We chat with author Amanda Woody about Exes & Foes, which follows two ex-best friends who decide to hold a competition for the new girl’s heart, but they don’t expect to fall for each other instead.
Hi, Amanda! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Thank you for this opportunity! I’m a queer YA author from Michigan. On a typical day not involving the restraints of a full-time job, you’ll probably find me having a caramel apple cocktail with my family and forcing them to watch me play Hades or host my Avatar: The Last Airbender rewatch parties.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve been writing since somewhere around second grade. My first completed story was about a girl with a magical rock that could teleport her anywhere, and it ended with her shoving her evil stepsisters into a giant volcano. Happily ever after or something.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with storytelling. It’s been my entire identity since the second I could put pencil to paper. I’d often get into trouble throughout K-12 because my teachers would catch me scribbling fantasy stories into my notebooks when I was supposed to be doing assignments. I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m not writing. Stare at the wall? Be alone with my thoughts? No thank you. So, I guess I’ll escape into somebody else’s problems for a while.
Your latest novel, Exes & Foes, is out July 23rd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Witty, heart-wrenching, fiery, healing, and very, very bisexual
What can readers expect?
It’s an Amanda Woody book, so people can probably expect that the hooky one-liner about a silly romcom with an unconventional love triangle is hiding a lot more emotional turmoil and unresolved trauma than it’s showing.
Where did the inspiration for Exes & Foes come from?
Exes & Foes is my love letter to all the love triangle haters out there, which, funnily enough, includes myself. I know that sounds wild, considering the premise of this book – a pair of ex-best friends who find themselves caught in a competition for the new girl’s heart and are forced to unpack their tumultuous past.
My own dismay with the concept has always stemmed from the inevitable fact that when the main character chooses between two love interests, one of them will always get hurt. I wanted to play around with the trope – rather than two boys fighting over a conflicted girl, it’s a couple of stubborn queers fighting for the heart of someone who wants to hang out with them simultaneously. Rather than the question being, “Who is she going to choose?” it quickly becomes a question of, “Okay, when are these fools going to figure their shit out and date each other instead?”
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Caleb is my favorite character in this book. A clunky, towering, dork ass loser who gets excited over deep cleaning? Man after my own heart.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Corduroy by Don Freeman
- The one that made you want to become an author: Percy Jackson
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The two series that have completely consumed my life recently are All for the Game by Nora Sakavic and Heaven Official’s Blessing by MXTX.
What’s the best and worst writing advice you’ve received?
Some good advice I’ve learned is something I hope aspiring authors will hear a lot if they’re pursuing the traditional publishing experience: Just. Keep. Going. It took me over 7 years and several failed books before someone took a chance on me. I know some authors who waited over a decade, two decades, before they found representation. And there are some authors who found an agent immediately, but struggled to sell a book for years before they finally got a deal. As frustrating as this sounds, sometimes success or failure is completely dependent on being in the right place at the right time! Try not to take every rejection as a reflection of your skill in writing. (Though, of course, this is easier said than done.)
A second bit of writerly advice that works for me: Make your main character your favorite character, or at least one of them! It sounds silly and people will disagree, but that’s always been a major rule for me. They’re the person I’m spending the most time with and they’re also the person who’s going to need to win over the audience. This is especially true for contemporary. Try it out! You might find it’s a lot easier to continue going back to your story when you love who’s telling it.
One piece of advice I’ve gotten that I actively despise is “go for what’s realistic rather than what’s improbable,” particularly in terms of character death. I’m sorry, this is fiction, right? Don’t we suffer enough in life? Don’t we have to adhere to the tragic standards of realism in the world every day? I’m greatly opposed to the idea that fiction needs to cling to normalcy. Is it more realistic that this character dies – yes, probably. Is it more satisfying? Or is it more exciting to give them another chance at life that leaves your heart warm rather than as achingly empty as the turmoil of real life does?
What’s next for you?
More books, I hope 😊
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
The YA pool is overflowing with so many incredibly talented and compelling authors!! Some recent favorites of mine are Sonora Reyes, Aiden Thomas, Sophie Gonzales, Julian Winters, Anthony Nerada, Emery Lee, Brian Kennedy, and TJ Klune. Also, I will never stop recommending In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan. It’s one of my favorite books of all time and inspired me to write my debut, They Hate Each Other!
