Author Interview: Amy Brecount White

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 |

Amy Brecount White

Books (Young Adult):

  • Forget-Her-Nots
  • String Theories

Amy Brecount White:
From ages 0 to 9, I moved every two or three years all over the country, which I like to think made me adaptable and open to new places, people, and ideas. We lived in San Francisco, Virginia Beach, Albuquerque, N.M., Lexington, K.Y., and Dayton, Ohio. The library was one of the first places we found anywhere we arrived. I’ve always found a home in books.

Along that way, I’ve taught English literature and writing to middle and high school students and won a teacher of the year award. I’ve written lots of articles – mainly for The Washington Post – about fun things to do in the greater Washington area. I’ve also written a lot of essays about things I care about, such as my faith, reading aloud to children, and protecting the environment.

Now I live with my husband and three kids and Jessie the wonder dog near some woods and a stream in Arlington, Virginia, which is the inspiration for my second novel tentatively titled, String Theories.

Forget-Her-Nots:
Something some power is blooming inside Laurel. She can use flowers to do things. Like bringing back lost memories. Or helping her friends ace tests. Or making people fall in love.

Laurel suspects her newfound ability has something to do with an ancient family secret, one that her mother meant to share with Laurel when the time was right. But then time ran out.

Clues and signs and secret messages seem to be all around Laurel at Avondale School, where her mother had also boarded as a student. Can Laurel piece everything together quickly enough to control her power, which is growing more potent every day? Or will she set the stage for the most lovestruck, infamous prom in the history of the school?
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Describe yourself in 5 words or less.
Determined, kind, idealistic, tree-hugger.

How does it feel to be a published author?
Wonderful! It is definitely a dream come true. I've written for lots of magazines and newspapers, but there's nothing quite like having a novel published.

What are some of your strengths and weakness in writing?
Many people have told me that they can smell the flowers while they read my novel, so I'm pretty good at descriptive writing. I have a tough time beating up my characters sometimes, because I grow to love them.

Where did this whole idea of 'flowers' for your debut, Forget-Her-Nots, come from?
I used to write a lot of freelance articles for newspapers and magazines and came across a book about the language of flowers. Later, I made a "tussie-mussie" (a symbolic Victorian bouquet) for a friend of mine who was very ill. How I wished my flowers messages of health, strength, and good spirits could come true! Then I started thinking, what if they did? So I invented a group of people who give magic flowers. :-)

What's the feeling when you see your book in the bookstores?
Relief and elation. Not every store carries every book, so I'm always thrilled to see mine.

What's your favorite flower and why?
I really adore almost all flowers, but the scent and look of a gardenia is special for me. It's sweet but not too sweet, and the glossy green leaves are beautiful too.

It seems to be you know A LOT about flowers (what they mean, language, etc), did you actually learn this to write your novel or you were just, originally, had a 'thing' for flowers?
My mom always gardened and we had a master gardener who lived next to us. I loved strolling through her garden. When I got my first yard, I started planting flowers, herbs, and flowering bushes. I think there's nothing more hopeful than planting a flower.

What's next for you?
I'm working on a contemporary novel called STRING THEORIES, about a girl who gets in over her head, a stream, and the physics of relationships.

White bellflowers (gratitude) for hosting me, Mavie!!
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Thanks so much for stopping by, Amy!

6 comments:

~The Book Pixie said...

Gardenias really do smell amazing. Whenever I have a place of my own I want to get a couple of gardenia bushes and plant them. :D String Theories sounds like it is going to be really good. Great interview Mavie!

~Briana

Amy Brecount White said...

Thanks so much for hosting me, Mavie! I really enjoyed answering the questions.

-Amy :-)

Blueicegal ♥ said...

it sounds like a lovely novel in my opinion, I've never read anything quite like it so ill be looking forward to picking this one up

Gina said...

Lovely bit about the author and the book sounds simply magical. Curious to see exactly what it all comes together as in the end! Best of luck to the author in her future endeavers and thanks for the great post Mavie!

Melissa said...

Great interview, and the description really peaked my interest. I can't imagine how much writers get attached to their characters, I mean we get attached to characters and we just spend a couple of days with them.

Rebecca (RivkaBelle) said...

This has been lurking around my To Read list for a while, and now it's most definitely on there! Also interested in seeing how String Theories develops - sounds highly intriguing :)

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