Today I’m pleased to welcome Alyssa Rose Ivy to Off the Page chatting about her new book Derailed.
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.
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1. Tell a little about yourself, what you do when you’re not writing, what are your aspirations for the future?
I’m a mother of two, and I currently live in North Carolina. I’m originally from the New York area, but I fell in love with the south after moving to New Orleans for college. My background is in law and library science, but I’m currently balancing my time between my family and my books right now. In my free time, I love reading, spending time with my family and, being outdoors as much as possible.
2. When and why did you start writing?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t finish my first book until a few years ago. Once I started I couldn’t stop, and I hope I never have to.
3. If you could only read one book over and over again for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
If I really could only choose one it would be Pride and Prejudice. It’s just an all-around awesome book. Although Moby Dick is my favorite book, I couldn’t pick a book without romance.
4. Give us some back story about Derailed, where and when did you write it?
Derailed is one of those books that wrote itself. I never really planned to write a contemporary romance, but the idea came to me and I just had to write it down. I’ve never written a book as quickly before, it was all such a natural experience.
5. What inspired your story?
In some ways, writing Derailed allowed me to work through some unresolved feelings about a friend’s death. Although the book isn’t about her, in my own way I was able to give her the happily ever after she never had.
6. What was your favorite part of Derailed to write?
I loved writing about the fictional town of Clayton Falls. If it’s possible, I think I’ve fallen in love with the coastal North Carolina town.
7. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
I’m working on a companion novel to Derailed. It’s called Veer and features some characters from the first book. After I finish, I’ll be working on additional books in both my Paranormal Romance and YA Fantasy series.
8. Are you a Pantser or Plotter? Why?
I’m a mix of both. I love having a good solid outline, but sometimes I just have to turn over control to the characters and let them determine the direction of the story.
9. Do you have any tricks to your trade, bottomless coffee, a magic pen, a special muse?
I write best with a hot cup of coffee and some good music. I actually start building playlists long before I’m ready to write a book.
10. If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would it be and why?
I’d love to be Charlotte from my Afterglow Trilogy for a day. I’d love to discover a hidden world through a gate in my backyard.
When you’re lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.
Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.
Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.
