What was the inspiration for your book?
We love reading chicklit books, but we were frustrated at the homogeneous quality of many of the books out there - especially the fact that there are barely any characters of color in most chicklit books. We wanted to show three women whose culture has affected both their personal and professional lives - successful, ambitious women who not only deal with the pressures of their traditionally success-oriented Asian families but also the trials and tribulations of dating in modern-day, melting-pot America. Not only are there the stereotypes of the Asian woman as this docile, submissive person, but these women have to deal with the expectations of their own culture that they will be the perfect wife, mother and supporting cast for their future husbands. So, as if dating in and of itself isn't hard enough, these girls have to contend with these false images perpetuated by both Asians and non-Asians alike. Obviously, we've dealt with some of these issues in our own lives and writers are always inspired by their own experiences, but we've also heard enough stories from the women we know to know that these are some universal themes that need to be explored.

What is it like to co-author a book as cousins?
People ask us this question a lot because they think it must make things harder to write together because we're cousins. In reality, it actually makes things a lot easier. When you're co-writing with a friend, you always worry about hurting the other person's feelings and possibly losing a friendship as a result of creative differences. As cousins who grew up together, we've known each other our whole lives. We've fought, yelled and argued about the most ridiculous things and have gotten over our disagreements. Because of that, we're able to be completely honest with each other without worrying about hurting each other's feelings, and that makes writing together a lot easier. Plus, the blood ties means that we know we can never really get rid of each other.

What features distinguish your book from others on the subject?
Our book is different in two respects. First, we wanted to have heroines who care not only about finding romance and love, but also about attaining career success - as a lawyer, a journalist, an investment banker. There are a lot of naysayers out there who like to denigrate chicklit as being fluffy and shallow. We personally love all chicklit, but we wanted to respond to some of these negative voices by really showcasing young women who care about both their careers and their boyfriends and who don't just view their jobs as a way to pass the time until they find Mr. Right. The second way that our book is different from others on the subject is that it focuses on three young women who are Chinese but who also consider themselves thoroughly modern and American - until they are reminded of their culture (and the effect of that culture on them) at critical moments in their lives.