Amy Dressler
Author Interview - Amy Dressler
Author of The Best Advice
A contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Rosalind is an advice columnist who is far more comfortable fixing other people’s problems than dealing with her own.
Meddling in other people’s business is kind of her thing. Rosalind writes a popular advice column in a magazine, passed down by her recently deceased mother. When she butts heads with her editor over a letter response, she loses her job and inherited byline—the only things holding back the full weight of her grief.
To keep writing advice, Rosalind establishes a fake identity with a male pen name at the dubious suggestion of her friends, retreating to a small town on the water. She starts an advice column for a local newspaper using her new pseudonym.
The unexpected online success of her new column exacerbates her penchant for unsolicited meddling. This threatens to damage her relationships with family and friends.
It also complicates her budding romance with ruggedly handsome travel television star Andy Arden. He’s gorgeous, he’s outdoorsy, and he writes her (terrible) poetry. But he also thinks “Gavin,” the guy giving him relationship advice via text, and his new love interest are two different people…
Rosalind juggles it all because her advice is always right. Usually right. Would you settle for sometimes right? Can she outgrow her game-playing and confront her grief in time to untangle the mess she’s made of her personal and professional life?
Author Interview - Amy Dressler
Author I draw inspiration from:
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner showed me the kind of story I deserved to write--and to live. She followed that debut with solid career of books about wise, resilient women, with plenty of humor along with resonant emotional stories.
Author Interview - Amy Dressler | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
When it's warm, my backyard hammock--it's far enough away from distractions so it's just me, my book, and the wind in the leaves overhead. My sister lives next door and we put a gate in our fences, so sometimes she'll let her dog over for a little visit--that's one welcome interruption! In the winter, I like to read in a comfy chair with a blanket and a cat or two.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Patrick, from The Guncle by Steven Rowley. I'm reserved and a little awkward but it doesn't take much to draw me out of my shell and I'm sure Patrick would do it in two seconds. We'd have a fun conversation and maybe a little dance party.
Author Interview - Amy Dressler | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I very clearly remember choosing "author" as a someday career for a middle school assignment. We'd just read To Kill a Mockingbird and I was inspired by the story itself and Harper Lee's drive to write, but it took me several years to work up the courage to do my own writing, and even more to switch from blogging to fiction.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
There is nothing like a hardback for the sensory experience, you really feel like, "I am Reading A Book!" when you pick one up. But they're not ideal for someone who never goes anywhere without a book but doesn't like to carry a big bag. Controversial take--I'm a dust jacket remover. I don't like how they make the book slip around in my hands when I'm reading.
Paperbacks are a good compromise because they're easy to slip into a purse, but I find sometimes strangers interrupt to ask about what I'm reading--I love talking about books but sometimes I just want to be left alone to read.
With ebooks, I miss the tactile experience of holding a book, but they are so convenient, especially for travel! I used to devote a quarter of my suitcase to paperbacks because I was afraid I'd "run out of book" on vacation.
My mind wanders if I try to do too much when I'm listening to an audiobook and then I miss things, but I have found they are great for my morning walk or a jigsaw puzzle. I like to choose lighter reads or celebrity memoirs for audio, and am very loyal to certain narrators.
The last book I read:
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout. Her writing amazes me--it's so simple but there is a lot of emotion behind the words. I don't know how she does it! Although I liked this book, it was not one of my favorites of hers--it covers the first year or so of the Covid-19 pandemic and that still feels like I time I don't want to visit.
I love how Strout has returned to Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge and can't wait to see them together in her new book. I would love to do something similar with my books and snuck a tiny Easter egg from How to Align the Stars into The Best advice. I can't wait to see if any readers catch it.!
Author Interview - Amy Dressler | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer almost exclusively! I know many writers who swear by drafting freehand, but to me it seems like a pen is not connected to my writer brain--only a keyboard works, probably because I feel like I need to get words out quickly and I can type much faster than I write. I even named by newsletter "A Little Qwerty" because of my attachment to keyboard writing.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Laurie from Flying Solo by Linda Holmes. Honestly, if she were real we would definitely be friends. We both live in the Seattle area, have firm ideas about balancing independence and partnership, are librarians, and enjoy minor shenanigans.
Author Interview - Amy Dressler | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I'm so lucky that I get to do both of my dream careers, kind of. I pursued librarianship as a career and currently work with local government records, a career I'd be very happy with on its own if I weren't also driven to tell stories.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I am so happy nineties trends are back! Overalls, Doc Martens, flannel--I'm in fashion heaven. The other day I bought a colorblock button-up that might be the exact replica of a shirt I owned in 1994. I also love midcentury fashion and even made it a research topic for a book character, but nineties clothes are much more practical for everyday wear.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I want to go to coastal Italy--Positano, Liguria, Palermo--drink espresso in the morning and Aperol spritzes in the afternoon, wear fabulous sundresses, and swim in the sea. This is a location that keeps coming up entertainment I'm enjoying--In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, the Pixar movie Luca, The White Lotus, Stanley Tucci's travel series. The Elena Ferrante Neopolitan novels have me curious to visit Naples, although they definitely don't romanticize the city.
My signature drink:
Coffee is my favorite but I have to limit myself to one a day. I used to drink a shocking amount of Diet Coke but have kicked that habit. Now after I've had my coffee I just stick to water and seltzer.
Favorite artist:
Dar Williams--beautiful music, lyrics that could be published as poetry, great storyteller. "Whispering Pines" is on the playlist for The Best Advice and my first book, How to Align the Stars featured a drive along the Columbia River because of her song, "Emerald."
Number one on my bucket list:
I want to do a walking tour in England, where I'd just spend days traipsing across the countryside like a Brontë heroine. (Ideally, someone else would carry my stuff and bring me snacks.) I'd also like to see Shakespeare performed at the Globe, the Austen sites at Bath and so many other British literary landmarks.
Anything else you'd like to add:
This was really fun! Great questions.
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/amydresslerwrites
https://www.tiktok.com/@amydresslerwrites
https://bsky.app/profile/amydressler.bsky.social
https://www.facebook.com/amykdressler/
https://www.threads.com/@amydresslerwrites
https://amydressler.substack.com/
About Amy Dressler:
Author Interview with Amy Dressler
Amy Dressler writes witty, engaging contemporary fiction featuring heroines who wrestle their emotional baggage while maintaining a sense of humor. As a literature major, theater nerd, and believer in the cathartic power of humor, Amy has always gravitated toward Shakespeare’s comedies. In the Shakespeare Project, she transposes those stories into contemporary settings that highlight the heroines’ emotional arcs.
Amy is an active member of the Author's Guild, Women's Fiction Writers Association, and the Pacific Northwest Author's Association, where her books have twice been recognized as contest finalists. She holds a certificate in Popular Fiction from the University of Washington, as well as a BA in English from Whitman College and a Master's in Library and Information Science, also from the University of Washington. She spends her days shepherding government documents but has also worked as an academic librarian and freelance pop culture writer.
Amy’s hobbies include barely running (she’s completed ten half marathons, slowly), cooking and baking, hiking, tending her neighborhood Little Free Library, relaxed traveling, and attending live theater. When she’s not writing, Amy can often be found cozied up reading, eating fancy cheese, shopping for fancy cheese, or cooking with fancy cheese. She lives in the Seattle suburbs with her husband, two senior rescue cats, and next door to her sister.
Her love language is jokes.
