We chat with author Amy Coombe about Stay for a Spell, which follows a cursed princess who must discover what her heart truly longs for in this charmingly cozy romantic fantasy for everyone who’s ever lost – or found – themselves in a bookshop.
Hi, Amy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I was born in California and lived in Chicago (and briefly New Haven) before moving to London, UK, where I now live full-time with my family. I’m a professional editor in real life, and spend my spare time fossil-hunting, bird-watching and mudlarking (I’m fully licensed, don’t worry!). My best fun fact about myself is that I was invited to be an extra in the film Cockneys Vs Zombies but the filming dates I was invited to attend were when I was out of town, so I sadly have not yet made my Hollywood debut.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve been a voracious reader my entire life, and started writing stories and plays when I was pretty young – at eight I wrote my own Just-So story, “how the cat got its whiskers” (crocodiles are involved, because, o best beloved, I unashamedly pulled ideas from “The Elephant’s Child.” I moved to plays, writing updated fairytales for my family to act out, when I was nine. I also wrote a Nancy Drew mystery for a school talent show. (I played Nancy, naturally.)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Richard Scarry’s Bedtime Stories was my favourite book when I was little (we’re talking about 2!) and I loved it so much I decided to take it along on my other favourite activity, swimming. We had a great swim in the little paddling pool my parents would put up in our back yard in the summer, but I’m sorry to say that Bedtime Stories did not survive the experience.
- The one that made you want to become an author: That’s hard. I don’t really know if it was a book I read, so much as the experience of writing my own stories down that made me want to keep writing my own stories down.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I had the weird – and probably rather unusual – experience of reading Pride & Prejudice first before seeing any film/tv version of it, and not even knowing very much about it. A family friend gave me a copy (shout out to my buddies over at Dover Thrift Editions!) and told me to just… give it a go. I’ve been obsessed ever since; I reread it every couple of years. (That same copy, too.)
Your debut novel, Stay for a Spell, is out April 14th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
A friendly fairytale hug.
What can readers expect?
Stay For A Spell is a novel that, ultimately, is about finding your own happy ending on your own terms. It is, hopefully, warm and funny and romantic and a bit silly, but secretly also a little bit serious. Readers can expect a lot of banter, a little bit of self-discovery, and a lot of jokes about curses, teenagers and books.
Where did the inspiration for Stay for a Spell come from?
I shouldn’t admit this, but I can’t help myself: spite. I read a book I didn’t like, and started toying with ideas for a book I would really like, and came up with the idea of a princess cursed to be trapped in a bookstore. And I decided to give it a go, and the story really just wrote itself.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing every single character, but honestly one of my favourites is Caroline, who’s a “creeping horror” and, despite being quite harmless, instills dread in all she meets.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was 35,000 words into the manuscript, and my insomnia (always bad) went into overdrive. The novel became my lifeline through some dark and stressful times; when I couldn’t sleep, I’d get up and write. I’m really happy to say that, as of publication day, she’s been cancer-free for two years.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Surprisingly straightforward, which still surprises me! I had agents call the novel in within 24 hours of querying it, and publishers started asking to set up calls within a few days of the novel being submitted to them. I’d queried previous novels with absolutely no bites before, so I am still astonished by how quickly and smoothly the process went for Spell.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently editing book 2 and writing book 3! Although characters recur from book to book, they’re each stand-alone.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Brigitte Knightly’s sequel to The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy, which is called The Exquisite Torment Of Loving Your Enemy. Meg Shaffer’s The Book Witch; I adored her novels The Wishing Game and The Lost Story.
