Interview With Amy Lea!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Amy Lea, the author of Set On You, which releases in May!

Would you please describe your book, SET ON YOU, in seven words?

Steamy, feminist, empowering, body-acceptance, banter, funny

What was the inspiration for the book?

The inspiration for SET ON YOU started with me spending time in the gym people-watching (as one does). As an avid romance reader, I can find inspiration for love wherever I go. While profusely sweating in a spin class, it suddenly came to me that the gym would be the perfect place to meet someone, as well as the perfect setting for enemies-to-lovers shenanigans.

Crystal’s character came to me almost immediately. I’m drawn to strong, confident main characters in romance. As I fleshed her out, I realized she had a lot to say, and a lot of her journey was inspired by my own experiences. As an Asian girl who grew in an all-white community the 90s/early 2000s, I seldom saw myself represented in books or film, aside from flimsy side characters. When you don’t regularly see yourself represented in the media you consume, you begin to think you’re not worthy of being a main character in your own life.

Crystal’s story is drawn from my own journey to self-acceptance with body image. I wanted readers, particularly those who don’t conform to Western societal beauty standards, to know that while loving yourself is such an important goal, it’s OKAY to feel doubt sometimes. Crystal is seemingly the picture of strength and confidence. She’s a character who, despite being an idol in the body positivity fitness community, still has her moments of doubt. I hoped to write a book that would show readers it’s okay not to feel confident all the time – and that society still has a long way to go in normalizing marginalized bodies as being worthy of love.

And even more importantly, I wanted to write a book that would affirm to everyone that they deserve a happily ever after. That they deserve to be a main character in their own story.

Random Question! Do you listen to music while you write?

I don’t listen to anything while writing. I’m one of those weirdos who require complete silence, or else lyrics or sounds tend to get stuck in my head, interrupting my stream of consciousness. I do make playlists for each book though and listen to them in the car or while working out =)

If I were forced to listen to anything while writing, I would choose Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore albums!

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

If you’d like to be traditionally published, my advice is to read widely in your genre. If you want to write a certain genre of book, it’s important to understand the market and get a feel for genre conventions, writing styles, tropes, etc. Having a good handle on popular books from the past few years is helpful in ensuring your voice and story idea is fresh and marketable. That isn’t to say you can’t write a genre bending story you’re passionate about. But where your book sits on the shelf amongst others is important to keep in mind for the business side of the industry.

I would also say it’s important to find your community and nurture it early. Whether your community is other writers or readers, having a support system throughout the inevitable highs and lows of your journey to publication is so important. For me, I have found community both through fellow writers at my publisher, as well as on Bookstagram with the readers. I started out in the Bookstagram community as a fellow reader, reviewing and hyping up other books. Through this, I was able to form genuine friendships and connections with other avid romance readers as a fellow fan-girl, and not the other way around, as an author. Now that I’ve transitioned into being an author, my Bookstagram peers have rallied behind me at every step through my publishing journey (beta reading, announcing my deal, my cover reveal, etc.) and I am so grateful for them.

What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2022? And if you’ve already read some ‘22 books, would you like to mention them?

*Cracks knuckles* Where to begin?? (Feel free to cut down if need be ;)

Disclaimer: I am probably missing many books and I’m so sorry! For my own sanity, I am sticking to 2022 books in the first half of the year.

2022 contemporary romance books I’m looking forward to:

IF YOU ASK ME – Libby Hubscher

RAMON & JULIETA – Alana Quintana Albertson

SOMETHING WILDER – Christina Lauren

BOOK LOVERS – Emily Henry

SARI NOT SARI – Sonya Singh

LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS – Anita Kelly

I’M (SO) NOT OVER YOU – Kosoko Jackson

SAVY SHELDON FEELS GOOD AS HELL – Taj McCoy

NEVER BEEN KISSED – Timothy Janovsky

2022 contemporary romance books I’ve read and loved:

WEATHER GIRL – Rachel Lynn Solomon

MR. WRONG NUMBER – Lynn Painter

FOUR AUNTIES & A WEDDING – Jesse Q Sutanto (more of a mystery/drama but I loved it)

A PART OF YOUR WORLD – Abby Jimenez

EVERY SUMMER AFTER – Carley Fortune

REMINDERS OF HIM – Colleen Hoover

SADIE ON A PLATE – Amanda Elliot

THE ROUGHEST DRAFT – Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Author Bio: Amy Lea is an Asian-Canadian government analyst who runs the “Bookstagram” amyleabooks, where she promotes and reviews contemporary romance novels. Set on You is her debut novel. Learn more online at amyleabooks.com and Instagram.

Here Are A Few Links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram