Forced Proximity Interview | Stephanie Archer (Vancouver Storm, Queen's Cove)
On being a morning person, loving what you do, and good vibes
That’s right, folks, we do interviews here now! And in honor of last week’s hockey roundup, it made perfect sense to me to queue up my interview with author Stephanie Archer, who you probably know from her latest hockey romance series about the players of the fictional Vancouver Storm team, or perhaps from her quartet of romances set on the fictional Canadian island of Queen’s Cove. Thanks again, Stephanie!
Forced Proximity: Thanks so much for agreeing to doing an interview! Please introduce yourself how you would at a party filled with total strangers, and also, please tell us about your ultimate comfort meal (mine is salsa verde chicken enchiladas).
Stephanie Archer: Bold of you to assume I would willingly go to a party full of total strangers. I'd probably make initial small talk with something like... Hi! I'm Stephanie. I write smutty romance novels. Yes, it is awesome, thank you for saying that. Yes, it is my dream job. I live in Vancouver with my husband and my dog, Abby. This is usually the point where I show people a photo of my dog (also attached). My comfort meal is probably a Brussels sprout pizza from my local pizza place (I know it sounds gross but it's delicious and addictive) or my favourite childhood meal of roast chicken, carrots, and potatoes with a ton of gravy (with apple pie for dessert).Â
How would you explain your latest book [The Fake Out] to a non-romance reader?
I would tell them that the contents of the book are smuttier than they look from the pretty, romantic cover, and then I'd probably veer off into talking about how romance novels are awesome but society tries to make us feel bad for reading them, but that it's okay to read for enjoyment and fun. Then I'd ask their favourite movies and TV shows and try to recommend them some romance novels they'd love, and I'd forget to talk about my book.
How would you explain the same book to a regular reader of romance?
A fake dating, ex's rival hockey romance with a golden retriever who's been into her for years.
What’s something you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing career?
That writing what I love and writing the book I want to read will take me further than writing to please others. Also, to hire a copy-editor and proofreader.Â
What has surprised you about writing professionally?
That it never really gets easier, but I still love it and would do it for free.
What’s your writing routine, if you have one?
I'm a morning person, so after walking my dog, drinking my coffee, and saying hello to my author friends online, I like to get to work. I do 3 "morning pages" of rambling, incoherent thoughts about my book (what I'm struggling with, what I think could be better, or a detailed breakdown of the next chapter I plan to write), before I sit down at my desk and write until about noon. After lunch, I do all my admin, emails, social media, etc.
What hobbies do you have outside of work that aren’t literature-related?
One of my favourite things to do is try new restaurants with Mr. Stephanie! Most days, I can be found out with my dog, exploring trails in my local mountains and forests.Â
Which of your protagonists would you least like to be forced into proximity with? Why?
I'm always in love with the MMC of the book I'm currently writing, so that would be Hayden Owens, my golden retriever himbo on the Vancouver Storm hockey team. He's just so much fun to hang out with!
How do you find new authors and books to try?
I almost exclusively read based on a glowing recommendation, and if I enjoyed the book, I'll start working my way through the author's backlist.
Is there a romance trope that’s an auto-read for you? What about one you’re suspicious of unless a favorite author tries it out?
My auto-read is anything with a rake (I read a lot of historical romance) and extra bonus points if there's a teaching or relationship coach element to it (looking at you, A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare). As for tropes I'm suspicious of, I don't read anything dark or anything with SA on page. It's just not my jam, but I support everyone's desire to read whatever they want!
What were the strategies you employed in the early days of your self-publishing journey? What were your priorities that allowed you to reach the readers who love you, they just didn’t realize it yet?
Calling it a strategy makes it sound like I knew what I was doing. The priority has always been writing the best book I can. I do a little fist-pump of victory when I hear "no skips" about my books, because I work so hard to ensure readers love them. It's a snowball effect from there--my lovely readers shout about my books on social media, to their friends, in reviews, and then those people find my books. It helps that my covers have soft, pretty, fun romantic vibes which fit the books.
In addition to writing romance, you also read and recommend it via your podcast The Torn Bodice Book Report. How did that come about, and how do you and your co-host tend to decide what books/subjects to cover next?
Helen is one of my most trusted romance novel recommenders (as well as closest friends!) because she knows my taste so well. We started this podcast because Helen and I love talking about romance novels. How we choose books fluctuates! Sometimes we decide to read one of our favourites, sometimes it's a book that's so wild we know our listeners will love hearing about it, and sometimes it's a book we've both wanted to read for a long time.
What's a book (doesn't have to be romance!) that you've loved recently?
Joke's on you--I only read romance! As mentioned above, I fell head over heels for A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare.Â
What else do you want readers to know about you and your work, if anything?
My books are lighthearted and fun, written to make you (and me!) feel good.Â
Find more from Stephanie on… her website | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook Group
And make sure to pick up her latest, a fake dating hockey romance, The Fake Out, if you haven’t already!
Next week, I’ll be recommending books with environmentalism at the core (or at least, with characters concerned with conservation and environmentalism)! Until then, hug a tree, don’t buy bottled water, and have a great weekend!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!
Just finished Between Friends and Lovers and it was sexy, romantic and had terrific character work
Great interview! I also have A Week to Be Wicked on my TBR, because it's also a STEM romance since the FMC is a geologist :)