The fourth novel is finally taking shape, and I’m thrilled to share that Omnichannel Hearts will arrive at the end of summer. This winter and spring have been spent traveling between megacities and home, gathering material that feels more relevant with each passing day.
The research process has been fascinating. In Dubai, I watched shoppers interact with smart mirrors in luxury boutiques that recognized returning customers and suggested outfits based on previous purchases. The Museum of the Future provided scenarios where AI assistants help couples navigate relationship challenges through predictive analytics. These aren’t distant fantasies — they’re emerging realities that reshape how we connect.
Back in London, I’ve observed similar patterns among international merchants in markets like Camden and Borough. Traditional vendors now seamlessly blend face-to-face service with Instagram follow-ups, creating truly omnichannel experiences. After browsing handmade crafts in person, customers receive curated product recommendations through social media. The transaction becomes physical, digital, and social simultaneously.
This seamless integration between offline and online worlds captures exactly what I wanted to explore in Omnichannel Hearts. The story follows characters who navigate love across multiple platforms simultaneously — reality, chat applications, and VR spaces. Their hearts become omnichannel, beating in several worlds at once.
The technical aspects draw from my MBA understanding of omnichannel distribution strategies, but applied to emotional rather than commercial transactions. How do people maintain authentic connections when their relationships exist across platforms? What happens when your dating profile, your video call persona, and your physical presence tell different stories about who you are?
My time at Playrix provided insight into how gaming psychology affects real relationships. The notification systems, achievement structures, and engagement loops that drive user behavior in games now influence how people approach dating apps and social media interactions. Love gets gamified, sometimes productively, sometimes destructively.
The protagonists emerged from real observations. There’s Maya, who meets someone in a coffee shop but their relationship develops primarily through voice messages and shared playlists. David maintains long-distance love through VR meetups that feel more intimate than video calls. Sarah discovers that her online personality attracts different partners than her offline self, forcing her to choose which version feels more authentic.
One pivotal scene came to me during a recent visit to a retail technology exhibition. I watched couples shopping together while simultaneously consulting their phones, sharing products with friends, and receiving AI recommendations. They were physically present but digitally distributed, making decisions collaboratively across multiple channels. The moment crystallized how modern relationships function — always connected, never singular.
My nail art practice continues providing character insights. Clients share stories about relationships that began on dating apps but flourished through cooking videos sent back and forth. Others describe marriages maintained through constant texting despite living in the same house. The boundaries between digital and physical intimacy blur in ways that would have seemed impossible a decade ago.
Omnichannel Hearts won’t judge these hybrid forms of connection. Instead, it explores how genuine emotion adapts to available technology without losing its essential power. The challenge isn’t choosing between authentic and digital — it’s finding authenticity within increasingly complex communication ecosystems.
The cover design captures this perfectly: two phones connecting through a shared heart, representing how love travels between devices while remaining fundamentally human. The aesthetic feels both futuristic and timeless, much like the relationships it depicts.
Pre-orders begin next month, with the full release scheduled for late August. After exploring luxury psychology, cultural synthesis, and now technological intimacy, I feel like I’m mapping the emotional landscape of our hyperconnected age, one novel at a time.
Posted from London, where every love story now includes at least three different apps.
— Writer Julia Zolotova
