Face to Face with Author Amy Clipston

I always wrote as a child, but I don’t want to be a writer until I found a link to a local Romance Writer’s of America chapter. I went to a meeting and met writers in all stages of their careers. I joined the chapter and then learned how to polish my skills. I signed with my first agent in 2005 and sold my first book in 2007. My first book, A Gift of Grace, which is the first in my Kauffman Amish Bakery series, was published in April 2009.

I love receiving my first box of books, holding the book in my hand, and smelling it. There’s nothing like the smell of a new book. I dread the editing process. Rewriting the book and reworking the story is always a challenge, but it’s worth it to hold that new book!

I write alongside a full-time job. It’s not easy to juggle two demanding occupations, but I make it work. I handle Human Resources for my department with the City of Charlotte. I work four 10-hour days and enjoy my Fridays off. On Fridays, I usually work on my latest book and run errands, and I also try to have lunch with my younger son at his school at least once a month. During the summers, I enjoy sleeping in and then taking my kids to the pool at the aquatic center. At the pool, I’ll find a table in the picnic area and work on my latest book or read.

I’m definitely a Type A plotter!  I start off with a detailed synopsis. After my editor approves it, I write a very detailed outline, going chapter by chapter, and scene by scene. I use that outline as a roadmap for the book. The outline changes and grows, but it keeps me on track to help prevent the dreaded writer’s block. My outline usually prevents writer’s block because I know where I’m headed with the story. If I get stuck, then I’ll toss ideas around with my agent or my editor. Talking through it with another person helps.

If I’m on deadline, I try to write every day. I’ll write late into the night during the week, since I work a full-time job. I’ll also write all weekend long, only taking breaks to eat and sleep. I have to push myself to get through that first draft, and then I polish before I hand it off to my friends and agent to read. I used to need complete quiet while I worked, but now I use headphones and music to block out the noise of my family.

I always pray at night while I’m writing and ask God to make the story pleasing to Him. When I’m writing on weekends, I go into a room with a cup of tea and my headphones. A few of my cats are normally my only company. I have to leave the door cracked so the cats can go in and out as they please. I get up periodically and walk around, and when I get sick of the hot tea, I drive Diet Coke and flavored water.

I try not to sit all day long. My goal is to get exercise at least five days per week. I love Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds. At work, I reserve a conference room at lunch time and do the video every day. I also do the video on weekends with my mom. We love Leslie!

I am definitely a cat person. Four cats own my family and me – Jet, Molly, Rico, and Lily. They have four different personalities. Lily is the smallest and the loudest, and she’s the bully. She picks on the other cats. Jet follows me around like my shadow. He’s a big, fluffy tuxedo cat. Molly is a sweetheart, who tries to mind her own business. She sleeps with my younger son. Rico likes to follow my husband around and sit on his lap.

Some folks may not know that I donated a kidney through a swap for my husband in 2011. My husband, Joe, had received a kidney from his brother in 2004, and it only lasted 4 years.  Joe went back on dialysis in 2008, and he was very ill. No one matched him, so I signed up to give a kidney through the paired donation program. Through that program, I donated a kidney to a woman, and the same day, her husband gave a kidney to Joe. We’ll celebrate our three-year kidney-versary on June 14. I wrote a memoir called A Gift of Love about our story. I’m an advocate for organ and blood donation.  Donate life! Donate blood!

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple best-seller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. She is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at www.amyclipston.com 

Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks 

Twitter: @AmyClipston

Make sure to stop by tomorrow, when you'll have a chance to win Amy's newest title, A Mother's Secret!

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A Mother's Secret by Author Amy Clipston

I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce my new book, A Mother’s Secret, on the Borrowed Book Blog.  This book is the second in my Hearts of Lancaster Grand Hotel series and is set to release June 3. A Mother’s Secret releases one year after book one, which was A Hopeful Heart. 

In book one, Hannah Glick, a recent widow, finds herself stuck at a crossroad in her life. Her community offers her love and support, but a new friend offers her the chance of a new life after unexpectedly losing her husband. Wealthy businessman Trey Peterson is surprised at his attraction for the gentle Amish woman who works as a housekeeper in the Lancaster Grand hotel where he is staying. They share a common bond of loss and are able to offer each other comfort and support as they journey through their grief. Joshua Glick wants nothing more than to offer his friendship and love to Hannah and her family. Not only is he her husband's brother and business partner in their shared horse business, he has always been in love with Hannah. Are they destined to be only business partners or will Joshua be able to convince her that they belong together for life?

The Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series was inspired during the Amish Country Holiday Book Tour in November 2011. During the tour, Vannetta Chapman, Shelley Shepard Gray, and I stayed at the Berlin Grand Hotel. Alicia Mey, Senior Marketing Director for Zondervan, was impressed with the hotel, and she pitched the idea of using a fictional hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as the setting for my new series. She suggested I create a series about Amish women who work in at fictional upscale hotel. She was intrigued with the idea of the Amish and "English" (non-Amish) clashing in such a unique environment. Her idea turned into the series, and I'm so thankful for Alicia's idea that I dedicated A Hopeful Heart to her.

I enjoyed writing A Hopeful Heart and juxtaposing the Amish and English life through the hotel. Throughout the series, the women who are the main characters work in the fictional hotel. I have to admit that A Mother’s Secret is my favorite book in the series. Carolyn Lapp, the heroine of the book, is different from the other Amish women I’ve featured in my previous books. Due to her painful past, she’s more outspoken and less traditional than any other Amish character I have created. I also enjoyed giving Joshua Glick his own story since he had his heart broken in A Hopeful Heart.

In A Mother's Secret, Carolyn Lapp dreams of marrying for love. But will the errors of her past destroy this dream forever? Carolyn Lapp longs to have a traditional Amish family. But she lives on her brother's farm with her parents and her 15-year old son, Benjamin. Carolyn has never revealed the identity of Benjamin's father and lives daily with the guilt and shame of her youthful indiscretion. Her brother simply will not forgive her. His answer is to arrange a practical marriage for Carolyn to Saul, a widower with a little girl. But Carolyn isn't convinced that Saul really loves her and believes he is simply looking for someone to help raise his daughter. When Benjamin causes trouble at a local horse auction, horse breeder Joshua Glick decides that he must be taught a lesson. Carolyn and Joshua are unmistakably drawn to each other, but Joshua mistakenly assumes that Benjamin is Carolyn's brother. Carolyn fears that if he discovers the truth, her past will destroy their budding romance. After years of shame and loneliness, Carolyn suddenly has two men vying for her attention. But which of them will give her the family---and the unconditional love---she's longed for?

A Mother's Secret was inspired while I was writing A Hopeful Heart. I felt Joshua Glick needed his own story after he had his heart broken in the first book. I really like Joshua’s character, and I enjoyed telling his story. This book is dedicated to my amazing editor and dear friend, Becky Philpott. She’s been a tremendous support to me with my books. I’m grateful for her friendship and her guidance with my books.

I hope readers enjoy A Mother’s Secret. Book three in the series, A Dream of Home, will follow in December and will feature Madeleine Miller, another housekeeper who works at the Lancaster Grand Hotel.

Amy Clipston is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Her novels have hit multiple best-seller lists including CBD, CBA, and ECPA. Amy holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. She is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled rotten cats. Visit her online at www.amyclipston.com Facebook: AmyClipstonBooks Twitter: @AmyClipston

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