Ashley Poston Talks Cozy Romance and Getting Lost in “A Novel Love Story”

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Ashley Poston is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who captures the attention of readers with her relatable stories of romance and adventure.

As a YA author, Poston has crafted the cute Once Upon a Con series, beloved by those who feel like they don’t necessarily belong and enjoy the art of cosplay, nerd culture and romance. Then, there is her Marvel superhero tale, a Hawkeye television show tie-in called Hawkeye: Bishop Takes King, and a Buffy the Vampire Slayer prequel, The Bewitching Hour (A Tara Prequel). Most recently, her adult novels have taken off, namely her adult debut The Dead Romantics and the acclaimed time-travel love story, The Seven Year Slip.

Her latest release, A Novel Love Story, promises the same engaging and magical writing style. The story is set in a world where literature, a love of stories, and romance collide in a fantastical and realistic way, when one reader finds herself stranded in a town straight out of her favorite romance novel. A Novel Love Story showcases Poston’s passion for beautiful romance stories with a perfect dash of fantasy sprinkled in.

We had the chance to interview Ashley Poston about telling cozy, escapist stories, what fictional world she’d like to be lost in, and all things A Novel Love Story.

From YA to Adult novels, your books are cozy and feel-good romances. Why do you gravitate toward writing romantic, humorous and escapist novels?

There is just something magical about picking up a book and sinking in knowing that everything will turn out good in the end.

Why do you think that readers enjoy these kinds of books? Do you tend to read the same kinds of books you write?

I’m not sure about my readers, but sometimes, I want a book to feel like a warm, weighted blanket — safe and dependable — and there is merit in those kinds of stories, too. Comfort reads are just as important as challenging ones. We need all types to round out our hearts, I think.

Your adult novels, The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip, take place in the world of writing and publishing. Is this a “write what you know” situation, or is there another source of inspiration for your characters and settings?

Ha! There is definitely a bit of “write what you know” here, but mostly I just wanted to tell stories about the people who make stories.

In the upcoming A Novel Love Story, main character Eileen Merriweather is a literature professor and romance novel fanatic who, after a storm, finds herself inside the pages of her favorite romance book. Which book setting or fictional town would you like to get lost in?

Ooh, that’s a tough one. I think I would love to fall into the pages of Margaret Rogerson’s The Mysteries of Thorn Manor, a companion novella to Sorcery of Thorns. There is just something so incredibly lovely about an enchanted and magical manor. I could wander through those halls for years. (Speaking of magical manors, I also wouldn’t say no to being plopped into Howl and Sophie Pendragon’s moving castle, but only on a day when it’s raining in Market Chipping.)

What inspired you to include the fantasy elements in A Novel Love Story? How do the magical elements complicate the romance between Eileen and the bookstore owner?

I’ve always wanted to get lost in a book — and I’ve always loved books about getting lost in books! In A Novel Love Story, I wanted to explore how individual readers carry the stories they read with them, and how those readers — and those stories — change.

What’s up next for you? Any projects or novels that you are excited about and can share with us?

I don’t think I can share my next novel — but I can’t wait until I can!

About the Author:

Ashley Poston writes stories about love and friendship and ever afters. A native to South Carolina, she now lives in a small grey house with her sassy cat and too many books. You can find her on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan-fiction.

Tweet her at @ashposton and find out more about her at www.ashposton.com.