Interview
with Amber Royer
What do you think most
characterizes your writing?
I have a breezy, fun writing
style that focuses in on character relationships and protagonists who protag
from the heart.
People also tell me my books
make them hungry.
Why did you choose to write a
cozy mystery?
I’m primarily a science
fiction writer, so this is a whole new genre for me to write in. I guess that may seem like a weird jump to
make, but I’ve been an avid reader of cozies for many years. Dorothy Cannell’s The Thin Woman got
me hooked, back when I was a teenager.
Cozies are light and fun but allow for a thoughtful exploration of theme
and character change underneath, which isn’t so different from the other things
I write.
I’ve always liked
mysteries. Even when I was a kid, some
of my earlies influences were Hank the Cowdog, From the Mixed-Up
Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Encyclopedia Brown. I think there’s an element of mystery to any
story. Readers read because of
uncertainty – that need to know what happens next, what really happened in the
story’s past, that all will be set right with the world. Mysteries approach those questions head on. Which make them appealing to tackle.
I’ve toyed with the idea of
writing a mystery before, but never seriously – until after I spent time
researching and publicizing the Chocoverse sci-fi books. I met a number of craft chocolate makers and
learned more about the businesses they run, and I found what was missing in my
earlier ideas: an amateur sleuth with a unique passion. I was at an event for writers, pairing myself
and a chocolatier I know, and we were talking about food in writing, and I made
an offhand comment that there were a number of people doing mysteries with
chocolatiers – but someone should do one with a craft chocolate maker. The idea stuck in my head, and I wound up
writing it myself.
What was the hardest part of
writing this book?
The hardest part for me was
blending fictional places into a real city.
For instance, Galveston Island has a real-world indie bookstore. But, despite the fact that the architecture
is similar, the bookstore in Grand Openings Can Be Murder is NOT that
bookstore. It has a different name – and
is definitely run by different people.
One of them even winds up on Felicity’s suspect list. It’s a hard balance to strike. You want to make things different enough that
no one will be upset or offended – without losing the idea that the fictional
business or location at least blends in with the reality of life on the
Island.
I also mention some real
places, such as Pleasure Pier, because they are iconic to Galveston, and giving
them a different name just felt really odd.
What did you enjoy most about
writing this book?
I really enjoyed writing the
character relationships. One thing the
cozy subgenre lends itself to is creating a sense of community for your
protagonist. So once I figured out who
Felicity was, it became a matter of reverse engineering the kind of friends and
family that would have influenced her character. I had so much fun writing Felicity’s aunt and
uncle because they have an honest interest in Felicity’s wellbeing – even if
their attempts to push her out of her comfort zone embarrass and fluster
Felicity at times. And her potential love
interests are both pretty good guys at heart – though they have a professional
rivalry going on that predates Felicity even meeting one of them. Which makes for an interesting dynamic.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite writing-related
quote is from Toni Morrison. She said,
“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then
you must write it.” Someone cited that
quote in a Writer’s Digest article that I read back in 2015, and it has stuck
with me ever since. Both the quote and
the explanation of what it means: you shouldn’t be writing generic-feeling
books to try to appeal to everyone, and you shouldn’t be trying to be the next fill-in-the-blank-favorite-author-name-here. You have to figure out what you’re passionate
about, what you want to explore (Morrison also has a great quote about not
writing what you know, but what you don’t know) and what will make you
unique. She also implies that if you
have ideas, and the ability to create, that you practically have a moral
imperative to do so – that the world will be a less rich place without your
art.
What do your plans for future
projects include?
I just finished drafting the
second book in the Bean to Bar Mysteries series. I’ve also outlined a couple more adventures
for Felicity, which you can look forward to soon.
But I haven’t left science
fiction behind. I also have a piece I’m
working on that involves time travel and Impressionist art.
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