Ayla Asher (Weekly Author Spotlight 29 March 2021)

AUTHOR BIO

Ayla Asher is the pen name for an author who writes sweeping fantasy romance and non-fiction under other pseudonyms. However, she loves a sweet, sexy, fast-paced romance–especially ones that revolve around holidays! Therefore, she’s decided to write them down and publish them, hoping they will bring joy to other readers.

QUICK INTERVIEW

Where are you from?
“I grew up in a small town in Western North Carolina called Black Mountain.”

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
“I wanted to be an astronaut until I went to college and changed my major from Physics to Rhetoric.”

What is your favorite genre to read/write?
“I read all genres but romance will always be my favorite. I write steamy contemporary romance and just love a good love story!”

Who is your favorite author and why?
“For contemporary romance, I love Nora Roberts and always have. She is just a magnificent storyteller and always writes such good love stories!”

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
“I’ve published almost 20 books at this point (I also write paranormal and sci-fi romance under Rebecca Hefner). My favorite book under my Ayla Asher name is His Holiday Pact because it’s the first book I ever wrote under this name and I love a fake relationship story where they end up falling in love.”

Who/What inspired His Holiday Pact and the rest of the Manhattan Holiday Love Series?
“As a sucker for a holiday romance, and a fake relationship trope, I wanted to combine the two into a steamy love story. When His Holiday Pact was well received, I decided to write Her Valentine Surprise and Her Patriotic Prince. Her Valentine Surprise is probably the sweetest story I’ve ever written because Sam is a virgin and doesn’t know how to tell Joy. I just love a male virgin main character and we don’t see them a lot in romance.”

What comes first, the plot or the characters?
“Oh, definitely the characters for me. They appear in my head and then I write the story around them.”

Is there any new release we can expect in 2021 or in the future?
“Yes! I’m going to be releasing Book 5 in my Ardor Creek series about Justine and Gary. We meet them in Book 3 as secondary characters and readers have made clear they want a love story from these two! I will be writing it after I finish my current book and can’t wait to release it.”

What do you think makes a great story?
“The reader has to care about the characters and be invested in their happy ever after. I think if an author can inspire that in the reader, the story will resonate.”

What advice can you give to an unpublished author?
“If you’d like to write a book, my advice is always sit down and write. You can’t edit a blank page! Just get the words down and you can always improve it later.”