Interview With Amber Smith, Author Of Something Like Gravity + GIVEAWAY!

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle

The Last To Let Go

How do you let go of something you’ve never had?

Junior year for Brooke Winters is supposed to be about change. She’s transferring schools, starting fresh, and making plans for college so she can finally leave her hometown, her family, and her past behind.

But all of her dreams are shattered one hot summer afternoon when her mother is arrested for killing Brooke’s abusive father. No one really knows what happened that day, if it was premeditated or self-defense, whether it was right or wrong. And now Brooke and her siblings are on their own.

In a year of firsts—the first year without parents, first love, first heartbreak, and her first taste of freedom—Brooke must confront the shadow of her family’s violence and dysfunction, as she struggles to embrace her identity, finds her true place in the world, and learns how to let go.

Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle

Something Like Gravity

Chris and Maia aren’t off to a great start.

A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don’t fare much better. Chris’s good intentions backfire. Maia’s temper gets the best of her.

But they’re neighbors, at least for the summer, and despite their best efforts, they just can’t seem to stay away from each other.

The path forward isn’t easy. Chris has come out as transgender, but he’s still processing a frightening assault he survived the year before. Maia is grieving the loss of her older sister and trying to find her place in the world without her. Falling in love was the last thing on either of their minds.

But would it be so bad if it happened anyway?

Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle

GIVEAWAY

I’d like to thank Amber Smith for doing this interview for me. It means a lot that a favorite author of mine is so willing to interact with her readers. That makes the reading experience better, in my opinion. She’s such an amazing person. Thank you so much Amber!

I’m also here to giveaway my ARC copy of Something Like Gravity to one lucky reader! Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle

GIVEAWAY

The Way I Used To Be

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, and while learning to embrace a power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.

Purchase: Amazon ~ Kindle

GIVEAWAY

I have always wanted to feature an author interview on my blog. I was thinking about this for the last few days and the only author that has come to my mind is Amber Smith. She is always so kind and she responds to her readers constantly.

I sent her a little tweet and she got back to me very quickly. I was very shocked. I knew she’d be up for it because she’s the nicest person ever. I just really felt like the work that I do sometimes isn’t as important to other people. I’m so glad that she decided to do this interview with me!

Without further adieu, here are the questions that I decided to ask Amber!

ALSO, don’t forget that Something Like Gravity is out! Make sure to get a copy because it’s an amazing book!!

*There is a giveaway for Something Like Gravity at the end of this post*

1. Let’s start with the obvious question, what inspired you to start writing? I’m always curious to know why some of my favorite authors started writing!

It’s funny, I sort of fell into it by necessity! I always kept journals from the time I was a child, and I wrote poetry as I got older too, but these were always very private, personal endeavors and not anything I would’ve wanted to share with anyone else. Writing for me was more therapeutic, a way for me to process things that were going on in my life. I was much more involved in the visual arts – that’s what I went to college and grad school for – and I always thought of myself as a painter more than anything else. I started writing more seriously after college when, for the first time in my life, I no longer had the space to create art. But I still needed that creative outlet, so that’s when I began writing fiction.

2. You write books that focus on heavy, important topics. Why did you decide to write about topics most people feel uncomfortable with?

Whenever I’m writing, I try to think about the kinds of books I really needed when I was a young person – the books that would’ve made me feel seen and validated. For me, those were the ones that talked about the hard stuff – those difficult things that often made me feel like I was very alone – like grief, trauma, coming out. I think it’s so important to have dialogue about things like this, and books are a very powerful and safe way to address issues that can be uncomfortable or complicated to talk about.

3. What was your main goal for writing Something Like Gravity? What did you hope your readers would take away from this book?

I hope readers will find pieces of themselves in Chris and Maia, and know that if they are going through anything similar to these characters, that they are not alone. And even for readers who don’t have personal experience with grief or trauma or being queer, I hope that they might come away from this story with a greater sense of empathy and understanding for just how much work and courage it can take to fully live in your truth, and open yourself up to love.

4. Which book was the hardest for you to write? The Way I Used To Be, The Last To Let Go, or Something Like Gravity? Which one was the most time consuming? Which one is your favorite?

Each of my books were challenging to write, but for different reasons. As far as time goes, I think my first book, The Way I Used to Be took the longest, The Last to Let Go was the most intense and fast, but Something Like Gravity was probably the most time-and-life-consuming. I lived and breathed and thought about these characters for what felt like every waking moment of my life! And while every book I’ve written is special to me, Something Like Gravity is my favorite, largely because of how much I love the two main characters, Chris and Maia.

5. Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? If so, can you explain why they’re your favorite?

Chris from Something Like Gravity – hands down! Maia is a very close second, but if I have to choose I’d say that Chris is my favorite. Not because he’s perfect by any means; he has flaws and faults, and that’s what makes him feel so real. I love him because in spite of everything going on in his life, both the good and the bad, through his changing relationships with family and friends (and Maia), no matter how hard things get, he keeps that spark of hope alive inside of him. He’s a survivor, in every sense of the word.

6. Are you working on anything at the present that you would like to share with your readers?

I’m not sure I can say too much about what’s next, but I will say that I’ve been experimenting with some different forms and formats, like writing in verse, which has been both challenging and very exciting.

7. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I’m such a homebody! I love being at home, working on artwork every now and then, spending time with my partner and our furbabies. We have five rescue animals – two dogs and three cats – that basically run my life!

8. What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was very young, I wanted to be a veterinarian, but when I found out you need to be good at science, I switched to wanting to be an art teacher, which is what I thought I’d end up doing for a long time. I never thought I’d be a writer, but life works in funny ways because now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!

About Amber Smith

Amber Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels, The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, and Something Like Gravity.

Her debut, The Way I Used to Be (2016), was selected for the American Library Association’s Amelia Bloomer List of Feminist Literature and Texas Library Association’s TAYSHAS List, it was named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in YA Fiction, Connecticut’s Nutmeg Book Award, and Indiana’s Eliot Rosewater Award. Her second novel, The Last to Let Go (2018), received starred reviews from Booklist and VOYA, and was named a most-anticipated book by B&N Teen Blog, Elite Daily, and Bookish. Her next novel, Something Like Gravity, will be released June 18th, 2019 from Simon & Schuster.

Amber grew up in Buffalo, New York and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her partner and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. Fueled by a lifelong passion for the arts, story, and creative expression, Amber graduated from art school with a BFA in Painting and went on to earn her master’s degree in Art History. When she’s not writing she’s usually reading, but can also be found in her studio making art or freelancing as an art consultant. She has also written on the topics of art history and modern and contemporary art.

An advocate for increased awareness of gendered violence, including sexual assault and domestic or intimate partner abuse, as well as LGBTQ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue surrounding these issues.

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