What is the title of your latest release?
DHAMPIRA
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A seemingly powerless halfling is thrust into a cruel and dangerous vampire court where she meets two wildly different men who claim they can help her even as they’re both interested in her…and each other.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I based the world on the kinds of big, splashy (and mildly terrifying) worlds in the fantasy movies I watched as a kid. Movies like Labyrinth and The Neverending Story.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Definitely. I guarantee I’d trip over a sword and faceplant if someone handed me one, and I think Corinthe would likely have the same experience.
What are three words that describe your hero?
There are two male love interests in Dhampira, so I’ll answer for both! Vander is charming, strong, and gentle. Lorcan is brooding, mysterious, and exasperating.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
My copyeditor corrected me on the scent of cooking human flesh, which is funny and also gross. (Pork, not chicken, for anyone wondering.)
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go. I can’t move onto the next chapter until I’m happy. My first drafts are usually pretty close to final, although I definitely clean up “echo” words and other cosmetic things in my final proofreading passes. That’s one thing I wish more aspiring and new writers knew: You don’t have to do “messy” rough drafts! Everyone’s process is different.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chips and salsa. Chips and any kind of dip, really.
Describe your writing space/office!
Huge desk, three monitors, a chair I splurged on, and my beloved space heater. It’s my little kingdom. My family members have learned to stand at the door like a supplicant approaching a monarch for an audience, which is a vibe I actively cultivate.
Who is an author you admire?
Anne Rice
Is there a book that changed your life?
Not any one book, no, but my grandma’s huge library of Harlequin historicals set me up as a romance reader (and writer) for life. I was devouring bodice rippers in third grade. My grandmother, who was awesome, looked at me and nodded: “You’re smart. You can decide what you want to read.” Thanks, Grandma.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I’ve been indie published for a while, but I finally got that trad call I’d been waiting for. I was on a family vacation, and my agent texted me asking if I could meet with the editor over Zoom. That’s when I knew it was happening. My agent was like, “We can postpone this since you’re with the family…” And I replied, “I would literally climb off the table, IV still attached, in an OR to have this call, what time are we meeting?”
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Fantasy
What’s your favorite movie?
Best in Show
What is your favorite season?
fall
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I pretend it doesn’t exist and then for about two months prior, I start acclimating to my new age so it’s not such a shock. There’s a reason most of my characters are immortal.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, which is Conan O’Brien’s podcast
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican. I’ve yet to meet a burrito I didn’t love.
What do you do when you have free time?
Hang with my kids. I have five, and they’re the five coolest people in the world.
What can readers expect from you next?
More spicy fantasy
DHAMPIRA by Amy Pennza
A long-lost noble of the ruthless vampire court discovers she might not need to choose between her two suitors in this blood-pounding new romantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of the Bitten and Bound series.
Corinthe has spent a lifetime longing for excitement outside her sleepy human village. As a dhampir born of a human mother and vampire father, her unique abilities make her desired by those who lurk across the Feyline—the boundary that keeps the magical realm in perpetual twilight where vampires hold dominion. To stay safe, she’s concealed her supernatural strength and taste for blood from her human neighbors, but when her yearning for excitement accidentally exposes her gifts, she is captured to sell to the highest bidder.
Terrified, she expects the worst. But rescue comes in the form of Vander, a handsome stranger who whisks her from the auction stage and across the Feyline . . . where he reveals himself to be a vampire knight of King Rasimir’s court. Notorious for his cruelty, the deranged king is determined to extend his rule to the farthest reaches, and Vander has been tasked with delivering Corinthe to him.
Now a pawn in the vampire court, Corinthe learns that Rasimir intends to marry her off to the arrogant Prince Lorcan and exploit her daywalking abilities for his own gain. But a wedding isn’t the only obstacle in her path to freedom. While Vander burns with dangerous charm, Lorcan watches her with hungry eyes. And both men claim they can help her—if she can trust them.
Romance Fantasy [ Ace, On Sale: June 16, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593956045 / eISBN: 9780593956052 ]
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About Amy Pennza
Amy Pennza grew up in Oklahoma and now resides in the Great Lakes region with her husband and five children. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a lawyer, soldier, and copywriter, experiences that have influenced her storytelling. She developed a love for romance and fantasy early in life, inspired by her grandmother’s poetry and romance novels.
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