Authorsday: Amy Gamet

Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I plot everything out in neat little charts and diagrams, then change my mind on the fly and write myself into a plot corner. I do it time and time again. It takes some work to get out of it, and I promise myself never to do that again, which lasts a few days until I do the exact same thing.

If you have a day job, what is it?

I was a math teacher until my second child was born, then I became a stay-at-home mom. I loved working with kids, but I love writing more than I ever loved geometric proofs or the Pythagorean Theorem.

What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it?

In real life, I’m very direct and to-the-point. That carries over into the first draft of whatever I’m writing. When I read it, I can spot the areas that could be expanded, but it’s a little counterintuitive to me. Several reviewers have commented that I’m very good at painting a picture with very few words. If they only knew!

What’s your writing schedule?

I keep trying to schedule my writing, but it rarely seems to work out the way that I plan. With three young children and a husband who travels frequently, I spend much of my time taking care of everyday things and putting out the fires that go with the territory. I write when I can write. And when that doesn’t work, I try again tomorrow.

What’s your favorite quote?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

What authors do you admire?

All of them. No matter whether the book is good or bad, long or short, tasteful or crass. It is an act of courage to write a book. An attempt to create an entire world out of nothing. That’s admirable in its own right.

What three things would you want with you on a desert island?

My kids, my husband and my computer! I feel decidedly naked without any of them. The kids are like my shadow--even when we have a babysitter and go out for date night, I keep thinking we accidentally left someone in the minivan. It can be hard to relax. The computer is my most useful tool, from writing to everyday life. Do you think there’s wi-fi in the middle of the Atlantic?

What is your favorite word?

I don’t have a favorite word, but the question reminds me of my best friend. Back in college, she got hung up on the words “peppercorn ranch”. She said them constantly, and usually laughed hysterically when she did. She’s a funny one, that woman. As I write this, I’m on a family vacation in sunny Florida, and she is dog-sitting for my big goofy yellow Lab, Gus.

What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go?

An old friend posted pictures of herself on the top of a mountain in France, about to ski down through the clouds. I don’t know how to ski, but I’d like to learn and go there. What an experience! Next winter I plan to sign up for lessons—something I’ve been considering for years. My town has a small hill with a tow-rope and lessons for a reasonable price. I’m going to do it!

Who is your greatest cheerleader? My husband. He thinks I can do anything, despite heaps of evidence to the contrary.

Book Blurb:

Fire consumes a Florida hotel room, leaving behind a mystery man and the key to a safe deposit box. What’s inside leads to Julie Trueblood, a woman who is not what she seems, and a secret that only she can decipher. Hank Jared is the Navy investigator on the case. When passion erupts between them, will Hank choose the woman he doesn't completely trust or the career he has worked so hard for?

http://amzn.com/B008YYLYLS