Not yet! I mostly write how I try to live—full of optimism and aiming for happiness. But let me be clear: I have plenty of crying and curl up on the couch with Apple TV days, which are just as healthy and necessary. But eventually I’ll wind down the pity party and steer myself back to the more constructive feelings that feed me most. I’m basically a walking version of my book Bright Side Up, which is full of personal stories and strategies of how I’ve come to see life more positively, and how anyone can, too. I believe that what matters most in life isn’t what happens to you, but how you see what happens to you—and research backs that up. It’s life-altering stuff. Which is why I’ve built my career around helping others cultivate and practice happier living.

Yes. Yes I do. [Bows head in gratitude.]

I mean it when I say that every interview is the best for me, because getting to the heart of people is my happy place. It truly is. I’ve ended up going deep when chatting with my dental hygienist and a store clerk, too. But I know that’s not what you’re really asking, so…I’ll say this: It was a gift talking to legends like Joan Rivers and Carol Burnett, to be able to mine some of their life experiences and humor in the short time I had with them. The interview that may have made me laugh the hardest was sitting down with Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph—so quick, those two, I had tears running down my face by the end. My talk with Jeff Bridges had me smiling for days. And I always enjoy the conversations that feel emotionally honest, like I felt I had with so many wonderful people, like Glenn Close, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jean Smart, Robert Downey Jr., Goldie Hawn, Ben Affleck, Amy Schumer and many, many others. My most unique interview definitely goes to my sit-down with Megan Trainor when she was on vocal rest for upcoming vocal cord surgery and couldn’t actually speak, so she had to answer me by typing on her Mac notes app. I appreciate every human who is game to sit down, open up, and share their story.

It’s different for every client. Usually, I come into a project from the start and interview someone in person over the course of a few weeks or months, to come up with the best book angle and to get their own words down in the most effective, relatable, can’t-put-down way. Sometimes, a subject writes down their thoughts in advance or along the way and I work with them to edit their ideas into the best book it can be. I love collaborating on books with people, because it’s like taking a vacation from my own mind to join theirs—blending their words and their voice with my experience as an author and editor.

I don’t know. But I like it. Which is probably why I introduce myself as Amy Spencer. Which is probably why people call me that.

The way most creative projects do: slowly and over a long period of time. After working as one of the launching editors of Maxim magazine in the U.S., I was asked to appear on the Covino & Rich Show on Sirius radio’s Maxim channel to provide a woman’s point of view on dating. Over the course of two years, my segment grew from 15 minutes to two hours…and a spinoff was born. I love radio and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Me too! I once heard it called the sixth borough of NYC and I agree—it’s as walkable as New York City but with backyards and a beach. As my husband once said, L.A. gets a bad rap because people come here to chase their dreams…but since when is chasing your dreams a bad thing? I’m a dreams kind of girl.

Yes: Do it! Start writing. As you get typing or scribbling, I’d encourage two things: Start with the idea that’s in your bones, the one that nudges you before you fall asleep at night, sends you ideas you’re compelled to jot down in your Notes app, and is mostly likely to get you hopping out of bed to write in the morning—whether you’re paid for it or not. And if you get discouraged, remember that you have something precious in your arsenal: you. You get to write from your point of view, about your work experiences, your dating disasters, your family secrets, your opinions, your skills, your voice. You’re the only one who can tell a story your way.