Today it’s the turn of the very successful writer Amanda Prowse, who’s latest book is available to pre- order Here
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
‘Christmas Café’ is out NOW! Bea’s is 53 and a recent widow. Her story is set in Sydney and Edinburgh and looks at how lives can be entwined across the miles and how events from your youth can continue to shape you in the most unexpected of ways…
‘Three and a Half Heartbeats’ out on September 10th; is the story of Grace and Tom who lose their little girl. It looks at how their world unravels and how they try to rebuild their lives, not knowing even if they can…
I have just finished ‘Another Love’ this is Romilly’s story and it’s heartbreaking but FAB!
How did you get into writing?
I had always wanted to write but didn’t really know how to get started. I became sick and that life-changing event made me realise that this was my one time around the block and so I quit my job, sold the house and all my possessions and started to write! I had never been so skint or so happy. Being in control of my own destiny was scary but life affirming!
What’s the one piece of advice you’d offer someone that says they want to write a book?
DO IT! Start right now! and never, ever, ever, ever give up! Every rejection, every no is one step closer towards getting your yes, and you never know when that yes is going to come, it might be tomorrow! Also, listen to all feedback you get, use it to shape your writing and learn your craft.
Where do you write?
If I’m at home, I start early, 6am, and don’t bother changing out of my pyjamas. I sit on the sofa in my study and tip tap away all day, stopping only for the loo and cups of coffee! If I’m travelling, then I write on planes/trains anywhere I can grab five minutes, but I write every day. I have written every single day for the last 3 years, including Christmas and Birthdays – I am obsessed.
Are you writing your next book?
I am always writing my next book! I am about a third of the way through this one and I’m loving it, it’s Natalie’s story, she’s a smart girl and mum of two lovely boys, she keeps her little house tidy and visits her nan on Sundays. Oh, she also happens to be married to a bullying criminal and her life is about to change in ways she can only imagine…
What’s your favourite book of all time?
I HATE to choose one and have several that have shaped me, but today I will say The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
What do you do with yourself when you’re not writing?
I’m ALWAYS writing! …but on the odd occasion I am not, I like to drink coffee and chat to my mum, watch my favourite movie Papadopoulos and Sons or sit around the table, listening to my boys and their friends. I am happiest by water – any water, sea, lake, river, pond, puddle… I see myself ending up by the seaside!
Thanks Amanda. For all you Indie writers out there this is how Amanda started so there’s hope for us yet! Xx
About Amanda
Amanda has always obsessively crafted short stories and scribbled notes for potential books. Six years ago, she quit her job as a management consultant and began writing full time. Her first book, Poppy Day is a contemporary novel following an army wife whose incredible love for her husband gives her the courage to set out to rescue him after he was taken hostage in Afghanistan. Originally self-published in October 2011, Poppy Day quickly became a bestseller and Amanda joined the prestigious Head of Zeus publishing house.
The second in the No Greater Love series, ‘What Have I Done?’ was an eBook sensation where women worldwide identified with the theme of domestic abuse in middle class households and it was subsequently voted a ‘Best Book of 2013’ by Amazon Kindle. Amanda followed this by joining the team of the ITV This Morning show as their resident author in 2013 when a series of her ‘Summer Shorts’ were featured on the ITV website.
Jenny O'Brien HQ 