In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews author Amber Nguyen, creator of the Trivium Trilogy. Amber shares a childhood barrel‑racing story that taught her the value of self‑motivation and staying focused despite external doubt. She discusses her writing philosophy, emphasizing that skill can be cultivated through reading high‑quality fiction, studying grammar with professional editors, and continual practice, not just innate talent. Amber offers business advice for creatives, noting that early stages may lack resources for hiring, but persistence leads to the ability to strategically outsource tasks. She reflects on life as a series of seasons—school, family, work, tragedy—suggesting that each phase is temporary and that it’s never too late to pursue happiness, which she defines as contentment in the current season. Amber cites Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles as a pivotal book that showed her how science fiction can deliver social commentary, and she highlights the opening line of Fahrenheit 451 (“it was a pleasure to burn”) as a powerful example of compelling writing. Finally, she directs listeners to her website amberwen.com for more information.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Amber Wynn with us. She is the author of the Trivium Trilogy. So welcome to the show, Amber.
Thanks for having me, Tyler.
Of course, thanks for hopping on. We'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Amber, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, funny story. When I was a kid, I was really involved in barrel racing, which is a horse equestrian event. And at one point my dad bought me this new horse and it was, he was much bigger than I had ever had. I was really small as a kid. I'm only 5'3" now. And so as an 11, 12-year-old, I was really tiny. And there was this other competitor's father who kept kind of mocking me and telling my dad, you know, I can't believe you had her, you know, get this big horse. She can't control that. She can't handle it. And I thought it was interesting because instead of folding or, you know, getting really upset or feeling that kind of pressure, I just kind of focused and stayed in my lane and my horse and I started killing it at these events. And I just thought about, you know, I'm internally motivated. And so I think the valuable message is just to be self-motivated. I wasn't motivated to do better because I was trying to make somebody proud. And I wasn't motivated to try and prove somebody wrong. I just really loved my sport and I love my horse. And so I stayed focused in my lane.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
With writing, it isn't just about talent, although that's helpful, but it's also about skill. You can always, always improve your writing. I read a lot of high-quality books in my genre and other genres. I read mostly fiction and just kind of see how other authors have written, but also working with professional editors to learn more about grammar rules, because my first draft was definitely rough. But I honed my skills until I was ready to polish my book.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
Not every part of following your calling or passions is fun. You won't have the resources in the beginning to hire everyone to do the jobs that you hate. But if you keep going, eventually you'll reach a level where you can strategically outsource work, even if you have on the job that you really love to do.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would say that life is about seasons. You know, some seasons are focused on school, some seasons are on family, some seasons are spent at jobs you don't like, or even spent, you know, seasons of tragedy. But they're just that, they're just seasons. They don't last forever. It's never too late to pursue what makes you happy. It just needs to happen in the right season.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
For me, it's contentment in whichever situation or season that I'm currently in.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from it?
I read mostly fiction. And so for me, it was Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Because I write science fiction, I loved it because it brings science fiction into the mainstream. But Bradbury was smart in that he used fiction to actually criticize his culture and create social commentary. And so because of that, I fell in love with science fiction. I'm inspired by how I can use that as a guide to provide my own social commentary in a literary way.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Funny enough, my favorite quote is actually from another Bradbury book. It's the first line to Fahrenheit 451, and it says, "it was a pleasure to burn." And as a writer, those 6 words just invoked so many feelings. And the first line of a book, like, it has to draw in your readers. But that quote has just stayed with me because of those feelings it's invoked. It's very powerful writing.
Yes. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
The best place to find me online is on my website at amberwenn.com, and it's N-G-U-Y-E-N.
Perfect. Thanks again for coming on, Amber.
Thanks so much, Tyler Wagner.
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