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Amy Impellizzeri will be awarding a signed copy of the book (US Only) and a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Author Interview
1. Woohoo! You are a published author. Describe a strong character trait you possess, good or bad, and how it helped you become a published author.
In a word – persistence.
I worked on Lemongrass Hope on and off for over three years, and I never gave up hope that it would one day be a published novel. I worked hard, listened to peer feedback, worked relentlessly on editing and revising, and ultimately I believe it was persistence that brought this book full circle.
2. Sometimes an author begins writing a story before they are aware of its genre. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you?
Frankly, I wasn’t sure how to categorize the genre of this novel.
At my publisher’s suggestion, we marketed initially as Romance, and Time Travel, but ultimately, as I discovered the emergence of “Women’s Fiction,” – a non-formulaic genre focusing on the development and journey of a strong female protagonist – I had an epiphany that, in fact – Women’s Fiction is MY genre.
3. The plot thickens, or does it? Which one are you, a pantser or a plotter?
I’m a pantser. Sort of.
I have to at least know the ending when I start. I have to know where I’m going. For both Lemongrass Hope and my current manuscript, Secrets of Worry Dolls, I worked backwards. I wonder if there’s a word for THAT?
- Fear 101: As writers it is our duty to make our characters face their fears. Have you ever included one of your own fears in a storyline?
Well, Lemongrass Hope is the exploration of that (I believe) universal question “What If?” And I have definitely faced that question – I would indeed call it a fear.
What If I haven’t made the right choices?
What if I made the wrong decision pursuing the path of a corporate litigator instead of as a writer?
What if I made a mistake giving up the practice of law to write full-time?
What if?
What if?
Those thoughts definitely fueled the premise of this book.
- Fear 102: Yes, deadlines are terrifying. Have you conquered the juggling act between writing and the rest of your life? What do you do when it feels like the balls are dropping all around you?
Here are the things I am willing to drop the ball on and do, particularly when I’m facing a deadline: catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, sleep, and the gym.
Here are the things I won’t drop the ball on and don’t: the kids soccer/hockey games, Friday night movie night with the kids, Date Night, and unplugged vacations.
The trick is knowing what things will be there when you finish your deadline and what things won’t.
- Switch positions with one of your main characters in a scene. What is the outcome, disaster or divine intervention?
If I personally switched positions with Kate, not one thing would change in the ending of Lemongrass Hope. Of course, there are lots of opinions about how things actually end in Lemongrass Hope.
Wink.
7. Where is your favorite place to write? Add that one comfort food that you can’t do without.
I write all over the place. At my kitchen table. In my car. At the coffee shop. In a beach chair by my pool with the dog at my feet. Rarely, however, do I write in my beautiful-new-painted-set-aside-for-just-that-purpose writing office. Go figure.
Comfort food: mac and cheese. If I’m headfirst in a big bowl of mac and cheese, you can bet I’m well into a new scene as well.
8. Writing inspirations?
Real life and other writers. I love to read. All genres. And I think reading voraciously is a great way to improve your writing.
- You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them?Margaret Mitchell. And I’d ask – “Please. Tell me. Don’t you think Scarlett wins Rhett back in the end?” And then I’d quickly say “Wait, no. Don’t tell me. I just want to go on believing she does.”
10. I’ve gone mad – why don’t you come with me? Some people just don’t understand us writers. Name a quirky, writer-thing you do that friends wish you didn’t.
Ha! I never thought about the fact that my friends probably wish I wasn’t so quirky. When I disappear for days or weeks because I am “in the zone” and can’t emerge from my manuscript. Or when I eavesdrop on conversations when I’m having coffee with a friend because the dialogue at the next table is so fabulous. Those are two easy ones that come to mind. I’m sure my friends (and my family!) would have lots more for you!
Lemongrass Hope
by Amy Impellizzeri
Blurb:
Set in the past, and present, LEMONGRASS HOPE is a captivating and unpredictable love story, with a dose of magical realism and time travel. LEMONGRASS HOPE weaves together ordinary lives and events to tell an extraordinary tale of connection, loss, renewal, and of course, hope. As Kate Sutton’s decade-long marriage to Rob erodes and unravels, Kate fears that the secrets she guards from the world, including Rob’s emergency room proposal, and a whirlwind love affair from her past, have always doomed her fate. When Kate unwittingly receives a glimpse at what her life could have been had she made different choices all those years ago, it is indeed all she could have ever wanted. A confirmation of her greatest hope … and her greatest fears. Read the book hailed by New York Times Best-selling authors and reviewers, including Jacquelyn Mitchard, Oprah’s very first book club selection author.
Excerpt:
Benton came and sat down next to Kate. Right next to her. Almost on top of her. Benton was tall and thin, and had long hair the color of Autumn. The right mix of red and brown with flecks of gold. She had friendly eyes and a bright white smile and was dressed all in navy like a banker, even though she looked like no banker Kate had ever met.
“See, I knew it.” Benton had said confidently, waving her long, manicured fingers over the textbooks and handwritten notes scattered across the park table, nearly knocking over Kate’s cup of coffee without apology.
“I told my friend last night that you were not a starving actress. That you were an academic. An intellectual. He said that you were too pretty to be an intellectual – that you were for sure, a ‘wannabe actress.’ His words, not mine, – so gauche no?”
Kate laughed in spite of herself. In spite also of having no clue what this gorgeous but obviously deranged creature was talking about.
Author Bio and Links:
Amy Impellizzeri is a reformed corporate litigator, former start-up executive, and best-selling author. In 2009, she left her 13-year litigation career to write and advocate for working women, later joining the executive team of the award-winning website, Hybrid Her (named by ForbesWoman as a “Top Website for Women” in 2010 and 2011). Through her work at Hybrid Her, and as Vice President, Community & Content, for its later re-brand, ShopFunder, Amy worked closely with hundreds of creative and inspiring entrepreneurs and fundraisers, writing and marketing their stories to new audiences.
In October 2014, Amy transitioned to full-time writer, with the publication of her first novel, Lemongrass Hope (Wyatt-MacKenzie 2014), which debuted as an Amazon best-seller (Romance/Fantasy and Romance/Time Travel). Oprah’s very first Book Club Selection author and New York Times #1 Best-Selling Author, Jacquelyn Mitchard, has called Lemongrass Hope a “fine and fresh thing – a truly new story.” Lemongrass Hope was featured by Library Journal and Foreword Reviews Magazine, and has been a favorite with Book Clubs and numerous Book Bloggers (including as the #1 favorite reviewed selection in 2014 by The Literary Connoisseur). Lemongrass Hope was recently selected as an INDIEFAB 2014 Book of the Year Finalist (Romance) by Foreword Reviews Magazine.
Amy’s first non-fiction book, Lawyer Interrupted (ABA Publishing 2015), is due out Summer 2015. Her essays and articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, ABA Law Practice Today, The Glass Hammer, Divine Caroline, Skirt! Magazine, among more.
Please connect with her by visiting her website: www.amyimpellizzeri.com …
or via Facebook, (https://www.facebook.com/ImpellizzeriAmy) …
or Twitter. (https://twitter.com/AmyImpellizzeri).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYRN4acESxg
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lemongrass-hope-amy-impellizzeri/1120233593?ean=9781939288530
Thank you for hosting
Thanks for having me today!
Amy, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Congratulations on this exciting release!
🙂
Great post, thank you.
Thank you, Rita!
I enjoyed the posts, sounds like a really good book, thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Eva!
Interesting question and hard to answer! Lemongrass Hope (and my current work-in-progress, Secrets of Worry Dolls) are both written in first person, and NOT linearly. Perhaps that’s my writing style. I’ve also written a non-fiction book, called Lawyer Interrupted, which is an honest and practical look at successfully transitioning from the practice of law. Perhaps that’s my writing style. All of my books (and essays) are written from a starting place that is real, honest, and I hope – relatable. So maybe THAT’s my writing style 🙂
Love the cover! Sounds like a great book~thank you for sharing!
Great interview, thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for the post and the giveaway!