Welcome, Amy (& her new release)
by Jeff Salter
Author Bio:
Amy Mullen is a freelance writer and romance author living in Corning, NY, with her husband, Patrick, her two children, and an orange cat named Steve. She has written two medieval romances called A Stormy Knight and Redefining Rayne.
Amy has been writing about love both lost and regained since she was old enough to have her first broken heart. Her love of history and her intermittent jaunts into amateur genealogy led her to a love affair with writing historical fiction. When not writing, she snaps pictures, gets nutty over football, enjoys the company of her family, and when time allows, loves to bury her nose in a good book.
She can be found online at:
www.authoramymullen.com
www.facebook.com/authoramymullen
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1. Have you ever encountered people who seem unable / unwilling to comprehend that writing is something you are driven to do?
Sure, in an off-hand kind of way. One of the biggest questions family and friends ask me is about finding time to write. Sometimes, it is hard to explain that I make time because I have to do it – without neglecting my kids or my husband. I don’t know that they cannot comprehend or understand that it is a compulsion sometimes, I think they may just have trouble relating their particular passion with mine. Everyone has something they are compelled to do, just like writers are driven to write. Some people knit, or paint, or work at their job until they are exhausted. It’s the same thing. So in a way anyone can relate to it if they really think about what drives them.
2. If you were not a writer, can you imagine what else you might do to express the creativity within you?
I often do other creative things – I’m just not that good at them. I have tried painting and all types of crafts. Some results are better than others. In one form or another, I would have to be doing something if I were not writing. I’d still be making jewelry or trying to pursue a career in photography.
3. Give us at least one example of someone who has contacted you and expressed how much your writing meant to them.
A woman wrote me once a long time ago. This was before I was published as a romance author. My main income was writing web content. I remember her well not only because of what she said to me, but because we shared the same last name. I had written an article about social anxiety and she wrote expressing her gratitude. She had printed it out and hung it on her wall so she could remember that someone understands. I do not suffer from social anxiety like she does, but I do have social issues. I’m a total introvert. For her, however, the condition was debilitating. When I wrote web content, I always did my best to really understand something or I would not write it. She said my article was the only one she read that she could relate to or that explained how she was feeling. I was really touched that she sought me out and it made me feel good to have touched her life, even if in such a small way.
4. In the interviews & blog questions you've handled over the years, what is one writing question which you've WISHED had been asked of you ... but never has been asked?
No one has ever asked me about my educational background. What qualifies me to write books anyway?
5. What's your answer to # 4 above?
There is a reason why I wish I would be asked that question, and the answer is probably not what you might suspect. I have no special writing education. I did not take creative writing in college, nor did I study literature any more so than anyone else in my high school. I did, however, devour every book I could get my hands on. I went to college twice, but neither degree has anything to do with writing. I naturally did well in English throughout school. I always had an A average (math was another story!). Other than that, I have no special knowledge.
The reason I want to answer this question is because I don’t want anyone with a passion for writing to think they have to have some fancy degree to do it. I have always had a good vocabulary and have always used proper grammar — well, within reason. It was a gift from my grandparents and my parents. They spoke properly and passed it on to me. My point is that if anyone has a dream and a passion — just do it. You may not think there is anything special about you but there are many readers out there that may disagree. Please, do it!
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Published by Astraea Press
Medieval Romance
Tag Line:
Will her most painful secret be the key to her greatest joy?
Blurb:
Rayne de Latham, cousin to King William Rufus, should be enjoying a life of privilege. Instead, she has only known misery. Her disastrous first marriage yielded nothing but pain, suffering, and three stillborn children. She believes she is cursed and is certain another pregnancy will end in another tragedy. When the king seeks to get rid of her by sending her to marry one of his knights, she will do just about anything to get out of her betrothal.
Widower Andre de Grelle is father to two small boys who came to him by marriage. When his first wife jumps off the castle walls in a fit of madness, he keeps the boys he has grown to love as his own. When king sends him a new bride, the lovely but troubled Rayne, he vows to have more patience with her than he had with his first wife.
Once Rayne arrives at Cuxton Castle, Andre realizes there is much more to her than meets the eye. She does everything she can to force him to send her away, but nothing works. Frustration grows as Andre discovers his betrothed is hiding something from him about her past, something so devastating she cannot speak the words out loud.
In the midst of a siege on nearby Pevensey Castle, a truth comes to light that changes everything. As the real story of Rayne’s past emerges, lives change forever. Will love be enough, or will it be easier to walk away?
Excerpt:
Andre moved closer to her. His body was mere inches from hers as he lifted his other hand and slowly tilted her face toward his. Cupping her cheek, he wiped away a tear with his thumb. "You have no idea how fascinating you are," he whispered.
Involuntarily, her eyes closed and she tilted her chin up. She felt his soft lips brush hers and she started to tremble. The short, light touch of his mouth stirred something in her. A young maiden's dream of love, of being loved and cherished, welled up from a place where she had hidden her hopes a long time ago. She returned his kiss, but just for a moment.
Her eyes flew open, and she pulled her head back. This was all wrong. This was not how this was supposed to happen. In a rush to break the spell, she stammered out the first thing she thought of, "Someone will see us! Odo may come."
An expression of disbelief washed across his features and was replaced by irritation. "Odo? What has he to do with this? He is my guest but hardly has a say in what I do with you."
"You…" she stumbled over her words, "you… he is your…"
Andre stood and stepped away from her. He stared down at her, but she could no longer read his face. "Do your affections lie with Odo, Lady Rayne?"
Buy Link: Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Astraea Press