Interview with Enni Amanda, author of Coffee on Waihi Beach
From Finland to New Zealand: Enni Amanda is here to tell us about her experiences as a travelling writer and her sweet romance, Coffee on Waihi Beach.
As a Finnish expat living in New Zealand, you practically relocated half a world away! How much of your experience inspired Coffee on Waihi Beach?
A lot! When writing this book, I remember I had a feeling I wanted to record the magic of first arriving in New Zealand as those memories were already fading. So, I put a lot of my first impressions into it.
I liked the idea of someone looking for a piece of themselves on the other side of the planet, and accidentally falling in love. I also love Waihi Beach and really wanted to write a story based in that town.
Your blurb had me at "Kiwi-style flirting". What's that all about? How much of real life made it into your book?
I have a good friend I met at film school who introduced himself by talking about his freakishly long nipple hair. To this day, I don’t know if that was an attempt at flirting or comedy, or maybe both, and I’ve since had other similar encounters.
In my experience, Kiwi guys tend to veer towards the odd rather than play it safe, but this might just be a feature of my own personal bubble as I’ve spent my life within the creative industries.
This novel is a sweet romance, but you write steamy romances too. How do your readers on either side of the sweet/steamy divide respond to this? Do you have a favourite type of romance you like to write?
I never made the conscious decision to start writing spicy / open-door books. In fact, I’ve never actually ‘closed the door’ so to speak; my first books just focus on the love story before it turns physical, so the spicy part sort of happens after the happy ending.
And I tend to think that if it’s not a critical part of the story, it doesn’t have to be described in detail. I’m open to writing a sweeter book again one day if I get an idea for a story like that.
I love writing slow burn. My last two books also have fake dating – particularly My Lucky Star, which explores the universal fantasy of falling in love with a movie star, but in the world of Turkish dizies.
What are your philosophies on romance, love and sex, and how do they manifest in your books?
I believe in love at first sight, in terms of instant attraction we can’t always explain. It’s magical, and fun to write about. But I also believe love is a choice you make, not a feeling – this is something you learn after 20 years of marriage. I love experiencing those butterflies again by reading and writing, but I also love having the stability of a long-term relationship and that mature, time-tested kind of love. As for sex, I think reading and writing romance is a great way to spice up a long marriage. Highly recommend!
When I write, I try to just sense my way through and trust the story. Some couples have a lot of chemistry, some have more sexual tension. I always try to put off writing the sexy scene until there’s no other way forward. Then I know it’s needed, and it’s part of the story. I don’t set myself goals in terms of how many open door scenes a book should have, or worry about it too much.
I know my readers are there for the romance, not the explicit content. There’s so much to choose from out there and the scale goes up quite a bit from whatever level my books are.
You were on the road for quite some time. What was it been like balancing an itinerant homelife with your writing AND design businesses?
Even since we arrived back in New Zealand, it’s been easier. However, earlier this year I started a new design business with a friend I used to work with, so that’s been a whirlwind of learning and growing. It’s been great to share the workload, though, and add more variety to my schedule.
When travelling, I was only doing book cover design (and writing on the side), but now we have some local clients and jobs that connect me to where I currently am.
After last year’s travelling, I really appreciate having a permanent address of some kind and some routines, especially for the kids. They make creativity possible. The vagabond lifestyle sounds exciting and creative, but in the end, living out of a suitcase or a camper van is so taxing on a daily basis it leaves very little creative energy or even time.
Finally, you've put out 7 books now, all written, designed and published by you. What have you learned from all of this?
My most recent epiphany is that I need to honour my own strengths and weaknesses as an author, especially when it comes book marketing. There are so many formulas and so much advice out there that completely overlook the fact that we’re all different. We thrive in different ways, and there are many paths to success (and failure). If a certain social media channel, release schedule, advertising platform, or strategy doesn’t feel natural, then it’s not for you. Whatever it is that you do for book marketing, you need to be able to keep doing it, keep showing up, month after month. It needs to be sustainable, which means it needs to come naturally.
At the beginning of my publishing journey, I was listening to a lot of advice that ultimately didn’t suit my sensibilities. I’d force myself to make reels in a certain way, or try to plan and write in a certain way. It always felt like fitting a square peg in a round hole. Now I’m trying to go with the flow. I may never sell many books, but at least I’ll be enjoying the journey.
Coffee on Waihi Beach by Enni Amanda
A product of a holiday fling, Ingrid is definitely not planning to have one.
She travels from Finland to New Zealand with one goal - to find her father, a mystery man her mother met on Waihi Beach twenty-four years ago.
But, locating a man she only knows the first name of, is no easy feat. Nor is traveling on a budget, sharing a sleeper van with a strange German girl, or scoring a job in a cafe with zero barista skills. And the hardest of all feats is resisting the charms of the gorgeous barista, Declan.
A law student from a wealthy family, Declan struggles with his 'white privilege'. Attracting women is far too easy, and nobody seems to move the needle for him. Determined to prove he's not just a pretty face, Declan sets out to help his awkward friend Kurt to win the girl for once. The cute Finnish girl with secrets, and a penchant for getting in trouble. She's intriguing. But, Declan can be a good friend. He can let this one go. Or, can he?
From the coffee culture to Kiwi-style flirting, everything In New Zealand is new and exciting. It's going to be summer, and Christmas, to remember.
A feel-good, sweet rom-com set against the dreamy, silvery backdrop of New Zealand East Coast.
About Enni Amanda
I write sweet & sexy romantic comedies set in New Zealand and beyond. I love complex characters, fascinating locations, high tension, and wanderlust-inducing adventure. Each of my books is its own little universe and explores a unique theme. Thanks for joining me on my author journey!