Interview With A Dreamchaser, Amy Neff
Welcome to Interview with a Dreamchaser, a series where dreamchasers share their tips on living with big dreams.
This month Amy Neff joins us. Her debut novel, The Days I Loved You Most, explores what it means to love someone for a lifetime, and the sacrifices we make for that love, which is out July 30 from Park Row Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. It is also being published in the UK by Bloomsbury, and being translated into 19 languages worldwide. Connect with her on social media, or preorder Amy’s novel on her website. Her Substack, The (Writing) Chat, features four debut authors who discuss the creative life and the true power of women supporting women.
Tell me about a time you had to start over, or a dream you accomplished.
I started writing this book over ten years ago, when I was twenty-two years old. The first five years it was a project I turned to for fun, without any pressure, to see where it would take me. The second five years I pursued this dream of publishing with all I had. After two rounds of rejections from literary agents, I hired a developmental editor. With her guidance, I tackled a page one rewrite, basically starting over at the beginning, that took me nine months (and tracked almost to the day with my first pregnancy and son being born, but that’s a story for another time!). Each time I thought I was done, that I had taken the manuscript as far possible, another batch of rejections came through, and I revised again, and again. All in all, it was ten revisions over ten years to a dream come true.
A career artist must hustle to sell themselves and their work. What’s your #1 Hustle Tip?
Take your creative life seriously, even if no one else does. Even if there is no one asking you to do so, even when you are actively getting rejected. Know you won’t fail as long as you don’t quit. There were so many years I made sacrifices of my time and my sleep to move my novel along, without any guarantee of success. I woke up (and still do) at 4 am to have time before my little ones are awake. I revised despite newborns and toddlers and juggling two boys under two in a pandemic. Surround yourself with people who support your dream. Don’t worry about the ones who don’t. There is always a way forward, and step by step, little by little, doors will open.
What big hurdle did you overcome to reach your goal?
Breaking into the publishing industry was the hardest part for me. I had an incredibly long journey querying agents for this one book. Five years. Around one hundred and thirty rejections. It was a mental game, and it took willingness to go back to the page again and again, year after year. But I always believed this story would resonate with people if I could just break through. And now it is the lead title for my Big 5 publishing imprint, and will be sold in the US, Canada, UK, as well as translated in 19 languages (and counting!).
What’s the main lesson you learned?
Mindset is everything. If you have a negative mindset about your success, you will have a negative outcome, and/or you will not be able to fully enjoy the positive outcomes you do achieve. Work on your craft, but work on your mindset too. It is the thing that will prepare you best for all that the creative life will throw your way, and the only way to keep moving forward with joy and gratitude despite the challenges you will inevitably face.
Do you have another goal or dream?
Oh, so many! I have just scratched the surface of where I want to go. I want to continue to write books, continue to reach readers, and explore other types of writing. I would also love to teach in some capacity, through workshops or writing retreats to give back a bit of what I’ve learned along the way.
Very encouraging….
Mindset does matter.