Amanda has joined us today to answers some questions about herself and her new release Scandalous Endeavors.
1. What do you do when you are not
writing?
When I am not
writing I can be found spending time with my family or enjoying one of my other
pursuits. I spend a lot of time carting my kids to their after school
activities and back. My son is involved with basket ball and attends an after
school tutoring program. My daughter is in dance, cheerleading, and basket
ball. In the summer we like to spend time at the beach. The rest of the year we
can be found at parks, movie theaters, bowling allies, or just out enjoying
nature. When I do find me time I enjoy reading, crocheting, taking pictures,
playing on Photo Shop, and scrap booking. I fancy myself a photographer and can
sometimes be found photographing my friends and families children. I am also a
pageant mom and as a result spend a great deal of time helping my daughter
prepare for pageants, shopping for pageant close, booking pageants, and
traveling to and from the events. Occasionally my son also competes, but only
when the prizes are really good. I also enjoy baking, crafting, and horseback
riding though I rarely get the opportunity to indulge in them. When I am very
lucky I get to travel. I love visiting new places especially when they have
great history attached to them.
2. Do you have a day job as well?
I have two,
technically three day jobs. I am a substitute teacher for my children’s school
district and edit for two publishing houses. As a substitute I teach
kindergarten through twelfth grade and all subjects. I love the variety and
flexibility that subbing provides. As an editor I read manuscripts and
determine viability. I also complete content edits and act as a liaison between
the authors and the house. This job has many perks but the best one is
discovering new authors and great stories. I am blessed to have three fantastic
jobs.
3. When did you first start writing and
when did you finish your first book?
Technically I have
been writing since the day I learned how. As a child I wrote poems and letters
to family. In college I wrote tons of papers and a few short stories. However,
it was not until recently that I started writing with the intention of becoming
published. The first chapters of Scandalous Endeavors were written almost
exactly a year ago. I began working on it in December of 2013. I completed the
manuscript in September then spent some time spit shining it before I submitted
it for publishing in late October early November.
4. Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Oh my goodness—all
the time! When I was writing Scandalous Endeavors I constantly found myself
stuck without any ideas. I discovered that having someone to talk to and bounce
ideas off of was a great help. For me that someone was my sister Dawn who is
also an author. On the rare occasion that talking did not help, I would just write
anything no matter how crazy to keep going knowing full well I would be
deleting it all. I learned that the best way to get past writers block is to
keep writing.
5. Do you work with an outline, or just
write?
I do a combination
of both. With Scandalous Endeavors I planned how many chapters I needed and
then wrote a short sentence for each chapter telling me what I wanted to happen
in it. I also made character notes. Ultimately I ignored the notes and the
story went in its own direction. For my new WIP Once A Lady I decided just to
write down my main plot points and some character notes.
6. Can you tell us about your upcoming
book?
I would love to!
Scandalous Endeavors is a historical romance set in Victorian London. The
heroine, Amelia, finds herself in want of a husband after her father dies and
her American uncle orders her to move to America. Amelia has no intentions of
leaving England and devises a plan to trap an English lord in matrimony so that
she will not have to.
Lord Goldstone is a
Scottish duke who finds himself staying at his aunt the Duchess of Abernathy’s
home. The duchess has also agreed to act as Amelia’s chaperone for her
remaining time in London. Lord Goldstone and Amelia find themselves at odds
with one another as she continues to pursue her plans for an English husband
and he continues to fumble them.
Here is an excerpt
that shows there tactics in action:
Lord Roseington
wrapped his arms around her and stood up, setting her on her feet. “Yes,
Amelia, everything is okay now.” He reached up and removed her arms from around
him, then took a step back. “We must stop winding up in these situations before
we cause a scandal.”
She looked at him
through hooded eyes. “‘Tis a wonder we haven’t already.”
A man cleared his
voice behind her.
Amelia turned her
head, already knowing who had caught them. “Lord Goldstone, you mustn’t trouble
yourself with keeping our secret.”
“What she means to
say is that there is no secret to be kept. Amelia carelessly got close enough
to the hearth to catch her skirts ablaze. I could not very well let her burn
up.”
“No, Roseington,
you were obliged to help. I am glad to know that you were not taking advantage
of our dear Amelia.” He glanced at her and flashed a rakish smirk. “Indeed, you
are a hero. Let us go share the story while Amelia changes her charred gown.”
She tried her
hardest to shoot daggers at him from her narrowed glare. His grin only deepened
at the attempt, which increased her ire. “Don’t you dare tell a soul. I would
most definitely perish from the embarrassment!” Amelia spat the words out with
anger and annoyance. How dare he ruin everything for a second time, and then
jest about sharing her humiliation. If he were not Scottish, she would trap him
instead. That would teach him a lesson.
“Do not worry your
head over it, Lady Amelia. We will not breathe a word of this little mishap,”
Lord Roseington said. “Right, Goldstone?”
“Of course not. All
of your secrets are safe with me.” He winked.
Amelia blushed at
what he had implied. “Thank you. Now that it is settled I am going to retire
for the evening. Enjoy the rest of the party. Lord Roseington, Lord Goldstone.”
She inclined her head to them before spinning on her heels and speeding from
the room.
7. How did you come up with the title?
My original title
was A Twist Of Fate but the more I wrote the less it seemed to fit. I started
to think that maybe I needed a new title. Then one fateful day I ran a search
for my working title and discovered that several other books already used my
chosen title. At that point I knew I needed a different title but had no idea
what it should be. I got on the phone with my sister and we started bouncing
around idea. The call concluded with a list of potential titles but I liked
them all and did not know how to choose just one. After pondering it for a bit
I had a brain child and posted them all on my blog. I asked readers to vote on
it and picked from the ones that were tied. In the end Scandalous Endeavors
seemed to fit the book best.
8. What project are you working on now?
I am currently
working on two projects. A Veiled Identity is a compilation with author Dawn
Brower and is a contemporary romance. It is about a princess who flees her
kingdom to escape an arranged marriage and finds herself working on a ranch in
America. I am writing the female POV and Dawn id writing the male POV. My other
project is title Once A Lady and is a medieval romance. Princess Isobel leaves
her kingdom to search for her missing lady in waiting. Shortly after she sneaks
away Sir Ariston discovers her in the woods. He is a freelance knight swearing
loyalty to no king or lord though he is currently contracted by Isobel’s
father. When she refuses to return to the castle he refuses to let her travel
alone. The pair must work together to save the missing lady. While they are
busy on their quest Isobel’s castle is over taken and her father poisoned.
Among their budding attraction Isobel and Ariston must now save her kingdom. It
is planned to be a romantic adventure full of twist.
9. Do you prefer fuzzy or tub socks?
The fuzzier the
better in the winter, but tube socks in fall and spring. Once summer makes an
appearance I abandon socks altogether.
10. Coke or Pepsi?
Hands down—Pepsi,
but it must be cherry Pepsi.
11. Is there anything that you would like to
say to your readers and fans?
Thank you! I know
how many books and authors there are out there for you to choose from. I am
honored that you choose me.
Lady Amelia has
only known the comfort of life in mid-eighteenth century English aristocracy.
But when first her mother and then her father die, she finds herself alone,
grief stricken and….. not of age. Her appointed guardian, an American uncle,
has ordered her travel to his plantation where she must remain for at least two
years when she will come of age.
With the help of
Lady Grace and Lady Sarah, Lady Amelia gets her uncle to agree to give her four
weeks to settle her affairs and unbeknownst to him…find an English lord to
marry so she can remain in her beloved England. Despite her mourning period she
endeavors to trap one of London’s eligible bachelors in matrimony.
Lord Goldstone,
Lady Grace’s nephew is devilishly handsome, but a Scottish Duke and so entirely
unacceptable as a possible husband. After all Scotland is not her beloved
London and environs. He also has a nasty habit of showing up at all the wrong
moments and thwarting her carefully laid plans to ensnare a suitable husband.
Sparks fly as the pair find themselves at odds with each other and drawn to
each other at the same time. Can they find a way to stop arguing long enough to
explore their growing passion? Is it strong enough to make Lady Amelia give up
her English home after all? Or will Lady Amelia find a suitable English lord
and avoid social exile in America? Time is running out.
Buy Links:
Meet the Author
Amanda Marie dreams
of days gone by when life moved at a slower pace. She enjoys taking pen to
paper and exploring historical time periods through her imagination and the
written word. Her hobbies include reading, writing, crocheting, traveling,
photography, and spending time with her family. Some of Amanda Marie's favorite
places in the continental U.S. are Harper's Ferry West Virginia and Sea Brook
New Hampshire. She loves the history that surrounds them and visits them every
chance she gets.
Amanda Marie lives
along the Lake Huron shore line in northern Michigan with her husband and two
kids. She holds a Master of Liberal Arts Degree with a concentration in
literature and has a long standing love affair with sugary junk food.
Join Amanda Marie
on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaMarie
Visit her blog at http://musingsbymandy.wordpress.com/
Write to Amanda
Marie at amandamarieauthor@gmail.com
Follow her on
Twitter @AmandaMarieAuth
Scandalous
Endeavors is published by Three Worlds Press. For more information on this book
or their other works please visit: Three Worlds Press.
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