Author Ally Wiegand - The Writer Story
Meet Ally - Debut author of First Base, a Sports romance about overcoming traumas in the past and finding love.
I am absolutely excited about this Writer Story interview with Ally Wiegand as we talk about her debut baseball romance, First Base, and how writing a story that’s close to the heart makes for a better story.
Before we start, here is Ally’s official bio.
Ally Wiegand currently resides in Texas. She loves her family, fall, and writing love stories that make your heart squeeze. Ally has dreamed of being a writer since she was a girl. She is a coffee addict, a classic car lover, and a cat mom to two furballs. Her dream is to make readers happy, make them sad – but, most importantly, feel something.
So Ally, tell us a bit about your debut sports Romance, First base.
First Base follows Maggie Redford, baseball photographer for the Chicago Cougars. Maggie is happy to watch life from the stands. At twenty-five, she's already lost the love of her life and is content to focus on her job snapping shots of Chicago's MLB team instead of her lovelife. But Maggie's thrown a curveball when the team signs Tommy Mikals, a tattooed hotshot whose talent for making plays is matched by a playboy reputation. Tommy knows he was traded because his last team grew tired of his tabloid escapades, but he's looking at this season as a chance at redemption. Vowing to give up his party-boy ways, he can't afford to be distracted by the gorgeous team photographer.
When a wild team outing leads to Maggie getting caught on the wrong side of the camera with Tommy, the photo goes viral—making Maggie look like just another one of Tommy’s hook-ups. With his reputation and her job at risk, the PR team devises a plan to fake a romance to convince the world that the two are an established couple. But as their pretend relationship plays out in the spotlight, real feelings come into play. Maggie's already loved and lost, and Tommy's never learned how to love. Can they even make it past first base?
This book is about overcoming past traumas and finding love along the way. I would definitely call this book sweet vs spicy and it is sure to pull at your heartstrings!
I have to say it definitely pulled at my heartstrings. I read it in a few days and was completely invested in their relationship. The one thing that I’m curious about is are you a baseball fan, with all the references in the book. How did you get the idea to center the story around baseball and why baseball?
I played softball for most of my life, with my softball career ending in 2020 during my senior year of college. I've been a sports fan all of my life, and dedicated so much of it to perfecting my craft.
When I decided I wanted to write, I thought about what it was that I knew well and what I wanted to tell a story about. The answer was clear—I wanted to share my love for a sport that I'd carried with me for so long with others. In the end, this book became a love letter to the sport of softball/baseball and closed a chapter in my life that had felt unfinished when my senior season was cut short due to COVID-19. After spending nearly 15 years dedicating your life to something, only to have it taken completely away from you in 12 hours was jarring. Two years later when I finished First Base, I felt the pieces of my heart that ached for the loss of an ending I had wanted for myself healed.
Let’s talk about your characters. Maggie and Tommy, they are such an absolutely adorable couple with fully realized pasts. What was your inspiration behind them?
I want to write characters that are imperfect and going through things in life that people can relate to. I want to write realistic romances—the ups, the downs, the ugly, and the swoon.
Tell us a bit about your writing and publishing journey so far. How did you start your writing? How you got an agent? And then a book deal?
I started First Base in the summer of 2022. By the end of the year, I was querying for an agent. I got just over 100 rejections before I struck gold with my current agent, Saskia Leach with Kate Nash Literary Agency. Her interest came at the same time as three other agents in June of 2023. By the beginning of July, I was signed with the agency.
The two of us spent two months editing before we felt it was time to go on submission. First Base went on submission the third week of September in 2023. By the following Monday, I had my first offer. Then on Wednesday, a second. I had no expectations for how submission would go, an auction was at the very bottom of what I thought would happen. We ended up with a four-way auction and sold rights in the US and the UK by the end of February 2024.
Ooh, I love those fast submission stories. Now, let’s talk a bit about process. Do you have a process as you write and edit?
I will write an outline first of my beat points in the story, points I know I have to get to. Then I will try to fill in my outline with the strings that attach point A to point B as best as I can before I write my synopsis. Once I have an outline and a synopsis, I will dive in to the first chapter. I am a plotter by heart, but will allow the story to unfold how it's going to. I don't strictly stay to the outline if I think the story needs to go a different direction.
I also set a daily writing goal for myself with the hope of keeping weekends free so I don't burn out while writing the first draft. With editing, I will print out the first draft once it is complete and do a read-through for grammatical mistakes and major plot devices that need changed.
What is some advice you have for writers just starting out on their journey?
To read as much as you can in the genre you are writing in. Read critically to understand what the author is doing—how they are plotting, the devices they are using, and how they've laid their story out. Read as much as you can. Secondly, write as much as you can and don't give up. This industry is extremely subjective and not for the light-hearted. It can seem unfair at times, but you have to keep the faith. I am a strong believer that good things come to good people, so if you continue to hone your craft and keep trying, it will come.
That’s some really great advice. We would love any book recs you have for us.
I will reach for a Sarah Adams, Lauren Asher, or Elsie Silver book when I need a pick-me up.
Finally, where can we find you online?
You can find me at allywiegand.com or at @allywiegandauthor on Instagram, Threads and Tiktok. Or @ally_wiegand on X.
A big thanks to Ally for spending the time with us for the writer story interview. Grab FIRST BASE now and support Ally’s writing adventures.
Thanks for reading the Writer Story. Do consider subscribing so you don’t miss the new ones. Thanks again.
~Toodle-oo~
Hi what a great interview I loved what Ally says about good things coming to good people.