Hi everyone, I hope you are ready to learn more about Amanda Cabot and her latest historical novel, A Borrowed Dream. Hope it is Spring where you are. It arrived in KY on Tuesday when it was in the 70s and now my tulips that had started to bloom are drooping after lows in the twenties last night! And it is supposed to snow again this weekend!
I have blogged about Amanda Cabot and her books before, but I believe this is the first time I’ve ever interviewed her, so hope you will enjoy getting to know her better! My questions are in bold below, and Amanda’s responses are in plain type.
Welcome back, Amanda. Tell us about your favorite book as a child and your favorite book as an adult. Can you see a connection between those books?
My favorite book as a child was Little Women, although the Anne of Green Gables series was a close second. I’m not sure I can identify a favorite adult book – I’ve read so many good ones – but I can tell you that what appealed to me about Little Women and Anne of Green Gables is what I still look for in the books I read. What’s that? A strong heroine who makes mistakes but learns from them and whose loyalty to her friends and family never wavers.
What is your favorite Scripture? Do you also have a favorite Scripture that encourages you in your writing?
Joshua 1:9 is my favorite Scripture. It’s also the one that encourages me as I write. When I’m afraid that my story isn’t good enough or dismayed by a scene that just won’t turn out the way I want it to, this Scripture reminds me that I’m not alone.
If you could go to any place in the world to research/write a book, what setting would you choose?
The Greek Islands. I’ve been fortunate to have traveled across the United States and to quite a few countries, but I still haven’t been to Greece. I’d love to bask in the sunshine, walk through the ruins, and plot a story that combines elements of ancient Greece with the modern world.
Wow! Great idea! I’ve also travelled to over a dozen countries, but not Greece. I often wonder if I would write if I had to do it the old-fashioned way without computers and spell-checks and email. Is there anything about technology that you don’t like?
I remember writing the old-fashioned way and having to hire someone to type my final version of a manuscript. I also remember that edits were literal cut-and-paste efforts and that, since manuscripts were typeset rather than using electronic files from the author, page proofs included far more errors than I see now. All of which is to say that I applaud the positive changes technology has brought. What I don’t like is the fact that technology makes it to easy feel as if we need to be connected 24/7. We don’t!
True, and I think we need to fins a good balance of using technology when helpful, but not allowing it to control every minute of our lives. My husband and I follow a Sunday fast of social media and enjoy it muchly. As a writer how have you had to grow and stretch out of your comfort zone?
My biggest challenge comes when I get inside my characters’ heads and become them. Why is that a challenge? Because they’re not me. In many cases, they’re very different, and that sometimes creates internal battles.
I had never thought of that before but you are right. Each character has to be uniquely him or herself! They would be flat if they were all like the author! What advice would you give to a beginning writer that you wish someone had given you?
I have three pieces of advice. The first is to read extensively in the genre you want to write. That’s the best way to learn what a publisher is buying. Secondly, join a writer’s group. ACFW is wonderful for writers in the Christian marketplace, and Romance Writers of America is excellent for anyone interested in writing romance. A writer’s group provides support, networking and so many other resources to the aspiring writer that I can’t over emphasize the importance of joining one. And lastly, never give up. Rejection is a fact of life. I won’t sugarcoat it: rejection hurts. But if you let it defeat you, if you stop sending out your manuscript just because it was rejected, you’ll never be published. Believe in your book and in yourself. Oh … that was four pieces of advice. Sorry.
Thanks for all the great advice, Amanda. Do you want to add anything about your book such as how to order it?
Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/
Buying Links
Author Bio: Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, the Texas Crossroads trilogy, A Stolen Heart, and Christmas Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. Amanda is delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming.
