Author Spotlight Q&A with AMELIA GREY

Get to know Amelia Grey as she shares what's on her bucket list, why she writes romance, and the inspiration for her SAY I DO series in this fun Q&A!

What made you smile today?

I had an email from a friend I hadn’t been in touch with for a long time. We were neighbors when we both lived in Connecticut many years ago. Our communications had dwindled to Christmas cards each year. I remembered I hadn’t received a card from her this past Christmas and wondered why but I hadn’t checked on her so when I saw her email I smiled. She hadn’t forgotten me after all. It’s a shame that we get so busy we fail to stay in touch with people we enjoy no matter how far away from us they are.

What are you currently reading?

A book by one of my favorite inspirational writers, Billy Graham. It’s one of his older books that I’d never read, The Reason For My Hope. I try to read something inspirational every night as it helps me unwind from the day, and I like to think words of wisdom helps make me live a better life.

Coffee or tea lover? (or other beverage)

I know the British love tea, but I prefer coffee with a little half and half. I do follow their lead and have my morning drink in a beautiful teacup. I never drink out of a mug. Nothing wrong with a mug but I like looking at and holding a beautiful, dainty China cup. And the prettier the cup, the better the coffee tastes.

Name one thing on your bucket list.

To visit all 12 Presidential libraries. My husband and I made it to four before the pandemic started and we never got back to making the time to visit more. So that’s still something concerning history in America that I’d like to do.

Do you have (or had) any pets?

I didn’t grow up with pets. But I love hearing people talk about their cats and dogs and the funny things they do. My son had gerbils for a time when he was a young boy.

Complete the sentence: When I wake up every morning, I ...

I open the draperies and look out to see what kind of day we are going to have. A bright sunny day just makes me feel good. I am a fair-weather person. I know and appreciate we need the rain, and thunderclouds are sometimes awesome to look at as they billow across the sky, but a bright blue just lifts my spirits.

Weirdest or unique thing you own.

Well, it’s certainly not weird but it is a conversation piece. Back in 1991 my husband bought me a brand new NSX sports car. I love it and it is so cute. (Photo attached) I have been stopped twice in it and not because I was speeding. Both policemen just wanted to look at the car. I have taken very good care of it these many years.

Whenever I drive it now and stop to get gas or at the grocery store, someone will always ask me “What kind of car is that?” and that usually leads into a conversation about a special car to them.

Do you have any hobbies or particular skills? Aside from reading and writing.

My hobby still pertains to writing but in a different way. Years ago, I started sending handwritten cards about once a month to some family members who didn’t get out much and that grew into sending cards to people who just needed to hear that someone was thinking about them. Most everyone on my list has email and they text but look forward to receiving that card with a personal note in the US mail.

Sometimes I copy a poem, scripture, or just a quote I’ve found on Facebook. The cards I’m working on right now are Valentine cards (I’m answering this interview in February). My list has grown to over fifty people, so it takes time to write them all, but it’s something I really enjoy doing.

Why write romance?

I have never wanted to write anything else. I love that wouldn’t it be wonderful if true love was waiting to give everyone a happy ever after ending.

Did you always dream about becoming a romance author?

No, but I have always loved romance stories. My love of reading inspired me from the beginning. I was a small-town girl with not much to do for leisure but to read. When I was about twelve years old, I read a young adult book titled “A Girl Called Hank,” by Amelia Elizabeth Walden. It’s about a teenage girl who has a huge crush on the good-looking boy who lives next door. I’ve been hooked on romance ever since. It wasn’t until many years later I decided to try my hand at writing a book. Since I love reading about history, historical romance seemed the dearest to my heart and the easiest way to start.

Do you write in other subgenres?

No, but if I did it would be historical fiction. I love reading other authors’ take on real people or real events that happened and shaped lives.

What three important facts do you want readers to know about your books?

The first thing I try to do is give my heroine a worthy goal. Something she is desperate to obtain at all costs or determined to get rid of no matter the consequences. For the hero, I want him to be fearless, handsome and desire the heroine more than anything in life. And he’s willing to fight for her to prove it. I believe most readers would consider my books more sensual than sexy and more sweet than steamy.

What inspired you to write SINCERELY, THE DUKE book 2 of the Say I Do series?

Triplets. I have never read a historical romance with triplets in it. And a little research led me to believe there was no written account of triplets having lived to adulthood by the Regency time period but nothing to say they hadn’t. I took literary license and gave Edwina, my heroine two identical sisters. She has the worthy goal of trying to get the three of them married, and she has a dashing hero who has decided he must help her.

What do you hope readers will experience or gain when reading your stories?

I love this question. I’ve answered it before and it’s always one of my favorites because it give me the chance to say, titled gentlemen fascinate me. I want my readers to know that during the Regency most gentlemen truly wanted to make a lady feel cared for in a good way. A lady expected him to open her door, pull out her chair and mind his language and manners in front of her. Generally, men wanted to please ladies. The clothing for men with the superb cut of their coats, well-fitted waistcoats, handsomely tied neckcloths, and boots polished to a gleam was the epitome of class and standards. The fairer sex was indeed fairer. Ladies wore beautiful simple empire waist-styled gowns made from the finest of silk fabrics and jewels in their hair. They rode in glossy black carriages and danced by candlelight on marble flooring. There was an intricate dance of manners that had to be followed, but of course, the heroes and heroines in my books don’t always follow them. However, my readers always know there will be a “happily ever after” at the end.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on Book 3 of my series titled Say I Do . They are Regency historicals and all three books have a dashing duke who needs a wife. Book One, YOURS TRULY, THE DUKE came out in March of 2023, and Book Two, SINCERELY, THE DUKE, will be out this March, 2024. Book Three, LOVE, THE DUKE, will be out in March 2025. All are based on a marriage of convenience trope. Each one opens with the hero writing a proposal to the heroine, or as the case in the third book, rejecting a proposal of marriage. Though the three dukes know each other and appear in each book, the story lines are completely different and stands on its own.

Where can readers follow and contact you? (Social Media, Website, Newsletter)

You can email me at ameliagreyauthor@gmail.com, follow me on FaceBook at FaceBook.com/AmeliaGreybooks, AmeliaGreyAuthor on Instagram, or visit my website at www.AmeliaGrey.com.

About The Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen. She's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since.

Amelia has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

With more than twenty-five books published, she is a two-time winner of the prestigious Booksellers Best Award. She's also won the Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill Awards. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the Maggie Award. Amelia's books have been published in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan.

Several of her books have been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs.

You can follow Amelia on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmeliaGreyBooks or email her at AmeliaGrey@comcast.net to be added to her monthly newsletter list.

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