Welcome, friend! Today I am chatting with author Pyae Moe Thet War, about her upcoming book, Here for a Good Time. This is a heartfelt new rom-com where the main character is a writer and she has feelings for her best friend. There are some thriller elements too. Read more below about the book and enjoy the interview! Let me know in the comments if you will be reading the book.
Here for a Good Time
In Pyae Moe Thet War’s electrifying and heartfelt new rom-com, a writer’s attempt to find inspiration for her new novel is sabotaged by a vacation gone horribly wrong…and feelings for her off limits best friend.
A trip they’ll never forget…
Poe Myat Sabei has the publishing career that any writer would kill for: her first novel sold at auction, became an international number one bestseller, and is being turned into a Netflix film. But now on deadline for her second book, Poe is facing a catastrophic case of writer’s block. The solution? Book a two-week getaway to an exclusive island resort for her and her best friend Zwe where she’ll undoubtedly be inspired to write her next bestseller.
But the vacation of their dreams disintegrates in a flash when the resort is taken over by a group of masked women who are very armed and very angry. As they try to leave the island before the group can track them down, Poe and Zwe suddenly find themselves facing the kinds of conflicts that only come up when, well, you’re trapped in a life or death situation on a remote island with your (hot) best friend.
Get to know the author: Pyae Moe Thet War
Hi Pyae! It is a pleasure to have you on Armed with A Book. To start us off, can you tell my readers a little about yourself?
Hello! I’m Pyae Moe Thet War, and I am the author of the essay collection You’ve Changed, as well as the novels I Did Something Bad and Here For A Good Time. I was born and raised in Yangon, but currently live in London while I work on a PhD in creative writing. I also have two dogs named Gus and Missy whom I always try to mention in interviews even though they’ll never read them, because I think they’re just the most perfect beings alive.
From international bestselling author to a deadline-strangled second book, Poe’s situation feels both outrageous and very real. Did you draw on any of your own writing experiences to shape Poe’s arc?
Basically every good and bad that Poe feels towards becoming an author is drawn directly from my own experiences. Like Poe, it was definitely a struggle for me to suddenly have my passion become my job, and to be honest, I still find it difficult to balance making art that I love with the knowledge that I now make it within the structure of late-stage capitalism via the publishing industry. One of the most common comments I got from other authors who read this book was that Poe’s struggles and emotions felt so realistic, for better or for worse, which made me feel relieved. Almost every author I know has suffered from Book 2 Syndrome which is where the second book feels almost impossible to write, and that was definitely the case for me with this one. In fact, this book was originally titled Writer’s Block and I joked that it was ironic that I was working on a book called Writer’s Block while battling with my own writer’s block. The whole process was truly meta.
Poe and Zwe have such a vibrant dynamic. What was your favorite part about writing their friendship—and how did you approach evolving it under pressure?
I loved writing little flashbacks because I always find it fascinating what memories stick with us that we either assume was important to the other person as well, or we assume meant nothing to someone else. Poe has all of these moments in time that she can think back to where she fell (more) in love with Zwe, and I loved getting to show these snippets of their backstory to the reader and building that tension because like Poe, we don’t know whether Zwe remembers any of these moments as well.
In terms of their relationship evolving, these are two people who are best friends and flatmates and they’ve got a pretty good rhythm figured out, so I wanted to completely disrupt that and have them prove to one another that they’ll still be there even when everything blows up. Poe and Zwe are very different people in a lot of ways, and when under pressure, Poe is the kind of person to spiral and immediately jump to the worst-case scenario while Zwe is more level-headed and won’t let his emotions take over. When you throw a couple like that into a high-pressure situation, they do butt heads, but it’s also that thing of learning to what extent the other person would go to protect you in a life or death situation. It’s one thing to say “I’d take a bullet for you” but it’s another thing to be in that situation and actually live up to it.
What do you think makes the “best friends to lovers” trope so enduring and compelling?
I’ve always loved this trope because it just makes sense! Of course you want your partner to be your best friend! When you enter into a relationship with someone new, you’re hoping that this is someone who will stick around for both the good and the bad times, but with best friends to lovers, that’s someone who’s already seen you at your worst and has already proven that they’re not going anywhere.
Beyond Zwe, Poe also has layered relationships with other characters on the island. Was there a side character you especially loved writing?
I loved Antonio because he’s just so silly and he reminds me of my own little brother. They both love making weird jokes and having a chill time, even when everyone around them is freaking out.
Are there any particular stories, films, or tropes that inspired the island chaos setup?
My main inspiration was the movie The Lost City; almost all writers I know (myself included) are usually holed up indoors as we work on our current/next book, so I thought it was really fun to put one of us in a very outdoors-y high-stakes situation, and see how we could apply our writing-related skills to getting out of a situation like that.
This is a slight spoiler so feel free to skip the following paragraph if you haven’t read the book yet:
I was also inspired by The White Lotus, particularly the latest season that’s set in Thailand, in that I wanted to highlight an anti-gentrification approach to a setting like that; a lot of Western audiences — whether that’s readers or viewers — will watch a show like The White Lotus and think “Wow that place looks beautiful, it’s heaven on earth” without realizing the negative impacts that a resort like that has on the local population and surroundings.
Here For a Good Time mixes rom-com energy with thriller stakes. What was the trickiest part of blending those genres?
I had to be conscious of maintaining, and later growing, that attraction between Poe and Zwe even as all this chaos was ensuing around them. I wanted to keep it realistic that you’d be thinking of how hot your crush is and whether or not you should tell them you’re in love with them, while also thinking of how you’re going to survive not getting shot in the middle of the forest.
If you could spend a day with Poe, what would you two do?
I think we’d huddle down at one of our favourite cafés and have a writing date where we do more yapping than writing. And then at the end, we’d grab an early dinner to reward ourselves for a hard day’s work, followed by attending a book talk by one of our favourite authors.
What’s your favorite scene in Here For a Good Time—one you loved writing or still go back to reread?
Originally I had put two beds in their hotel room, but my editors gently but determinedly screamed at me for only one bed and they were right! I had the best time writing Poe and Zwe sharing the bed on their first night.
This is your second novel—did the process of writing it feel different than your debut?
I had a better grasp on the genre now that I’d already written one romance novel, so things like pacing and character development were easier this time around. But I always want to push myself with every new book, and for this one, I challenged myself to create a plot with obstacles within the limited setting of a remote island. I’ve also always wanted to write a book about writing and being an author, and this was such a fun opportunity to do just that.
If you were trapped on an island with one book and one snack, what would they be?
This is so difficult! I would say Book Lovers by Emily Henry, and I’d read it while snacking on ice-cream. In this scenario, I’m imagining a magical freezer for me to store all my ice-cream.
What’s a recent book you’ve read and loved—and why?
I adore(d) The Great Orchid Heist by Eleanor Vendrell. It’s so fun and sexy and I’m biased because I’m obsessed with dogs, but it does feature the greatest little dog called Eva.
For readers who adore Here For a Good Time, what other books would you recommend they check out next?
At time of writing, I’m reading and loving Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola. I’d also recommend Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson, and On Her Terms by Amy Spalding.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Nothing to add, just want to say thank you again for giving me the opportunity to talk about my book! My favorite interviews are the ones with readers ☺
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and share with my readers.
Thanks for joining us! Add this book on Goodreads. It will be available starting August 28, 2025,
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for connecting me with the author and giving me a chance to highlight this book on my blog in exchange for an honest review. 🙂
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