Ashley Poston stops in Arizona on book tour for ‘Sounds Like Love’

TEMPE, Ariz. — Close your eyes and think of your favorite song. The one you put it on full blast in the car, cranking the volume up and singing along at the top of your lungs. That’s the feeling New York Times bestselling author Ashley Poston wants readers to think about when they pick up her newest book, Sounds Like Love. 

Poston’s latest book follows songwriter Joni Lark, one of the most sought-after names in music, as she tries to find her spark again. Her mom is losing her memories fast, and her family’s beloved music venue is singing its last tune, and Joni feels like she may never have another song idea. 

Until she does. But it’s not from her own head. It’s from someone else’s. When what Joni thinks is a figment of her imagination shows up in real life in the form of a former bad boy musician, the pair have to figure out how to get out of each other’s heads without too much damage along the way.

Poston is stopping in Tempe to talk about her latest romantic comedy, Sounds Like Love, in conversation with Arizona-based USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca at Changing Hands.

Poston spoke with 12News before her Arizona book tour stop about getting into writing, burnout, and what she hopes readers take away from her new book.

When Poston was younger, she had a speech impediment and had a lot of trouble saying her Rs and Ls, and stuttered. While she had trouble getting her words out the way she wanted through talking, Poston said she discovered early on one way her words always came out, how she intended: through writing.

“On the page, it was exactly what I wanted to say when I wanted to say it, and that was magical to me,” Poston said. 

Her first short story was about an octopus going shoe shopping, which Poston wrote in the first grade. At age 11, Poston said she found fan fiction, and “that was it.” Her foray into fan fiction led her to dream of writing for the rest of her life, and ultimately is what helped her to become the writer she is today.

“It is weird to say that I actually accomplished my childhood dream because it is the wildest thing to be able to say, and I’m so grateful to be able to say it,” Poston said.

While writing Sounds Like Love, Poston said she experienced creative burnout, just like the main character. 

“Creative burnout is really difficult, and you can’t always refill the well the same way,” Poston said. “You have to figure out what refills your well and what brings you joy, and so I had to keep on reminding myself why, like, why I love to write.”

Poston said she often had to remind herself that not every book she writes will be a reader’s favorite book, but that’s okay.

“I had to push those voices out of my head for a while and just remember that I am writing this for me and my own joy,” Poston said. “Once I remembered how to chase that joy, oh, it was easy. It was so easy, and it was fun again.”

Most importantly, burnout doesn’t mean you hate what you are creating or doing, Poston said. 

“Burnout just means you are at the end of your wick and you’re not sure where you put the other candle,” Poston said.

One of the ways Poston works through burnout is by going back to her roots and writing fan fiction, she said. It’s her way of coming back to herself, she said. 

As readers take in her latest story, Poston said she hopes readers read Sounds Like Love and remember that it’s okay to enjoy life, live in the moment, and “be a little cringe once in and while.”

Oh, and she also hopes readers take Joni’s love of music to heart, find their favorite song, and blast it.

“You should blast it as loud as you can from whatever stereo is your favorite, whether it’s in the living room or in your bedroom or in your car, uh, just. Just listen to it really loudly, just once,” Poston said.

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