Today’s interview is with USA Today Bestselling author of seductive, addicting, thigh-clenching romance, Ashley Bostock. It was a pleasure getting to learn more about her writing, publishing journey and life outside of that! We hope you enjoy learning more about Ashley and consider picking up one of her books as your next read.

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HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet?

AB: I would say that my writing style is lighthearted, with some humor and I have no problems writing explicit sex scenes or cussing. I tend to write close-knit friends or family and most of the time there is always a grandma.

HG: We all love a grandma figure! That’s fantastic. Tell us a bit about your publishing journey. How did you know you were ready to take on the “author” title?

AB: Unlike a lot of authors who do their research on how to become an author and the do’s and don’ts of publishing, I just went with it. I wrote a book one day and thought I could publish it and I did. I didn’t really know I was taking on the “author” title until a few years and a few more books later.

HG: I love that. You skipped the overthinking bit. What have been the challenges you’ve faced in your publishing career?

AB: There are challenges with every career and I try to remind myself of that. Getting your books into the hands of readers that you know would LOVE your book, is the biggest challenge. You cannot publish a book and be done. It takes a lot of effort to get it into readers hands.

HG: Great point. There truly are challenges with every career. Is there anything you’d do differently? Advice to aspiring authors?

AB: I would probably learn more about the publishing industry and what readers expect, what tropes they like to read, what sells and how to write a book. I would have taken more effort into studying the art of writing. My advice would be to write your heart out and then learn about all the things you need to before hitting publish. To me, writing is like getting older. When you’re new at it (young), you’re fearless and write what you want and what’s from the heart. As you write more (get older) you realize there are certain ways to write and do things and that what you love, may not be what your readers love.

HG: Well said. Tell us a little bit about your actual writing process. Does it differ for each of your different series?

AB: I found that if I have a chapter by chapter outline laid out before I write the book, it helps me stay on track and hit the beats that I need in order to keep my story fresh and moving forward. I have been a person who has sat down and decided to write without having much direction and I’ve learned that they take more time and energy for me to work on rather than having something on hand I can closely follow. I’m not a planner, even thinking about making plans for tomorrow doesn’t sound appealing, but loosely planning a story and knowing the highs and lows has really helped me.

HG: Wonderful! Tell us a bit about your brand new series, The Davenport Family.  What can readers expect? What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish it?

AB: Oh, gosh. I’ve been wanting to write this series since I went to Charleston, SC in 2018. It’s finally here. It took a while, but I’m happy that I’ve finally fit it into my plans. Readers can expect to fall in love with a large family who lives on the water. When they finish, I hope readers will be happy and satisfied and hope that they fall in love with the seven siblings and want to continue reading the series.

HG: For fun, if Hooked on a Feeling were turned into a movie who would you cast?

AB: Chris Evans as John Davenport. I don’t watch Marvel movies or anything like that, so I just discovered Chris Evans (I know, poor me) when I got a People magazine delivered to my house and he was the Sexiest Man Alive and I was like, yes, yes, he is. But can we focus more on the tattoos and see pictures? And Jennifer Lawrence as Starr Young.

HG: Oooh, love those choices! You’ve written several stories that you deem as “quickie reads”. Tell us more about them and who you recommend those books for?

AB: Quickie Reads are just that-quick! You can read them in one sitting, before bedtime. They are spicy short stories that can be used as a palette cleanser after reading a heavy, emotional read. Or they can be read if you have a short amount of time and want that HEA.

The Love Online and Naughty Neighbor series are both full of Quickie Reads. And my single titles All I Want for Christmas, Mr. July and One Summer Night are all Quickie Reads.

HG: That’s awesome and just what many readers are often looking for! What can you tell us about any other projects you have in the works?

AB: I’m not one to switch things up so I am fully focused on my Davenport series right now, which will have seven full length books. The next one releases in February 2023!  

HG: Great! We’ll keep a lookout as that series grows. Switching gears, what do you enjoy doing when not writing?

AB: I like to travel, spend time with my daughters, and watch movies. I like to listen to music and working out.

HG: What was your last 5-star read?

AB: I’m almost finished listening to Radical Confidence by Lisa Bilyeu and I’d give that 5 stars.

HG: I’ve had that one in my cart for a bit, now I think I need to pull the trigger and buy it. If you could ask your author idol one question, what would it be? 

AB: What do you think makes your books more “sticky” for readers compared to other romance books that are similar to yours?

HG: Would love to hear the answer! For fun, before we wrap up, let’s do a fast five! First one…cookies or cake?

AB: Cake

HG: Movie or book?  

AB: Depends on my mood and what the movie is.

HG: Pool or ocean?

AB: Always the ocean, but I’d be okay in a pool overlooking the ocean too. Can’t discount that.

HG: Introvert or extrovert? 

AB: Someone was just explaining to me the real difference between these two, so while I thought I was an introvert…I guess I’m an extrovert. Who knew? I’m shocked.

HG: eBook, print book or audiobook? 

AB: eBook for fiction, audiobook for non-fiction books and print books for book club.

HG: For readers that want to find out more about your stories and keep up with you, where should they go to connect or learn more?

AB: They can find me on Instagram: @ashleybostock, or visit my website.

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