An Interview with Amanda:
Hi Deborah, thank you for having me here today. It’s nice to connect with you and your readers!
Tell us a little about your background.
My background is a little boring, but it’ll have to suffice. I’m a Christian romance author and homeschooling mother. Most people ask if I’ve always aspired to be a writer, and to be quite honest, I’d have to say no. I’ve never lain in bed at night and dreamed of being an author, or hitting the New York Times Bestsellers list (although it would be nice!) I’ve just always written. It was a form of therapy to me. If I couldn’t find a book that I wanted to read in the library, I would simply write my own. I still have stories from my high school and college days. No, I don’t let anyone read them, either!
What inspired you to write your book?
My inspiration for writing is my children. I want to teach them so many things, but only too often the words escape me at the moment. Its always been easier to write my thoughts down than to actually express it aloud, but yet I hate to journal. Go figure. In my first book, The Price of Trust, the point I wanted to get across was that abuse of any kind is wrong and should never be accepted. In my second novel, Lonely Hearts, I wanted to show people just how wonderful, and fleeting, family life can be. I see people around me that take so many things for granted, and I wanted to perhaps get someone to stop and look around at the blessings they already have in their lives.
What kinds of reactions has the book generated thus far?
The Price of Trust has mixed feelings, which is to be expected. Most are very positive, but some, not so much. Because it’s about an abused young woman, some people seem to think the heroine should never get past her pain and should have terrible issues in regards to loving someone. Fortunately, I’m living proof that with trust and faith in God, true love and happiness is indeed possible. God doesn’t want His people to be continually beat upon and discouraged, but encouraged, and thriving. Lonely Hearts, which is my newest release, has been getting positive results that actually were surprising to me. Initially, I was going to throw that particular story out as I like books with more suspense in them, but I never could bring myself to do it. Then, when my publisher said she was interested in it, I figured God had a plan for it as well.
What's the main message that you'd like readers to take away from it?
When a reader finishes Lonely Hearts, my hope and prayer is that they don’t take so much for granted, like their children. Those kids are only going to be home for so long, so try to make your regrets as few as possible and cherish each moment you have with those you love. No one is promised a tomorrow.
What’s next for you?
The next thing on my agenda is working on my Christian romantic suspense series that my publisher just picked up. It’s a series of three books (possibly four) that chronicle the life of Kyle & Deirdre Slade. It was supposed to be just one novel, but it became so large I had to break it down into a series. I think each book right now is at 70,000 to 80,000 words, so it was a must! I never thought I’d write a series, but guess what. Never say never…
Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
One thing I’d like to say is, remember that with God, all things are possible. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13 If this were totally up to me, I would have never gotten this far in my publishing journey. Truly, God has a plan for each of our lives and I want Him to use me for His honor and glory. And if that means writing books that glorify Him, praise God!
About the Author:
I am pleased to announce the winners of my blog giveaways -
