Interview with Amy Anguish

What was life like as a preacher’s kid?  

In some ways, being a preacher's kid is hard. A lot of people expect you to be perfect or to know all there is about the Bible. For us, the hardest part was probably that I never lived anywhere longer than six years (still haven't, honestly). As a kid, it's hard to have to leave your friends behind and pack up and move somewhere new every few years. But now, looking back, I can see that it helped me in a lot of ways. I am able to adjust to things like that easier (for the most part), I can make friends or figure out new situations more quickly now, and I have tons of friends all over the country that I made through the years. Being a preacher's kid didn't necessarily give me a strong faith, but it gave me a great foundation to build one.

I noticed that you have lived in several states, so I am curious. In which states have you lived? 

I have lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas.

What authors have influenced your writing style?

I am an avid reader (almost 70 books this year alone, if you don't count the children's books I read to my children). I read so many authors that I like to think a lot of them have merged into my style. I guess of my favorites, my style is probably most like Christine Lynxwiler or Annalissa Daughety, although everyone has their own quirks and ways of phrasing things.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

My advice is to not give up. Even when it seems like you're never going to get published, keep trying. It only takes one person to notice your talent and fall in love with your story to make it turn from a dream to reality. My second piece of advice is to make sure you've edited your manuscript as much as possible and then edit it again. Most publishers aren't going to want to see a manuscript that needs tons of work. They want to see that you're serious enough about pursuing publication that you're willing to make sure your work is as perfect as you can get it before sending it out.

Tell me more about An Unexpected Legacy. How long did it take you to write the story?

"An Unexpected Legacy" started as a Nanowrimo novel in 2011, believe it or not. It was around 52,000 words when I first wrote it, and very rough. I started only with the idea that Jessica and Chad would meet at a smoothie shop and that would be their common interest that helped them fall in love. I knew that there was going to be something in their family history that was going to cause problems for their relationship ... that their family would be from the same town. But it took me almost the whole book before I figured out exactly what the actual reason for the conflict was. I started writing and meant to only write from Jessica's perspective, but as I continued, I realized I needed some back story (not to mention more words if I was going to meet my 50K word goal for that November) so I started including the historical scenes to tell "the rest of the story." I did a quick edit and then sort of let the story sit for a while. When I started really considering publication seriously, I sent my manuscript to a friend I had who was an acquisitions editor at a newer company. That company wasn't right for my story, but she remembered it and loved it, and years later, when she decided to start her own publishing company, she contacted me about it. She helped me polish it up, teaching me more about the craft and what I needed to do in the future, and we finally had it in print and ebook this last November. It's been a crazy journey, but one that was full of learning and growth for me. And the culmination has definitely been the icing on the cake. I can't wait to start my next journey with one of my other manuscripts just waiting to go out into the world!

Please join us next week, on the 13th, when I share a review of Amy's book.