We know. It’s been too long since our last author interview. But the book team at THP has been cooking up this one for a minute. Introducing Amy Lea, the author of Woke Up Like This, and most recently, Something Like Fate! Be sure to check out our in-depth book review for Something Like Fate!
We love it whenever we get talk with our new favorite authors as well as ones we’ve followed for years now. Amy Lea has been a staple to our romance bookshelf, and we can’t wait for you to read more about her. Here’s our exclusive Amy Lea interview!
Congratulations on the upcoming release of your new novel, Something Like Fate! What are some of your thoughts ahead of the release?
Thank you so much! Honestly, I’m buzzing with excitement—and maybe a little bit of anxiety-fueled caffeine, but mostly excitement. Something Like Fate has been living rent-free in my head for years now, ever since my travels in Italy in 2022. I’ve always adored writing Young Adult/Upper YA characters, and Lo is such a delightful departure from my usual type-A protagonists. Plus, writing a destination romance has been on my author bucket list forever, and what better place than Italy—where carbs are a love language and every corner looks like a movie set? I can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Italy the way Lo does—minus the jet lag.
Something Like Fate
How would you describe your writing journey for this book compared to your previous romances?
The journey to writing Something Like Fate was a different experience for me compared to previous books. I had the full concept and plot for the book in my mind for a couple years, but due to my book contracts, it was a while before I could officially start working on it. I also had a baby in between, so writing post-partum and sleep deprived proved another challenge.
Also, prior to this book, I’d written a lot of enemies-to-lovers tropes. This book is very much a friends-to-lovers, which was a brand-new challenge for me because it meant dialing down the snark and turning up the longing gazes and accidental hand touches. I’ve always adored the friends-to-lovers trope. It’s a joy to read and write because the characters already have an established bond and trust, with tons of history. The stakes are always so big because the friendship is of utmost importance. Adding romance into the mix could easily tamper with the friendship, which is worst case scenario. Also, hiding your feelings from your best friend (the person who knows you best) is always a task. One of the challenges of this trope is making the transition from friends to lovers realistic.
Lo And Teller
We love a good best friends-to-lovers romance, and Lo and Teller absolutely stole our hearts! What did you enjoy most about writing their romance?
Lo is all sunshine and boundless energy, and Teller is basically a human storm cloud who only has sunny skies for her. That dynamic is catnip for me! I love pairing opposites who somehow fit together perfectly—Lo brings Teller out of his broody shell, while Teller brings Lo down to earth.
What is one of your favorite moments between the two characters?
One of my favorite moments between them is when they get friendship tattoos! I also love when they first meet at the movie theatre because it highlights how polar opposite the two of them are. You don’t think the two of them would ever be friends, but there’s some obvious chemistry straight away.
A lot of Lo’s romantic journey in Something Like Fate goes into how much she believes fate and destiny should determine the person she loves for the rest of her life. What is your take on soulmates and fated love?
Despite tackling this theme in the book, I’m not sure I believe in one specific soulmate for a lifetime. I think the idea of having one perfect soulmate is as comforting as it is stressful. Personally, I believe we have multiple soulmates throughout our lives—friends, family, maybe even the barista who remembers your coffee order. But when it comes to love, the most romantic thing is choosing someone, flaws and all, every single day. It’s not fate tossing you together; it’s waking up and saying, “Yep, this human is mine, no matter what.”
All Things Romance
Romantic comedies are a staple to Lo, and we can appreciate all the movie references throughout the book. Can you name a few movies on your list of must-watch rom-coms?
Oh my gosh, I have so many favorites! These are a couple must-watch movies off the top of my head:
- Only You (Something Like Fate is inspired by this movie)
- About Time (somewhat of a romcom)
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days
- While You Were Sleeping
- The Proposal
What are your favorite tropes to read and write?
Contrary to the friends-to-lovers trope in SLF, my OG favorite trope both to read and to write is enemies-to-lovers. I’m a sucker for witty verbal sparring with an underlying layer of simmering tension, particularly when it’s rooted in comedy. I live for the scenes where characters viciously roast each other on spits, mostly because you learn a lot about a person when they’re heated. It allows the reader greater insight into who the character is, what drives them, their potential flaws, and what they may need to overcome by the end of the book.
What’s Next
Italy is definitely on our travel bucket list, and it’s only gotten a higher rank thanks to Something Like Fate. Where are some of your favorite places to travel, in Italy if you’ve been or just in general?
Italy is my absolute favorite place in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to travel there a couple times, most recently in 2022 for three weeks. It’s so hard to choose a favorite place in Italy because of how diverse the culture and landscape is in different parts of the country. I road tripped the windy, ancient roads from the Dolomites in Northern Italy, all the way to the South to the Amalfi Coast. I fell in love with the culture, the sights, the history, beautiful beaches, and the delicious food, of course. If I had to choose, my favorite would be the Amalfi Coast and Capri.
Finally, are you working on any new projects after Something Like Fate? If so, what can you tell us about them?
My next adult rom-com is called The Bodyguard Affair which is about Andi, who lives a double life: By day, she’s the super professional personal assistant to the Prime Minister’s wife, and by night, she writes steamy romance under a pen name. When her steamy romance about an assistant and Prime Minister goes viral, everyone thinks it’s based on a real affair. To make the rumors go away, Andi decides to fake date the PM’s bodyguard as a cover.
As loyal employees, they’ll pretend to date for the summer, just long enough to put the scandal to bed and save their boss’s reputation. In an unexpected plot twist, Andi and Nolan discover that keeping their romance strictly fictional might be easier said than done. When I’m not busy with my kids, I’m also juggling drafting two secret, unannounced romcoms! I can’t wait to talk about them in the near-future ☺
But when it comes to love, the most romantic thing is choosing someone, flaws and all, every single day. It’s not fate tossing you together; it’s waking up and saying, “Yep, this human is mine, no matter what.”
Amy Lea on Something Like Fate
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