Welcome to the blog, Alyssa. I’m so happy to welcome you here today and talk about your upcoming book.

Can you tell us what first inspired “Picture Imperfect”?

Thank you for having me! Picture Imperfect began a few years ago, when Hope and I thought it would be fun to enter a first-chapter romance contest. But then, we became taken with the idea. We loved writing about creatives—an author and an illustrator—and their struggles with burnout, something we had been wrestling with. It became almost cathartic, and we fell in love with our quirky characters and their equally quirky pets. Soon we had a full novel!

Love that! And I love the cover too. You’ve written several books with author Hope Bolinger. What’s it like working with another storyteller on the same book?

I never thought I would co-author books, but now writing without Hope feels like writing without my right hand. We bounce ideas off each other, get excited about what the other has written, and catch each other’s blind spots. I think we bring out the best in each other and in our characters.

That’s awesome! You’re also an editor and publicist, I see. 😊 What does an average workday look like for you?

This is a great question! Honestly, it varies on both a daily and weekly basis. Some days I’m in the editing trenches for hours, and some days I’m making phone calls, communicating with authors, writing press releases… I’m never bored!

When did you first know you were a writer?

I began dictating stories to my parents when I was four years old. By the time I was in fourth grade writing stories for my friends to enjoy, I was already telling my teachers and parents I wanted to be an author. As a practical teen, though, I didn’t expect it to really happen, until I started applying for colleges and realized there were such things as professional writing and publishing degrees. That re-sparked the dream, and I’ve been in publishing ever since.

And just for fun, what is one of your favorite things to do in the fall?

I love to carve pumpkins. From picking out the perfect pumpkin, to coming up with a design, to roasting the seeds and throwing pumpkin goo at your family (not that I’ve ever done that), it’s the perfect fall activity.

Yes! Definitely the last part! 🙂

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

Hope and I have a lot more projects coming up, from YA fantasy to sweet romance to middle grade. The best way to keep up with us is on social media @alyssawrote and @hopebolinger. Thanks again for having me!

Sounds great, Alyssa. Thank YOU for joining us today. We look forward to following your stories from here!

GIVEAWAY!!

Alyssa and Hope have graciously offered to give away an ebook copy of Picture Imperfect to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Contest ends October 26, 2021 . The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!