INTERVIEW: Amy Gregory

Hi Amy! Thank you so much for being here today at Riverina Romantics. I can’t wait to learn more about you!

First, thank you so much for hosting me! Your support is greatly appreciated!

Can you tell my readers a little about yourself?

A little about me…well, like half of the world, I spend a fair amount of my time volleying between being a referee and unpaid taxi driver to kids. We have three and they keep us running in three different directions all the time. Our youngest is our racer which became the backdrop for my series.

Do you have any pets?

We do have two critters. A Woodle (Wheaton/Poodle) brat who thinks she’s two pounds instead of the forty she is. And a cat is seriously close to reaching the big 3-0, and totally bullies the dog. Kind of funny to watch except when the dog seeks refuge on your lap in the middle of the attack.

Where did you grow up?

I’ve lived in the Kansas City area my entire life. I moved around to various suburbs, but always remained in the area. We’ve traveled all over the States and have several places we would love to move to, but that is for the future.

Do you have a degree? Is so, in what?

No, I didn’t actually go to college. Immediately going into business for ourselves, my husband and I are among the lucky few that can say we made it without going to college. Our business is still going strong many, many years later, but…we will heavily push our kids to get a degree.

Any hobbies, interests or special talents you'd like to enlighten us about?

I say as far as hobbies or interests go, I have two extremes. I love to read, only with a happy ending though. However, I am addicted to motocross. What started out as a fascination of our son’s, it then morphed into going to professional races and now we spend our weekends trackside with our own racer. So sitting in silence with a book or in noise filled pits, give me either and I’m a happy girl.

How long have you been an author, and what is your genre of choice?

I actually just found my passion for writing. I am a sucker for a good love story and will only ever write romance. Contemporary, and with a heavy dose of sass for sure. My debut released this past June after only about a year’s worth of writing and querying behind it, so I’m very fortunate.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

What started out as a reoccurring dream lit a fire. I started writing it out, long-hand, and as the dream progressed, so did the story. It just flowed. I had the first rough draft of the story written, then typed out in about two weeks time.

How long did it take before you got your first big break?

I started sending queries to agents and publishers with, what I thought was, my polished baby. After filling a one inch binder full of rejections, I started a rewrite. Sapphire Star took me under their wing and helped with that process, ending my search for a publisher. All in all, although it was excruciating at the time, the time from my first query to signing was only about four or five months.

What was the first book you ever published?

My debut was just this past June. Racing to Love, Carter’s Treasure is the first in a four book series. Up next is Racing to Love, Jesse’s Soul, set to release January 3, 2013.

Are you a full time author or do you do it on the side?

I am so blessed to have a very supportive husband and family. Since we own our own company, I have been able to cut back on my hours significantly. I am able to spend the majority of my day focusing on writing. I just didn’t realize that it was way easier to write the books than it is doing promotional work!

Where do you do most of your creative work, and how do you get into your creative zone?

During the day when the kids are at school, I will hole up in my office, with complete silence, to write like mad. And do promo work, did I mention that? LOL. But, once they get home it is time to start the running. Our oldest trains about an hour away from our house three times a week. Those days I drop her off and head to the local Starbucks. It’s really pretty cool. I know most of them by now, and they know what I’m doing. It makes it kind of fun. Oh, and did I mention there is always coffee involved? That’s probably a given!

What type of research do you do for your books? Were you surprised or shocked by anything you learned?

This first series has a motocross theme. For years now, we’ve been huge fans of the sport. Especially since our son races. There have been things that I’ve had to investigate just a little bit. Usually like a character’s hobby or something to that effect. Or I like to set my characters’ homes in fictional towns. So I’ll pick the state and come up with a town name that isn’t already used in that state. That takes a little time, plus I’ll check into their weather and seasons, that type of thing.

Is there anything you would like the readers to take away from your writing?

If there is one thing I’d like people to take from my books it would be that ‘ah, how sweet’ feeling. I love to read, but my time is very valuable. I can’t waste a single moment. I read to escape the madness of everyday life, I want to be entertained, laugh, smile, and feel good. And I have to have a happy ending. I don’t want to read a book that has my pulse going ninety-to-nothing, or one that has me in tears and mad at the hero because he’s hurt the heroine. I am a total smart-mouth, self-admitted! I write sass, I write the snarky dialogue and I write happy endings only. I want my readers to close the book and have that ‘feel good all over’ feeling. I want to give them the same thing I look for in books I read, enjoyment, laughter, and an escape from everyday stress for just a little while.

So, what’s next for you? Are there any projects that you’re currently working on?

I have a couple of irons in the fire, of course. I am writing the fourth book in the Racing to Love series, Alex’s Destiny. Plus I have started my next series, which I’ve come up with several stories that want to be told, so I’m sure that will keep me busy for quite some time. Last but not least, I’ve got a stand-alone that is something I try to work on a few times a week.

Thanks so much for stopping to chat with me Amy! It was fun getting to know you!

About Amy Gregory

Amy Gregory leads an incredibly active lifestyle in Kansas with her husband and their three fantastic kids who keep them running in three very different directions. When she’s not rushing her oldest daughter to tumbling, her youngest daughter to culinary lessons, or sitting track-side watching her son race motocross, she’s taking the few minutes in between to scribble the next pages in her Racing to Love series.

When asked, “When do you have time to write?” Amy Gregory giggles. “In bits and pieces,” she says.

Amy is known for her snarky, off the cuff sense of humor, which you’ll find shining through in the characters she’s created. Her debut novel, Racing to Love, Carter’s Treasure, released June 7, 2012.

I’ve spent my whole life trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, and now I’ve finally found it. – Amy Gregory