At the release of her novel, Love at Lakewood Med, I had the opportunity to interview TJ Amberson and ask her a few
questions about her writing.
TJ, thank you for spending some time
with me. How long have you been writing?
Since early childhood. In elementary school, I would
frequently pencil 50-plus-page-long stories on notebook paper and bring in them
to my teachers to read. I remain forever grateful to those long-suffering
teachers who kindly humored me, read my stories and allowed me to read them to
the class, and encouraged me to keep writing.
Wow! That sounds like something I
would have loved to do when I was a kid. You had some great mentors. I did
something similar in Junior High, but my friends all read my stories, not my
teachers. I spent so much time writing in notebooks, tearing out the pages and
passing them around the room. I have no idea how I passed seventh grade! Have
you always wanted to be a writer?
I suppose it was never something I thought about
"wanting" to do. I just did it. It was much more recently, however,
when I decided to channel my love of writing into something professional. Not
many years ago, while strolling through a bookstore, I was struck by how much
of the literature being marketed to tweens and teens was filled with adult - even
inappropriate - content. Surely, I thought, there still has to be a market for the
types of wholesome, wonderful novels like I grew up reading. And that's what
inspired me to try and publish professionally, and it's what still inspires me
today. I hope to provide great stories that are original, clean, and well-written
for tweens and teens, as well as adults.
I agree. I think that’s one of the
reasons I started writing clean stories as well. I wrote the stories I wished
were on the shelves at the library and bookstores. I still do. How do you come
up with your ideas for stories?
It varies! I woke up from sleep with the idea for Fusion. The opening scene of The Kingdom of Nereth randomly began
playing through my head like a movie while I was running errands. Love at Lakewood Med was loosely inspired
by my schooling and work.
Love at Lakewood Med is a romance that will hopefully make you laugh and swoon,
and also tug on your heartstrings a little bit. It follows the story of
Savannah Drake, a fourth-year medical student, who is dreading the start of her
mandatory, month-long rotation in the emergency room. Things get even worse for
Savannah when she learns that cold, aloof Doctor Wesley Kent has been assigned as
her attending physician for the entire rotation. Soon, though, Savannah finds
that caring for patients in the ER affects her far differently than she
expected. And handsome Doctor Kent turns out to be anything but the arrogant attending
physician that she assumed him to be. But just as Savannah starts to recognize
her true feelings, she learns that things at the hospital are not all what they
seem...
Sounds like a great romance in all
the traditional ways. Let’s dig deeper. Of all the books out there, why should
readers choose this one?
Well, as mentioned, I strive to provide great novels that
are original, clean, and well-written. So I hope that, above all, those
characteristics make Love at Lakewood Med
stand out. And for any who love medical television shows, romantic comedies, or
the classic, great romance novels, I think that Love at Lakewood Med will be a really great match.
Let’s shift gears and talk more
about your writing. Do you write/read every single day?
Not every day, but most days of the week.
What is your favorite music to
listen to while writing?
Oooo...I don't think I could name a favorite! I don't always
listen to music while writing, but when I do, I enjoy a big variety. I probably
listen to classical music the most.
At what moment did you feel like you
could say, “NOW, I'm an author?”
The Kingdom of Nereth was my first novel that was
published. When I received my paperback copies from the publisher - when I saw
my name on the cover and my words on the pages - that was a pretty cool moment
for me. I think that was when I felt like a "real" author.
I felt exactly the same way! When I
held my first novel, The Cove in my hands it was magic. What other project are
you working on now?
I am currently very excited to be working on the sequel to my
YA historical fantasy, The Kingdom ofNereth.
You’ll have to touch base with me in
a few months when you get it done so we can talk more about it. Do you have any
furry writing buddies? (Or scaled or feathered?)
My cocker spaniel regularly takes me on walks so I can clear
my head and plan my next chapter.
What book are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading AWrinkle in Time. I haven't read it since elementary school, and with the
recent 50th anniversary of its release plus the moving coming out, I was excited
to read the story again.
I’ve heard it’s a really good movie.
Well done and stays true to the book. That’s a good thing. Well, TJ, thank you
for joining us today and for sharing your stories and your writing experience!
Good luck on your new release! -Julie L. Spencer
TJ Amberson hails from the Pacific
Northwest, where she lives with her husband and nutty cocker spaniel. Her most
recent novels include Love at LakewoodMed, Fusion, and The Kingdom of Nereth. When she's not
writing, TJ can probably be found enjoying a hot chocolate, pretending to know
how to garden, working in the ER, riding her bike, playing the piano, or
surfing the Internet for cheap plane tickets.
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TJ Amberson on social media:
Books by TJ Amberson:
Fusion
- young adult sci-fi adventure
