Meet Emma R. Alban | Author and Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma R. Alban and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma R., what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Becoming a writer was always, I think, an inevitability for me. I’ve been writing stories since I learned that was how stories came to be, and have been pursuing professional writing since I graduated from college 12 years ago. I’ve always wanted to be a working writer, and I’ve just been trying to open as many doors as I can over the last decade.

I started querying during the lockdown in 2020, got my agent in 2021, and sold my debut, “Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend” in 2022, and…here we are! My hope, when sending out my initial manuscript in 2020, was that I’d sell that book, become traditionally published, and hopefully get to keep publishing books regularly. Thus far (though that initial book I queried didn’t sell), that’s what’s happened. My third book, “Like in Love with You,” will come out January 13th 2026, and my fourth will come out in Winter 2027. I hope to keep going.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a queer Romance author writing stories focused on queer joy, found family, and complex relationships. Queer Romance has really blossomed as a genre within the past decade, but it’s still a relatively small corner of the market. In particular, Queer Historical Romance is a small, but mighty sector of Traditional Publishing right now. I think there are incredible stories being told in Queer and Diverse Historical Romance, and I hope to be able to continue to be part of the genre and tell more stories.

I want to celebrate queer joy, particularly in stories about the past, because queer people have always been happy, found love, and made loving lives for themselves, even though our history books rarely discuss it. So I plan to write Queer Romances for as long as I can, and help grow our part of the Romance space.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whenever someone visits LA, I want to give them a balance between the fun, slightly touristy stuff, and my experience of really living here. I’d probably book a studio tour, because it’s always fun to see the sets for your favorite shows (the WB tour is always a hit). I’d take them to the beach, and if they like crowds, go to the Santa Monica Pier or walk along the Venice boardwalk. Then I’d take them to a bunch of our incredible indie bookstores (like The Ripped Bodice, Skylight, Vroman’s, Diesel Books, Book Soup, Village Well Books & Coffee, the Last Bookstore). I’d make sure to hit a few of my favorite brunch spots, both trendy and nostalgic. Go walking in Pan Pacific Park, then hitting the Grove to see a movie, or going to Griffith Park to walk and maybe go to the Observatory (hoping it’s a good weather weekend).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate this to my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. They’ve been unflagging in their support of my career (and my life), and I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.

Website: https://www.emmaralban.com/

Instagram: @eraofemma

Other: Tiktok: @eraofemma