We chat with author Amy Archer about Nemesis Mine, which is a hilarious, tender, sexy, and outrageously fun romp that blends the humor of Assistant to the Villain with the unforgettable romance of Heated Rivalry and the cozy fantasy vibes of Legends & Lattes.
Hi, Amy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a debut author from Yorkshire in England. I like 70s music, hanging out with my dog (Sherlock) and my cat (Freddie Mercury), and a good Netflix binge.
Also a giant nerd and proud. Previous obsessions include Star Trek (original series), Guardians of the Galaxy, Merlin and Our Flag Means Death. Currently very into Squid Game. To the point of making all the characters out of clay. Don’t ask.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I can’t remember a specific point where I ‘got into’ writing – it’s been there for as far back as I can remember. My parents’ cupboards are full of childish scribblings!
Also, becoming a writer was always a dream I shared with my grandad. When I was little my mum suggested that he should become my pen-pal, and now I have lots of sweet letters to remember him by where he’s encouraging me to look up words in the dictionary and write short stories to share with him.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Wishing-Chair by Enid Blyton
- The one that made you want to become an author: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Your debut novel, Nemesis Mine, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fun, chaotic, irreverent, charming, tender.
What can readers expect?
Nemesis Mine is the story of a villain and hero who decide to fake a feud to boost their reputations, only to end up catching real feelings for each other. They can expect a lot of shenanigans (mostly courtesy of Cyrus). It’s light-hearted and (hopefully!) funny, but it’s also a story about finding ‘your person’. Nemesis Mine is definitely a rom-com, and the romance and comedy aspects are just as important as each other.
Where did the inspiration for Nemesis Mine come from?
I wanted to write something that married together some of my favourite things. Top of that list was a fun villain. I always loved the likes of Jim Moriarty from BBC Sherlock, Villanelle from Killing Eve, and Marvel’s Loki. Cyrus popped into my head pretty much fully formed, and from there it was a case of adding some other ingredients I’ve always enjoyed: heroes who aren’t as perfect as they seem on the surface, fake dating trope but with a twist, enemies-to-lovers where they are REALLY enemies to begin with, and the irreverent kind of humour that I personally love.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing Cyrus slowly but surely falling for Max, especially when it comes to his own denial. He’s deliberately obtuse about it because he doesn’t want to know what’s happening. He’s embarrassed! But it was a lot of fun letting the reader see through the cracks in his façade.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I think it’s probably quite common, but the middle section of the first draft is my own personal nemesis. I’m not a big planner, I get the basics of the story shaped out in a handful of bulletpoints and then I just go from there. It’s what works best for me, but the 25k – 55k words can be a scary place!
I’m a big believer in just getting your head down and getting the words out, in the knowledge that it doesn’t really matter what those words sound like, as long as you’re moving forward. You can make them pretty and fix any mistakes later. First, you need to just get the story down and get to know your characters. It’s not about perfectionism at the first stage.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I wrote my first full-length novel in 2018. I didn’t really do all that much with it, but at least it proved to me that I was capable of finishing a manuscript of that length. I went on to participate in Faber Academy’s ‘Writing A Novel’ course in 2021, which I found really helpful in terms of learning to think like a writer and getting used to sharing my work. The manuscript that I worked on during the course was the one that I queried, and I also submitted to a few competitions. It ended up getting longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2022, and I met my agent through that as she was part of the judging team. I signed with my agent in 2022 and worked on a couple of different ideas with her, before hitting lucky with Nemesis Mine in 2024.
What’s next for you?
I’m sticking in the fantasy rom-com space for the time being, but this time, I want to tell a sapphic love story.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I can’t wait to pick up The Age of Blood and Magic by Hannah Mathewson, and I’ve recently had a great time with Love, Gods and Sinners by Camille Chong and Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter. Currently reading Bromantasy by Máire Roche and really enjoying it!
