When I Return to Love: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
When I Return to Love: Received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.Following find an interview with author Eric Harris:
1. What is the name of your book and when was it published? My book is titled When I Return to Love, published on February 16, 2026. I chose this title intentionally. While it could have been called When You Return to Love, I wanted it to feel personal—because as I return to love, the reader is invited to do the same.
Releasing it in February felt meaningful. It’s a month often centered around love—whether people are celebrating it or feeling the absence of it. This book shifts that focus inward. It’s not about falling in love with someone else, but about reconnecting with yourself—slowing down, reflecting, and learning to feel whole on your own.
2. What is the first line of your book? The first poem, Learning How to Breathe Again, opens with the line: “this is your genesis.” That line represents a beginning. Just like Genesis marks the start of creation, this book begins with the idea of starting over—learning how to breathe again, not for anyone else, but for yourself. It’s about finding peace in the moment and trusting that everything will be okay.
3. What is the book about? Give us the pitch. When I Return to Love is a quiet conversation between the heart and the soul. Through themes of vulnerability, longing, forgiveness, and renewal, it explores the experience of losing love, searching for it, and ultimately rediscovering it within.
This isn’t just a collection of poems—it’s an experience. The reader doesn’t just observe the words; they live through them. It becomes a mirror, reflecting their own emotions and journey back to self-love.
4. What inspired you to write this book? This book was shaped by both loss and discovery. After publishing my first book, I kept telling myself—and others—that the next one would come soon. But months turned into years.
The passing of my cousin deeply affected me. We weren’t especially close, but her death brought me closer to my family and made me reflect on missed moments. She was the light of our family—always smiling, always bringing people together. That realization inspired the poem A Dinner for the Soul.
Another influence came during my time in Costa Rica, where I connected with the phrase “Pura Vida.” It encouraged me to slow down, breathe, and appreciate life as it is.
Writing this book wasn’t easy. Even when writing about love, I was still healing. I wanted this to be more than just poetry—I wanted it to offer a new perspective on how we see, feel, and live.
5. Why should readers pick up this book? This book is for anyone trying to make sense of their emotions. It’s about finding love in a world that can sometimes feel cold. It’s about discovering beauty in difficult moments, accepting what you cannot control, and forgiving yourself for settling for less than you deserve. The structure of the book reflects a full-circle journey. It begins with “this is your genesis” and ends with:
“And even though this is the end for me,
Go back to the beginning.
Before love needed proof.
Before it needed words.
As I return to love,
so will you.”
At the end, readers are given space to write their own poems. While the book may end, their story is just beginning—a chance to write love letters to their own scars.
6. What do you do when you’re not writing? Outside of writing, I teach people about the Bible and work as a pharmacy technician. I’m also currently learning Hmong.
In a time where many people feel disconnected, I believe something as simple as learning someone’s language and saying, “I’m here for you,” can be incredibly meaningful. It’s a kind of love that can’t be bought.
7. When did you first decide to become an author? My love for writing started young. My dad used to write raps, and watching how he played with words inspired me deeply. That creativity led me toward poetry.
After high school, I wanted to move to New York and pursue writing seriously, but life took a different path. Years later, I returned to it, self-published my first book, and now I’m sharing my second.
Even now, being called an author still feels surreal—but it’s a journey I’m grateful to be on.