We're so happy to have Amy Anguish with us today talking about her book An Unexpected Legacy. For more information about Amy and her book, read on!
Please
tell us five random things we might not know about you.
1.
I’ve lived in eight different states in my
lifetime.
2.
I am married to my first and only kiss.
3.
I once had pink streaks in my hair.
4.
I am not a dog person. Cats all the way.
5.
I hate coffee but adore hot tea.
Why did you choose to
write this book?
I like to think stories choose me instead of me choosing them. A
scene or idea pops into my head, then it grows ... and grows. This book started
with just me imagining a girl sitting at an iron table outside a smoothie shop
we used to go to occasionally in Round Rock, TX. What if she got interrupted
from her book ... by a cute guy? It grew from there.
What
one thing about writing do you wish non-writers would understand?
Editing is hard! No matter how many times we go
back through a story, we’re likely to miss at least one thing. And it’s not
easy to change it once it’s been sent to publication. So, unless it’s a glaring
mistake, it will probably just stay there.
What
is the toughest test you've faced as a writer?
Learning to market myself and my books. It’s one
thing to write a story down, but another thing completely to convince someone
else that they should give it a chance rather than reading another book. It’s
not something I ever imagined having to know. In the dreams I had as a
teenager, I just figured I would write the book and someone else would sell it
for me. I wish!
What do you hope
readers to take away from your novel?
Just because people are Christians doesn’t mean their lives are
perfect, or that they don’t struggle with things like faith, trust, and
forgiveness. Christians are humans, too. They just have the help of their
heavenly Father to get through the rough spots.
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of,
writing-related or not?
Being a mommy. 😊
What
are you working on now?
I have a new book coming out in April. It’s in
edits right now, so I’m back and forth working on that. It’s about two sisters
who don’t get along, forced to spend a summer together. While they’re dealing
with that, they also deal with their own relationships, and struggles with
faith and hope when life sends bad things their way.
I’m also editing another manuscript to start
submitting it this year with hopes of publication. It’s about a girl who takes
home a baby because its parents die in a wreck. She has to learn how to move
past survivor’s guilt, the true meaning of love, and that sometimes God puts us
in a place for a reason, but it might not be the reason we think.
What
do you do for fun when not writing?
I’m pretty crafty. I dabble some in painting,
crochet, sewing and quilting. And last summer I kept a garden and ended up
canning some of that. It was hard work, but so satisfying to see the jars of
veggies my family would eat this winter.
Where else
can readers find you online?
Bio
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.
Back
cover blurb
When Chad Manning introduces himself to Jessica
Garcia at her favorite smoothie shop, it's like he stepped out of one of her
romance novels. But as she tentatively walks into a relationship with this man
of her dreams, secrets from their past threaten to shatter their already
fragile bond. Chad and Jessica must
struggle to figure out if their relationship has a chance or if there is
nothing between them but a love of smoothies.
Please give us the first page of the book.
1978
“Don’t
even think about it.”
Sandy
stared across the room at Rob’s eyes. Spellbinding. The brightest shade of blue
she had ever seen. “About what?”
Ruth
stepped between Sandy and her view. “That boy.”
“Which
one?” Sandy asked, although she had a guess. She trailed her finger along the
snack table, reached for a pretzel as a way to get a better view. His new
letterman jacket hung loosely on his lean frame, his long fingers playing with
the edge of his Bible as he stood talking to several other boys in the youth
group.
Ruth
turned Sandy to look at her. “You know which one. That Manning boy. That family’s
no good.”
“How
can you say that?”
Ruth
huffed. “Are you coming or not?” She motioned toward the door. “Daddy’s waiting
in the car.”
Sandy
intentionally walked around the table in the opposite direction of her older
sister so she could get a little closer to Rob as she left. Her heart sped up a
bit as she wondered what it would feel like to have her hand in place of his
Bible. He looked up, noticed her stare, and gave her a grin before she could
duck her head.
Ruth
caught up and nudged Sandy again as she slowed down. “Do you know where they’re
living?”
“In
the old Potter house.” Sandy frowned. “What does that have to do with
anything?”
Ruth
opened her mouth, as if to say something, then shook her head. “Just leave him
alone, Sandy. He’s no good for you. You’re going to end up with your heart
broken.”
“Don’t be silly, Ruthie.” Sandy pushed the door
open. “I’m going to marry that boy.”
