Interview with Christine Amsden, author of Madison's Song

Title: Madison's Song
Author: Christine Amsden
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Pages: 275
Genre: Paranormal Fiction
Format: Kindle

Her voice is enchanting; his soul is black...

Madison Carter has been terrified of Scott Lee since the night he saved her from an evil sorcerer – then melted into a man-eating monster before her eyes. The werewolf is a slave to the moon, but Madison's nightmares are not.

Despite her fears, when Madison's brother, Clinton, is bitten by a werewolf, she knows there is only one man who can help. A man who frightens her all the more because even in her nightmares, he also thrills her.

Together for the first time since that terrible night, Scott and Madison drive to Clinton's home only to discover that he's vanished! Frantic now, Madison must overcome her fears and uncover hidden strengths if she hopes to save him. And she's not the only one fighting inner demons. Scott's are literal, and they have him convinced that he will never deserve the woman he loves.

Praise for Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective

 "In this entertaining series opener, Amsden (The Immortality Virus) introduces readers to the eponymous Cassie, a decidedly mundane member of a magical family. ...Readers will enjoy Cassie's fish-out-of-water struggles as she fights magical threats with little more than experience and bravado." ~ Publishers Weekly

ORDER INFORMATION Madison's Song is available for order at    

 

Thanks for letting us interrogateinterview you!

Um … you're welcome? Hang on, I just need to get some maceget a glass of water.

Can you give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?

Yes.

I got into writing because I was a painfully shy child with a rich internal fantasy life. Writing helped make those fantasies more real. Becoming an author was harder, because it involved overcoming shyness, developing a sense of self-confidence, and putting myself out there. I wanted to do that to prove to myself that I could. That there's more to me than shyness and closeted dreams. No one's going to discover me until I discover myself.

Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be? I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?

I love that people connect with me and with my stories. I especially love when they relate to my characters; it makes me feel like I'm part of the world (the part up in the clouds).

But it's hard work and ultimately, “success” is a word that needs careful definition, especially when it comes to authorship. Most boks don't sell a hundred copies in their lifetime, and getting a true following takes a lot out of anyone, especially a shy girl! Plus, a lot of it's luck. (A lot a lot.) Don't let anyone lie and say otherwise. JK Rowling wasn't exceptionally brilliant, she was the right person in the right place at the right time. (I'm not dissing Harry Potter – I love it! Honest!)

I've done well. I've sold many thousands of books and every one of my books has won at least one award. (The first just won an honorable mention but that still counts!) There's a lot of pressure to follow that up with more success, to which I have to remind myself to breathe and let my muse have her head.

Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?

I'm your in-between case. I was traditionally published by a small press, which means I do a lot of my own marketing but with more clout than the first-time self-published author. Given my early confidence problems, I don't think I could have gone self-published from the start. The audacity to sell books to the public based on only my say so? No way! But I am involved with a lot of indie and self-published groups because a lot of the marketing strategies are the same. My publisher brings better publishing options to the table (I don't trust Amazon's exclusivity deals), professional editing and cover design, and respectability.

Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?

My husband has been my biggest supporter. Without him, I never would have done it. He told me to audition for Orson Scott Card's “boot camp” in 2003 – I didn't think I'd get in! He also told me he made enough money to support me. (He also added that he expects me to be as rich as JK Rowling so he can retire early, but no pressure!) My kids think it's cool. They brag on me at school.

I'm not as sure about my parents. I know my mom wanted me to get a “real” job with security, but she hasn't mentioned that in years and even when she did, she tried to support me.

Do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word?

My husband feeds them. :)

In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late?

I'm my own boss, so I'm the only one I've got to deal with if I'm late! As for the phone – I get annoyed but answer it. Dinner is usually on time, to be honest. Since I work from home as an author and editor, I make my own hours and dinnertime is not my best writing time anyway. I'm more a late morning or early afternoon writer.

What was the craziest or most insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?

So I was at a book signing for my first book, Touch of Fate, when I realized that one of the personalized books had never been purchased. This was upsetting, because I would have to eat the cost of that book but that's not the crazy part. The crazy part came a minute or so later, as a wiry, long-haired lady with great big glasses (who had been listening to me discuss the situation with my husband) came up and put her hand on the book. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “I see that she forgot the book. You'll see her again, and she'll be so grateful.”

Um … yeah. Okay, just because I wrote a fiction book called Touch of Fate does not mean I actually believe in prophecy! You would be amazed (or maybe you wouldn't – could have just been me) how many people asked me if the book was a true story or was based on my own personal psychic experiences!

How about the social networks? Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?

I hate Twitter! Seriously? How do people use it in the real world? You get 140 characters of nonsense with with which to sum up concepts tha

I do much better with Facebook and Google+, where I can talk as long as I want. I write novels, not flash fiction. There's a reason for that!

What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?

One thing? Well, since I'm on the rooftop, I may as well scream about the fact that it's black. These roofs absorb a ton of energy and are expensive/inefficient to cool. Solar-reflective white coatings would be more energy efficient and less expensive.

Okay, too much sugar for you today! Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in.

Thanks! Hang on while I just put this mace in my purse. (You really had me sweating!)

Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?

I love writing. And you know what else? I love knowing I'm good at it. I'm on a writing hiatus at the moment, but I still write every day. I write blog posts, answer interview questions, write in a journal, or brainstorm new ideas for future books. There are blank pages in the world. I must fill them!

Christine Amsden has been writing fantasy and science fiction for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and relationships, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

 At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work. Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.

  For More Information
 Visit Christine's website.