ABOUT THE BOOK:
Trouble comes in threes, Grandma CeCe always said…
A baby. Just holding one sets Julia’s heart thumping. She’s wanted a child for so long. When she finally gets pregnant, she’s bursting to tell the world….until a checkup from the doctor confirms a miscarriage.
Julia’s world feels like it’s dissolving. This second tragedy following her father-in-law’s death, shakes her and her husband Greg. To support his mother, they uproot their lives and move to Greg’s childhood home. Under the bright Midwestern sky, Julia can feel a new world and new hope beginning.But trouble comes in threes, and soon a boy shows up at Julia’s new daycare whose blue eyes and freckled face look eerily like Greg’s. Despite her love for her husband, Julia finds her thoughts haunted by the boy’s face, and she can’t shake the feeling that her husband has a secret.
EXCERPT
I sift through
bubble wrap and tissue paper. I pull out a wooden box the color of chestnuts,
two silver pocket watches, and a small painting of flowers and stones.
“Your dad’s?” I
say.
Greg nods. “My mom
asked if she could send these things. Nothing particularly sentimental, but I thought you’d like to do something with them for the house.”
“So thoughtful,” I
say. “And I would love to have your dad’s things here.” There’s also a box within, marked Fragile in curvy handwriting. I open it and pull off more layers of bubble wrap. Inside is a bottle of
cranberry wine, made by Greg’s father.
I hold the smooth,
clear glass bottle filled with pale, rosy liquid. I touch the edge of the
clean, modern label which Dale had designed a few years ago. The logo is a
circle of twisted grape vines and leaves surrounding the name of the wine
beneath the words Twisted Circle.
Greg’s eyes are
sad as he touches one of the watches. He returned home from the funeral with
some photos, an old signed football from the Green Bay Packers, Dale’s wedding
band, and a few other items. They sit atop his dresser now. He hasn’t wanted to
put them anywhere else.
“Hey,” I say.
“Should we cancel date night and stay in?”
“We don’t have
to.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amanda Linsmeier’s work has appeared on Brain, Child Magazine, WOW! Women on Writing, and Portage Magazine. She works part-time at her local library and brings home more books than she has time to read. Amanda lives in the countryside with her husband and children, two dogs, and half-wild cat. Ditch Flowers is her first novel.Visit Amanda at her Website, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Interview
1.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I
have been writing for a long time, and it’s been a part of my life for many
years, but I didn’t realize I wanted to be a “writer” as a profession, until I
was 23. I had been working as a waitress and a bank teller and it took a lot of
soul-searching before I accepted that I needed to create, and not just as a
hobby.
2.
How long does it take
you to write a book?
Ditch
Flowers took several years from idea to publication. It took way longer than it
should have, because I took long breaks in between writing. I have a nearly
finished middle grade fairytale, which I think took about 6 months. But it’s a
lot shorter, so that’s partly why I was able to finish sooner. My next
work-in-progress is going much faster than Ditch Flowers, thank goodness. My
first draft is complete after just a couple months.
3.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
I
really don’t have a set schedule for writing. As a busy mom I make time when I
can get it, and I take whatever I can get. It might be five minutes, or two
hours (rarely). My other job is at a library, and I only work part-time there.
I set my own hours, so that’s a big perk. I would love to someday be able to
wake up and walk down the hall into my home office and sit down with my coffee and
write like it’s a “job”. But, right now, that’s just not possible.
4.
What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?
I
like to write with background noise. Writers seem pretty set on yes noise or no
noise, and I am in the yes camp. I like low music- I even make soundtracks for
my novels- or movies, or coffee shop chatter. When it’s too quiet I overthink.
5.
How do books get
published?
Ah,
with lots of time and attention to detail. Plus plenty of patience and
caffeine.
6.
Where do you get your
information or ideas for your books?
I
recently wrote a blog post about this on my website. I’m always amazed how
easily some ideas come about. Sometimes I’ve dreamt of ideas, sometimes it is
people that inspire me. A lot of times it’s that simple question “what if?”
that gets me going. As for information and research, the internet is key for
much of that, but I also ask people in the real world questions, or simply
crack open a book. I haven’t had to do a ton of research yet, but that time may
be coming.
7.
When did you write your
first book and how old were you?
I
believe I was 21. I read a book that I didn’t care for at all. It actually made
me angry because I was so let-down. And I decided I would write a book for fun.
I certainly wasn’t sure I’d be a writer yet, or planned to do anything with it.
But I set out to write it, and I did.
8.
What do you like to do
when you're not writing?
Besides
spending time with my family, I enjoy reading favorite novels, watching movies
and binge-watching TV series (I’m just getting into Downton Abbey now), baking
French pastries, and shopping. I’m the queen of bargains, so thrift shopping is
one of my passions.
9.
What does your family
think of your writing?
They
are embarrassingly supportive. It really doesn’t come up all that much, though.
In day to day life, I’m working on writing much more than it’s being talked
about, if that makes sense. I think some other people in my life, as great as
they are, don’t really think of me as a writer yet. I think a lot of writers
get that. We don’t necessarily go off to work, or get a paycheck, and all that.
It’s not a hobby for me, but I don’t know that everyone understands that.
10.
What was one of the most
surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I
learned a lot about myself. I am finally accepting that I write a certain way,
and I have to kind of feel my way around a story before I know what happens. I
also learned that you can’t force it. If you’re not feeling it, your writing
will be stilted and dull. I don’t mean you have to always be “inspired” but if
you don’t have a passion for the story it will show. I don’t waste time now
writing things I think I should. I
write what I need to write.
11.
How many books have you
written? Which is your favorite?
I
have one published novel, Ditch Flowers. I have another novel in the revision
stage. It’s a middle grade fairytale retelling, so completely different than
Ditch Flowers, which is Women’s Fiction, and I love it in different ways. I am
also almost done with the first draft of a third story- a paranormal Women’s
Fiction, and I too love that in a different way. I couldn’t choose a favorite.
I would say Ditch Flowers was the most difficult to write, though. I think part
of that could be because I’ve learned so much since then.
12.
Do you have any
suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
I
always feel kind of silly offering advice. I am still learning so much! I hope
I will always continue to grow and get better each time I write something. The
best advice I’ve applied to my own writing is the saying, “write the book you
want to read” which I’ve mentioned previously a few times, and what I just said
here about not forcing something you don’t care about. I stand by that
completely. If you have to force yourself to get words down and stop thinking
about the story and characters the second you’re done, if you dread getting
things down, and just don’t CARE, then stop. Put it away. Write something that
makes you feel. Write something that keeps you up at night and occupies your
mind at least once in a while when you’re not actually writing it.
13.
Do you hear from your
readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Besides
friends and family, I’ve gotten a couple messages from readers who I didn’t
know. They were really lovely messages about how something I wrote touched
them. Made my day to read them, and I always thank the reader for reaching out.
I hope I’m never too busy to reply. I write because I have to write for me, but
I also am always thinking about who is out there reading, and hoping they feel
something for my stories.
14.
Do you like to create
books for adults?
I
do. I also like writing for kids, although my MG fairytale is the only piece
I’ve done for younger audiences. I’d like to do more of that. Everything else I
write is for adults, so that’s obviously where I’m comfortable.
15.
What do you think makes
a good story?
First
and foremost, I think it is characters. I’ve read novels with amazing plotlines
and settings, but if I don’t care about the characters, and not just care, but like, then I quickly lose interest. I’m
also a sucker for beautiful writing and description. I don’t mean overly
flowery, but something poetic and surprising is a nice bonus.
16.
As a child, what did you
want to do when you grew up?
My
earliest memory of career-dreams was to be a childrens’ book illustrator,
because I used to love drawing. Then I wanted to be a professional ballerina. I
was a dancer for many years, but alas, never fulfilled that dream.
17.
What Would you like my
readers to know? That I’m glad I got to answer these questions- it was fun!
Thanks for having me.
No comments:
Post a Comment