Amber Perry ~ Author Interview
Welcome back to Rachel’s Back Talk! Another Friday interview!
Today’s interview is with Amber Lynn Parry. This past Monday, I had the reviewed her book, So Fair a Lady.
So without further ado, on to Rachel’s Back Talk – Special Edition!
RR: Hi Amber! It’s great to have you here today. To start off, when did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
AP: Hi, Rachel!! First of all, thank you so much for having me—what a treat to be here! I love this first question. I never really grew up with the idea that I wanted to be a writer, actually. I mean, I loved to daydream and even came up with a few story ideas (which I’ll mention more about in a little bit) but I always figured writing would be too difficult for my little brain—and I something still feel like that. LOL!! It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my second baby that I finally discovered the historical Christian romance genre and knew I would never be the same! I started blogging first, actually–I had my little review blog, The Historical Christian Romance Review. I read and talked about as many books as I could until finally this story idea would not leave me alone and I just had to try it out for myself.
RR: Ah yes — Historical Christan Romance. Quite possibly my favorite genre. 🙂 How would you describe your writing process? Are you more of a planner or freewriter?
AP: Oooo goodness…I think I am a bit of both. With So Fair a Lady, it was definitely a “by the seat of my pants” sort of thing, and it was so exciting to see how things would turn out!! With my other two books I think it’s been a balance of the two.
RR: Yup! It totally get the balance of both thing. When is your best time in the day to write?
AP: I write mainly at night, when my kids are in bed. But I try to keep a notebook handy to write down ideas and such when they come to me in the middle of the day.
RR: How do you know when you have a great story idea?
AP: Oh!! Getting that great story idea is SO much fun! I think sometimes it sparks to life and I just know instantly that’s the way to go, but other times I get an idea and at first I’m not so sure, but as I think about it over time, it starts to kind of glow in my mind until I can’t deny that’s what I need to do. Does that make sense? LOL
RR: Oh definitely! Ideas are a finicky thing and are just possible to deny the branching out of a story from them. So out of all your books, which has been your favorite to write?
AP: My favorite?! Wow, that’s a tough one. I have loved writing them all for different reasons. I must say however, that I think SO RARE A GIFT was my favorite. Maybe that’s because it’s my most recent….;) * giggles * I loved writing Henry (the hero) because I got to know him from the beginning of the series, and Anna just had such a great back story… anyway… If I think too much more I might change my mind, so I’ll stick with that for now. LOL
RR: Now you got me excited to read So Rare A Gift. 😉 Moving to your first book in the series, how did you come up with the idea for So Fair a Lady?
AP: I love this question!! Well, I kind of first came up with the idea when I was in middle school, actually. I have always been fascinated and inspired by the American Revolution and thought how fun it would be if I could write a story about an American girl, a Patriot boy and a British soldier. I started writing it actually, but when I realized it was going to be really tough to follow through (writing is hard! LOL) I gave up. I didn’t even really think about the idea again until almost twenty years later when I thought about maybe giving writing a try.
RR: Ummm totally! That’s what drew me to this book — Revolutionary War, Patriot boy, and American girl! Are the characters Eliza, Thomas, and Kitty based off of anyone you know?
AP: The characters themselves are not based off anyone I know, but the names are from my family history. Eliza Campbell and Thomas Watson were real people, though not from the same time period. I just loved their names! HAHA!
RR: Haha! That is great! What inspired you to write about “Daughter of His Kingdom” series?
AP: Another great question! Rachel, you’re good. 😉 LOL I * love * talking about this in particular, so thank you for asking. I have always been passionate about the American Revolution, and when I began the DOHK series, I was of course drawn to this time period right away. I really hope to be able to share not only a great romance but also to inspire readers to a greater appreciation for the incredible courage and strength the early patriots had. Romance and the revolution—two of the most awesome things. I get a little geeky over it, I will admit. 😉
RR: And your book portrays all those aspects!! How much time was spent researching verses writing in this book in particular?
AP: Oh, well, I think I did more writing than researching only because I had already done so much research in the past. I have always loved the Revolutionary era, so I knew enough to get me started. That being said, there were lots of little details that I wanted to make sure about! In fact, I even took a trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Sandwich, MA. So, now that I think of it, I guess maybe it was equal time—writing and researching. HAHA!!
RR: That’s always good! I tend to think that if it’s a time period you’re passionate about, the researching isn’t as intense because you’re more familiar with it. As we close here today, is there one tip that you could share that has really benefited you in your writing?
AP: One tip? My goodness, how to narrow it down?! I believe the biggest thing—at least for me—is to write what you love!!! Whether you are someone who enjoys writing just as a hobby or someone who wants to make it a career—I firmly believe that the most successful writers are the ones that write from the heart. I know that sounds like a library poster, but I really believe that! LOL!! If you write what you are passionate about, that will come across to readers and they will keep coming back for more.
RR: And that is a great way to close! Thank you so much for being here today with us, Amber!
If you have any questions for Amber or remarks about the interview, please leave a comment. I love hearing from you and I know Amber will too!
In case you missed it, here is the review that I wrote on Amber’s book, So Fair A Lady.
AND — Amber is offering an e-book giveaway of So Fair A Lady. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I’ll draw a winner next Saturday September 2nd!
Amber Lynn Perry is a historical romance novelist, focusing on her favorite time in American history, the Revolutionary era. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and currently lives in Washington state with her husband and two daughters. She loves to hear from readers and you can contact her through her website,
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I am a 22-year-old, history-lover, coffee-fanatic, author, and book reviewer.
I just recently learned about Amber, and I can’t wait to read her books! I’m so fascinated with the 1700s in the US! The birth of our nation was such an interesting time period! Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself, Amber!
Hi Karen! Congratulations! You are the winner of Amber’s giveaway. I will forward her your email so you can be expecting an email from her shortly. Have a wonderful weekend.
Rachel