Interview and Giveaway with Amy Anguish!!!

Today we welcome Amy Anguish to The Diamond Mine!! She is offering a free copy of her book in a giveaway drawing. In order to be in the drawing, please leave a comment and include your email, and you'll be entered! And here we go to Amy's book:

It’s not every day you bring a boyfriend 

back as a souvenir.

 

Katie Wilhite is ready to settle into her new job as a librarian now that college is through, but friends Bree and Skye want one more girls’ trip, and when Bree insists this is her bachelorette fling, Katie agrees. What she didn’t agree to was allowing fun and flighty Skye to dictate the itinerary or for her anxiety to kick in harder than ever ... right in front of a cute guy.

 

Camden Malone had no idea when he agreed to be the voice of reason on his cousin Ryan’s vacation that the trip wouldn’t stay in New Orleans as planned. But when Ryan plots with Skye so that the guys can tag along with the girls all week, he isn’t nearly as upset as he should be. Not with Katie’s fiery temper and flashing eyes intriguing him more by the minute.

 

Can Katie relax enough to trust Camden and a possible future, or will she continue to push him away as only a vacation fling? And can Camden move past a rocky history of his own to be able to jump into a better future? For a trip that was supposed to be all about fun, there’s a lot of romance going around.

Wow!! Sounds like a fun story!!
Can you tell us a little more about your book?

 

Destination:Romance is a “roadtrip romance,” which means the majority of the story happens on vacation. Three college friends set out for one last girls’ trip after graduation. The very first night, they meet two boys who decide to tag along. Chaos and romance ensue.

This is the first book in my first-ever series, and will have two more to join it in the next year.

 

Great!! 

How did you get your idea for this story?

 

A long time ago, when I was in college, I went on a trip with two other friends. It was Spring break and we headed to my friend’s home in Florida. On the interstate, we kept passing another car that had cute boys in it. Nothing happened on that trip, but the idea was planted—what if they met and started to get to know each other? Would it be enough for a romance to form?

 

I'm glad you decided to write it. What made you decide to be a writer?

 

I’ve always loved story. I started dabbling with writing down some of my own early on, but nothing serious. Then, in eighth grade, my English teacher was also a published author. And it hit me, “this is a real possibility.” Before then, authors seemed so unreachable and above normal people like me. In college, I majored in English so I could have the skills needed to try and do something with the stories in my head.

 

And now, here you are! A published author! What was your first story?

 

I obviously don’t remember the first story I ever wrote, since it was in elementary school. The first story I remember writing was called “Mi Vida Loca,” though I can’t remember what it was about—just that I drew a girl exploring a cave on the front. My first story to be published was An Unexpected Legacy. It’s about a guy and girl who start to fall in love, but then realize her mom and his dad dated each other in college.

 

What an interesting premise! Do you write from an outline, or just from inspiration, or both?

 

When I first started writing, I never used an outline. Since my life has gotten busier and since I’ve learned a ton since then, I use a rough outline now. Mostly just little phrases to let me know I wanted to write a scene about xyz somewhere close to this point in the story. Every now and then, I jot down a piece of dialog or something I’m afraid I’ll forget before I get to that point in the story—because I make myself write a story in order for the most part.

 

Do you have any underlying themes that you want your readers to come away with?

 

In all my stories, I want people to see that even when someone is a Christian, they can still have struggles. But with God, it can all work out well. A lot of my stories also focus on “home” and what that means in all its various ways.

 

Do your characters share any traits with you or someone you know?

 

Probably. But not by intent. I pull from real life because it’s what I know, but for the most part, I don’t set out to make a character exactly like anyone in my life.

I will say, some of my characters have pieces of my own history in theirs. Faith in Faith & Hope struggles with infertility and has a lot of the thoughts and feelings I did when I went through that. And Adrian in No Place Like Home is a preacher’s daughter and dealing with a lot of the baggage that comes from her history—a lot of which was directly from mine.

 

I do the same with my characters! Do your characters ever surprise you?

 

ALL THE TIME. I’ll be writing along and comment, “Well, I didn’t expect him to do that.” My husband gives me this funny look and I explain my character just made a decision I didn’t expect. He doesn’t understand. But when you create these characters and give them their own personalities, sometimes those personalities take over.

 

That is so true!! Do you have a favorite character in your books?

 

So far, all my books are stand-alones and have different characters in every single one. And I love pieces of all of them.

 

What are you working on now?

 

I am finishing up a novella to release next February, planning a story I want to write in July during Camp Nanowrimo, and need to tackle my content edits for the second roadtrip romance which comes out in December. It’s a lot, but I seriously feel like I’m living the dream right now.

That's wonderful! I've really enjoyed getting to know you. Thanks so much for the interview, Amy!! 

Now, readers, here's a bit more about Amy, along with her links. And remember to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing to win a free copy of Amy's book!

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

 

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

 

Learn more about her books at:

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