I thoroughly enjoyed their first book but then had so many questions (how can people co-author - that's so impressive!), so let's get going!
How do you choose the ideas for your books?
The Plus One series was Lisa-Marie's idea. Because she loves the movies Pretty Woman and The Wedding Date, she thought a fake-dating romance would be fun to write. From there, she came up with the premise for Men in Books Aren't Better. Amanda thought it was brilliant, and the story was born.
Aww, yes, I can see how those films could have inspired you, but it's one thing to imagine it, quite another to write it, so how do you navigate two people writing a novel together?
In each of our novels, we tell the story from a dual point of view. Typically, Lisa-Marie is the creative mind behind the female main character, while Amanda portrays the male main character.
As pantsers, we tend not to outline our plots but rather fly by the seat of our pants. Hence, Lisa-Marie will write a chapter for the woman and then send the draft to Amanda. Then, after reading what the female character is up to, Amanda will write the man’s chapter, and the story evolves through this back-and-forth, making the journey through each plot an adventure for both of them.
Oh wow, what a creative way to build the story! It must be fun when one of you writes something unexpected 😁 There must be some rules though, like do you create profiles for characters including appearance, characteristics, etc.?
We pick a guy that we're both attracted to, usually an actor or singer, and create a whole background and profile for them. From there, we pick a female character we think would suit the guy, and do the same for her. As for their names, we use baby name websites from whatever country we've chosen them to come from.
Moving onto the publishing side of things, why did you decide to go the traditional route?
When we began our journey, we needed the extra validation from an agent and a publisher that our story had merit; therefore, we went the traditional publishing route.
That's understandable, and as agents/ traditional publishers are so hard to secure, that shows the quality of your writing, so congratulations to you both! Can you tell me more about your editing process?
Once we've finished a first draft, we will review it several times and read it out loud before sending it to beta readers. Once we've received their feedback, we make the necessary changes and send it to our editor, Leanne Morgena, at The Wild Rose Press. Leanne will note any more corrections we need to make, and we will go through the manuscript several more times, back and forth, until she is happy with it.
In our opinion, a good editor, like Leanne, is worth their weight in gold. She has taught us so much—how to look for repeated words, implied prepositional phrases, and active wording. We would not be where we are without her.
Editors are definitely the unsung heroes of publishing! Talking about professionals, do you get involved in your cover design?
Because we are with a small traditional press, they commission the cover artists. We are allowed some input, but ultimately, the publisher has the final decision.
That seems fair enough. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers, such as pitfalls to avoid?
Common mistakes we've seen is writers not utilising beta readers instead of friends and family, not considering feedback or taking critiques personally and being offended instead of contemplating the advice and putting it to good use. We will also stress again, that a good editor is key.
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I definitely think writers need to develop a thick skin, as you put your life and soul in your books, and criticism can be hard to take. But the right words from someone who knows what they're talking about makes all the difference.
And talking of which, you've won a ton of awards (just see the graphic!). Can you tell me about them?
Men In Books Aren't Better has received the book of the month award from Long and Short Reviews, the Gold Literary Titan Book Award, was a finalist in the NEST awards, a finalist in the International Book Awards, a finalist in the National Excellence in Romance Fiction awards, a finalist in the Independent Author Network, and won romance book of the year from the Mid-Atlantic Region Authors.
Just What the Doctor Hired won second place in The BookFest Awards' 2025 competition, first place in the 2025 International Impact Book Awards in Romance, and is a current running semi-finalist for the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
Wow! I mean, wow, what an achievement! So you're riding on a high, great at what you do and being recognised for it, but what about marketing? It seems to be the least-favourite part of the process for many authors, so what do you find works best for you?
First, a Goodreads giveaway - we gave away 5 paperbacks for the $100 fee, and had over 4k people enter in return. This puts our book on their "to be read" lists and was great exposure.
Second, a Cravebooks email pull. Cravebooks puts together email pulls with giveaways by genre. It's affordable and works well.
Thank you, that's so generous of you to share! And for people who haven't read your work yet, please can you give me a quick summary of them both?
Tagline for Men in Books Aren't Better:
In the city of high stakes. Love isn’t just a gamble. It’s the ultimate jackpot!
However you read—print, eBook, or audiobook—Men in Books Aren’t Better
Book 1 in the Plus One series, brings sizzling chemistry, witty banter, and a swoony book boyfriend. All the heat without the spice! See more here
Tagline for Just What the Doctor Hired:
One rule- no men. One problem- him! She swore off love. He swore off scandal. Fate prescribed otherwise.
Available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook coming soon! See more here
To find out more, please visit their website at www.NelsonPotter.com
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