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Welcome to the Tuesday Author Interview with Christina Boyd for the Who, What, Where, When, and Why.
Like so many new-to-me authors, I found Aimee Brown via Twitter about 2017-ish. She was about to self-publish her first, The Little Gray Dress. I loved, loved, loved the cover, and once it released, I bought it, adored it, reviewed it. It has since been republished as The Lucky Dress. And I have gone on to read and recommend anything Aimee writes. If you like contemporary romance with messy, swoon worthy characters, you need to check out Aimee's books.
CHRISTINA: What is your current project or latest release?
AIMEE: My current project (book 5 for my publisher Boldwood) has been inspired (very slightly) by my real life. I won’t go into details but if you have any idea about the summer I’ve had, you may be able to guess what a piece of a character might be about.
CHRISTINA: I know your husband was in a horrific motorcycle accident. I have been following your daughter's Go Fund Me, and I am hopeful for his recovery. How stressful.
Do you consider yourself a Pantser or Plotter or hybrid?
AIMEE: For my first draft, I’m a Pantser all the way. I go into a book knowing the main characters’ names, and tiny bits about them, and that’s it. After that, as I write, things start to come together and midway, I’ve usually figured out where things went awry and do some planning (I wouldn’t call it plotting) to get it up to snuff before sending it through to my editor. (Sometimes it takes a big plotting edit to clean it up with her advice as well.) My books change a LOT from first draft to published product.
CHRISTINA: That makes sense. I'm fascinated about that process. So...
What comes first, plot, or characters?
AIMEE: Characters, for me. Once I know who my characters are (and this includes writing scenes that never make the book) I figure out what their goals are and that in turn creates a plot somehow.
CHRISTINA: Oh, I love your hot mess, snarky, relatable characters. It almost seems like you just let them talk and you take notes of their dialog.
What do you think is your strength as a writer?
AIMEE: Banter and humor. I’m quick witted in real life so being able to think on a conversation before it happens is absolutely fun. I always figure if I’m laughing, my readers will laugh. I despise books that claim ‘LOL funny’ and then I never once laugh out loud. Making a reader laugh (along with falling in love) is absolutely my goal with writing.
CHRISTINA: I totally agree. Nothing like forced humor. Or reading something with the expectation of being amused, and it just falls flat. Not the case with your characters. I especially loved River Matthews in your recent Stuck With You. He was so easy to like.
Do you hide any secrets in your novels only a select few might know?
AIMEE: Yes, I do. All I’m going to say is me and one other author always write a line about ‘feeling it in my bones’ (or a variation of it) and we’re the only two who know. Who’s the other author you ask? I’ll never tell, so you better start reading. I also sometimes work small characters from previous books as small characters into current books–easter eggs you could say for my die-hard readers. Only those who have read all my books might find them.
CHRISTINA: I do enjoy that. It's like meeting an old friend on the street.
How long does it take you to write a book?
AIMEE: Once I get past chapter six, I start to speed along and most of my books take eight to twelve weeks to write. Midway through the book I actually start to see where I’m going and begin editing/revising from the beginning to set up the ending and then it makes it so much easier to write that second half quickly as well. I also don’t work outside the home (we run a business from home) so when I write, I write, like eight to ten hours a day (sometimes more) until it’s finished. It’s so much easier for me to write quickly because stories don’t stick with me long at times, so getting the words out quick so I can revise later is super important for me.
CHRISTINA: I have always been amazed by how fast you can write a first draft. I hope that the words for the next are flowing. Looking forward to reading your soon-to-be-released Can't Take My Eyes Off You. (I've already pre-ordered it.) Thank you for your time to answer my questions. I appreciate it. And I'm sending all the good vibes for you and your family.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aimee Brown is a writer of romantic comedies set in Portland, Oregon. She writes closed door romance (NO sex scenes, light kissing) with humor and crude language. She spends much of her time writing, raising three kids (who are all nearly grown now), binge-watching shows on Netflix and obsessively cleaning and redecorating her house. She's fluent in sarcasm and has been known to utter profanities like she's competing for a medal.
Aimee grew up in Oregon but is now a transplant living in cold Montana with her husband of twenty+ years, two of three children, and far too many pets. She is a lot older than she looks and yes, that is a tattoo across her chest.
Aimee is very active on social media. She'd love to have you stop by and say hi!
LUV: authoraimeebrown
GoodReads (she says her least favorite site but she's there)
Thank you for having me!!!