Amy Lee interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Hey, I'm Amy! I'm a nature lover, a Disney freak, and a fur-mom to a Golden Retriever (Toby) and a cow kitty (Momo). I'm married to another author in the Feed My Reads community, Shane Lee, and together we own a publishing business. 

When did your love of books begin?

I vividly remember the Christmas that I asked for the first couple Harry Potter books. I was eight years old, 1999. You can always tell when a gift is a book, can't you? It just has that certain weight, a predictable size. Well, I definitely had one of those under the tree. I unwrapped the present from my dad...and there they were.....Books 2 and 3. My poor dad. I was embarrassed for him when I had to tell him that we would just have to go to the store and pick up Sorcerer's Stone. 

And then I started reading and reading and reading. I was totally hooked. It was Harry, Ron, and Hermione that really got me to love books. I still enjoy going back and visiting them in those pages.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

Around the same time I started loving Potter, I began to think I, too, could write a fantastical series. I tried writing when I was eight, got distracted, and stopped. I tried again at 13, only to find that I didn't know how to create characters that weren't just essentially my friends and I with different names. And who needed a storyline? 

Then, sometime in my mid-teens, I fantasized about being a famous author, going on book tours, seeing my book on a shelf at Barnes and Noble...and held onto that for a while. I didn't write again until college. I would get up to the first plot point and just...stop. I could never find it in me to continue.

Now, after having worked for the last decade, I've found that I'm just not fulfilled. That dream of writing and finishing a story, a series....it's still there, and right now it's in full force. So, I quit my 9-5 to pursue writing and publishing.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Getting started is always the hardest part. There will be days that are easy, where the words flow and the sales roll in and the back-end of your newsletter is functioning perfectly. Then there will be days when you stare at the screen and hate every word on it, the KDP report shows zeroes across the board, and what the heck this was working yesterday, why won't this button link to the correct webpage!?!!!

It's work. It won't be all sunshine and roses. But it's your work. It's fulfilling on so many levels.

Plus, I think being an author is a perfect combination of creativity and logic. When you become an author for the purposes of selling and making a living, you really do need to think of it as a business. So, not only do you have to have that creative flexibility to be able to string words together in sentences that form a unique cast of characters and story. You also have to understand marketing, financials, organization. Even crafting a story can be like a formula if you look at story structure and character arcs. Everything has to be set into place.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Do your research! It's very easy to want to just jump right in and write for hours and hours, pump out stories, and then sell, sell, sell. But having the correct groundwork will save you time and effort and stress in the long-run, so get all of your ducks in a row first.

On the creative side of things, looking at story structure, character arcs, theme, and all that fun stuff is important. Without a basic understanding of it, your story will lack depth and meaning. Grammar and spelling are great to know, but ultimately if you have someone to help you edit, it's not a big deal. Don't let spelling and grammar hold you back from writing. 

On the business side of things, you'll need to grow an audience of people who generally like you and what you do. This will probably start off as just your friends and family at first, which is fine. Get yourself a mailing list, some social media accounts (for you as an author, not just your regular profile), and even a website if you can afford that up front. Be authentic. Share things you think your readership would find interesting, like cool fantasy art or someone else's book that you recommend.

Be patient and stay consistent. You got this :)

Tell us about your book/books:

I'm currently working on my first series, a romantic fantasy! My main character for book 1 is Leah, who just found out she is to be married to someone she barely knows. Leah has to decide whether she trusts fate, or if she should take her life into her own hands and make her own choices. Spoiler alert: She totally runs away and gets captured (or saved, depending on who you ask) by the leader of a centaur tribe. From there, Leah has to learn to live in a totally different way with a new race of people. 

And that's just book 1! The rest of the series will follow 5 other human/centaur couples. Although each book will have a romantic aspect to it, it will be primarily fantasy, following the Tribe and its attempt to survive the outside forces that are forever encroaching upon their territory.

All of these books will first be debuted on Kindle Vella, and then released on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. You can start reading the first book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RHQDCTM/

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Okay, listen. I'm a nature lover, so I am part of some nature groups on Facebook. For the most part, these people are nice and we all share a common goal of conservation...but the entitlement can get crazy over there.

I'm also a Disney lover, and have spent extended periods of time in the adult Disney communities. Once again, these folks are mostly really nice, but for some reason there's like...competition as to who loves Disney more?

But the writing and reading communities? My goodness. I have never found a nicer bunch of people. Although we all come from different backgrounds, like different genres, and have different reading speeds or writing abilities....these communities make an effort to make everyone feel welcome. The support that comes from the writing community is insane, from sharing the excitement of a book launch to even purchasing and reviewing other indie's books. Ultimately, writers are readers, too, and we all find friends within our genres, of course. But I have yet to see someone shame another reader for the type of book they like, they level of heat the want to read or write, or the number of books they can read in a year.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Hey, girl, heeyyyy!!!! Have you ever seen that video online where it's like "this is what actually happens when you buy from small businesses," and it shows a retail store security camera and the two employees duck behind the counter and do a little dance after making a sale? That's exactly how I feel every time I'm supported by a reader. YOU are the reason I want to share my stories. Without you, I would have to read my stories to Toby and Momo, and they tend to fall asleep anytime I read to them.

Where can people connect with you?

I'm on Twitter @amyleebooks and I can be e-mailed at amyleebooks@gmail.com . I also have an e-mail Tribe that you can join to stay up to date with my stories over at https://www.subscribepage.com/amyleebooks .