Interview with Amy Lunderman

Hi all! Today I'm welcoming Amy Lunderman to MFB. Amy's been a constant cheerleader for me for over a year now, so I jumped at the chance to have her over for a nice girl to girl chat.



M: Hey Amy, how about we start with the usual question: Tell us a little more about yourself? 

 
A: I'm a stay at home mom, to a very busy two year old daughter. I live in northern Rhode Island where the weather has more ups and downs than my toddler does, but I grew up in upstate NY so I'm used to it. I've been with my husband for almost eight years now and it still feels like we never have a dull moment! I've always had a passion for writing and I try to write whenever I have a free moment. If not writing or wrangling my daughter - I also enjoy reading, writing, having dance party with my toddler, watching TV and movies, You Tube, and status updates on Facebook. And if not doing any of THAT I can probably be found watching whatever is going on around me through the backs of my eyelids, because chances are I probably fell asleep on the couch! :)
 
M: So how many hours a day do you spend writing? Because you're scary productive.

A: Honestly? Only about three to four, give or take, maybe a day. I usually snag an hour first thing in the morning before I have my coffee, this is when I have my best idea's - my dreams are scary imaginative. When my daughter naps, I try to write for another hour or so, most days though I catch up on other things like my sanity. Then at night, I squeeze in another few hours of writing before bed - this is probably why I dream about what I write. If I really push myself, I can have a rough draft out in a little over two weeks, but I like the rest of my writing time to be on edits and rewrites. Lately I've been slowing down a bit, taking my time, and just working on past works. I'm hoping to have something new out by the end of the year, but we'll see I guess.

M: Cool! So what's the freakiest dream that you had and turn into a book?

A: The dream credit has to go to my zombie novel, They Walk, of course the dream is totally different than the book. For example in the book, I have a group of teens at a party before the zombies invade, while in my dream it's already chaos. And by chaos I mean it's incomprehensible in the way only dreams can get away with. For one thing, in my dream I'm locked in this thirty feet high walled in labyrinth type maze, and the only way to avoid the zombies is to climb and avoid slipping into the masses. I remember waking up freaking out about it! I don't know what's worse, fearing the hungry undead or the height of the walls I climbed. Anyways, a lot of the dream was reshaped into something readable, but I do squeeze in a little bit of it, staying loyal to my dreams and all - they're definitely helpful.

M: Nice. I almost wish that I had dreams like that. So tell us about your newest book.

A: Currently I am working on rewrites for The Misadventures of Daria Pigwidgeon, also formerly known as Demonsoul, which is now essentially two books in one. I wasn't all that satisfied with the way book one ended, it didn't really seem complete to me, so changes were a must. As a plus of making it one book, I get to play around some more with the sequel and take it in a new direction! It's basically about a teenage demon that pretty much raised herself because she was born with a soul. After realizing she won't survive much longer under they're treatment, she sets out across the country on her own. What was supposed to be a fresh start becomes a misadventure when her family follows her trail and disrupts the new life she built. Add to the mix of demon powers, an addicting blue eyed pretty boy, shadow stalkers, and high school - then your in the world of Daria, where you'll never have a boring day!

During the last month or so, while I've been working on rewrites, I've also been playing around with a new idea that quickly grew into a new series about witches. This one take magic, fantasy, college, and love all rolled into an exciting thrill-ride! I'm hoping to have it out some time this summer, but we'll see, every day that I work on it spurs new ideas. I have added it to Goodreads though, if anyone would like to see a preview of what it's really about! ;)

M: Sounds really interesting. So who is your favorite character that you've written?

A: That's a tough one! Instead of choosing just one, I'll share the one I like most from all my works.

They Walk: Maggie - She's the heroine of the story, and I've made her with enough snark and grace that she ranks high on my list of favorites.
Persona: Marty - He started out as a side character that grew to be the best friend, and eventually became a love interest who's the best!
The Misadventures of DP: This is a tie between Daria and Chance - the two of them together make for some exciting writing time.
Witch University: Jeremiah - He's the kind of bad boy character I love reading about except this time he's my creation. Writing him is a blast and most times his intentions take me by surprise, so revealing him to readers should be fun!

 
M: What's your favorite aspect to writing?

 
A: My favorite aspect of writing has to be the getting lost in a story. I love character and world building - so writing is a great outlet for that.

M: So I'm curious. What got you to start writing?

A: I pretty much started making up wild and crazy stories even before I could write anything. Mostly it was stuff only parents could say was great with a smile on there face even though it was probably incoherent rambles. As I got older though, I became influenced by movies/television I've watched or books that I've read (Are Your Afraid of the Dark; on Nickelodeon and Fear Street by R.L. Stine) so by then the short stories I wrote took more of a horror turn. Over time my short stories became the little novels that tried and slowly evolved into what I would obsess over; paranormal romance fiction!
 
M: That sounds like me. When did you start getting serious about publishing your stories?

A: I always wondered what it would be like to be published, but I'm such a shy person that the thought of sending out query letters terrified me. So I never really thought I had any other options. But, when I was working on my first novel, They Walk, I came across Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. After finding that, I realized there were a ton of other self-publishing opportunities - that became the way to go for me. Now that I've been getting out there a bit, the prospect of sending out query's doesn't seem so scary and I's slowly working on that angle.

M: Want to tell us more about your newest release?

A: My newest release is a young adult paranormal romance called, Persona: It’s the year 2028 and an experiment that went wrong seventeen years ago sends the world in lock-down from these genetic mutations. Sixteen-year-old Moira Warner knows only fear and secrecy, but that's understandable given she spent her toddler years in a lab. Why? Because she is one of them. Now she barely gets by with hiding her true self. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her at a new school, she lets loose with popular jock Spencer, and realizes she's been a fool to believe that she could be anything other than what she is; a monster. Before she can confide in anyone for help, her little slip up brings in the authority's and now her secret is out. The horrific memories of her past returns and with it the man that ruined her childhood.

With the help from someone she would have never thought and a group of unlikely accomplices, she must come face to face with her past. A past she would rather forget. Moira now becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Liam is the only one who can provide the information she needs. But in her drive to find the truth, will Moira push her new friends to far, forcing her to leave her family, and the identity that she's shaped? This sends her on a journey to find out what she really is and along the way she just might find herself in the process. Maybe even love, if she's not too busy running and trying to blend in.

M: Sounds really exciting! One last question: where can people find you and your book?

A: You can find me here:Website

Blog
Twitter
Facebook


You Can find my books here:
Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords


Thanks so much for the visit, Amy!

It was a blast. So much so that I'd love to have some more interviews. If you'd like one, please feel free to let me know and maybe we can arrange something. ^_^