Describe your latest book.
My second poetry collection,
the witch doesn’t burn in this one, is the sequel to the Goodreads Choice Award-winning
the princess saves herself in this one,
as well as the second book in my “women are some kind of magic” poetry series, and it is about the struggle of women under the patriarchy, including issues such as misogyny, violence, and the current state of politics.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Harry Potter. (Shocker!) I dedicated my first poetry collection to him because I never would have been able to write a book without the love of words that magical series planted in me at such a young age. Until this day, I have not found a book series that holds such a large place in my heart. Some have come close — such as
The Hunger Games series — but so far it remains unmatched.
What does your writing workspace look like?
I have a messy writing desk set up in the living room of my apartment, complete with my collection of
the princess saves herself in this one and
the witch doesn’t burn in this one. However, it rarely, if ever, gets used. To be honest, I much prefer to write at the kitchen table, where there’s little to nothing to distract me from the task at hand.
Introduce one other author you think people should read, and suggest a good book with which to start.
Courtney Summers. She knows how to craft an amazing, unlikable female protagonist, and I think I relate more to her characters than any others. I suggest starting with
All the Rage, a book about a girl trying to navigate the world after her sexual assault, and then moving onto
This Is Not a Test, a story about a girl fighting depression and the zombie apocalypse.
Besides your personal library, do you have any beloved collections?
I have always loved to collect crystals and tarot cards, but my latest obsession is essential oils!
What's the strangest job you've ever had?
I’m not sure how strange one would consider it, but I was actually a pizza maker for a number of months. It could definitely be stressful at times. Overall, though, the repetitive act of making pizzas and other goodies could be relaxing on the right day! Plus, free pizza is always a good incentive for hard work.
What scares you the most as a writer?
Getting burnt out. Particularly in modern poetry, which is very new and hot, authors are rolling their books out fairly quickly in comparison to other areas of publishing. This sometimes worries me because I need space to gather bits of inspiration, and I also need to spend quality time with my work. The majority of my poems may read short, but more goes into them than most people might realize! I’ve scrapped my current work-in-progress,
the mermaid’s voice returns in this one, three times already because it didn’t feel “right.” But, at the end of the day, I try to remember the old motto: “quality over quantity.”
Offer a favorite sentence or passage from another writer.
“I change the world; the world changes me.”
This quote comes from Libba Bray’s YA debut,
A Great and Terrible Beauty. Much akin to Harry Potter, it’s a story about a young girl attending an all-girl boarding school in England, where she discovers she possesses great power and must learn how to use it. The major difference between the two series is that the latter takes place during the Victorian era.
I have this quote tattooed on my right arm as a reminder that kindness begets kindness, but cruelty begets cruelty, and I should always be the best possible version of myself.
Do you have any phobias?
I am very afraid of fire and snakes.
Name a guilty pleasure you partake in regularly.
I wouldn’t call it a guilty pleasure, because I try not to be ashamed of anything I like, but I’m definitely a big YouTube watcher! Aside from HGTV, I pretty much don’t watch regular TV anymore because I find the authenticity of the real, everyday people to be far more interesting. Some of my favorites are LoeyLane, Kendall Rae, Safiya Nygaard, LearningToBeFearless, and Hailey Reese.
What's the best advice you’ve ever received?
As poet
Trista Mateer once told me, “Trust your reader.” In other words, know which details are necessary to leave in and which ones are necessary to leave out altogether. Your readers certainly don’t need to be talked down to, and some things are just better left to interpretation — that’s the art of poetry and of literature in general!
Top Five Fantasy Novels With Badass Leading Ladies:
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
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Growing up a word-devourer and avid fairy tale lover, it was only natural that
Amanda Lovelace began writing books of her own, and so she did. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found waiting for pumpkin spice coffee to come back into season and binge-watching
Gilmore Girls. (Before you ask: Team Jess all the way.) The lifelong poetess and storyteller currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, their bunnycat, and a combined book collection so large it will soon need its own home. She has her BA in English literature with a minor in sociology. Her first collection,
The Princess Saves Herself in This One, won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Poetry of 2016 and is a
USA TODAY and
Publishers Weekly bestseller.
The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One is her most recent book.