AMY DAWS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

WITH

AMY DAWS

Please welcome the talented Amy Daws

Hi Amy,Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m bossy. I’m controlling. I like cheese. I wish I didn’t need to sleep…like, ever. I like to wear heels but they kill my feet. I do this weird throat scratching sound that everyone in my family despises. I love to make up travel itineraries anytime we go on a trip. I’m sensitive and needy at times and I have the coolest almost 3-year-old daughter. Seriously, she’s the coolest…like ever. She sings Ellie Goulding songs and refuses to believe that zebras are different than horses!!!

How would you describe your books?

Self-deprecating…you can get a gist of that in my bio! J I am a goof in real life and I try to sprinkle that into my novels as much as possible. But I also do emotional really well. I’m not too shabby at making people ugly cry!

What genre is your work mainly? Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping ( if not already) to explore new ventures?

Well…my writing journey started in memoir. I had a story to tell. A pretty tragic story about my journey through multiple miscarriages. My husband and I went through a very dark time, but thankfully, it ended happily…as you can see in my bio. I’ve since ventured into contemporary romance! I love it and intend to make it my main vein. However, I have another memoir still to release and I have been invited into a top-secret collection that may or may not have to do with fairytales. That’s all I can say.

Share with us a quote from one of your favorite characters?

Well, right now I’m working on London Bound…which is Leslie Lincoln’s tale. Her hilarious story started in A Broken Us when she had a crazy first encounter with a sexy British gentleman on the dance floor:

“I came on a stranger’s leg like a horny dog that can’t help but hump. I’m a freaking humping pervert of epic proportions and I’ve shamed myself into celibacy.”

My poor Leslie, she has a hard time in life, but she’s always good for a laugh!

Is it hard to come up with new idea's or plot's?

Not so far! So far I have tons of story ideas, just need the time to sit down and write them! It is hard to say the same thing in different ways though. For example, a sex scene, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make them all sound different from each other.

How long does it take you to complete a finished book?

Well, I wrote A Broken Us in 2 weeks…that’s my claim to fame! It was insanity, I don’t even know how I did it because I’ve written two more books since then and they all take 

me 4-6 weeks.

Who is the easiest character to write for and why? Hardest and why?

Finley in A Broken Us was easiest because the subject matter is so near and dear to my heart. It has to do with infertility and unfortunately, I am VERY familiar with that heartache because of what my husband and I suffered through for so many years.

The hardest character I’ve written has probably been Theo. Theo is Leslie’s love interest in London Bound that’s releasing May 14th. Theo has a very tragic past that is utterly heart breaking and tapping into that can be very emotional for me.

Are your characters based on real people? People you may know on Tv or Movie stars?

Yes…at least the heroines are…so far. I steal a bit for the start of my characters from friends or myself and then they eventually morph into their own beings where you can no longer tell that I’ve used someone for inspiration.

Without giving anything away ,what is or are your favorite scenes in your book?

In A Broken Us, there’s a very very emotional scene that Finley has with her sister Cadence at the hospital. I bawled and bawled and bawled writing that. I’ll never forget it and I can picture it all perfectly in my head.

What's up next for you?

London Bound releases May 14th, that is book 3 in my London Lovers Series. It will have a 4th book, but I hope to finish my second memoir, Chasing Peace before jumping back into my London Lovers.

Do you have any hobbies?

Reading! Duh! Really, now that I write, reading and trying to keep up with my favorite TV shows is pretty much all I have time for!

Is there anyone besides you in your family who writes?

No…I’m the only one and I think my whole family thinks I’m crazy!

When did you start? What was your first published piece?

I started writing out my memoir just so I wouldn’t forget, I wanted a keepsake of all the tragedies we’d been through, only because I was scared I’d forget them. I found myself writing it more as an epic novel instead of a journal, so that’s when I thought I might have something worth publishing. Chasing Hope, my memoir, was my first published piece.

Do you have any favorite books or authors?

LOADS!

I’m a very public, very adamant Samantha Young fan. I read all of her books the exact second they come out and I recommend her to everyone I know.

I love loads of British Chick Lit authors like Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Elizabeth Young (really love her). I love American authors too…Colleen Hoover and Kimberly Lauren are great.

Out of all the books and stories you've written which is your favorite?

Chasing Hope. Those are my babies in there! I validated their lives by sharing that story with the world. I’ll be proud of that forever.

Do you have a favorite character?

Yes. Leslie is my favorite. The fan favorite is her fabulous gay best friend, Frank. But I love my Lezbo…she just shines.

What is your favorite genre to write ?

Contemporary romance with a little steam!

What are your favorite movies?

“I Love You Man”  “Pitch Perfect”  “Pride and Prejudice”  “The Painted Veil” I have eclectic taste! LOL!

How long have you been writing?

I published my first book in May of 2014, I started writing that book in November of 2013.

Who or what has been your biggest literary influence?

Getting a bit sentimental, it’s really my angel babies. I have six precious babies in heaven who’s stories I needed to tell. They gave me the inspiration to start writing and will forever be thanked at the end of all of my books.

How Difficult is it for you to come up with one of your brilliant plots?

I never sit down and try to think up a plot. That doesn’t work for me. It just has to come to me and then I have to hurry and write it down or I’ll totally forget it.

How about characters? Are they easily born and developed?

So far, yes! They’ve all been quite clear to me, we’ll see how it goes as I write more books.

How long does it take you to take for you to complete a novel from concept to completion?

About 3-4 months.

Have you had any funny experiences  at signing  events?

I always get seated next to the water coolers! I don’t know what it is, but so far, every signing, I’m plopped right next to the water. There’s tons of awkward moments where I greet a reader and they look at me all uncomfortable and say, “Oh, I was just coming over for some water…but okay. I’ll look at your books.” SMH.

What was your favorite book growing  up  as a child?

I wasn’t much of a reader as a child. I read what I had to for school and stuff, but I didn’t really start enjoying reading until my mid 20s!

Have you ever trashed a novel or story before or after finishing it, feeling it wasn't turning out as you planned?

Not yet, but I had moments where I wanted to with Becoming Us. That one didn’t come as naturally as A Broken Us and that frustrated me.

Any funny experiences or quirks you'd like to share with your readers?

When I’m in the middle of a really good writing session and I’m feeling sleepy, I’ll go to the gas station near my house in my PJ's and slippers and purchase a 44oz fountain Diet Coke. The gas station workers think I’m mental!

Which one of your books would you like to see made into a movie?

A Broken Us because it’s got such a great travel element to it. But London Bound is coming in swinging now too!

What is your favorite band 

or artist?

Right now…Ellie Goulding on repeat!!!

What was  it like to publish your first book?

Holding that paperback in my hands for the first time was epic. Seeing it in real book pages. It was surreal.

What advice would you give to others who want to make writing their career?

Just do it! Stop talking about doing it and just do it. The writing community is very welcoming and helpful. Get busy, get hustling, get WRITING! I love chatting with aspiring writers, but honestly, you’re never going to do it until you just DO IT!

Do you ever get ideas at random moments, and if so how do you hang on to them?

All. The. Time. I’ve found as a writer now, everything I look at is potential material. Every conversation I have, anything interesting…in my head I’m thinking, “I can work with that.” So I take notes in a notebook that I keep in my purse, or my phone, whichever is handy.

How do you overcome writers block and do you have a special place you like to write?

I don’t really believe much in writers block. I believe in “lack of drive to write.” I’ve had that, where I’m just not feeling like writing today. But honestly, if I just hunker down and stop being a baby, I’ll get writing and flowing again.

Can you write on demand and under pressure, or do you need time and space before the creativity starts to flow?

I feel like I’m always under pressure to get the next book out. The hype for a series only stretches so far. There’s so much competition out there that you have to keep releasing and keep cranking them out to stay on reader’s minds!

Who or what was the inspiration behind your books?

My angel babies. I have six precious babies in heaven who’s story needed to be told and that is what sparked this crazy journey that I now find myself on. If I wouldn’t have had their story to tell, I would have never known I was capable of writing a book! Their lives were so short, but their inspiration in my day-to-day life is infinite. I love them and miss them always.