Q&A with Amy Mass

  

 

 

Amy Mass is the author of the new novel Reality Bites. She was a TV writer in Los Angeles, and she now lives in Georgia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Reality Bites, and how did you create your character Grace?

 

A: Reality Bites is my love/hate letter to the city of Los Angeles and reality television.

 

When I moved from New York City to LA to work as a television writer, I quickly deemed Reality TV as my enemy. I hated that the comedies I put so much time and effort into creating were competing for timeslots and viewership with shows that were (gasp) unscripted.

 

Then I met my future husband. He had been watching shows like The Bachelor and Big Brother for decades. I refused to watch them with him until he realized that if he turned it into a game, I’d be into it.

 

So, we started Big Brother and The Bachelor/The Bachelorette Fantasy Leagues with our friend group. We made up a complex scoring matrix where you get bonus points for kissing, hooking up, and particularly savage disses, and we hosted finale parties with prizes for the winners. 

 

As we drafted players, there became a running joke that my team would never win because I “draft with my heart and not my head” and that I always pick the “loveable losers and underdogs.”

 

But winning didn’t matter to me because I began to see these contestants as more than just members of my team but as characters who I started to care about, root for and name themed cocktails after.

 

It also made me think about what would happen if a normal person/underdog like me, who used to hate reality TV, was forced to go on a reality dating show. And the character of Grace was born.

 

Q: What do you see as the role of humor in your writing?

 

A: For me and my characters, humor is the way we express ourselves in difficult situations, and deal with uncomfortable feelings and the state of the world.

 

But through this book, I’ve learned that I can’t use comedy as a literary emotional crutch. When my agent, Samantha, read my first draft she pointed out that Grace was using jokes instead of feeling her feelings. It felt like I was talking to my therapist, but she was right. And now I will forever do a “feelings pass” in Sam’s honor. 

 

So, while I’m leaning into feelings more than ever, I still consider myself a “Com-Rom” writer. I will always love comedy for the escapism it gives us and the balm we need to get through tough times. If I can make just one person happier because of something I’ve written, I’ll feel like I’ve served my purpose.

 

Q: What do you think the novel says about the world of reality TV?

 

A: Several of my friends in LA work in reality TV, including a couple who were producers on the Bachelor and Bachelorette, so I interviewed them and got as much of the inside scoop as they were able to share.

 

I didn’t set out to write a take-down of reality TV or an exposé about the way contestants and crew are treated but it just made sense that Grace, who is always looking out for the underdog, would fight the good fight against injustices on set.

 

I think at this point, many of us have heard about what goes on behind the scenes and that reality TV isn’t “real,” so ultimately, I just hope Reality Bites serves as a positive reminder that, like social media, you shouldn’t hold yourself to the unrealistic and fabricated standards that you see on TV.  

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Grace and her family members?

 

A: Grace is the black sheep in her family because she has a Ph.D. and doesn’t know how to use TikTok. In the beginning of the book, she’s judgy about her internet-famous family and underestimates them.

 

As the story unfolds, she realizes that she may have been too hard on them and maybe they weren’t the only ones not putting in enough effort into their relationships. This is a theme I really relate to - family may annoy the crap out of each other, but you’ll be there when it matters.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Putting the com in more rom-com novels! I also have a rom-com movie in development at Netflix and am working on three action-comedy movies at various stages of development. Like with Reality Bites, my hope is to give readers and viewers a fun break from reality.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have now watched and played Fantasy Big Brother, Fantasy Bachelorette, and Fantasy Bachelor for over 10 years. Through all those seasons, I have only won once. But that’s okay, because I will always root for the underdog. And when you meet Grace, I hope you will too.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb