Today I’m delighted to feature author Amy True, who writes small town, feel good romances. Her latest in the Ivy Falls series is due to be published this month.
After stints working in entertainment and advertising, Amy True turned to chasing her one dream: writing romance. She can often be found in her local writing spot sipping her favorite iced tea (with a touch of lemonade) and putting together playlists for her next books. When she’s not daydreaming about her next cinnamon roll hero, Amy is traveling with her family, reading good books, and plotting her next small-town romance. While she grew up only ten minutes from Disneyland, which inspired her love for storytelling, she now calls Arizona home.
Over to Amy :
Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?
Wow! What a fantastic question. I make playlists for all my books so you think this would
be easy, but it’s not! Maybe the best thing to do is think generational.
Save a Prayer by Duran Duran. My first experience with recognizing storytelling in a song.
Never Let Me Down by Depeche Mode. The big song between my transition from high school to college. Such a massive age for exploration, and it was when I got my first inkling that I wanted to be a writer.
It’s About Time by Young The Giant. A song that was on repeat when I wrote my debut, “Nothing but Sky”.
Gold Rush by Taylor Swift. There are a few lines in this song that inspired an entire book. Every time I hear those lyrics, I see a specific scene spooling out in my head.
Messy by Lola Young. This is a recent one. It is such a spot on example of what it’s like to be a woman these days and be under constant scrutiny. I write a lot of ambitious and outspoken female characters and I think they would relate to this song.
What five things (apart from family and friends) would you find it hard to live without.
Coffee – It’s my writing companion and beverage of choice as I try to get in some words first thing in the morning before I head off to work.
A Good, Long Walk – Some people can figure out plot problems in the shower or in the car. I solve writing issues with a walk. There is something about the regular rhythm of a walk, and the fresh air, that frees my brain and lets me untangle the issues in the book I’m writing.
A Well-Written TV show – In the past few years when I’ve found that I can’t get inspired to sit down and write, I’ve immersed myself in a long series. It might be the fact that I am getting my mind off my manuscript, but I do find myself inspired by great screenwriting and direction. Some recent favorites: Shrinking, A Discovery of Witches, Miss Scarlet.
My Local Writing Community – For the past seven years, I’ve met on a regular basis with writers in my hometown. Many of us started writing our first books together, went through the query trenches side-by-side, and now we attend each other’s book events. Whether I’m celebrating a win or bemoaning a book that is not doing well on submission, my writer friends have been my greatest support and I adore every single one of them!
Pasta – I’m a foodie and could eat good pasta every day. I often cook at home and I’m always trying new recipes. My current favorite is a cream-based concoction with ham and mushrooms!
Give five pieces of advice to your younger self?
No matter how confident people act, everyone is insecure. Try not to worry about every little thing you say and do because people are more concerned, usually, about their own actions than yours.
The first job you get out of college will not be your only job. You will learn and grow in every profession. When you’re ready, you will know it’s time to move on to the next adventure.
Aging is a gift. I’ve watched people lose loved ones too early, so be grateful for every age spot and wrinkle. It means you’ve been given the gift of time.
Be in every picture. As you grow older, you find yourself moving out of the frame. Hand the camera off to someone else and be present. When you look back, you will be glad that you captured all those memories with you in it!
Keep writing. You will get hundreds of rejections. People will tell you the stats about how hard it is to get an agent and be published. Do not listen. If one book doesn’t take, write another. As the saying goes…The published writer is the writer who didn’t give up!
Tell us five things that most people don’t know about you
I’m the youngest of five kids. Our age ranges are all over the map (my oldest brother was 13 when I was born). I’m happy to say that no matter the time, or miles, that separate us, we are still close.
My first job after college was as an NBC Page in Burbank, California. It was an amazing job and I had quite a few celebrity encounters!
I was a competitive gymnast as a kid and have had quite a few concussions and broken bones to prove it!
During college I worked in a flower shop for extra money. Now I am very picky about what flowers I buy because I know which ones will last a day and which will last a week!
I attended the first night of the Eras tour in Glendale, Arizona. No one knew at that point we were getting a three-hour show. No one knew there would be “surprise” songs. No one knew about the mysterious “stage dive”. In that stadium with my 70,000 plus “Swiftie” friends, we all got to experience the show without having a clue as to what was coming next. It was pure magic!
Tell us five things you’d still like to do or achieve.
I’d love to teach a publishing course for beginning writers. In it, I’d share what I’ve learned about the business over the last fifteen years so they would not make the same mistakes I did.
Travel abroad for a writing retreat. I have a friend who just started one in Italy and I am itching to go!
I am currently writing a book (with a speculative element) that is way outside my comfort zone. My goal is to finish it and hopefully have it on shelves one day.
Have one of my books optioned for TV or Film. This is always a mega dream for writers. My one small caveat would be that I could assist with the screenwriting and adaptation. It’d cut me to the core if my work was wildly different on film than it was on the page.
Being a bookstore’s featured book pick for the month. Would love to see a big stack of my books on a display table in the center of the store. A special edition with sprayed edges would be lovely too!
Many thanks for joining me today Amy, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks for bringing us some great music choices and reminding us that aging is a gift. In a youth and beauty obsessed world, we really need to appreciate what we have, be grateful we’re still here and worry less about a few lines and wrinkles. I like the idea of being in every picture, there are periods of my life where myself and/or my OH are missing from photographs which is a shame. Pasta, ham, mushrooms and cream is a recipe I can get behind, I love creamy sauces. I’m adding it to my cooking rota for a welcome change! It’s good to hear you’re close with your siblings. I now have a much closer relationship with mine than I had and we now plan concerts and trips together which feels good, even if it took a long time for it to happen. It’s never too late. The first night of the Eras tour sounds fantastic, I admire Taylor Swift, she’s a great role model. I hope you get to cross off some if not all the items on your goals list, that writing retreat in Italy certainly sounds appealing.
Amy’s Books
(NB This post features Amazon and Blackwell’s affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)
Meet Me in Ivy Falls #1
Welcome to Ivy Falls
In the gorgeous small town of Ivy Falls, Torran is putting all her passion into building her new career in house restoration, trying desperately to help the town keep its identity and charm. She has no time for love but when her childhood sweetheart, Beck, comes back to town and outbids her on her dream house at auction, sparks fly. This man broke her heart. Can she ever trust him again?
For Beck, Ivy Falls means trauma and loss. He knows his sudden departure hurt Torran badly but there are things she doesn’t know. He never intended to return to Ivy Falls so why is he there, bidding on his childhood home? His feelings for Torran are as strong as ever but Torran means Ivy Falls and Beck can’t go back there. Can he find a way to heal his past and find his future?
Finding Love in Ivy Falls #2
What if choosing love means breaking a family?
Tessa is struggling to run her mother’s beloved book shop and the business is failing. At least she has her dear friend (and accidental heart throb) Manny, to support her. As single parents, they understand each other and their friendship is too important for Tessa to give in to the chemistry between them.
With the sudden success of his home renovation show, Manny is appalled to discover just how much the internet knows about him. While he navigates his new and strange life, his feelings only grow for Tessa as he helps her refurbish the bookshop.
But when Tessa’s ex-husband returns to Ivy Falls, she must make a decision: should she follow her heart, or does she owe it to her girls to fix their family?
Welcome Home to Ivy Falls #3 (due this month)
Doesn’t everyone deserve their happy-ever-after?
Piper Townsend is working hard to build her new life in Ivy Falls but fears she will never escape her past reputation.
When Dr Crawford ‘Ford’ Foster breezes into town they recognise each other from a dark time in Piper’s life and she resolves to avoid him.
But Ivy Falls is a small town, and with Ford covering for the local doctor for the whole summer, their paths keep crossing. Despite herself, PIper feels a chemistry she has never known before. Perhaps she could take a chance, just for the summer?
But can Ford find his way into Piper’s heart and is she ready to trust in love?
