Author Interview: Alyssa Rose Ivy!

Good morning fellow book lovers! Today, my all time favorite author (she's one of the first authors I ever had the pleasure of getting to know) is here hanging out to answer some of my questions. At the end of the interview, you'll be able to ask her some of your own questions as well. 

Are you guys ready? Are you excited? Good! Then say hello to Alyssa Rose Ivy! 

Alyssa just recently celebrated the release of her new book,The Hazards of Skinny Dipping. She is also the author of the Clayton Falls Series (Derailed, Veer & Wrecked) as well as the author of The Crescent Chronicles & The Afterglow Trilogy.  

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First of all, thank you SO MUCH for agreeing to this interview! 

Thanks for having me!

Would you like to share with us a little bit about yourself? What your (other) hobbies are? Anything we don't already know? 

I’m a mother of two, and I spend most of my time taking care of my four year old and twenty month old. I’m addicted to coffee, and I can’t write without music. I love to read, and I love being outdoors when the weather cooperates. 

What kind of music inspires you to write? Is there a particular genre or artist/band?
I listen to all sorts of music. My playlists vary wildly depending on the book, but books in the same series usually have some overlapping music and a similar feel. For example, my Clayton Falls playlists have lots of very emotionally driven music.

What made you decide to become an author?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. It was when I was home with my daughter that I finally decided to publish. 

Are there any author's you look up to? Or ones read as a child/teenager that inspired you?   

I read a lot growing up, but my favorite authors were J.R.R. Tolkien and Jane Austen. The indie author that inspired me to self-publish is Imogen Rose 

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?  
My inspiration comes from all sorts of places. Sometimes it’s from my own experiences, or those of people I know. Most of the time my stories start with the characters and then the story builds around them. 

When you're writing (or even plotting to write), do you picture people/celebrities as the characters? Do you find this helps? 

Generally I have a very specific image of a character when I write. I actually have a really hard time with dream casts because it’s difficult to find someone who matches my image. 

What kind of research goes into your novels? 

It depends on the book. Often I need to research a setting, or an interest of a character.

Lets place some "Would you Rather"..... and why...

    - Dylan or Reed 
Reed. He’s just a sweet guy. I’ve always loved sweet. 
   - Jake or Ben
Jake. Once again, it’s the sweet thing 
     - Jake/Ben or Gavin
Jake. Same reason as above. 

When you started the Clayton Falls series, how many books did you anticipate doing? If you've done over that (or plan on doing over that), what changed? 
I originally only planned to write Derailed. It was my first contemporary romance book, and it came out of a very personal place. While writing Derailed I fell in love with Gavin and that’s where Veer was born. I also knew at that point I’d need to write Jake’s story. 

Anything else you'd like to say? 
Thanks to all of my readers for taking the time to read my books! 

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There you have it guys & dolls! I hope you've enjoyed my brief chat with Alyssa (and I hope to have her back in the future to talk about her upcoming novels). If you have any questions for Alyssa, please feel free to leave them as a comment to this post & she'll try her best to answer them.