Sapphic romance author Amanda Murr chats with me about her new sci-fi novel, Mortal Escape.
During her virtual book tour, Amanda will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn participant. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Welcome, Amanda. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Amanda, and I live in Colorado with my beautiful daughter and two lovable cats. By day, I manage a team of HR Business Partners, where our world is grounded in structure, facts, and evidence. By night, I slip out of reality’s grip and into my make-believe worlds where witches fall in love, forests breathe, and constellations whisper. Writing became both my refuge and my rebellion.
Growing up, my mom always told me I had a wild imagination and a creative spark that refused to quiet down. For years, self-doubt kept me tucked behind realistic choices and safe paths, until something in me finally said yes. Yes to the dreams. Yes to the stories. Yes to the version of myself who believed in magic, even when I pretended not to.
I am a hopeless romantic at heart, drawn to love in all its softness, longing, and courage. I write sapphic stories as a love letter to the LGBTQ+ community, a reminder that we deserve joy, tenderness, and happy endings that do not come with conditions. I believe in happy endings, in chosen family, and in the quiet magic of being seen. If you are looking for magic, for love that feels like home, or for proof that happy endings are possible, you are in the right place.
Please tell us about your current release.
Lily is a conscientious college student with a gift for songwriting and a passion for music. Life on Ember Island is pretty conventional until the morning Lily wakes up to a transformed world. As she begins to discover that her roommates and entire campus have been impacted by some sort of fiendish disease, Lily finds herself all alone and heads for the city in an attempt to understand what is going on. In the scramble for survival, Lily meets the charming, yet unpredictable Halen, and comes to understand that they are now living in a dystopian society.
Although the quick-tempered Halen has a distrust for almost everyone she encounters, she seems to make an exception for Lily. They have an instant attraction to each other which Halen is more forward about and finds enjoyment in making Lily nervous by this sudden attention.
With only each other to depend on, the girls must face dangerous obstacles to escape the island. As they fight for their lives, Lily finds herself fighting her feelings for Halen just as much while Halen develops a strong urge to protect Lily.
Will the two be able to trust their connection and find refuge on the mainland and within each other?
What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote this book because I was tired of seeing sapphic stories that ended in loss, heartbreak, or silence. So often, queer love is treated as a lesson or a tragedy instead of something allowed to be joyful and complete. I wanted to write the kind of love stories I was searching for, ones where women get to choose each other, where love is safe and enduring, and where happiness is not something that has to be earned through pain. This book exists because I believe sapphic love deserves happy endings, and because I wanted to create the stories I wish I had been able to find.
Excerpt from Mortal Escape:
“Look!” Halen points ahead. “That gas station sign is still lit—probably has gas!”
Relieved, we pull onto the service road. “I’ll check it out. You stay here,” she says, protective as ever. She inspects the pumps and the store, then leans on my window. “Coast is clear. Pumps are on, and there’s tons of food inside.”
We share a quick, excited look. Halen starts fueling the car and asks me to grab her card. Suddenly, she appears back at the window. “You can just hand me my wallet,” she says nervously.
I admire her driver’s license photo. “You look so cute.”
She laughs. “Yeah, when I’m not running from things trying to kill me.”
Then I notice something: her last name reads McGregor. “Why does your license say McGregor if you said Sloan earlier?”
Halen blinks, avoiding my gaze, and quickly diverts the conversation. “Let’s grab supplies and a slushee. The machines are working!”
Uneasy, I follow her inside. She collects gas cans while I scan snacks, keeping an eye on her.
“Cherry,” I say cautiously when asked about my slushee flavor.
“Good. I’m a blue raspberry fan,” she responds, tense under my stare.
Finally, I ask again. “Why is your last name different?”
Halen looks down. “I guess… I’m technically married.”
Every hair on my arms stands on end. Before I can respond, she fires a shot at a familiar that had crept in. “We should go. There will likely be more,” she urges.
Back in the car, she fills the tanks. I sit in silence, furious. When she finally sits beside me, she says, “I was going to tell you.”
“When? Before last night, maybe?”
She nods. “We were separated. I haven’t seen her in months. She was consumed by her work, unwilling to compromise. I left, staying with my parents.”
I say nothing. She reaches for my hand; I pull away. She sits quietly, then starts the car.
What exciting project are you working on next?
My current project is a sapphic romance/fantasy story releasing February 2026.
In the hidden town of Etherwood Cove, two covens live side by side yet worlds apart. Briarwood’s witches draw their magic from soil, roots, and forest life, while Eversky’s witches call upon stars, moonlight, and cosmic energy. But when magic across the land begins to falter, with spells misfiring, plants dying, and constellations trembling out of rhythm, the balance that held their world together begins to slip. Wren Fernhart works quietly in the Storybird Cafe, blending teas with the earthy magic she inherited from her Briarwood lineage and hiding the truth of her hybrid forest abilities. Celeste Orion, the youngest Elder Eversky has seen in centuries, carries both her coven’s expectations and a heart that has always longed for something more. When Celeste slips into the quiet, closing-time cafe, the entire room seems to hold its breath. The moment her eyes meet Wren’s, something awakens between them, something neither magic nor logic can name, a pull that feels older than the covens themselves.
As Wren and Celeste’s connection strengthens with an intensity neither expected, strange shifts ripple through Etherwood Cove. The forest stirs through Wren’s blood, and the stars tremble under Celeste’s touch, hinting at secrets buried deep in their shared history. Together they begin uncovering forgotten truths about a time when their covens stood united, and the consequences of the centuries that tore them apart. With magic faltering and desire growing stronger, they must decide what they are willing to risk to understand what is happening around them. Can a love born in secrecy help heal a world built on division, or will the answers they find threaten the fragile balance of their world?
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I first considered myself a writer after the release of Mortal Escape, my first story every published.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
By day, I work as a People Development Manager, supporting leaders and teams as they grow their skills, strengthen relationships, and build workplaces rooted in trust, accountability, and care. Part of my role also includes leading investigations, where fairness, integrity, and compassion guide every decision, ensuring people are heard and treated with respect.
By night, I turn to storytelling, slipping into imagined worlds where love is brave, magic is real, and hope is allowed to win.
Outside of these roles, I am a mother, which is my greatest responsibility and my greatest purpose. I am raising a kind, thoughtful human who believes in love, magic, and the courage to follow her dreams, because I believe the world changes when we teach children to lead with heart.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’m a Scorpio, so I feel all the feelings deeply and intensely, but my peace and love vibe keeps me chill, calm, and full of good energy.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Growing up, I dreamed of being a singer, even though I quickly realized I could not carry a tune (that doesn’t stop me from singing my heart out, though!). Over time, I discovered that what I really wanted was to reach people, and I found a way to do that through my writing, where my words can sing in ways my voice never could.
Links:
Instagram | Amazon Author Page | TikTok
