How did I discover the treasure that is Amy Harmon? Through narrator Tavia Gilbert of course! As an audiobook enthusiast, I’ve learned to follow a number of exceptionally skilled narrators from book to book even if I don’t know the author. And that practice has yielded some highly entertaining listens along the way.
I wish I could describe in a few words Amy Harmon’s writing but it’s hard to articulate. To merely say, “out of the ordinary, real-life, engrossing, and unexpected with well-drawn characters” still doesn’t convey the supreme satisfaction I feel when finishing one of her tales – each featuring just every day folks. Her writing is romantic, make no mistake; it’s just completely outside of the norm when it comes to the romance genre. I think she says it best with her website’s byline – A Different Book.
In many ways, Amy Harmon is like a buried treasure around here. She has a healthy fan base, no doubt about that, but I hadn’t heard a lot of talk about her work until I started listening and paying attention in 2014. And I became an immediate fan with A Different Blue making my Top Ten Listens of 2014 over at Speaking of Audiobooks. So, if you’re not yet acquainted with the talents of Amy Harmon, we hope you’ll be encouraged to do so after today. Paired with the likes of narrators Tavia Gilbert and Rob Shapiro, your listening experience will not be a disappointment.
Along with our chat today, we’re running a Giveaway and a First Chapter Listen of The Law of Moses narrated by Tavia Gilbert and J.D. Jackson which releases today.
The Giveaway
We’re giving away five download or MP3 copies of The Law of Moses courtesy of Tantor Audio. Entry is simple. Just complete the easy entry form found at the bottom of the page by midnight (CST) Friday, May 29th. No comments are necessary to enter although we’d love to hear your thoughts in our discussion area. You may only enter once – anyone entering more than once will be disqualified. We’ll contact winners on May 30th so watch your email as we must have acknowledgement of your win within 24 hours. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll select another winner. The giveaway is limited to those residing in the U.S. or Canada.
Chatting with Amy and Tavia
LEA Welcome to AudioGals Amy and Tavia! It’s so good to have you with us today.
AMY I’m pumped to be here!
TAVIA Thanks for the opportunity to spend time with you and Amy! You’re my favorite blogger and Amy is one of my favorite novelists, so this is a great pleasure!
LEA Ahh – thanks!
AMY Pumped = great pleasure.
TAVIA Amy and I totally speak the same language.
LEA Good!
LEA Amy, I discovered you last year with the audio release of A Different Blue. Since I know Tavia can be relied upon to deliver a solid performance, I occasionally choose an audiobook just because she’s narrating. So basically, Tavia led me to you and it really paid off! I was completely taken by your distinctive voice and started faithfully following your work. For our listeners who haven’t had the pleasure of listening to or reading one of your books, can you give us some background on your writing? How long have you written? Do you write only romance titles?
AMY I’ve been writing much longer than I’ve been publishing. I published my first two books simultaneously, though the books weren’t at all related, in April of 2012. So the last three years have been a colorful blur. I wrote my first novel about eight or nine years ago just to see if I could do it. It wasn’t something I sent to publishers or tried to sell. I just wrote it for me. That book is called Running Barefoot, which Tavia narrated, and it still remains very special to me. There’s something about that first one. I do tend to focus on the romance aspect of a story, but I do believe my stories have a lot more meat in them than the average romance titles. I like a good story, above everything else, and I have a lot of male readers.
TAVIA I adore Running Barefoot!
TAVIA And I agree with you, Amy. You might be categorized as a romance writer, but your novels are truly unique, and I think they represent a much fresher voice than the “average” romance novel.
AMY Thank you!
LEA The words “fresh” and “unique” certainly apply to my way of thinking.
LEA I see you have seven audiobook titles over at Audible. It looks as though five of those titles were released in March and April of 2014. Had you listened to audiobooks prior to that time?
AMY I LOVE audiobooks because I can clean, drive, take care of my family, all while “reading.” And yes, Tantor purchased my first five books at the same time, so they all came out within a very short time of each other, and that is when I discovered Tavia and was blown away by her talents.
LEA Well Amy, you just totally won over our listeners, as they KNOW you listen when you list all those activities.
LEA And second, you were indeed very fortunate with Tantor’s choice of Tavia!
TAVIA Thank you so much. I’m humbled by your support and appreciation for my work.
TAVIA I was very fortunate that Tantor cast me!
AMY Tantor may have cast you, but I got to pick you, Tavia.
AMY They sent me a slew and I picked you.
TAVIA Well, I didn’t want to SAY! But yes, I think I remember that there were several choices presented, and you picked me!
TAVIA Thank you thank you!!!
LEA Wait!! You got to choose your narrator? That’s so good to hear!
LEA Good for Tantor.
AMY I have gotten to choose, yes. And I am very picky.
TAVIA Not everyone gets to, or wants to!
AMY I have been fortunate, because the people I’ve wanted have been available.
AMY I haven’t heard The Law of Moses yet, and I can’t wait to hear Tavia with JD Jackson.
LEA We love hearing that you were offered the option of choosing your narrator. I know authors are so often left out of the loop.
TAVIA I love having had the opportunity to narrate several of Amy’s titles.
LEA And not every author knows how to pick a narrator – especially if they aren’t audio listeners themselves.
TAVIA Sometimes when books stand alone and aren’t in a series, it’s not a given that one person will continue as the voice of the writer.
TAVIA I think you’re right, Lea. Knowing how to choose a narrator isn’t necessarily obvious. I think it can help to be an informed listener.
LEA But here – with your narration Tavia – we have a guarantee each time one of Amy’s stand-alones is released in audio format.
LEA And that feels really good
TAVIA I hope so! I try to ensure a wonderful listen with every book I record.
TAVIA I know how that feels as a listener. If I am a trusted voice, ensuring a great experience, that’s an honor.
LEA Tavia, an observation…
LEA about the writer you are paired with here. A Different Blue made The Gals Best 2014 Romance Listens list as well as my Top Ten 2014 Listens over at Speaking of Audiobooks. In The Gals Best 2014 piece, Shannon describes it as “A magical story about a young woman’s search for the secrets of her past. Ms. Harmon’s prose is eloquent, and Ms. Gilbert’s narration brings it to life. Everything about this book was beautiful.” I’m in complete agreement with Shannon words.
LEA It’s almost hauntingly beautiful.
TAVIA Amy does write beautiful stories. She absolutely knows how to tell a story, how to plot, how to write characters that you root for.
AMY Honestly, I do think Tavia and I pair well. She seems to “get” my style, understand my characters, and I think her portrayal of Blue was pretty magical.
TAVIA I grew up in Idaho, and you’re in Utah, Amy. I think there’s something in our shared geography and culture that allows me to “get” your work.
AMY I am a bit of an old-fashioned wordsmith – I feel like an odd duck in today’s romance market, but having someone embrace my books and make them come to life like Tavia does is so gratifying.
TAVIA I am trying to find the email I sent Amy telling her that my mother – who is an avid reader/listener of NON fiction – adores her books.
AMY Actually, I have yet to have her not nail a character. She just gets better and better or I’m giving her better material, but she absolutely nailed Infinity + One. It was amazing, Tavia.
LEA Oh, yes! I recently listened to Infinity + One. Wonderful!
AMY Oh! I’m so glad you liked Infinity! I was so nervous about the dialects in the book. They were key and revealed character. But if you felt it was successful, I’m thrilled!
LEA Amy, what is the setup of Infinity + One?
AMY Young, famous, country singer has a bit of a nervous breakdown and runs away. Enter young, smart, troubled Finn Clyde, who wants nothing to do with her but recognizes she needs help. The two find themselves thrown together on a whirlwind, cross country trip that is nothing like you would expect. Finn Clyde might be my very favorite character I’ve ever written. I really fell in love with him.
TAVIA He’s a really good guy
LEA I must admit that I felt on the edge of seat more than a little during my listen.
AMY It has that awful “oh, no” feeling throughout.
LEA I don’t want to give spoilers but I felt the trouble mounting…
AMY Good. That was intentional, Lea.
LEA and I wanted to say “Noooo!” Not Finn!
TAVIA People coming together who don’t necessarily “belong” together – who aren’t “sanctioned” by society or their communities as being a “proper” match… that’s what Amy gets into. It’s great stuff.
LEA Agreed Tavia!
AMY I’m beaming.
LEA And those of us who have read romance for years (one can tire of the same-old, same-old), it is such a breath of fresh air
TAVIA A LOT of romance writing is formulaic. It’s hard to perform, and to make it sound fresh and new. But Amy is never anything but completely fresh on the page with each story.
AMY I fell in love with my characters all over again when I listened to Infinity. And I’m not ashamed to say I cried a good bit.
AMY I don’t do formulas. That is for sure.
LEA You don’t! Thank you for that!
TAVIA YES! Thank you!
AMY I can’t follow a recipe or instructions to save my life, so it makes sense that I can’t follow them when I’m writing.
TAVIA We fall in love with people’s idiosyncrasies. We don’t fall in love with perfect, flawless bodies or souls. There’s no such thing.
TAVIA Amy’s books are so much more real.
LEA I have to ask – the singing…
LEA Where did those melodies come from?
AMY I was a songwriter – am a songwriter – so I’d written those songs, all except Come Undone, which Tavia created a melody for, along with my son, Paul Travis, who is a songwriter too.
TAVIA I love singing in books!
TAVIA But it’s SO SO hard.
LEA They were so very, very effective in delivering the entire feel of the story!
TAVIA GOOD. I work and work and work at them.
AMY There are some songs in the book that are actual folk songs, lots of them, actually, and those songs and melodies were already out there. Tavia just had to learn them… and sing them.
TAVIA Songs in books take FOREVER.
AMY Well, there was definitely a ton of music in that book.
TAVIA Learning the music, then singing them, then singing them in character and in dialect and in the spirit of the scene, without freaking out about not sounding perfect, but wanting to sound good enough to be pleasurable to the listener and stay true to the story…
TAVIA Not easy. It’s a great challenge!
LEA Well, it was absolutely beautiful.
TAVIA Awesome.
AMY Thank goodness Clyde didn’t sing, right Tavia?
TAVIA Yes. Thank you so much for that!
LEA I love that listeners will now know that the music is a work of Amy AND Tavia!
TAVIA We’re a good team!
LEA Tavia, with close to fifty romance titles to your name, you know your way around the romance genre. When you read your first of Amy’s books in preparation for that first narration, what did you think about Amy’s writing?
TAVIA Oh, wow! I didn’t actually realize I’d done so many!
TAVIA I was so delighted by Amy’s stories. A Different Blue was the first one, and I loved the characters right away. I loved the story and felt that it was identifiable. I could really feel for the characters.
TAVIA I think so much romance is so outrageous, and based either on absurd perfection, or a sense of crazy materialism.
TAVIA I’m really ambivalent about stories of incredibly rich men with perfect six-pack abs, and the beautiful, innocent, delicate creatures those worldly, vicious, damaged men save.
TAVIA I mean, c’mon. Real life is alluring and sensual and dramatic. I don’t know why fantasy is so vital to so many people, but it seems to be.
LEA Oh yes Tavia – romance can be tiresome with its outrageousness in an effort to have something different. That’s what is so charming about your writing, Amy. It is so different from the norm yet realistic!
AMY Thank you. I admit. Intelligent men are my catnip.
TAVIA I loved that Amy was writing characters who could be real — who were damaged, but resilient, strong and tough and tender and smart and brave and interested in being true to themselves and to their partners. That’s interesting to me.
AMY I enjoy abs too, and I love sexy scenes, but true romance is just so much more than a sex scene. It’s the language, the conversation, the struggle, the triumph.
TAVIA The relationship. Not just the physical act.
AMY I like falling in love with my characters before they fall in love with each other.
TAVIA Ah! Yes!!
LEA We are so conscious here at AudioGals of what you just stated Amy. We want to broadcast that romance is about falling in love and the positives in life – the hopeful ending – rather than all the sex scenes.
AMY Well, hallelujah!
TAVIA Another thing I love about Amy’s work – her worlds are populated with people of all ages – family and friends and acquaintances of every age, which, again, stands out in the genre world, I think.
LEA Amy, today your fourth joint title with Tavia releases – The Law of Moses. Can you tell our listeners the setup of this book?
AMY This book gives a nod to my first book, Running Barefoot, as it is set in the same small town and there are some cameo appearances of characters from that book. The Law of Moses is about a baby boy, Moses, who is found in a basket in a Laundromat shortly after his birth, the abandoned child of a crack addict. Jump forward eighteen years, and we have a kid who has had a very difficult life but who also has very distinct and special gifts. Namely he paints like a master and is able to see things others can’t. The story follows his relationship with a cowgirl named Georgia over several years – Georgia is as different from Moses as she can be – and we see Moses’s struggles to come to terms with himself and his life. Moses’s gift has been labeled paranormal by some of my readers, but this is not a typical paranormal book, so I struggle to label it as such. It’s really more of a love story with a mystical bent. How about that?
LEA I’m listening to an advance copy of The Law of Moses and when I discovered that mystical vibe, it felt right. After all, you always surprise me a bit with you content – I don’t even expect to see similar setups from book to book. I have absolutely loved listening to it so far and I know I’m nearing the end. I can’t put it down!
I see that the protagonists are young. Does this have a New Adult vibe? Do all your romance titles feature younger (under 28) leads?
AMY I would say it does have a New Adult vibe, though it tackles pretty serious adult topics by the time the book is all said and done. But yes, my books tend to feature younger characters. I find it a fascinating time of life where many of the decisions that will form us and set us on certain paths are made. Plus, we tend to be less tied down, less committed at this age in our lives, and so much is possible and feasible. I am not committed to New Adult, per say, but so far, this is the genre I tend to gravitate to when I’m writing.
AMY But again, as has been discussed above, I don’t write formula, so my books tend to not be an exact fit anywhere. Publishers have struggled with signing me for that very issue.
LEA I’m hoping you start a new romance trend!
LEA Tavia did you find any particular challenges in narrating?
AMY I’m eager to hear how the narration on Moses went, actually!
TAVIA Moses was interesting, because I really relaxed my diction, and tried to find my way back to an Idaho sound I’ve worked very hard to extract from my voice.
AMY Idahoans and Utahans sound a lot alike. So I’m sure that works!
TAVIA It was funny to just be loose and easy with the language. It’s not southern, by any means, but a lot more casual. I don’t know if listeners will hear a difference. It might have been just for my internal process. We’ll see!
AMY I will hear it. I don’t speak like a Utahan most of the time. My parents were both transplants, born and raised in LA, but I can hear a Utahan a mile away.
LEA Well, I’m certainly enjoying it!
TAVIA I think Samuel is my favorite of your characters.
AMY Samuel is pretty special.
AMY We’re veering, huh? I enjoy all my male characters. My mom says I’m filled with longing, and that is why I write such good male characters. I think I just like men.
TAVIA Men are pretty special.
LEA And they are the reason romance is so popular!
AMY Yes! Group hug!
LEA HUG
TAVIA What’s your writing process, Amy? How much do you write, and how far out do you plan your novels?
AMY I try very hard to plan, but I find that the more I understand the character, the more I flesh them out, the longer I spend with them, they really write the story.
AMY I have four kids, and some are young, so my writing time is hit and miss. I do my best to just keep plugging away and eventually I finish a book. One word at a time.
TAVIA Seems to be a process that’s working for you!
AMY I do STEW an awful lot though. STEW and write, stew and write.
TAVIA A good recipe, then.
AMY Ha! The only one I follow.
LEA Have the two of you met each other either by email, phone, or in person? If so, how did it occur?
AMY Tavia, bless her heart, read Running Barefoot and saw all those Navajo words and probably had a small seizure. We talked and I tracked down a Navajo teacher at a school not too far from where I live who was willing to record the Navajo words so that Tavia could practice them. It’s one thing to write a word in a story, like I did, and it’s a whole other animal to pronounce it. So we talked a little bit through that process and have kept in touch since.
TAVIA It was lovely to meet Amy by phone, and to be a fan of hers, as well as a collaborator.
LEA Wow! We forget what all goes into a narration!
AMY I still don’t know how she managed to say those Navajo words. Incredible.
AMY You really do have to know how to speak the language. It doesn’t work to just sound things out if you want to authentic.
AMY So yeah. Tavia has to do research, no doubt.
TAVIA That’s why experienced narrators are so important. You want to know that the details are going to be taken care of, that the artist is invested in the story and they are exploiting every opportunity to make a great listening experience.
LEA Can I say “Amen” to that Tavia?
TAVIA PLEASE DO!
AMY So far I have given her characters from Manchester England, Boston, the Appalachian hill country, small-town Utah, and freaking NAVAJO.
LEA I love it!!
TAVIA They’re presents!
LEA We’re going to have listeners so curious that they will have to try one of these audios!
TAVIA Try them ALL!
AMY Yes, please do. Try them all and come back for more.
LEA They will try them all – if they only take that ONE taste!
AMY And that is the magic of good story-telling meeting talented narration.
LEA Agreed!
TAVIA We’re very lucky, I think.
TAVIA When are you coming out with your next book, Amy?
AMY I am releasing The Song of David on June 15 – pre-order is already available on Amazon and several other formats. This book features a character, David Taggert, from The Law of Moses. So it is a spin-off of sorts. You can find an excerpt of the new book in the back of The Law of Moses right now, which is currently on sale to promote the new release.
TAVIA Yay!!
TAVIA Congrats, Amy!
TAVIA Looking forward to experiencing your work, because it is always an experience!
LEA Will it be released simultaneously in audio format?
AMY No. Because I am self-published, I always have to be a little bit patient. This one is in first person-male POV too, the whole thing (sorry Tavia) so I will have to figure out who can pull off Tag Taggert.
LEA Another oft “wished for” scenario – first person-male POV but one seldom seen in romance…
AMY However, I have another story I’m working on that is female, first person, which should be out late this year, so Tavia will probably hear a knock on her door for that one, though this character has a bit of a Hispanic lilt to her voice. You up for that, Gilbert?? LoL.
TAVIA Yes, please!!
TAVIA Anything you want!
AMY I loved Robert Shapiro, who did my book Making Faces. He was phenomenal.
LEA I have wanted to listen to him…
AMY Lea, Run. He was amazing. Amazing.
(Note from Lea – I have now listened to Making Faces – I agree – run and listen! A total winner for me.)
TAVIA It’s a wonderful feeling to have deep affection for a writer and her work.
TAVIA Thanks, Amy, for your beautiful stories, and for giving us a space to celebrate them, Lea!
AMY Thank you, Tavia. And thank you for the care and attention and professionalism and HEART you give to my characters and to your craft. Just wonderful.
TAVIA It’s an honor.
LEA Tavia, can you share some of your current or upcoming projects in the works with us?
TAVIA I narrated Jami Attenberg’s newest novel, Saint Mazie, releasing in June, which is a gorgeously-written, heartbreaking, lyrical novel about Mazie, the Queen of the Bowery. That’s one I’m really proud of. And Language Arts, by Stephanie Kallos, also releases in June. Stephanie is my beloved friend and college voice and speech teacher, and her novel is very honest, shocking, and redemptive. I’m so pleased to have been able to voice her work.
LEA Thank you both for joining us. I’m so enthused to present our listeners with this opportunity to get to know you and your joint work together.
AMY Me too! Thank you, Lea!
LEA Truly – I think we’re uncovering something that can only grow in popularity!
TAVIA Likewise!
TAVIA Amy’s unique work, you mean?
AMY Audiobooks!
LEA Yes – Amy’s work but also, the collaboration of you two.
LEA It is still relatively a new thing to our listeners
TAVIA OH! Yes!!
TAVIA That collaborative love and energy? Glad to share it!
LEA I want our listeners to catch the Harmon/Gilbert fever.
AMY I hope they do. And I hope you continue to grow your audience, Lea. What an awesome platform.
TAVIA Ah! Yes! So do I!
LEA Again, thanks ladies. What a delight!
First Chapter Listen
Time to Enter
Giveway has ended.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about Amy Harmon’s work. Have we convinced you to give her a try?
Lea Hensley
Wonderful interview!
Thanks Tamara. Both Amy and Tavia are easy to talk with and I completely enjoyed our time chatting.
This was phenomenal to read. I loved getting to know a little about Ms Harmon and her writing. Tania Gilbert remains one of my go-to narrators, so the two of them together is a double win for me.
Shannon – you were key to my first listen. I found A Different Blue and put it on my to-be-listened list but your review convinced me I needed to start listening immediately.
And autocorrect is not my friend. So sorry, Tavia.
I listened to this one and I have to say it was Tavia’s best work. I am a mother of 3 kids (8,6,4 yrs old) and I CRIED! Oh I cried. And now, I am tad paranoid too so I kept checking this morning before I left for work.
Making Faces was my favorite Amy Harmon, but this was definitely right up there. I can’t wait for Tag’s book because he is another complex character.
Great job Amy.
Understand the paranoia entirely and the tears.
I’ve listened to four of Amy’s titles – three narrated by Tavia (one is narrated by JD Jackson as well) and Making Faces narrated by Rob Shapiro. I don’t know if I have a favorite as they all rate an A grade!
I’m holding Running Barefoot for a special time. I haven’t listened to either of her Purgatory books. Looks like they have a time travel bent?? I’m sure I will pick them up for listening although they are categorized Young Adult/Teens (as well as Paranormal Romance) – not my usual romance fare.
I did Making Faces and Running Barefoot already. I also did a different kind of blue. I haven’t touched the Purgatory books yet though I saw one of them on audio.
I may try that series AFTER Tag’s book
I really want to try one of AH’s books, but they sound so depressing! I don’t like things to get all angsty and to cry a lot with a book. It makes me feel like a complete weenie, so I keep thinking I’ll take the plunge and then I head off in another direction. It sounds like I’m missing a lot. Adding Tavia Gilbert to the mix is an added incentive! I imagine someday I’ll be in the mood and I’ll give one a try.
Don’t worry Jane A., I feel the same way! I love Tavia Gilbert and Lea’s recommendation of Amy Harmon is enough to make me go and buy it but…I’m not a fan of overly emotional stories. I don’t like to cry when I’m reading a book. I cry every day already! :P Ms. Harmon’s books sound unusual and well written–and I’m rec’ing them to friends I know who like these types of books–but I’m with you. I’m going to save her books for a day sometime in the future.
Oh, thank you! I posted that and then felt like I sounded particularly shallow. Circumstances in my life make me cry almost every day, too. I can’t do big sloppy cry books. :0
I understand not wanting to listen to something depressing but that’s just it. These books aren’t depressing. The are stories of real life which may build to a crisis point (which admittedly may bring on tears) but they are such feel good stories overall that you get past that fairly easily as you are caught up in the rebuilding. Time may skip to a few years later where you see characters on the mend, looking back.
I would not classify an Amy Harmon books as depressing – never even entered by mind.
Great interview! I am so pumped about the audio with songs- written by Amy and Tavia – which alone blows my mind! I’m almost ashamed to admit I’ve have Making Faces just sitting there in my Audible library, unread. Bad Alana- I’ll bump it to the top of the list. I’ve heard nothing but praises, and certainly Amy (and/or Tantor) has impeccable taste in narrators!
I recently read my first Amy Harmon (Infinity+One – because of a recommendation by Penny Reid) and I was hooked. Her voice is as unique as …well…Tavia’s! I can hardly wait to listen to an audio version. Although I pre-ordered her ebook of the Song of David (because I loved the Law of Moses so much), but I often read first and get the audio second because of the richness of the experience. Thanks for doing this interview!
I’m a little late in posting our winners – apologies! All confirmed their win shortly after the end of the giveaway or on subsequent rounds when we didn’t have verifications from a couple of winners
Congrats to:
Alana
Anne
Joan
Maren
Melanie