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How I Write: Amy R. Anguish

January 25, 2021 by Karin Beery 2 Comments

Authors tend to write what they read, but not always. Amy Anguish is one such author. It’s not that she never reads her genre, it’s just that … well, I’ll let her tell you.

Welcome! Let’s start with what you write — how did you pick your genre?

Can I say my genre picked me? Is that weird? I write mostly contemporary romance with a little women’s fiction. I read a lot of Contemporary romance and women’s fiction, although I might actually read more historical. Why don’t I write historical? I’m too lazy to do all the research. 😉 But also because the stories that come to me are set in the here and now, and I have to write what’s in my head. Otherwise, it won’t shut up.

Same here! I love to read historical romance but have no desire to research and write it. So, what’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?

I’d say my biggest challenge is making sure my books and characters are all different enough from each other that people don’t feel they’re reading the same story over and over again. I’m sure that’s hard for authors across all genres. I try to give each character their own quirks and flaws and favorite drinks.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

I started writing (seriously) by participating in Nanowrimo. The goal is 50k words in 30 days. I’ve won ten times now, and four of those books have been published with another coming in Dec. Cram-writing seems to work for me. Editing, I have to wait a few months before I even look at a manuscript after writing it or I won’t catch much. Then, I can usually go through it again in less than a month. Finalizing? I’m honestly not sure. Each book has been different so far, so I don’t have a standard to go by.

If you’ve written multiple books, which was harder: the first book or the following books?

The first was obviously hardest simply because of lack of experience. I started that one knowing how it began and that there was a conflict, but having no idea why the conflict existed until I neared the end of the book. It evolved while I was writing it and became rather different than I thought it would. Now, I am better at knowing how and why things need to happen, and usually go in with a bit more of a plan, although I’m still a bit of a plantser (see below)

What’s your writing day like?

Being a mom of young children (4 and 6), I have to grab writing time when I can, mostly during naptimes and after they’re in bed. That includes all my editing, marketing, and other writing-related stuff too. But they’re both going to be in school in a year and a half and then who knows? I’m looking forward to finding out.

How do you prepare to write your books: pantser, plotter, both, something completely different?

Plantser—which is sort of both. I started a pantser, going in not knowing what all would happen. Now, I start with a VERY rough outline, which may or may not change as I write. And still not knowing everything that will happen.

What’s surprised you the most about the publishing process?

How long things take in the traditional publishing world. I knew books weren’t published overnight, but I’ve learned, more often than not, it’s more than a year between contract and release date.

Something else that surprised me is how amazing the Christian publishing world is. I feel like I’ve gained several families with my various publishers and editors and other author friends, and it’s so nice to have these people to walk through this world with.

What does your revision process look like?

I think I might be a little strange about how I write and revise. I usually write about two books a year now. One of those is most often during Nanowrimo in November, but the other is done in usually less than two months, if I have my way. With cramming all those words into just a few weeks, I’m exhausted afterward and wait for a bit before even looking at the manuscript again. This lets it be fresh so I can catch more mistakes. Then, I send to a friend or two who help catch a few more things and point out sentences that might have made sense in my head but didn’t on paper. Then, thankfully, if I get a contract for it after that, I have at least two more rounds of edits with professional editors.


Can letters from the past spur a couple on to the future of their dreams?

Christiana Jones dreamed her whole life of living in Huntsville, Alabama, so she can’t figure out why it doesn’t feel like home. Her relationships—on social media and in real life—seem shallow and empty. When she unearths a stack of her grandparents’ letters, it spurs an idea. Could she find something deeper with a penpal?

Jordan White is taken aback when his cousin Tina suggests he become penpals with her childhood best friend. What could a Louisiana boy have in common with a girl two states away? After all, he’s happily settled on his family’s property and working the job he always wanted. But every letter they exchange has him wishing for more.

As they grow closer through their written words, the miles between them seem to grow wider. Can love cross the distance and bring them home?


Amy R. Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at:

http://abitofanguish.weebly.com
http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor
https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish
https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA

Filed Under: interview Tagged With: Amy R. Anguish, author interview, editing tips, How I Write, writing fiction, writing tips

How I Write: AnnaLee Conti

January 11, 2021 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Many people dream of writing books, but not many succeed. There are a dozen different excuses, but AnnaLee Conti hasn’t let any of them stop her. This former Alaskan started her journey with a typewriter and celebrates another book release this month.

Thank you for being here! Let’s start with what you write. How did you pick your genre?

After writing short stories, articles, and church school curriculum on assignment for Gospel Publishing House for 25 years, I published my first book in 2002.  Frontiers of Faith is the story of my grandparents, who went to Alaska as pioneer missionaries in 1917, and their adventurous 65-year faith journey. As I researched that book, I discovered stories of people they ministered to in Alaska that triggered my imagination to write my Alaska Waters Trilogy of historical Christian fiction (Till the Storm Passes By, A Star to Steer By, and Beside Still Waters). The trilogy is the life and death saga of a fictitious Norwegian immigrant family who battle the beautiful but often treacherous waters of early twentieth century Southeast Alaska to find love and happiness in the midst of tragedies.

My current project, which will release this month, is Footsteps of Faith, a sequel to Frontiers of Faith. It is the faith-building true story of God’s direction, provision, and protection in the lives of my parents and my husband and I as we followed in the ministry footsteps of my grandparents.

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?

To me, the most challenging part of writing historical fiction, as well as biography, is making sure it is historically accurate. I did family interviews and research online, in books, and in magazines. Since I grew up in Alaska, I knew the settings and much of the history firsthand.

How long does it take you to write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

In 1982, my mother-in-law invited me to her home to write the first draft of my first book in one week, weaving together the short accounts my grandmother had written about their experiences and filling the spaces in between. I holed up in a bedroom in her house and wrote, using an electric typewriter, stopping only for meals, which she prepared. Due to the downturn in the economy, though, I was unable to find a publisher. In the next few years, I retyped the manuscript into a Smith-Corona word processor. In 2002, I discovered a print-on-demand publisher, First Books, now called Author House. I was able to get the word processor disc converted to Word, and my uncle paid to have it published. I reimbursed him from book sales.

For years, I’d been writing fiction in my head. In 2007, I joined a writer’s critique group at the local library to begin fulfilling my lifelong goal of writing novels. I learned a lot from that group that included published authors, and began writing a minimum of one chapter a week. My first novel took me about four to five years to write, edit, and finalize. The next two I completed in two years each.

During those years, I started a blog, “Nuggets of Faith,” including many stories from my life. When I read the book, How to Blog a Book, by Nina Amir, I decided to develop those stories into a memoir that is soon to be released as Footsteps of Faith.

What’s your favorite book on writing? What do you like about it?

I have four shelves of books on writing. They have all been helpful, but Writing Deep Scenes, by Martha Alderson and Jordan Rosenfeld, was the best, especially the section on writing emotion from a deep POV.

How do you prepare to write your books: pantser, plotter, both, something completely different? Describe your strategy.

Before I begin a book, I usually have a general idea of the beginning, middle, and end. I don’t make an outline per se, but I do develop a timeline since my stories have a historical setting with certain fixed dates. When I sit down to write, I reread the previous chapter to get me back into the flow of the story.

What advice do you have for new authors?

For a number of years, I adjudicated creative writing for fine arts festivals for teens in our denomination. The one recommendation I gave repeatedly is to study the art and craft of writing. Schools today do only a superficial job of teaching grammar, spelling, sentence construction, etc., so new writers must devote themselves to study on their own.

Then I tell them to read lots of good books and write a lot. Thirdly, I tell them to never give up. A quote by Raymond Obstfeld encouraged me: “The main difference between successful writers and wannabe writers is not talent but perseverance.”

I would add that “I am a failure” is different than “I failed.” We can learn from our failures if we don’t give up. Only when we quit trying are we truly a failure.

How do you self-edit your manuscripts? What does your revision process look like?

Even though no one recommends it, I tend to do a lot of editing as I write. My writing group gives me good feedback on content editing and revision. I worked in editorial at Gospel Publishing House for four years and learned how to do technical editing, copyediting, and proofreading, so I do that myself. I always print out my books and edit from hardcopy. My husband also reads my manuscripts and tags needed changes with sticky notes. My editors at my publishers rarely make changes.


An ordained minister, author, and teacher, AnnaLee Conti grew up in a missionary family in Alaska in the fifties and sixties. She earned a B.A. in music and elementary education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and an M.A. in Bible at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. For 25 years, AnnaLee wrote many articles, stories, devotionals, and curriculum for Gospel Publishing House and has published five books.

For more than 35 years, AnnaLee served as Minister of Christian Education and Music in the churches she and her husband pastored in New York State. In addition, she served on leadership teams in Christian Education and Women’s Ministries at the state level, conducting seminars and organizing conventions. She has taught grade school, GED classes, Berean School of the Bible (an extension of Global University, Springfield, Missouri), and continues to teach classes in the New York School of Ministry, which trains pastors and teachers for ministry in local churches. AnnaLee and her husband, Bob, are now retired and reside in the Mid-Hudson River Valley. They have one son, who lives nearby, and five adult grandchildren, who give them much joy.

Website: www.AnnaLeeConti.com
Email: FrontiersofFaith@AnnaLeeConti.com
Blog: “Nuggets of Faith” at https://www.AnnaLeeConti.blogspot.com
Facebook.com/AnnaLeeConti.Author
Twitter: @AnnaLeeConti
www.goodreads.com/author/show/2562235.AnnaLee_Conti
amazon.com/author/annaleeconti

Filed Under: interview Tagged With: Alaska fiction, AnnaLee Conti, author interview, biography, historical fiction, How I Write, indie publishing, interview, writing process, writing tips

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