Amy Lea
Amy Lea is a Canadian bureaucrat by day and contemporary romance author by night (and weekends). She writes laugh out loud romantic comedies featuring strong heroines, witty banter, mid-2000s pop culture references, and happily ever afters.
When Amy is not writing, she can be found fan-girling over other romance books on Instagram, eating potato chips with reckless abandon, and snuggling with her husband and goldendoodle.
Twitter: @AmyLeaBooks
Instagram: @amyleabooks
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
As a romantic comedy writer, I watch all films with romantic elements with a keen eye. All of the romcoms from the 80s until the mid 2000’s have served as excellent inspiration to me trope-wise. However, it wasn’t until recent years that I finally saw myself reflected in the characters on screen. In a sense, I suppose not seeing people who looked like me as main characters in romance movies fueled my drive to write them into books.
I would also say, certain actors/actresses often influence my writing. I often derive inspiration for characters from actors and study them on screen and in interviews for body language, turns of phrase, sentence structure, etc. It’s an easy way to bring a character to life.
Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?
Unfortunately, I cannot listen to music while I write. I’m one of those weirdos who requires near silence so as not to lose my train of thought. Often times, music muddles with my flow.
That being said, I am a huge music fan. While I love mostly all genres, the most influential to me for writing romance is country music. Country does exactly what books do – it tells a clear story, mostly in a narrative, very literal format. Common themes in country often revolve around relationships, yearning, heartbreak, and second chances. The lyrics express emotion simply, yet in a heartfelt manner which is wonderful inspiration for a romance writer.
Last, can Taylor Swift be considered a genre to herself? Because her music has always been a massive inspiration for my writing as well. In fact, my second book is based on two of her songs ;)
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
My go-to food is savory. I love potato chips and practically every type of dip imaginable. I am not gifted in the kitchen – but dips are often fairly easy to make! Because food and cooking doesn’t play a large role in my life, I don’t find it inspires my writing.
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
As an author, I know how much labor and love goes into writing an entire book. That’s why I try to give each book a solid chance. Usually, I’ll try reading up until about 15-20% before giving up. However, it really depends on why I’m not enjoying it. If it’s the writing style, often times I’ll bail earlier because it’s not something I can typically get past. I’m very much a style-based reader as opposed to plot-base reader.
However, sometimes I’m simply not in the mood to read that genre, or any book in general, in which case I’ll often set it down and come back to it.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
Growing up in a small town, I’m much more interested in rural destinations. And by rural, I mean it must have electricity LOL. Don’t get me wrong, I love cities too. But I’d prefer being out on the water or hiking to experience natural landscapes rather than touring museums and man-made landmarks.
