Amy James is the author of the new novel Crash Test. She also has written the novel A Five-Letter Word for Love. She lives on the east coast of Canada.
Q: What inspired you to write Crash Test, and how did you create your characters Travis and Jacob?
A: I'm a huge motorsport fan (particularly Formula 1, MotoGP, and WRC), and the idea for Crash Test popped into my head one day and wouldn't leave until I'd written the novel.
I actually wrote Crash Test many years ago, before there was much of an appetite for F1 romance in the publishing world, so I was really excited to see Formula 1 explode in popularity in recent years, creating a market for F1 romances like Crash Test.
The F1 romance niche is still fairly small, but I think it will continue to grow in coming years. In the meantime, there are plenty of great F1 romances to check out, like Madge Maril's Slipstream, Esha Patel's Offtrack and Overdrive, and Simone Soltani's Cross the Line and Ride With Me.
The main characters in Crash Test, Travis and Jacob, walked into my head fully formed along with the story. Travis is definitely the fan favorite character -- he's introverted, brave, and sweet, and he's easy to root for from the start.
One of my favorite scenes to write was the opening scene, where Travis learns that Jacob (his secret boyfriend) has been in a life-threatening crash. The reader is inside Travis's head, experiencing all the intense emotions alongside him, and I think that creates an instant connection between Travis and the reader.
Jacob is definitely the more flawed and complex character. He makes more mistakes throughout the novel, but he puts in the hard work to grow and change, and for that reason, I loved writing him just as much as Travis.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them?
A: This is a difficult question to answer, because the dynamic between them shifts quite a bit throughout the course of the book.
When the book opens, Jacob has just been in a life-threatening crash, and is intubated and unconscious in the hospital. We see the start of their relationship play out through flashbacks in Travis's point of view, and Travis is definitely looking back at their relationship through rose-colored glasses.
As the novel progresses, a harsher reality sets in, and the significant complexities underlying their relationship come to the surface. Both characters have to put a lot of work in to reach their happily-ever-after.
At the end of the day, though, each character offers the other what they need most -- Travis provides Jacob with the unconditional love that his family never gave him, and Jacob gives Travis the confidence to open himself up to love and friendship.
Q: Did you need to do much research to write the novel, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: I've been an F1 fan for many years, so there wasn't a huge amount of research to do in terms of the sport itself, but I did spend some time watching YouTube videos from different Formula 1 and Formula 2 teams, to try to capture the nuances of working behind-the-scenes in F1 and F2. (Or perhaps I just wanted an excuse to binge-watch F1 videos and call it "research"!)
Q: The writer Matthew Hubbard called the book “a tender love story revving with the complexities of romance and self-discovery that races off the page and directly into your heart!” What do you think of that description?
A: I love it so much! Matthew Hubbard is such an incredibly talented writer -- if you haven't already, you should absolutely check out his published works, The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge and The Rebel's Guide to Pride, and pre-order his adult romance debut, Drop Dead Handsome (coming in Fall 2026).
I'm so grateful to Matthew for reading and blurbing Crash Test, and I think his description captures the book perfectly. Crash Test is a love story, but it's also a novel about two flawed characters discovering more about themselves in the wake of a tragedy.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have several completed projects that I'm working to find a home for, including an adult fantasy project I'm really excited about, and a sequel to Crash Test. I'm also wrapping up a collection of short stories in the Crash Test universe that I hope to release soon.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: If you enjoyed Crash Test, make sure to check out my debut novel, A Five-Letter Word For Love, a lighthearted romance about a young woman in Prince Edward Island who forms an unexpected bond with a coworker over The New York Times' Wordle.
A Five-Letter Word For Love is a gentler love story than Crash Test, but it explores similar themes of finding yourself and choosing the life that's right for you.
To hear about upcoming releases and other book news, follow me on Instagram (@amyjamesbooks) or visit my website, www.amyjamesbooks.com.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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