Indie Support Sunday: Andrea D’Alessio

Learning about my fellow indie authors is always such a treat and that’s why I’m so thrilled to know that Andrea D’Alessio used to work production in television! While she might have been bitten by the writing bug in fourth grade, it went from her writing a chapter book (instead of a short story) to studying and working in scripted television! And now we’re the lucky people who get to have her amongst us.

While Andrea and I only connected recently, we have something in common—we like doing household chores and decluttering to clear our minds! I empty my cupboards and Andrea reorganises her pantry. For those who have never tried this, take our word for it, it works.

Her debut, Hold Me Instead, is inspired by her own struggle and journey with pelvic floor dysfunction. I love when authors tap into their own experiences to write their stories, because it not only teaches us something new, the writing is more authentic. While she’s writing the second book in the series, you can pick up the first in Kindle Unlimited right now!

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

I’ve always loved reading. I’m sure I didn’t fully understand it when I was so young, but the thoughts and feelings getting lost in a good book invoked was thrilling. The connection to those stories was real. My mind was always wandering, but when I read, I felt my imagination become part of something even bigger. 

In fourth grade, we had to write a story. Whatever the assignment was, I know it was supposed to be short, except mine became a chapter book. I kept writing, so much so that I didn’t have it done by the due date. Honestly, I don’t remember what the end result was—just that I knew I wanted to be an author. 

When I was in middle school, writing evolved into wanting to write screenplays, which is actually the route I studied in college. But after almost a decade working production in television, I stepped away to work on my writing; and started reading romance. Why had it taken me so long to jump into the genre?! I’d call myself a lifelong romantic, for sure. Had crushes at an early age, was thrilled by love stories… At any rate, it probably hit me at the right time. Not long after devouring many books in the genre, I came up with the idea for my first series. 

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author? 

The freedom to pursue what I want to write, and at the pace that works for me, is the best. It’s allowed me to focus on stories I’m feeling in the moment, and as a result, I can draw from a really raw place. Along with that freedom is choosing the people you want to work with, and connecting with so many others in the book community that you might not get the chance to otherwise.

The worst part for me is marketing being solely in my hands. Oh my God I hate it  I wasn’t a big social media person before, so having to do all that, put myself out there, come up with new post ideas and follow trends or not follow trends… It’s very draining for me, and time consuming. I don’t mind tinkering with posts, but I easily lose track of time, or start to second-guess what I’m working on, or get bored… It’s just a lot for my brain  I’m looking forward to when I can work with someone who will help me lock down which quotes to focus on and what hooks to use. Not my strength! But I’m trying, and I gotta hope I’ll get a little better with each book. Fingers crossed!

Again though, marketing has allowed me to connect with a lot of people in the book community, and that has been truly amazing. 

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

Well, I submitted to numerous agents and got rejected, so some of it was decided for me.  However, I’ve always had a soft spot for indie publishing (much like the indie film industry), so the appeal to pursue the self-publishing route was strong. The freedom and flexibility are huge factors, especially when it ties into being able to tell the story I want, and in the way I want to. After the birth of my son though, I was ready to let go of my story and release it into the world. So, I dove into learning more of the ins and outs of self-publishing!

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

Reading is huge for getting my brain on track, but it’s not my default. I have to be in the right spot mentally, otherwise the comparison game comes into play, and that helps no one! So oftentimes, I’ll go for a walk, work in the garden, or watch something with a lot of heart. 

Actually, now that I think of it, sometimes I’ll reorganize the pantry. I think the endorphins of decluttering a physical space helps clear my mind as well. Oh, also moving furniture around .

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

Oh gosh. Since having my little guy, the last couple years have been much slower with reading, so I’m going to share some of my older recs. (My TBR is huge!!)

These authors approach the genre in a way that I love: Alisha Rai’s Forbidden Hearts series, India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels series, Talia Hibbert’s The Brown Sisters series, A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole got me started on her Reluctant Royals series… Kate Clayborn and Penny Reid were early reads of the genre that I just devoured!

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

1. Celebrate! There are so many steps along the way–including learning about all the other hats you’ll wear in addition to being an author–but big or small, each one is an accomplishment. Each one is worth recognizing how far you’ve come. Tearing yourself open and stitching yourself back together with the beautiful embroidery of a story—nothing compares to that. There’s personal growth, even some heartbreak. It can be volatile. Give yourself grace when you’re struggling, and trust that the story will happen when it’s supposed to. You have to be a certain version of you for that story to be ready! For instance, there’s no way I could have told my very personal debut ten years ago. I had growth and healing to do before I could finally move forward with it.

2. Slowly start connecting with and uplifting your peers. I’m a quiet person until you get to know me, and even in an online space, I felt like I was hugging the walls a lot of the time. But eventually, after some genuine comments here and there on posts that I connected with, I started to form some great friendships. Let it happen organically, that’s how the truest relationships start!

3. Remember that one person’s schedule or discipline for writing will not be yours. You’re allowed to write and create in the way that works for you, and it doesn’t make you any less of a writer.

4. Reach out to people in your life and the book community to give you thoughtful feedback on your story before you hit publish. Hire a dev editor or Alpha reader to help you break through tough story spots. Work with sensitivity readers. There are ways to do it on a budget. But you want what’s best for your story, and knowing that you’ve put in the work to ensure that you’re handling topics with care and not unintentionally causing harm, that’s of utmost importance. 

5. Don’t let “bad” reviews rule you! Make sure you set up what’s healthy for you in terms of looking or not looking at reviews in the first place. Yes, having people read and love your work is amazing. That wouldn’t happen without you writing in the first place. Any review means your work reached someone in some way, and everyone reviews based on their own personal viewpoints and experiences, after all. Most importantly though, remember what my therapist told me long ago: Your worth and value isn’t determined by what people think of your work. That’s something for you to decide.

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

I’m a lifelong romantic. From as far back as I can remember, I’ve loved love. Romance has always been romantic in my mind—in the way that life gets involved and makes it a bit messy, which to me increases its passion and depth. Reading the genre helped pull me out of a difficult time, with its beauty and hope and flawed people embracing one another and finding love. I knew I’d write stories with heart, but it wasn’t until I dove into reading romance that the lightbulb went on to pursue the genre. As I started developing my first series, I wondered why I hadn’t considered it in the first place! (Society. Society stifled my exposure and awareness. That’s maybe for another time ha) 

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

Mystery! My goal is to venture into the genre someday, though it might be a cozy mystery romance because now I don’t think I can help it!

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

Favorite tropes are enemies to lovers, fake relationship and grumpy/sunshine. My least favorite…I guess I don’t really read dark romance with their common tropes, but never say never.

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

Well, I have an enemies to lovers in the works, as well as a fake relationship… I’d actually really love to try a marriage of convenience trope someday.

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

Women’s health—the indie world does a great job tackling that, but we can never have too much.

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

I write open door. My debut is a very slow burn due to the FMC’s vaginismus, so it’s lower in spice than Book 2 for instance. But I chose to write open door to contribute to the positive image of sex for women. Growing up, that was not the case for me, and I know many others experienced the same. Sex was celebrated for men, it was feared for women, it was supposed to be sacred, religion weighed heavily... Unlearning a lot of what society wanted me to believe growing up was a big adjustment to make, of course. Embracing my body and my sexuality was imperative to my growth and healing, and I wanted to share more of that. Of the beauty that can be found in sexual relationships, but also just raw feelings, because that’s also valid!

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

My debut was heavily inspired by my own personal struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction. Focusing on that was something I slowly came around to. When I first started building the series eight years ago, I was going to have a FMC who was a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor treatment. My own psychotherapist asked me at the time, “What about her having vaginismus?” I knew immediately, felt it in my body, that that was the terrifying choice.

But also the right one! I had to build up the courage to do so, but honestly, it became part of my healing journey as well. I was ready to hit publish, to move forward. I think I finally believed what my FMC did–that my vaginismus doesn’t define me.

Overall, I knew I wanted to write stories full of heart, connection, and mental and women’s health rep. Plus animals! I’ve been building my series ever since, and have two spinoff series in the works as well!

Can you briefly tell me about your debut?

My debut Hold Me Instead follows two veterinarians thrown back together after years apart to help take care of the local veterinary clinic. For Charlie Harris, after struggling with vaginismus, romance for her seems inconceivable. For Zachary Young, after a divorce left him unemployed and feeling unwanted, love for him isn’t meant to be. 

What these old friends don’t expect as they reconnect, is how much they want to prove to the other that they’re deserving of love. If they can move forward from their pasts, maybe they can hold on to each other instead. 

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

Hmm of the characters that have been introduced, I love Amber and her don’t-hold-back approach. It’s something I admire. But she also cracks me up!

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

A lot, spread throughout all my characters it seems! For Hold Me Instead MCs specifically: Charlie’s anxiety isn’t showcased to the level that I experience, though some of it is alluded to. Of course, we have vaginismus in common. And then when you get down to the quirky and goofy awkwardness, that is for sure me. But my husband says I’m charming! As for Zachary, I relate a lot to his determination to handle things a certain way, to want to come in and fix things.

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

Following a big family. You know, where each sibling gets their story… That’s all I’ll say for now.

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

Humor mixed with a focus on mental and women’s health.

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

I’m working on Book 2 of my Elmwood Falls series, which I plan to release next year. And also the first book of one of my spinoff series might be happening soon as well…

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

First, I have to say thinking about “my readers” is an amazing thing to consider. Like…wow. I feel so fortunate! It’s a dream come true, literally! What I’ve always wanted is for people to feel a connection. To feel a range of emotions that reminds them what it means to be human, to have love in your life in all its forms, to fight, to ache, to have the opportunity to learn and understand others. And overall, to feel understood and less alone. That sounds like a lot, but it’s what reading has done for me my whole life, so if I can achieve any of that for one person, I will be damn proud.

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

• Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks—I’d vote for paperbacks too but my hands hurt too much these days!!

• Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense

• Single or Dual POV

• Standalones, series or standalones in a series

• Open door, ajar door or closed door romances

• Music or silence when writing—or ocean sounds!

• Plotter, pantser or plantser

• Water, tea, coffee or….wine?—(Tho i enjoy a nice glass of wine ​)

• Cold or warm weather—like enough for a sweatshirt and leggings, to curl up with a blanket.

• Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?

• Illustrated or photo cover?

Andrea can be found on Instagram, Threads and Pinterest. You can also check out her website to stay updated!