Interview By Carrice Hodgkins.
‘Bloom Town’ by Ally North.
Set in the west, ‘Bloom Town’ tells the story of characters Abby Proctor, a preacher's daughter on her way to start a new life in California, and Joey ‘JT London’ Taylor, an infamous outlaw who kidnaps Abby. The tension on every page is palpable in this sapphic, western ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS STORY written by the incredible Ally North.
Writing has been a passion of Ally’s for her whole life. As a child, Ally wasn't allowed to watch much television which meant she ended up making her own stories in order to entertain herself. This also means that Ally has always been an avid reader, however, she was not aware of the existence of sapphic books until her twenties.
Due to Ally growing up in a very conservative environment and her not realising she was sapphic until she was in her late twenties, she never saw much lesbian representation in the media she consumed. This is why she thinks it's really important to represent sapphic storylines in her own writing so other people don’t have to grow up without seeing themselves in the media as she did. For Ally, it is always her priority that her readers are able to escape from reality when reading her books; her aim is for everyone to take a little bit of hope from her writing.
In the beginning, Ally had no intention of ‘Bloom Town’ becoming the great book series it is now. ‘Bloom Town’ was originally released as a ‘Bly Manor’ fanfiction, starting purely as a writing exercise for Ally, and having it as fanfiction allowed her to get feedback. Even though ‘Bloom Town’ was released as ‘Bly Manor’ fanfiction, Ally’s inspiration actually came from her love of the classic tale of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and her obsession with the TV show ‘Westworld ’. The inspiration of ‘Westworld’ also made way for the setting of the West; ironically, Ally has never actually been to the West. Setting is a character all by itself for Ally and is one of her favourite parts of the writing process, and she believes the West is an environment that colours every aspect of life there, which was something she loved exploring.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT ROMANCE STORY?
Ally believes that every great romance story has two very different personalities pitted against each other which is what is incredible about the love story between Joey and Abby. She's a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope because she thinks it makes it interesting and exciting when people fall in love and have to overcome their preconceived notions of one another along the way.
To find inspiration when writing, Ally tries to stay present in every moment. She’s always taking inspiration from everything she sees and hears. One of her favourite ways to seek inspiration is from what she overhears of other people’s conversations in coffee shops, finding inspiration in the everyday moments which is what makes her writing more authentic.
Ally’s real life love story has also influenced her writing. Coincidentally, after writing ‘Bloom Town’ Ally married an English woman, their love story mirroring the American/English love story between Joey and Abby. Whilst writing her upcoming releases, Ally shared how she has definitely taken inspiration from her own relationship, and Ally is currently contracted for two more incredible sapphic releases.
So what’s next for ally?
Ally’s next book is set to be about a blacksmith in a small town in the mountains of New Mexico. In this town there is an upcoming festival to view an asteroid, which provides the blacksmith with the perfect opportunity to enact her revenge plan. Whilst she’s on her way into town, the blacksmith almost hits a woman standing in the middle of the road. As the story unfolds, you learn about both of these female main characters, finding out about their pasts and leading to their love story.
