Author Interview ~ Amanda J Evans

I recently had the pleasure of meeting another new-to-me author. Amanda J. Evans has graciously answered some must know questions about herself and her writing. Amanda J Evans writes paranormal and fantasy novels as well as children’s stories. Amanda lives in Oldcastle, Co. Meath, Ireland with her husband and two children. She was published in several journals and anthologies in 2016. Her first novel Finding Forever was published in 2017 and her forthcoming title Save Her Soul will be released in the summer 2017. Amanda has also secured a publishing deal with Handersen Publishing for a children’s book and this will be released in the fall, 2017. Amanda is the author of Surviving Suicide: A Memoir from Those Death Left Behind, published in 2012. You can find out more on her on her website

When Liz wakes up on a beach wearing a tattered wedding dress and her dead husband in her arms, all she wants to do is die along with him. Instead she is unexpectedly rescued, but Charles' body is left behind. She is determined to go back and recover Charles body to give a proper burial to her beloved. All is not what it seems, though. The man helping her out thinks she is crazy and an enemy from the past, intent on revenge, hasn't finished what he started. Liz must find out the truth about the accident and what really happened to her husband. She'll put her life at risk in order to find and keep love forever. Finding Forever is the debut novella from Amanda J Evans. A blend of mystery and suspense, mixed with romance and unexpected twists. Finding Forever will prove to you that when you believe in love anything is possible. Question: What genre would you say the book falls into? Answer: The genre is women’s fiction in the mystery, suspense category with some romance too. Question: Are there any trigger warnings and/or explicit content readers should know about? Answer: There are some swear words from male characters but no explicit content. Question: Do you have any upcoming events? Answer: Unfortunately, I don’t. I have been extremely busy putting the finishing touches to my upcoming novel Save Her Soul which is due to be released in summer 2017. I also secured a publishing deal for a children’s book which is being released in fall 2017, so I haven’t had time to organise any events. Question: What is next for you? Anything in the works? Answer: I am currently writing book 2 of the Finding Series which is called Finding Freedom. This continues Liz and Charles’ story with some big obstacles that they have to overcome, especially Liz as she learns to move on from her past and her traumatic upbringing. I am also at the editing stages of Save Her Soul as well as edits for my children’s book. Question: Do you have any special mentions? (Editor, cover art etc...) Answer: I have to mention my husband for all his patience as I was writing and my mom for all her words of encouragement and support. My children have been very supportive too and I’m delighted to say I am working with my daughter on my upcoming children’s book. She is doing all the illustrations. Question: What was your favourite book when you were growing up? Answer: That’s a tough question. I had so many, from Roald Dahl to Terry Brooks as well as all the Enid Blyton books and Ann of Green Gables. I read as much as I could as a child. Question: If you could meet any character from any book, who would it be? Why? Answer: Another difficult question. I’m going to say Magnus Bane for the Immortal Instruments books. The reason being that I’ve always wanted to be able to do and believe in magic, so that would be exciting. Also the wealth of knowledge he would have would be amazing, not to mention being able to portal wherever I wanted in the world. Question: When did you realize you were meant to be a writer? Answer: Writing has always been a part of me, so I guess in a way I’ve always known it’s what I wanted to do with my life. I began writing at an early age and wrote my first book when I was eight. It was called The Little Elf Fairy. My parents had it typed up for me and I remember sending it off to Penguin. Of course I received a rejection, but at that age it didn’t mean anything and certainly didn’t stop me from writing. I used to write new episodes for all my favorite TV programs. My writing changed when I became a teen. My father died and my writing stopped. I wrote poetry, but always found that my writing was dark and scarred. Poetry was my emotional outlet as well as some short stories. I didn’t pursue my dream of becoming a writer and even though I scribbled now and again, I think the dream died the day my father did. In my late teen and early twenties, I got the urge to write again, mainly as a way to heal and with the internet I had the perfect outlet. It is only in the past year that I have given serious consideration to my writing and it has been the best thing ever. Question: If your life was a book, what would be the tag line? Answer: Believe, Dream, and Never Give Up Question: What advice would you give new writers? Answer: Don’t compare yourself to others. Every writer has their own distinctive voice and you have to find this. Trust in your talent and don’t ever give up. If you have a need inside you to write, give in to it. If you can’t think of anything but writing, do it. Nothing is perfect the first time round, but write it anyway. Listen to the voice inside you that screams for release and let it flow onto the page. Believe in yourself and don’t worry about sales. Follow your passion first, and everything else will follow. Question: What has been the worst mistake you have made in your writing career? Answer: Not believing in myself. Not writing when I knew I wanted to. Not placing priority on my writing, and giving up on my dream before it had even begun. I wish I still had all the piece I wrote as a child, so I could look back now and see how far I’ve come. My biggest mistake is that I waited so long. Question: What is the best moment you have had with a fan? Answer: The first email I received from a stranger who’d read my book Finding Forever. As this was my first fiction publication I let my inner critic take over a little and was terrified that people would hate it, so that first email from a complete stranger saying they loved my book and could see it as a movie was amazing. Finding Forever ~ A romantic Suspense Novella Amazon US Amazon UK