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| Author, Amy Reade |
Patricia: Amy, when did you know you wanted to be a
writer?
Amy: I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I had already started writing. Here’s how it started: I had three young children at home and I wanted (needed?) some time to myself, so my in-laws babysat three nights in a row while I, either on a whim or just out of sheer desperation, attended a workshop at a local library given by a sometimes-local author.
By the end of that first night, I was hooked. I loved the homework, I loved talking with the group about writing, and I loved that the first homework assignment spurred me to think creatively in a way that wasn’t geared toward getting my kids to try salmon for dinner or pick up toys from the living room floor.
After the workshop ended I continued working on that story for a long time. I would write, then set it aside for months, then write again, and so on. At some point on the way to finishing my story, I decided that I should be doing something with it, not just letting it sit in my desk (and it was literally in my desk- I wrote the entire book longhand). So I bought a book by Phyllis Whitney called Guide to Fiction Writing and I pored over it, made notes, highlighted sections, and made the decision to try to submit the story to publishers.
Amy: I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I had already started writing. Here’s how it started: I had three young children at home and I wanted (needed?) some time to myself, so my in-laws babysat three nights in a row while I, either on a whim or just out of sheer desperation, attended a workshop at a local library given by a sometimes-local author.
By the end of that first night, I was hooked. I loved the homework, I loved talking with the group about writing, and I loved that the first homework assignment spurred me to think creatively in a way that wasn’t geared toward getting my kids to try salmon for dinner or pick up toys from the living room floor.
After the workshop ended I continued working on that story for a long time. I would write, then set it aside for months, then write again, and so on. At some point on the way to finishing my story, I decided that I should be doing something with it, not just letting it sit in my desk (and it was literally in my desk- I wrote the entire book longhand). So I bought a book by Phyllis Whitney called Guide to Fiction Writing and I pored over it, made notes, highlighted sections, and made the decision to try to submit the story to publishers.
Patricia: That's an interesting story, Amy. But, what if, for some
reason, you couldn’t be a writer, what profession would you choose?
Amy: If
I couldn’t be a writer, I would go back (reluctantly) to my job as a
lawyer.
Patricia: Do you have a bucket list, things you still want to do
and/or places you want to visit?
Amy: How
much time do you have? My bucket list is even longer than my TBR (to-be-read)
list, which itself is as long as a city block. My bucket list consists mostly
of places, not activities. I’d love to go to Turkey, Germany, Austria, Norway,
Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, and Morocco. I have a
Pinterest board devoted to my Bucket List. I can dream, right?
Author Bio:Amy M. Reade grew up in northern New York. After graduating from college and law school, she practiced law in New York City before moving to southern New Jersey, where she lives now with her husband, three children, dog, two cats, and a fish. She writes full time and is the author of Secrets of Hallstead House, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, and House of Hanging Jade. She is currently working on the second and third books of The Malice Series, a trilogy set in the United Kingdom (Book 1, The House on Candlewick Lane, has an expected release date in February 2017). She loves cooking, reading, and traveling.
Amy
can be found online at http://www.amymreade.com
(website), http://amreade.wordpress.com
(blog), http://www.facebook.com/amreadeauthor,
http://www.twitter.com/readeandwrite, and http://www.pinterest.com/amreade.
Secrets of Hallstead
House
Macy Stoddard had hoped
to ease the grief of losing her parents in a fiery car crash by accepting a job
as a private nurse to the wealthy and widowed Alexandria Hallstead. But her
first sight of Summerplace is of a dark and forbidding home. She quickly finds
its winding halls and shadowy rooms filled with secrets and suspicions. Alex
seems happy to have Macy's help, but others on the island, including Alex's
sinister servants and hostile relatives, are far less welcoming. Watching eyes,
veiled threats...slowly, surely, the menacing spirit of Hallstead Island closes
in around Macy. And she can only wonder if her story will become just one of
the many secrets of Hallstead House...
The Ghosts of
Peppernell Manor
"Do you know what
stories Sarah could tell you about the things that happened in these little
cabins? They’d curl that pretty red hair of yours."
Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, beyond hanging curtains of Spanish moss, at the end of a shaded tunnel of overarching oaks, stands the antebellum mansion of Peppernell Manor in all its faded grandeur. At the request of her friend Evie Peppernell, recently divorced Carleigh Warner and her young daughter Lucy have come to the plantation house to refurbish the interior. But the tall white columns and black shutters hide a dark history of slavery, violence, and greed. The ghost of a former slave is said to haunt the home, and Carleigh is told she disapproves of her restoration efforts. And beneath the polite hospitality of the Peppernell family lie simmering resentments and poisonous secrets that culminate in murder—and place Carleigh and her child in grave danger…
Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, beyond hanging curtains of Spanish moss, at the end of a shaded tunnel of overarching oaks, stands the antebellum mansion of Peppernell Manor in all its faded grandeur. At the request of her friend Evie Peppernell, recently divorced Carleigh Warner and her young daughter Lucy have come to the plantation house to refurbish the interior. But the tall white columns and black shutters hide a dark history of slavery, violence, and greed. The ghost of a former slave is said to haunt the home, and Carleigh is told she disapproves of her restoration efforts. And beneath the polite hospitality of the Peppernell family lie simmering resentments and poisonous secrets that culminate in murder—and place Carleigh and her child in grave danger…
House
of the Hanging Jade
A
dark presence had invaded the Jorgensens' house. On a spectacular bluff
overlooking the Pacific Ocean, something evil is watching and waiting . . .
Tired of the cold
winters in Washington, D.C. and disturbed by her increasingly obsessive
boyfriend, Kailani Kanaka savors her move back to her native Big Island of
Hawaii. She also finds a new job as personal chef for the Jorgensen family. The
gentle caress of the Hawaiian trade winds, the soft sigh of the swaying palm
trees, and the stunning blue waters of the Pacific lull her into a sense of
calm at the House of Hanging Jade--an idyll that quickly fades as it becomes
apparent that dark secrets lurk within her new home. Furtive whispers in the
night, a terrifying shark attack, and the discovery of a dead body leave
Kailani shaken and afraid. But it's the unexpected appearance of her
ex-boyfriend, tracking her every move and demanding she return to him, that has
her fearing for her life . . .
https://www.amazon.com/Amy-M.-Reade/e/B00LX6ASF2/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
I'm offering a free e-Book copy of House of the Hanging Jade, my most recent book, to someone who leaves a comment. The winner will be announced on Saturday.
Pam Wight is the winner! Congratulations!
