Welcome to Sunday morning Coffee Chat time!
Today’s guest is Amy Manemann!
Today’s Guest is a very good friend of mine! So glad that you could make it today Amy!
AM: Good morning, Stacy, and good morning readers! So excited to be here today, love what you?ve done with the place.
SE: lol… Okay lady, Coffee or Tea?
AM: Ooh that?s a tough one, I love them both! Definitely coffee in the morning, nothing else can get me moving quite as well. I typically drink a cup of tea in the afternoon.
SE: So you are one of “those” peeps, huh?? Okay, okay, I get it. Let’s talk about you for a little while.? Obviously, the blog title says you’re an author, but do you work another job when you are not writing?
AM: Is this the part where I get to dish on my coworkers? lol Since writing doesn?t pay the bills, I do work part time at a medical office as a receptionist.?
SE: You do know it will someday, right? Have faith my friend. So what is your favorite thing to do when you aren?t writing or working?
AM: That would be spending time with my family. My son does travel baseball so we?re gone a lot for that, and my daughter has just started gymnastics. This summer brought tennis lessons, swim lessons and band lessons, so as you can see, we?re quite busy here!
SE: Personally, I know you are! You guys run as much as I do! What is your favorite color?
AM: Blue! It?s such a calming color and reminds of water, which is very soothing for a creative personality. It?s also my husband?s eye color 😉
SE: Awww… Okay, enough sap. What is your favorite season?
AM: I?d have to say Spring. Spring to me reflects the opportunity for new possibilities and seems to breathe a fresh breath of air after such an icy cold winter. ?Iowa can get pretty darn cold!
SE: I can only imagine, and when I say that, I only ever want to imagine, no offense! If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be?
AM: Oregon or Washington State, somewhere on the coast. They?re such beautiful states, no matter what time of year you visit.
SE: They are pretty. Other than writing, what do you have a passion for?
AM: My children. When I?m not plotting story lines, my attention is focused on them and their activities. As you can tell, we?re quite busy at our house so squeezing in quality family time is very important to us.
SE: I’m glad you make time for family! Let’s switch tracks now and talk about your writing. How long have you been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?
AM: Oh wow, now you?re actually going to make me think. I?ve been a serious writer since around age 25, though I?ve been writing stories since I was a little girl. Over the past 20 + years my writing has evolved from pen and paper, to an electric type writer and then on to using a computer. What started off as a dream and a need to tell a story has turned into a full fledged career I very much enjoy.
SE: And I am thankful that you do that because I enjoy your stories! How many hours a day do you devote to writing?
AM: Ugh, not enough! I would write from the moment I got up in the morning if I could. Unfortunately, that doesn?t happen. When I?m in writing mode, my goal is to get at least 1500 words in a day, whether that takes me one hour or four.
SE: That’s a decent goal and easily obtainable if you stay on track. Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?
AM: Both. When I?m knee deep in a project I have a set deadline, so having a routine laid out is a must. On the flip side to that, I also will take time out to jot down a storyline or idea when it strikes me out of the blue. I keep a journal with me just for that reason.
SE: I have a notebook I do that with too! Is there some place special you like to be when you write?
AM: In my kitchen at the bar where I can readily reach the pot of coffee.
SE: Wait! You said you only drink coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. I guess you are doing your writing in the morning then. Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?
AM: That would depend on the mood I?m in. I typically prefer the quiet, though sometimes when I get stuck in a particular scene I?ll turn on the radio and find some inspiration. Songs are really just stories with notes, so finding some inspiration usually doesn?t take me too long.
SE: I use music to inspire me all the time. Okay, now the good part, let’s talk books!? What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?
AM: My newest release, Into the Light, is a YA paranormal novel and is book one of the Lightkeeper Series.
SE: Yep! I read that one, loved it and waiting for the next one! Where did the idea come from?
AM: I actually started writing this story around seven years ago. At the time it was set for an older audience, and I had reached a point in the book where I was just stuck. So I set it aside. It wasn?t until last year that I realized why I had been so stuck with finishing this book. It wasn?t meant to be geared for adults. Pulling it back out, I rewrote the storyline for YA and am thrilled with how the book turned out.
SE: Now that is great! Tell the readers what it is about.
AM: In a time of dark unrest, one will hold the light of the world in the palm of her hand.
Nineteen-year-old Willa Devries is no ordinary witch. Born to a sacred race known as the lightkeepers, for centuries her lineage has been charged to carry out their time honored duty of holding the light of the world against the darkness.? Willa?s twentieth birthday will mark the day when she comes into her full powers, a day she?s been anticipating forever. Only the rising darkness has become more powerful than anyone has ever seen, and with her birthday only a week away, Willa begins to question if she?s ready to feel the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Braeden Mathiesen is a Guardian sworn and trained to protect the keepers of light. His life has been spent preparing for the day when he would be sent to aid Willa in her lightkeeper training. Yet upon his arrival to the sleepy town of Salem, Massachusetts, he quickly realizes he is unprepared for the extent of her incredible power–or for the woman who will steal his heart.
The fate of the world lies in Braeden and Willa’s ability to push past their feelings and learn to harness her powers, before the dark underworld rises up and covers the world under a blanket of darkness. Failure isn?t an option; the world depends on it.
SE: Do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published ? Tell us about them?
AM: Isn?t there always a story on the horizon? lol I am currently working on a few different projects, one about friendship and rediscovering who you are, and the other a contemporary romance. I also have a romantic suspense project in the works, the fourth installment in my Deadly Series. I love how uniquely different each of these books are, allowing for the creative juices to be continuously flowing by switching gears when one storyline gets stuck. This is actually the first time I?ve ever worked on more than one project at once. Not to quote Mc D?s, but I?m lovin? it!
SE: lol… That is great! Thank you so much for visiting Amy! I’m so glad you stopped by!
Watch the video trailer:
Into the Light: http://bit.ly/1vNc5Wm
If you want to find out more about Amy Manneman:
Website: www.amymanemann.blogspot.com
Blog: www.amymanemann.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qKMOym
Twitter: @amymanemann
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/VPHkFG
Google +: http://bit.ly/1ksqIZY
Video Trailer for Deadly Reunion: http://bit.ly/1jccIbQ
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/amymanemann/
To Purchase on Amazon:
?Also available on Barnes and Noble!