Diverse Author Spotlight is a post series here on Book Deviant where I’ll introduce and interview a marginalized author! You can read the rest on this page!

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Amara Lynn has always been a quiet daydreamer. Coming up with characters and worlds since childhood, Amara eventually found an outlet in writing. Amara loves anything to do with pirates, villains and superheroes, angels and demons.

Amara is addicted to music and gets the most inspiration from moving songs and lyrics. When not writing, Amara usually reads, listens to podcasts, watches anime, plays a video game here and there (but mostly collects them), and takes way too many cat pictures.

Amara’s pronouns are they/them or she/her.

I will be bolded as AC, and Amara will be AL. Enjoy!

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AC: Hi Amara! I’m so excited to have you on the blog today. Can you tell readers more about yourself and writing?

AL: Hello! Thanks so much for having me! I’m an office worker by day, an introvert, and social outcast (I know it doesn’t seem like it on Twitter but I’m super awkward!). I love writing about villains and superheroes and morally grey characters, pirates and mermen, and a little of everything else along the spec fic spectrum.

AC: How do you feel about representation being included in books? Do you think it’s important, and if so, how do you go about including it in your writing?

AL: I think representation is so important and something I can’t say enough. For me, as a non-binary person, especially, who doesn’t see themself that much in books. Ever since coming to realize I was enby, it’s something I’ve been feeling starved for.

As far as my own writing, I believe people are diverse and so should my characters be. I try to listen to my characters’ voices, and usually they will tell me what flavor of queer they are.

AC: Do you try to stay with representation that you’re familiar with, or do you want everyone to see themselves at some point in your writing? Why?

AL: I’ve been working on expanding my horizons and including a wider variety of rep in my stories, because I think it’s important. I try to make sure I’m familiar with the representation I’m including in my stories. If anyone else saw themselves in my writing, I think that’d be wonderful and I hope they tell me!

AC: Probably a generic question, but one I love asking all the same: why do you write/who do you write for?

AL: The simplest answer to this is, I have a very overactive imagination! Always have. Might as well put it to good use!

AC: What is your writing process like? We’ve already talked about including rep in your writing, but what about other things, such as what do you do first, point of view preferences, characters etc?

AL: First I usually start with a premise and put a spin on it. Next, I have to name the characters. That’s when the project starts to have life for me usually. After that I start expanding and building on everything and jotting down some notes, arranging everything chronologically until I feel like I have a whole story. Then I write until I’ve covered every scene in my notes and whatever other in-betweens that come up!

AC: Do you have any projects in the works right now? Any you’d like to talk about or hint at for readers?

AL: Right now I’m planning the release of book two in my m/m NA urban fantasy series, Masks, for the end of March! I’m really excited to get this story out because it will answer some big questions from the first book! I’m also trying to write a solarpunk story!

AC: Last but not least, what about your current works that are out? Can you tell us more about them, and what you like about them?

AL: Masks is available on Amazon and KU! It’s a fluffy m/m new adult villain/hero romance! What I love about Masks is that it’s written from the villain/bad guy’s point of view, and it’s a sweet story about learning to love and accept someone for the first time.

I also have two shorts available for anyone who signs up for my newsletter! One is a holiday short that takes place directly after Masks and is fluffy AF, and the other is a cute vignette about a nonbinary witch running a magic shop in a magical town, which I plan to set more stories in in the future!

AC: In the spirit of spreading love, can you recommend three authors/books/stories to those reading? Feel free to go over three, though, because I’m sure we can all use more recommendations!

AL: My go-to plug for anyone who likes m/m romance and fantasy stuff is always Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch! I also love Kay Berrisford’s merman urban fantasy series, Landlocked Heart, which is fluffy and angsty and full of magic! Two author friends who are putting out a bunch of awesome content as well are Ceillie Simkiss (Learning Curves, An Unexpected Invitation) and Xan West (Nine of Swords, Reversed).

AC: Thank you so much for being on the blog!

AL: Thanks for having me!

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Thanks for stopping by!

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