#Interview With Amie Irene Winters

Hey Everyone!!

Amie Irene Winters is joining us today to talk about her new book, The Nightmare Birds! Amie, can you tell us about yourself and how many books you have written?

Amie: I’m a writer by day, kickboxer by night. I’m a sucker for spooky things, geeky movies, and super cute animals. I’m also the author of the Strange Luck series.

Me:  Sounds like you're busy!  What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Amie:  The Nightmare Birds is the newest YA Horror story in the Strange Luck series. It's about Daisy Darling's quest to uncover the truth about the mysterious Theater of Secrets - long thought a dark legend by many, but known as a frightening reality to those who truly know its powers. Only the invited may find it and once they do, they cannot go back. What Daisy doesn’t know is that this mystery will forever change her life and her future.  I’ve always loved the concept of the supernatural creeping into the real world, especially stories with dark magic and unseen monsters (I’m a big H.P. Lovecraft fan). A mythic circus operating beneath a bustling city seemed like the perfect setting to invite strange and peculiar things.

Me: It does sound like a great setting! :-) What are you working on now?

Amie: Book III in the series. There will be lots more dark magic and strange things creeping into the light (*insert evil laugh here). Stay tuned for details.

Me: Ha! Sounds great! :-)  What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Amie:  H.P Lovecraft is my favorite author of all time. Not only was he an amazing writer, he seemed like a really neat, and peculiar, person. Simone de Beauvoir is my favorite philosopher. She was an exceptional feminist, thinker, and author. Last but not least, Neil Gaiman. He’s been a major influence on my writing and I would love to pick the brain of someone so imaginative.

Me: Some great authors there. If you haven't already, you might also want to check out Kurt Vonnegut. It sounds like he'd be right up your alley. ;-)  What are you reading now?

Amie:  I just finished reading A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and started reading Gulliver’s Travels.

Me: Two of my favorites! :-)  For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?

Amie: Suspense, magic, mystery, and limitless possibilities.

Me: Cool!  What is your favorite part of being an author?

Amie: The freedom to be creative.

Me. Yeah, that is really fun. :-)  Do you have a day job as well?

Amie: For the past year I’ve been writing books full-time. Prior, I worked in various industries like corporate communications, grant writing, and sustainability initiatives for governmental agencies.

Me: That's wonderful! Congratulations! :-) What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?

Amie:  Writer’s block is definitely the most difficult thing about being an author. Neil Gaiman put it perfectly when he said, "This is how you do it: You sit at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard." These are certainly some words to live by and I am constantly fine-tuning my process and figuring out what works best for me. As far as the easiest thing, probably the freedom of the job. I can literally sit and work in my PJ’s and eat ice cream.

Me: I think I'd have to agree with both of those. :-)  What genre do you place your book in?

Amie: YA, Fantasy, Horror.

Me: Wonderful! Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

Amie: If you’ve read my book(s), I’d love to hear what you think! Please visit amieirenewinters.com and shoot me an email or post a review and send me the link.

Me: Amen! And so these fine folks can find your books, are there any links you'd like me to post?

Connect:
Website: http://www.amieirenewinters.com

Blog: http://golden-cricket.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/aiwinters

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AmieIWinters

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/amieiwinters


Buy Links:
Amazon: The Nightmare Birds (Strange Luck Book 2)

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Amie%20Irene%20Winters%22;jsessionid=719141F1DD6FFC42D8BFA5927C70220A.prodny_store02-atgap05?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=6695440343344&type=author&query=Amie%20Irene%20Winters

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/author/Amie-Irene-Winters

Me: Perfect! Thank you so much for stopping by today, Amie! And thank you to everyone else for joining us. And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)