Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a homely hobbit-lady with 3 occasionally-adorable kids. I started my writing career (after many years of dabbling) in 2015 and my first fiction book launch is Dream Stalker on Feb 25th, 2016.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Dream Stalker is an urban fantasy set in modern London. It’s set in a world where magic is common, if not available to the common folk. Though the plot centres around a serial killer, the over-arching themes deal with the friction between those with magic, those without it, and the half-bloods caught in the middle. It’s a really gentle way to delve into issues like discrimination, while taking away the preconceptions that come with it by disguising it in a fantasy world.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a stop-drop-and-writer. With kids underfoot all day, every day, I’ve had to learn to adapt, and that often means leaving my laptop open and dictating notes while washing dishes, or racing through a few more lines of a story while assembling lunches, rousting the kids or doing all that other busy-stuff we do every day.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, so many to choose from! Scalzi, for his fast and witty style. Sanderson for his epic worlds and strong females. Mary Robinette for her genre-twisting Glamorist series. Butcher, for his explosions. Virdi, for his worldbuilding and perfect voice.
What are you working on now?
Book two and three of the Talented series are both in progress. We follow the protagonist, Emma, along her journey as she finds out what her destiny truly is, as she navigates the Talented society as one of the few half-bloods welcome in it. Gibble, her boggart protector, and Martin and Harrod, the two strange brothers who help her in book one, play much larger parts in her journey than she expects.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I guess I’ll find out on the 25th!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read books. Research. Invest. I’m so glad I found some of the resources I did early – podcasts, books and forums – so that I could learn how to effectively market and promote. I’ve always believed that if you don’t value a product enough to produce it properly, then you shouldn’t sell it and that still holds true to me now. Get a great editor and an amazing cover!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Reaching a big goal takes a lot of time… but that time is gonna pass anyway. You may as well use it to get somewhere.
What are you reading now?
Grave Measures, book #2 of the Grave Report and Dead Man by Domino Flynn. Both are excellent, action-packed urban fantasies.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Write… more?
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The biggest ones I could find! Probably the entire Harry Potter Omnibus, the next Stormlight book, Devotion (a new one from Katika Schneider that’s not actually out yet!) and “How to survive on a desert island”.
Author Websites and Profiles
Amy Hopkins Website
Amy Hopkins’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account