Amy Lea is a Canadian bureaucrat by day and romance and YA 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 (@amyleabooks).
In her latest novel, The Catch, characters from Amy’s previous novels intertwine, reflecting the author's love for interconnected series. Amy chatted to us about exploring friendship dynamics and small-town life, drawing from personal experiences, and the impact of social media on her writing career.
Your characters are known to have ties between books, and many of the characters in The Catch have briefly appeared in your previous novels. Why this connection? And is it a technique you will continue to use in upcoming books?
I love series with interconnected characters, where each side character gets to be the main character in their own book. From the outset, I knew I wanted Crystal, Tara, and Mel to be best friends and constant sources of support for one another, even though Mel may have a different relationship with them as a non-family member. While I have standalones planned, I can’t say I won’t be tempted to include side characters in the future! I have a lot of fun with side characters and, more often than not, they wind up begging to be the star of the show.
Are there any scenes from The Catch that mirror your own experience?
Many! One of the biggest things is my experience growing up in a small town. It wasn’t as picturesque and charming as Cora’s Cove. But at the same time, there were so many amazing things about growing up in a small community. My best memories growing up are doing pointless things with amazing people, like driving around aimlessly through backroads, playing car hide and seek, having parties in the woods, just walking around town to see people, Friday night hockey games. It didn’t matter what exactly we were doing, we just wanted to be together and we found unique ways to have fun. It was also nice growing up being known by people in the community, having people smile and say hi to you, knowing your order at restaurants. There’s something so lovely about not being invisible and faceless like you are in a large city.
“From the beginning of my writing journey, the Bookstagram community was beyond supportive, without having read a word I wrote.”
You have strived to write characters that are more representative than they have been up until recently. How have you noticed this play out in your own readers?
I’ve been so delighted by readers around the world who have reached out to me thanking me for the representation in my books. It means the world that my characters resonate with them on many levels and that they feel seen by them.
Social media now plays an integral role in the book industry. How do you feel about your books trending on BookTok and Bookstagram? Did it change how readers respond to your work?
I think BookTok and Bookstagram are wonderful platforms to promote books. My experience as a Bookstagrammer prior to becoming an author absolutely changed the way readers responded when I debuted. From the beginning of my writing journey, the Bookstagram community was beyond supportive, without having read a word I wrote. From completing my word count goals, to querying literary agents and receiving representation, and ultimately signing with Berkley, the community was behind me every step of the way. I can honestly say I owe so much of my success to the community for their constant encouragement.
What do you read when writing a novel?
I try to read outside the romance genre (ie. thrillers) so that nothing I’m reading interferes with my process or influences my writing.
Where do you find your ideas or inspiration for your books?
Everywhere! Friends, music, film, other books.
What are three books you always recommend?
The Simple Wild by KA Tucker, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.
Do you keep a journal?
I used to when I was younger but unfortunately haven’t journaled in years. Though I have always wanted to get back into it!
What's next on your writing agenda?
I’m toying with a couple new rom-com ideas.
READ AN EXTRACT FROM ‘THE CATCH’ >>
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