Saturday, March 26, 2016

"Spotlight Saturday": Author Amber Garza

Author's Links: Amazon Author PageFacebookTwitterBlog.

Author Bio:
Amber Garza is the author of many contemporary romance titles. She has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. 

Her hobbies include reading and singing. Coffee and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they're real people. 

She currently lives in California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.
Prowl Trilogy: 
Shiver (Prequel)
Prowl (Book 1)
Entice (Book 2)
Unveil (Book 3)

Unexpected Love Series: 
Tripping Me Up (Book 1)
Winning Me Over (Book 2)
Finding Me Again  (Book 3)

Delaney's Gift Series: 
Glimmer (Prequel)
Dazzle (Book 1)
Shatter (Book 2)
Betray (Book 3)

Star Struck Series
Star Struck (Book 1) 
Love Struck (Book 2)

Engraved 
Falling to Pieces 
Break Free
Break Through 
Head Above Water
The Summer We Fell
Cuts Run Deep
Mark My Words

Playing For Keeps Series: 
For The Win (Book 1)
For The Game (Book 2)
For The Rush (Book 3)
For The Save (Book 4)

Make The Play Series
Play Safe (Book 1)
Play Hard (Book 2)
Play Nice (Book 3)
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As you can tell by Amber's long list of books she is an author to keep an eye on. Each of her novels are highly emotional and the characters she creates are very relatable with inspiring plots. Amber writes from one genre to the next with out breaking her writing stride.     

Now Amber was kind enough to answer a few interview questions below pertaining to herself, her books, and her writing process.  Enjoy her responses! (I know I did)
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•Questions:
Did you always want to be a writer or was it something of a past-time that turned into more?
         Yes, I always wanted to be a writer. It’s been my dream since I was a little girl.

Is there one book that inspired you the most as a writer? 
         Not one book. Many books. Too many to name. 

Where do you like to work on your novels? i.e. an office, in a coffee shop, etc. 
         In my home office.

Do you ever just have moments of inspiration for your books and go into full creative writing mode? If so, which of your book(s), have been the product of one such moments?
         That’s how most of my books are. An example of this is with Head Above Water. I was at the pool with my kids and I saw a teenage couple in the water. The boy was teaching the girl to swim, and it made me wonder about them. What was their story? Why was she a teenager and still didn’t know how to swim? So I went home and started writing Head Above Water, a romance between a lifeguard and a woman who doesn’t know how to swim.

What is your regular process for writing a book? Do you begin with an outline or just start writing what is in your mind for the story and see where it goes. 
         I start with an idea and simply start writing. Sometimes I never outline at all. Other times I might do a little outlining as the story progresses. 

Which do you find is your favorite genre to write in: Young Adult, Psychological Thriller, or Sports Romance? 
         My favorite genre to write in is suspense or thrillers, but my most popular genre with readers is romance.

Do you find it easier to write single novels or a series? 
         I prefer standalones. 

Out of all the characters you’ve created: 
 Who do you find is the most complex? 
         That’s a hard question. A lot of my characters are complex, but I think maybe my most complex character was Aspen in BREAK THROUGH. Because she had gone through so much and repressed so many memories I feel like I had to know the person she portrayed to the world as well the person locked deep inside of herself.

Who is your favorite female? 
         Yikes. I don’t know. I love so many of them. Paige from WINNING ME OVER was really fun to write. I like how spunky she is. I also really enjoyed writing Taylor from PLAY HARD. I guess I like my rough around the edges girl characters.

Who is your favorite male character?         
         Kyler from BREAK FREE, hands down. He remains my favorite. Second only to Colt from WINNING ME OVER. Those boys stole my heart.


~ And lastly who would you pick is your favorite couple thus far? (if the couple one is too hard I'd get it, cause I love a lot of your couples too) 
         Jade and Kyler from BREAK FREE. 

Now tough questions . . .
   Which series out of all your series, is your favorite? (Or are they all too near and dear to your heart to pick just one.) 
         My favorite series is probably the Playing for Keeps series. It was my first sports romance series and I loved writing it.

Out of all the books you've written, which would you say is your favorite? 
         BREAK FREE 

•Now For Some Random Fun Questions: 
What was your favorite subject in school? 
           English and choir
What would you say is your favorite color? 
           Green 
Which do you prefer gum or mints? 
           Mints
What is your favorite movie? 
           The Wizard of Oz
What is your favorite song (ever or at the moment)? 
           I don’t have a favorite song ever. 
           My favorite bands to listen to while writing are The Civil Wars and The Neighbourhood. 
           My favorite worship band is Jesus Culture.
           Right now my favorite song is probably The Beach by the Neighbourhood (secular) and Set Me Ablaze by Bryan and Katie Torwalt (Christian).
What is your favorite food? (meal or dessert) 
           Wow, this is a hard one. I’m a food person. But you can’t go wrong with cheese enchiladas.
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That's concludes the Q&A but remember to keep an eye out for Amber's pending release of "Play Nice", Book 3 in Make the Play Series.
Set to be released April 29 - Click Here

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