About Amelia Allen:
I was born in Torrance, CA and moved to Fort Collins, CO about 8 years ago now. I have been writing pretty much my whole life, mainly romances and comedies because what’s better than love and humor? Nothing. Except maybe chocolate. But that goes without saying.
I love movies and music and TV shows…and food. Lots and lots of food. Except quinoa.
I have a kitten named Celia, and she is my perfect little purr-ball who is a little chunk from all the Kitten Chow but she is the prettiest little thing you will ever lay eyes on.
I have been published on Every Writer’s Resource and Stinkwaves Magazine, and so far my work is available on lulu.com and hopefully other sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble very soon.
What inspires you to write?
Mainly my mood. If I’m feeling sassy or confident or if I WANT to feel sassy or confident I make a character who are those things; then I put them in the setting I wouldn’t mind being in, like maybe 1940s Paris or New York or traveling the many countries of Europe. Then I think about who I might be doing all this with and he appears.
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m definitely an outliner. But before I start anything at all, I’m a brainstormer, and I think about the tiny theme I’m feeling for a very long time before any words are written down. During that long time of contemplating, what started as a mere suggestion is more developed: I think about who I want to be this time, who I want to be it with and where, and I ask myself what kind of personalities they have, what kind of traits; based on those ideas I actually browse Google images or Pinterest and pick my faces from there. Once I have more of a concrete vision, I move onto the outline. With small summaries of my characters under their names in bold at the top of the page, I start my bullets–tiny dashes with short sentences creating a scene. And a story is generated. And I can do very little else for the next few months.
What advice would you give other writers?
If I could give advice to other writers, I think it would be to write what you want. I see a lot of articles on “How to write a fiction novel that sells” or “How to get a good idea for a novel that people will actually want to read because what you’re writing is shit” (well, maybe in not so many words, but that’s basically what they’re saying) and I always just shake my head because a) if you don’t love it what’s the point, b) not everybody loves the same things, and c) maybe you will write something you are totally in love with and no one else in the world gives a hoot about it–who cares? At least you love it. That’s all that matters.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Frankly, I never landed an agent so I just self-published. And I’m okay with it. I can do just as well on my own. Besides, if someone bought it with an insanely obscene amount of money or something I probably wouldn’t have a lot of control over the covers and fonts and designs so I’m pretty glad I am the one making all those aesthetic decisions. But in any case, I just knew I needed my stories in print. If not for anyone else, for me. These words were made to be written and displayed proudly in my home they shall be. BUT they are amazing so I might as well let the public know they’re out there.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I…don’t. Well, I guess maybe in the future since everyone will have robots and flying cars and Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum, books will be on Kindles and Nooks and other eReaders, but it doesn’t really concern me since I’ll be dead. But, if before that time they find the cure for death and we can now live forever this would concern me but I would still probably have my hidden stash of hard copies. I mean if they were illegal or something.
What genres do you write?: Romantic comedies and romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Amelia Allen Home Page Link
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