The Magical Spice Tea Shop - Amy Boyles
Hi Bestie!
Today we want to introduce you to Amy Boyles, the brilliant woman behind the magical world of Willow Vale.
We've been counting down the days until we could reveal our first author collaboration to you and we are so excited to finally share it!
When we chose Amy's book for the September box, it was one of those moments where we just knew. There was no hesitation, no doubt, just a feeling of "this is perfect".
We had the chance to sit down with Amy and ask her some questions for you. We spoke about where this story first began for Amy, how it felt to write a character like Lila, and how she would spend time in the world of Willow Vale given the chance.
Watch the full interview on YouTube or read the written version below. The written one covers the main questions, but the video has everything, including our most surprising answer of all: the book boyfriend Amy never quite got over. 👀
Whichever you choose, make sure to leave a comment and tell us what your favourite or most surprising answer was. 📚
⚠️ Spoiler warning: A Court of Thorns and Roses. If you have not read book 2, skip the book boyfriend question.
You prefer reading? Here are the main questions from the Q&A as a written version 💌
What first sparked the idea for The Magical Spice Tea Shop, what did it mean to write a main character like Lila, and how did the process of developing the story look?
I had written a book called How To Fake It With A Fae and that is what I call a cosy romantasy and that book got the attention of an editor in London about a year after it had been out. She emailed me about an idea she had for a book and wanted to know if I would want to write it! Of course I was intrigued and her idea was about spices that could take you back into your memories. Immediately I thought nobody but me can write this book. She wasn't sure how to make the spices work, but I thought, let's turn them into tea. That made so much sense to me, so I turned the spices into tea blends!
With Lila, I had a brief description of her background, but turning her into this adorable sunshine character from the very beginning, that came from the film Me Before You. I wanted Lila to be sweet and wonderful, and to grow into herself! I hope that comes across, because that's what I wanted. She's just a sweet, adorable character who you automatically root for.
The fun part was I got to play that I was British and put a (bad!) British accent on in my head which helped a lot! I just dove into the feel of the words and language and so much flowed out from that!
Finn was less scripted than Lila and it took me a little while to figure him out. I knew he was going to be grumpy but once I realised he's an expert tea blender then he really started to come to life!
Throughout the book we see a lot of development and growth in Lila, but we also see it in Finn as he struggles to comprehend his future both with Lila and in terms of the tea shop. How important was it to you to show both characters growing individually as well as together?
So important! I think that's the cardinal rule in romance, both people have to grow. They have to grow independently but also realise that together they are better. In my little humble opinion, that is so important for every single romance. Growth together, and growth as individuals!
"Immediately I thought nobody but me can write this book."
What was the scene you had the most fun writing or were the most excited about?
The kissing scene!! When they first kiss because the chapters leading up to that she doesn't know if Finn likes her, she's not really sure and can't get a read on him. He really doesn't want to like her because he's afraid of letting her down (I don't think this is a spoiler...). So, when she finally realises "this is what he thinks of me" and you have that kissing scene, it's this big crashing of emotions for her and a revelation for her that he likes her, but also that it's okay for her to say what she wants.
If you could spend one day inside the world of the book: who would you spend it with, where would you go, and what would you get up to?
I was originally going to say Lila, but probably Jacinda. She is so silly and fun, she doesn't care! She has the spirit of "I can do anything, I can go anywhere, and be who I want to be". I think she would be a lot of fun to be and to hang out with, she's a very fun side character!
If you could order something off the menu in the tea shop, what would it be and why?
I think it would be "When life gives you lemons you sage", I think we all have those bitter memories that stay and what that tea does is that it makes it not so bitter. It makes it more palatable. I feel like a lot of times the bitter memories are the ones that cling on a little bit harder than the good stuff. That would be my tea of choosing!
Amy's book is part of the September 2026 box.
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