PLUS you can read an excerpt at the end of the interview!

In your new novel, THE PLUS-ONE LIST, we meet Eloise – a woman who struggles with anxiety and strongly prefers the company of her senior rescue dogs to people. When her best friend, Rachel, announces her destination wedding in which everyone must bring a date, the pressure is on. Using an exclusive “plus-one list,” Eloise winds up with Agustín, a charming journalist and immigrant who recently moved to New York City from Mexico. Amy, you have written an absolutely swoon-worthy, dazzling novel. I savored every page!

It actually is! I was at a party a few years ago and chatting with a woman when somehow the subject of weddings came up—she told me about how her friends have a list of potential plus-ones that they circulate if anyone needs a recommendation for a wedding date, complete with tidbits of information about the guys. Immediately I thought, “That needs to be in a romance book.” I asked her if she’d mind if I used it someday and she very kindly agreed—and even sent me the list to look at! Though of course, I made my own list for the book.

This concept sat in the back of my mind for a while, because I had no idea how exactly to implement it, and in what kind of story with what kinds of characters. But as I began thinking about my next romance, there were various elements I had in my mind that I wanted to use. I knew I wanted to write a book about a woman with anxiety, an immigrant hero, highlight senior dog rescue, and use the settings of New York and Mexico City. But how to bring them all together? What was the thread connecting them all? And then it hit me: the plus-one list!

Eloise and Agustín give us no choice but to fall head over heels for them. It’s so magical to see their romantic feelings unfurl, and it feels deeply personal. How is this story rooted in your own life?

During the course of writing this story, I actually got engaged—to an immigrant from Mexico City, a man who worked so hard to move to this country and achieve his dreams. I couldn’t be prouder of him, or more excited to spend the rest of my life with him. So, it was really quite fun and a unique experience to feel my own life reflected in this book in a more personal way than usual when I’m writing.

Oh wow! What was it like to write about a wedding at the same time you were planning your own?

It got me very excited to get married, that’s for sure! Though our wedding won’t be nearly as lavish as Rachel’s, thank god—I can’t imagine the stress she must have been going through. But it was so fun to track the progress of picking out a dress (or in my case, a jumpsuit) with my best friend, celebrating with an engagement party, and organizing my bachelorette, all while writing about these same things.

In THE PLUS-ONE LIST the wedding takes place in Mexico City, and you can feel the love that you have for this mesmerizing destination. What are some of the things you adore most of all about this city?

Oh my goodness, how much time do we have? But in all seriousness, Mexico City is truly one of the most incredible, singular places in the world, in my opinion. The food! The architecture! The culture! The history! But probably for me the best part about Mexico City is the people. Especially the network of friends who have become like family to me—when you blend your life together with someone else’s, there’s always that blend of community as well. I am deeply grateful to have so many amazing people in my life. It really makes every trip to Mexico City feel like coming home. How lucky am I, to have two homes?

New York clearly holds a special place in your heart, as well. Your descriptions of life in Manhattan are so vivid. Tell us why you chose New York City as the perfect place for Eloise and Agustín’s relationship to grow into something more than merely transactional?

I moved to New York in 2000, to study theater at NYU, and while that career path clearly did not work out for me, I knew I was going to live in this city for the long haul. There really is no place like New York. It’s just so full of…well, everything! Culture, music, theater, art, every kind of food, people from all over the world, all living together like one big messy family. It’s the very definition of a melting pot, and it felt like the exact right place for Eloise and Agustín to meet.

It’s hard not to love Agustín from the get-go. He’s so devoted to his family, and he’s considerate and kind with Eloise. How is he different from the typical male love interest, and why did you feel it was important to write about a man with these particular values?

It didn’t even occur to me as I was writing him until my editor said in one of her notes: Oh my god, I love him, he’s such a cinnamon roll! And he is—I love that there is an actual term in the romance world for the exact kind of man you described in your question. Someone kind, and considerate, and thoughtful, and the opposite of toxic masculinity. Not only was it important to me to show that kind of man on the page, but it was the only sort of man Eloise would ever even give an inch to. She would never let down her walls for anything less.

Eloise is such an intriguing character. As you read the book, it’s clear that she’s a very lovable person, and yet she is so anxious around others. Tell us more about her and why you chose to highlight a character who suffers from acute anxiety.

I also suffer from anxiety, though not as severely as Eloise. But the Worry Wheel, the physical manifestation of her anxiety that I wrote into the book, is very much derived from my own experiences with anxiety. I think it’s so important to talk about these kinds of issues, and show that everyone deserves love. Anxiety doesn’t make Eloise “less than” or unlovable. It’s just a part of who she is. And she is never free from it, not even at the end. But she learns to manage it better, in a way that allows her to be much more engaged with the world, and as a result living a happier and fuller life.

You have such a gift for creating lovable, intriguing characters. Eloise’s best friend Rachel, her neighbors, and Agustín’s family – they are as fully realized as your main protagonists. Are these characters inspired by people you know?

No, I never write anyone real into my books! They are all my imaginary friends, though they always feel very real to me, like I get the honor of peeking into their lives for one moment in time. I love writing the secondary characters, because they can fill so many different roles in a story, and create so much life and vibrancy to a narrative. However, I will say that Madame Boularès, Eloise’s French neighbor, was the name of my French teacher when I studied abroad in Paris for one semester during college. I hope she doesn’t mind that I used her name in this book.

Animal lovers will especially love your book since you feature quite a cast of canine characters! Tell us a bit about these elderly dogs and why they hold a special place in your heart.

Oh man, I am such an advocate for rescuing seniors and if this book inspires just one person to bring a senior dog (or cat) into their homes and hearts, I will be overjoyed. I knew I wanted a dog for years, and I had been following a rescue online (now defunct sadly) called Susie’s Senior Dogs. The number of seniors who are overlooked simply because of their age, the photos of dogs who had been languishing at shelters for years, just broke my heart. And then seeing them placed with families, seeing the joy on their faces, I knew I wanted to make it my life’s mission to provide a home for the golden years of as many dogs as possible. And so the moment my landlord changed the rules of my building to allow pets, I immediately started to look into adoption. And that’s when I found my first senior rescue, Pippin, a deeply traumatized chihuahua and the inspiration for Pip in the book.

What do you hope readers will take away from Eloise and Augustin’s romance?

Every romance novel is different, and this one felt very healing to me—a chance to combine that deep sense of peace and trust that is created when you truly love someone, along with the excitement that comes with discovering a new place and culture. I truly hope readers enjoy it.

EXCERPT

Excerpt from THE PLUS-ONE LIST by Amy Ewing

Chapter 5

Eloise

“I can’t believe they have an actual list,” I say to Rachel as we head down the steps to the C train.

“Apparently, it’s not just for his family,” she explains. “Diego says it’s something the women in his— I don’t know, sphere, I guess?— use when they need wedding dates. But it comes in pretty handy when you’re trying to avoid a curse.”

A train arrives just as we reach the platform, and we hurry through the turnstile and onto the crowded car.

“Anyway, it’s better than Tinder.” Rachel winks at me as the doors close with the ever-familiar beep-boop.

“Tinder was never a valid option.”

“Exactly. And this . . .” She grabs onto the pole as the train lurches forward, then pulls up the list on her phone again. “This is amazing. It’s all in Spanish, though, so I’ll need to translate it.”

“It’s more than just names?” I ask.

“Yeah, it’s got brief descriptions of the guys. Let’s see . . . ‘alto, más alto, super alto.’ Guess these ladies like tall men.”

“I don’t like tall men,” I say. I’m five foot nothing. Tall men give me a crick in my neck just trying to make eye contact. But I find myself warming to the idea of the plus-one list. It’s transactional. These men understand the rules. Whoever I choose will know he is here so that my friend doesn’t supposedly curse her own wedding. Maybe I won’t even have to talk to this person much. As long as they arrive with me, I’ve done my duty, right?

“Okay, no ‘altos,’” Rachel says. “Oh my god, check this one out: Rodrigo Sarmiento. ‘Músico.’ So he’s a musician. ‘Humor negro, no es apropriado en todas las familias.’” She pops it in Google Translate. “It means ‘dark humor, not appropriate for all families.’”

She snorts.

“No,” I say immediately. Dark humor and I don’t mix.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t work. What about Daniel Belmont? ‘Bastante horny, pero muy buen bailarín.’ I don’t need Google for this one: Really horny, but a very good dancer.” Rachel waggles her eyebrows at me.

“I’m not even going to entertain that,” I say.

“Fair. How about Miguel Casco? ‘MUY intenso, pintor, nunca en México.’ Soooo . . . very intense, a painter, and never in Mexico.”

“Why is he even on the list then?” I ask.

“Yeah, seriously. Also, you and intense do not mix.”

I chuckle and have to admit, this is a little bit fun. The train stops at 86th Street and we get out, emerging onto the Upper West Side.

“Wait a minute,” I say as we head toward my apartment. “Are all these guys in Mexico?”

I don’t think I want to meet this person only after I land in a totally unfamiliar country, right before an event that, let’s face it, I’m not exactly thrilled about. Not that I want to hang out with him for any length of time. But it’s still over five months to the wedding. I can’t handle five months of stressing about this.

“Good question,” Rachel says. She switches to her WhatsApp and messages Diego. “He says he’ll do some recon and highlight the ones who live in New York. Which means he’s gonna ask his mom. I guess there are some guys that live in LA, as well as Buenos Aires and London.”

“An international plus-one list,” I mutter. Who are these people?

Rachel cheerfully greets Hector as we enter the lobby and take the elevator up to my apartment. As soon as we walk through the door, we hear the familiar stirring of the Colonel, then the tippy tap of Charleston’s feet as he comes careening into view.

“Charleston, buddy, over here,” Rachel says as he sails past her, skidding into the door. He pants up at her as she bends down to scratch his ears, then he plows into my legs, licking my jeans, his tongue making little scratching sounds.

I head into the kitchen to preheat the oven— I’ve got an order of sweet potato peanut butter dog bones to make for Treats Gourmand. I pull the family- size jar of peanut butter out of the cabinet and grab some sweet potatoes, wrapping them in foil. I hear Rachel talking to the Pack in the living room. When the oven beeps, I set the potatoes to roast and set a timer.

Rachel is on the couch with the Colonel when I enter the living room. I plop down next to her and scoop up Charleston, sniffing his diaper. No pees or poops yet. I rub his ears as Hazelnut snores lightly from the giant dog bed.

“Diego sent the list back with highlights,” Rachel says, showing me her phone. “I say we find a few options and then set up a meet and greet.”

I cock an eyebrow. “A meet and greet?”

“Would you rather I call them dates?” she says.

“No,” I say quickly, a flash of panic skittering over my ribs. “Fine, give me the list.” I should be in charge of my own destiny. I know approximately zero Spanish, but I scroll the highlighted names and Rachel translates. Definite nos to Angel Ruiz (‘medio famoso,’ which causes Rachel to immediately Google him and find out he’s a Sunday morning talk show anchor for Telemundo) and Juan Carlos Garcia (recently divorced, really into rock climbing). We get to the end of the list, and I point at the last name. “What about this guy?” I ask.

Rachel squints. “Agustín Martinez. ‘Bajito. Hoyuelos. Sencillo y trabajador.’ So that means . . . short, but like in a cute way? Dimples, oooh like those. And lower class but a hard worker.”

“Him,” I say immediately. We end up choosing two other highlighted names: Luis Gonzalez (works in finance, has a cat) and José Miguel Suarez (pilot, always wears black).

“I’ll set up the dates,” Rachel says.

I grip her arm as the Wheel starts to spin, click- clicking away in my chest like a second, frantic heartbeat. “You are not sending me out there alone.”

She gives me a gentle smile. “Obviously not. I’ll be right there with you. Let’s set them up so they all come to us— same place, same time, different days. Will that help?”

I nod, trying to calm my racing heart, but now I feel a thread of shame mixed with the panic. $is shouldn’t be so hard. I shouldn’t need so many rules.

“What about Vin de Table, on 85th?” Rachel suggests, naming a nearby wine bar. “We love that place. It’s close, it’s quiet, and it’s small.”

If I think too much, I’m going to lose it, and I already promised Rachel.

“Okay,” I say. “Let’s do it.”

Will you be picking up The Plus-One List? Tell us in the comments below!

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