Friday, January 21, 2011

Interview and Giveaway with Author Amanda Stephan

Amanda Stephan is a stay at home mom who teaches her two children homeschooling. She is the author of The Price of Trust - her first book. She is currently working on her fifth and sixth novels.

Amanda stopped by to do an interview with us. She's giving away a copy of her book to one winner. You'll have the choice to select either an autographed paperback book or a pdf version of The Price of Trust. Be sure to read the rules at the bottom of this post before entering!

Welcome, Amanda!  
Thank you for having me here!

 It mentions on your site that you homeschool. How do you juggle being a teacher, writer, and a mother?

Juggle is the operative word… I take my jobs very seriously, and enjoy each aspect, and I’d have to say that they roll into one another quite nicely. Good thing I love spending time with our children! For school, I have a set schedule for each part of my day ~ we start every morning at the same time and they have a set time to complete their tasks or it’s homework. I take their education very seriously because one day they’ll walk out of our house, and I hope they’ll be prepared to succeed in whatever profession God leads them into. While the kids are doing their school work, I’ll be plotting my next situation, or reading a book that I need to review.

What books made your imagination soar when you were a child? And did you ever dream to write like those authors did?

I loved to read, but I can’t think of a particular book or series that spiked my imagination, although I do remember that they always had to have a happy ending. Even as a child, I knew life could be sad and hurtful, and I wanted to spend my time thinking on the positive. Actually, I would write books in my head. I guess it definitely helped having an active imagination. 

I recently reviewed your debut novel: The Price of Trust. The characters were fun and entertaining. You must have loved creating them, but was it challengeing?

No, I didn’t find creating them as challenging. I like to write my characters to invoke a particular response – whether likable or not, but I don’t like painting the entire picture, so to speak. I wanted my readers to envision the people for themselves. I would actually miss them after I hadn’t written in a while. It was like they had become my personal friends. Odd, I know.





It would appear that you like suspense and romance intermingled together. How did you decide on these two genres out of the many others for The Price of Trust?

Personally, I don’t like a fluffy romance. All roses, all gaiety, all blah blah blah. (I was embarrassed a couple of times when I re-read my work at the fluffy stuff – I even blushed.) I love suspenseful books and I’m an incurable romantic, so the two just naturally combined.

How do you motivate yourself to keep at the writing process? Any tips or advice you’d like to make known?

Motivation isn’t my strong point. I used to write when it hit me, but I try to spend a few minutes everyday writing now. It’s virtually impossible to write when my husband is home as he desires my full attention! LOL! Now, I find that if I write down a list the things I need or want to accomplish on that particular day, that helps tremendously. I’ll even write the normal, everyday duties down, like making dinner. (Yes, I’ve forgotten to prepare dinner on more than one occasion…)

Do you have more books planned for further down the road? What are you currently working on right now?

Oh my yes! I’m super excited about my other books. I’m currently working on my fifth and sixth novels. I was working on my fifth, and one night while I was cooking, the sixth just popped in my head and it’s been gung-ho since. It literally took over! (Dinner was hopelessly burned, but I had a fantastic outline…)

There are many great Bible verses and quotes out there, but which of these apply to your journey in life?

My life verse:

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. – 3 John 4 (KJV) I want our children to love God and serve him their entire lives. If they do, that is my greatest accomplishment, and I will view my life as a success.


Randomly Fun Questions:

You’ve been given plane tickets to visit three countries. Which would they be? And why have you always wanted to see these?

Ireland – because there are so many redheads there! I won’t be in the minority! Scotland – because that’s where my family comes from, and finally, Venice, Italy – I’ve always wanted to ride in a gondola!

In your spare time, how often do you read? Every day I try to set aside time to read.

Have a favorite dessert you cannot resist eating? I am a cookie-aholic. If there is cookies in the house, they will NOT last long!


How can our bookworms best get in contact with you? Readers can contact me through my website, The Price of Trust, they can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog, The Eclectic Blogger


Thank you, Amanda, for taking the time to do this interview with us. And we especially want to thank you for giving a copy of your book to one of our readers. It will be wonderful to see who wins it!

Book Giveaway!
Synopsis:

What was going on? Was she allowing herself to think too much of this little town? Or just the people in it. She blushed as she remembered how her heart had sped up as Joe had sat next to her. Carly Richards is on the run. For the last two years, she's skipped from town to town, ducking her dangerous and well-informed ex-fiance every few weeks, never settling anywhere for long. With the death of her parents, Carly's vulnerability made her trust a man with an attractive facade, now that same man tracked her across the country, always nipping at her heels, preventing her from reaching out to anyone other than her God. Now she's in Montana, and surely that is far enough away from Texas and her abusive past that she can rest. But her emotional scars are reluctant to heal, and Carly resists the friendliness of those in the small town she lights upon, especially handsome farmer Joe Baird. Without a car and money, though, she has little choice but to dig in and begin building back up her savings so she can run once more. Caught in the circumstances, the kind people around her begin to creep into her softening heart. God is at work, and she has to trust him to not only take care of her, but care for the people she is learning to love. Carly must learn the Price of Trust.

Book Info:

Format: Paperback *autographed* or PDF
Pages: 348
ISBN: 978-1616630478
Publisher: Tate Publishing

Rules:
Amanda is giving away The Price of Trust to one bookworm! In order to enter, you must leave a comment with your e-mail address (so that we can contact you if you're the winner). US and Canada only, please. This giveaway starts today and ends on February 3rd. A winner will be picked randomly (using random.org) and announced on the 4th. We will contact the winner and notify them by their e-mail address. If the winner doesn't respond within a few days, we will have to pick another. Good luck! =)

God bless!
~Grace

42 comments:

PoCoKat said...

Thanks for the giveaway opportunity...sounds like a great book.

littleone AT shaw DOT ca

Ariel Wilson said...

Oh man... this book sounds good! If I don't win it will definitely go on my TBR list :)

pinkdaddysgirl[at]msn[dot]com

Anonymous said...

That was a great interview!!!! The book looks very interesting, as well! My email is jay@jaysmusikblog.com Thanks! :)

Pam K. said...

"The Price Of Trust" appeals to me because of the romantic suspense. I was also betrayed by a man who had said he loved me. Fortunately, I didn't have to run from him. I'd love to win this book and read more.
Thanks.

pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Thank you all for your lovely comments! Good luck to you!

Trena said...

This book seems like a really good read :) So excited for this giveaway, thank!

raindrops9276@yahoo.com

rubynreba said...

Great interview. Sounds like a wonderful book to read.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Linda Kish said...

This sounds like a great book!

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

i'm interested in reading this book...thanks for the chance :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

This looks great! Please enter me - I am a follower!

Kait
momiswayweird(at)gmail(dot)com

lgm52 said...

Enjoyed the interview. Book sounds great!
lgm52@hotmail.com

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Hi Trena, RubynReba, and Linda! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! Good luck to you all and be sure to tell your friends!

Anonymous said...

I would love to read a copy of this book. I prefer a signed hard copy if that is possible. Miriam
mirandell87@yahoo.com
oh, yeah, carmen sent me here.

aileen stewart said...

I would love to win a copy for my library. I have read this book and it is one of the best I've read in a while! astewart@neo.rr.com

x...K...x said...

Sounds great!

Thanks for the giveaway!

kays-brookside (at) hotmail (dot) com

Nancye said...

This sounds like an awesome book! I would LOVE to win this book! It sounds like a book I wouldn't be able to put down! Thanks for the chance.

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Marja Verschoor-Meijers said...

Thanks Grace and Amanda for a great interview, I just LOVE the fun random questions. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My email is marjameijers (at)filternet.nl Although my email is in the Netherlands, I am physically here in the US :)

Katie Marie said...

Sounds like an awesome book! I am already a follower of this blog, and would love a chance at winning this book. Great work, Amanda!

Carman sent me!

~ Katy
legacy1992(at)gmail(dot)com

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Aww, you all made my day! Thank you so much for all the kind comments! And thanks to The Christian Scroll for hosting this giveaway ~ isn't she great?! :)
Good luck to you all!

Grace said...

I am glad that everyone is enjoying the interview and giveaway. You're welcome, Amanda! I don't know about being great... *blushes* thank you for the compliment. This is extremely fun!!! I love reading all your comments =)

Mona said...

Sounds like a good read.

monagarg@yahoo.com

angie said...

This sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway!
bangersis(at)msn(dot)com

Anonymous said...

always hungry for a new author, new book! this looks great! thanks!
tattgiff at centurytel dot net

Meredith said...

Good interview! Sounds like a good book. Thanks for the giveaway!

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Would be anxious to read if I was chosen to win.
cborgmann56@gmail.com

Renee G said...

This sounds like a wonderful story.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com

Jolee said...

Thanks! Looks good. Count me in. Wishing you both well! joleehamlin [at] comcast [dot] net

Carman said...

Please enter me! This sounds like a book I would enjoy! :)

booklovercb at yahoo dot com

Lourdes said...

I would love to win.

Lourdes11743[at]gmail[dot]com

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Aw, thanks to all your lovely comments, friends! I'm so glad you stopped by ~ good luck!

Unknown said...

Oh boy, I cna't wait to read this. It sounds great! My kind of book.

Tara said...

This book looks really great! I love the cover!

TaraTagli at gmail dot com

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Good morning, ladies! It's so nice to see you on here ~ good luck to you both! :)

Wendy said...

I would love to win this book.
I also don't like fluffy romances.
wsmarple/at/gmail/dot/com

Jo said...

This book sounds awesome. I would really love to read it.

Blessings,
Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

Pegg Thomas said...

Thanks for a chance to win!
twinwillowsfarm at gmail dot com

Annette W. said...

Romantic suspense by an author that doesn't like fluffy romances sounds perfect!!

derekannette at gmail dot com

Debbie Lynne Costello said...

Hey Amanda, We have more in common that writing. I homeschooled to. And like you I found that in order to get anything done I had to have a schedule. Kids start at the same time every day. Great interview!

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

You know, you ladies have really made my day ~ such nice comments! Thank you for all the encouraging words! It's so nice to see your smiling faces ~ good luck to you!

Debbie ~ I love homeschooling, and I wouldn't trade a day of it. (Even the bad ones!)

Linda Kish said...

I would love to read this book.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Henry Matlock said...

I'd love to have a copy.

DailyDepositsForTheSoul@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Please enter me. Carmin sent me.
true_sheila at yahoo dot com