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?

   http://abitofanguish.weebly.com and http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

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.”