About Amy Trent
Portrait of author, Amy Trent.
Brief Bio
Amy Trent is a long time fan of happily-ever-afters, cookies, and staying up late to write happily-ever-afters and eat cookies. She writes novels and short stories that explore identity, whimsy, and love through the lens of fairy tales and folklore. A woman, a mother, a reader, and a devoted stan of her cat, Amy can think of nothing better than an afternoon of connecting with others over books and creature comforts. Her brand is cozy; her point of view is a slow-burning ember of hope.
Amy has been publishing novels since 2021 and is a 2024 Praiseworthy Award finalist. Her short stories have appeared or will soon appear in The Fairy Tale Magazine, Corvid Queen, and various anthologies. Amy currently lives in Colorado with her family, but the Trents have also called California, Mississippi, and Utah home.
Amy answers Frequently Asked QuestionsÂ
Q: You like cats. So why the peacock?
A: The first novel I ever wrote was the third novel I published, Clever, Cursed, & Storied.
It can take decades to write a book. It can also take only a night. My retelling of “Kate Crackernuts” took decades, and during that time I developed an affinity for peacocks. Peacocks are a symbol that makes a lot of sense when you get into the meat of Clever, Cursed, & Storied, which I won’t do here because spoilers. So I’ll just say that peacocks are undeniably pretty, all my favorite colors, and whimsical creatures.
Q: Does the peacock have a name?
A: Of course! His name is Martin Martin, after Steve Martin and Martin Short, but he goes by Marty. Marty was designed by the genius, Alisa Coburn. She’s amazing. I dream of Alisa designing everything in my life. All of it. She’s a gem.
Q: What’s up with all the cookies?
A: You can’t go wrong with a warm, homemade cookie. They’re amazing, delicious, and so photogenic. I vote for cookies. I stop for cookies. Always. I get into seasons where I crave a particular cookie, make it over and over, and then another cookie comes along. But I love all cookies equally, and even include bars and brownies in that love. I don’t play favorites, but if I must, I’ll say there is something very special about a homemade sugar cookie with homemade butter cream frosting. I especially enjoy these cookies at Halloween.
Amy with her childhood cat, Herbert, circa 1995.
Q: Do you have a favorite fairy tale?
A: I am an 80s kid, and old enough to remember life without Disney’s iteration of many classic fairy tales. So before I was literate, picture books were my how I got my fairy tale fix. I had this anthology when I was a preschooler, and it included the tale of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”. The illustrations were gorgeous and so very 80s glam. But then the story was captivating. I am blessed to have two sisters and seven sisters-in-law. Sisters are pretty fantastic. Imagining twelve sisters (and their clothes and their shoes) is also pretty fantastic. Can I just say, I love how important shoes are to so many fairy tales–Cinderalla, red shoes, twelve dancing princesses, puss in boots, the elves and the shoe maker–footwear is amazing. So this fairy tale had a lot going for it, add in an unlikely hero, an invisibility cloak, romance, intrigue, and an HEA and it becomes my favorite fairy tale for the first twenty-two years of my life.
Amy in a field of poppies circa 2017.
Q: Any particular reason for the flowers all over your website?
A: Only that they make me happy.
Q: Favorite place you’ve traveled?
A: I’ve been lucky. I’ve been to some pretty spectacular places that feel like they are right out of a fairy tale. Taking the kiddos to Japan for Thanksgiving 2023, currently tops my list. Japan is a special. It’s really easy for me to get emotional about what traveling there has meant for me. Kyoto is beautiful. Tokyo is a marvel. The food is to die for. The people are so cool, so chic. The natural beauty is unbelievable. The aesthetics, the whimsy, the beauty, the priorities–I love all of it.
Q: Is there something we should know about you and art museums?
A: Art museums are my happy place. You know in Hamilton when they sing , “I want to be in the room where it happens?” Art is my room where it happens. I get to be part of the conversation whenever I’m at a museum. It’s fun to explore and appreciate the wonders men and (not enough) women have spent their lives creating. I have cried ugly tears over art. I have also been so overjoyed to see particular sculptures/paintings that I could have sailed away on the size of my smile alone. It’s a good time, and has been a welcoming place for me and my families.
Q: Why do you write?
A: Once upon a time, long, long ago, my cousin, an exceptionally talented photographer, gave me a critique on my photography. He asked me, casually, “Do you love it?” And the honest truth was no. I didn’t love photography the way he did. And that answer terrified me, because the world at seventeen is terrifying but also because I worried I’d never love anything as much as Ryan loved photography. More than twenty years past that conversation, I know this is not the case.
I write because I love it, and it’s who I am. I am a writer. Writing is a how I show up in this world. It’s how I process truth, joy, grief, you name it. It’s how I communicate my love, my joy, my values. It’s also a really good time. Writing is my preferred form of play. It’s fun to type away on my laptop, playing make believe, escaping into an HEA. It’s a release; it’s a puzzle; it’s a triumph; it’s my version of Star Trek’s holodeck. Fantasies, themes, wishes are all explored and fulfilled. AND it’s a way to connect and communicate. I get tongue-tied and anxious when it comes to real life conversations. I get excited whenever I get to write anything.