All About: Binding Bricks by Ami Spencer

Sep 17, 2024 | All About the Books

Binding Bricks

by Ami Spencer

Released: Sep 17, 2024

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Why this book and why now?

This book was a combination of a few different ideas which I’d had swimming around my brain. The second chance of Mica and Grace had been there for a while and while I love a second chance romance, I wanted it to be a little different in the fact that they barely had their first chance.

And then I had the idea of Grace being a mother, and a mother to an neurodivergent child, because that’s something which is very personal to me. During the first draft of the book, we were going through the process of trying to get a referral and assessment for our own child. There’s a strange dichotomy of frustration and love which comes with wanting the best for a child but not knowing how to give it sometimes. Grace was an outlet for that in some respects.

What is a significant way your book has changed since either the first draft or the way you thought it would turn out when you first had the inspiration?

So much!

This book went through a significant rewrite because, in the words of my editor, there was “too much unresolved angst”! And while I love angst, I love the resolution to it and the satisfaction of giving my characters their happy ever after. And I always worry about doing justice to the issues they face, so in the rewrite I completely removed one of the side plots and focussed more on Grace and her journey.

Don’t worry though. Those words aren’t lost and will be making an appearance in another guise!

What TV show would your main character(s) most likely binge watch and why?

That’s easy because it’s right there in the book! Both Mica and Grace are massive Doctor Who fans… no idea where that came from! 😉

What 3 things would your main character want with them if they got stranded away from civilization, and why?

Lego. A notebook. Pens.

Publishing a book is a huge accomplishment and it’s time to party! Choose a celebratory beverage for one of your main characters to toast the release of your new book.

Well, Mica doesn’t drink, but they’d invite their best friend Debs along who would happily share a nice crisp dry white wine with Grace.

Meet Ami Spencer

Ami Spencer has always been writing in some way or another, but it wasn’t until long, lonely night feeds with their second baby that they started to take it seriously.

Originally from Norfolk, they now live just outside Halifax, with their partner, two children, Bracken the Red Fox Lab and Macavity the Bengal cat, both of which can regularly be seen on their Twitter feed, impeding them in some way from writing.

During the day they work as a Quality Assurance Officer, which perfectly suits their fastidious (some would say picky) nature. Prior to that, they have been a Forensic Scientist, school lab technician and expert pint puller.

When not working, writing or child-wrangling, they can usually be found reading (either as a beta reader, or indulging in Thasmin or Talder fanfiction), binging their favourite boxsets (Doctor Who, The West Wing, Fort Salem to name but a few). or partaking in a gin and tonic. If they have the energy, and the Yorkshire weather is being kind, you can find them taking a walk; be it strolling around Shibden Park or a scramble through the craggs at Hebden Bridge.

On their social media you can usually find them complaining about something, speaking up about mental health, or waffling on about Doctor Who.

As for their writing, they love to write (and read) about sapphic love set amongst the struggles of real life; they are currently working on ideas dealing with topics such as depression, autism, coming out as non-binary, post-natal depression and PTSD.