was published in 2025. It’s a small-town summer romance about a widowed foreigner living in Macedonia and a local man who has never truly belonged anywhere—except, finally, with her. The story weaves together exotic culture, family feuds, a lost but resilient female lead, and the kind of steady, quietly masculine hero we all need.
I’ve been writing since my teenage years, mostly in Russian (with a few publications in literary magazines). There Are Worse People is my first novel written in English. Thanks to my education, fifteen years of working in English, and a lifelong love of American and British romcom novels, I finally felt ready for it. I was fortunate to find an indie publisher—Cupid’s Arrow Publishing—who believed in my work.
I’ve since translated another one of my novels into English and am currently looking for an agent to continue building my professional writing career. This new story is also a romance: it follows an empathic young woman who can heal people, and the lawless driver tasked with taking her to a terminally ill client—only to fall for her and face the impossible choice between doing his job… or saving her from her own gift. Both books are intense and steamy, centered on deep emotional connections, human impulses, and high stakes — exactly the kind of stories I adore as a reader.
What’s the Deal with Irina Angelova?
Her debut romance novel, that’s what!
Fun Facts about Irina Angelova
Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do outside of writing. What is a day in the life like for you?
I’ve spent most of my life moving between countries, so I’ve become a person who feels at home in airports, coffee shops, and any place that smells faintly of adventure. Outside of writing, I love long walks with my two dogs, exploring new cafés, and falling down rabbit holes of YouTube movie reactions.
This year has been especially fruitful for me: my second baby was born, and my novel was published — another baby, basically.
A typical day starts with getting my older child ready for school, then switching into my role as a pedagogical designer and content creator. That work gives me a lot of flexibility, which helps me balance it with being a mom to a newborn. Before I had my second baby, I often snuck in writing sessions throughout the day — usually in a coffee shop with my laptop, pretending to be the mysterious-author trope. When she grows a little older, I hope I’ll be able to do that again.
What inspired your first novel? What was the thing that got you into writing in the first place?
My first novel grew out of coping with school life: teenage drama fueled by pop culture and confusing social dynamics. I remember sitting in boring classes, scribbling in my notebook, then typing everything out at my mom’s workplace (there were no home PCs back then). I still have the story somewhere on a disk drive.
How do you come up with characters? Are they spontaneous or meticulously planned?
I start spontaneously — with a feeling, a dynamic, or a line of dialogue — and then I build the character around that spark. Jesse, for example, began as a single image: someone looking at you like you’re safe with them.
Once I know the emotional core of a character, I begin refining: backstory, fears, contradictions, desires. I like characters who are real — sometimes messy, sometimes brave, always human.
What are some of your favorite genres to read? Are there any books you’d recommend to first time readers or people looking for something new?
I mainly read romance, women’s fiction, and romcoms. I love stories where the tension comes from emotional truth, not just plot twists.
Some recommendations:
• Emily Henry — Book Lovers (witty, heartfelt, sharp)
• Ali Hazelwood — Love, Theoretically (STEM-girl vibes and gentleman-energy)
• Christina Lauren — Love and Other Words (beautifully emotional)
• Julie Soto — Not Another Love Song (poetic and sensual)
• Alice Hoffman — Practical Magic (cozy, magical, deeply about womanhood)
What’s the most difficult thing about being a writer?
Never stopping.
You have to constantly find the time to write, edit, proofread, publish or find a publisher, promote, start another book — if you want to really make it in this field, it’s a long and demanding road.
What is your process to completing a novel from outline to final product?
My process is a hybrid of planning and chaos.
Spark – a scene, a dynamic, or a single sentence pops into my head.
Loose outline – the emotional beats, not necessarily the exact plot points.
Discovery writing – letting the characters surprise me.
Structural pass – making sure the story actually makes sense.
Obsession phase – rewriting dialogue until it feels alive.
Editing – where the book becomes an actual book.
Coffee plays a major part at every stage.
What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve written in your novel? Don’t worry, we don’t judge here.
I actually included a few real heated conversations I had with my in-laws. The book is partly based on a real feud with my husband’s extended family — which is pretty unhinged considering I’m still living under the same roof with them. So I really hope they never read it!
What’s one thing about being a writer that absolutely drives you up the wall?
The whiplash between “this is the best thing I’ve ever written” and “why did I ever think I could write at all.” Then you sit down to rewrite the part you hated and suddenly think, Wait, this is actually amazing. It’s exhausting.
What does being a successful writer look like for you? What type of life do you want to live as a writer?
Success for me is simple: To write stories that make people feel, relate, escape.
If someone tells me my book kept them up at night, made them feel seen, or helped them through a tough moment — that’s success.
On a practical level, I’d love a life where writing is my full-time job, where I can travel, write from anywhere, and show my kids that creative dreams are legitimate careers.
Describe your writing journey. If you had to write a story centered around it, do you think you could pull it off?
It would be about a girl who preferred being alone over going to parties, who was born in Russia, learned Japanese in Japan, worked as an English teacher in China, a tour guide in India, found love in Macedonia, and gathered all those threads into a colorful, eclectic macramé of a life. A writer who was rejected as many times as she was reborn from ashes. And one day, she simply made it.
Could I write that story?
Absolutely.
In fact, I think I already am — just disguised as fiction.
Follow and Connect with Irina Angelova
Social Media
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/angelova.writer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelova.writer/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61111388.Irina_Angelova
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