“I was in a few plays, but I hated auditions, because of the rejections,” she says.

“And living in New York, the expense was overwhelming.”

She worked as a sales rep for a wine distributor. “But I was terrible at sales, and I was laid off in 2008.”

A friend suggested she should write a book. She tried young-adult (YA) fantasy. “It was bad, but I loved it, so I applied to grad school.”

When the pandemic hit, Amy had published five YA fantasy books: a trilogy and a duology. 

The fifth came out in March 2020, and it didn’t sell during covid.

Depressed, Amy spent summer 2020 in Cape Cod. She was furiously writing fantasy for adults and children, but getting nowhere.

“I decided to write something joyful. In 2017, I’d been to Inishmore by myself. I spent a special few days there, and felt I fitted.”

Back in Cape Cod in summer 2021, Amy wrote Worth a Shot. “I wrote it for myself,” she says. “It saved my sanity.”

Date/place of birth: 1982/ Boston, Massachusetts.

Education: School in Norwood near Boston; New York University, BA in theatre; The New School, New York, MFA in creative writing.

Home: New York.

Family: Partner José; rescue Chihuahua, Sam.

The day job: Freelance editor. “I also self-publish under a pen name.”

In another life: “I wish I could draw; my mother is a wonderful watercolourist.”

Favourite writers: Roald Dahl; Louisa May Alcott; Tolkien; David Mitchell; Beth O’Leary; Barbara Kingsolver.

Second book: “I have an idea for another romance.”

Top tip: “Embrace your first draft. The more fun you can have the better; it’s not meant to be perfect.”

Website: www.amyewingbooks.com

Instagram: @Amyewingbooks

The debut

Worth a Shot

Eriu, €15.99/ Kindle, €2.60

Escaping her life in New York, photographer Cordelia James flees to Inishmore, where she meets Niall, a grumpy chef whose heart is broken. 

Initially hostile to each other, as the summer progresses, and Cordelia gets drawn into island life, their feelings start to change.

The verdict: A gorgeous, heartfelt, feelgood romance.