Amy N. Clegg Interview | Respect The Author
Where are you from?
The Pacific Northwest in Washington state.
Tell us the story of how you got into writing
I’ve always loved writing and storytelling; for as long as I can remember. In high school, I dreamed of becoming a writer and applied to a bunch of universities that focused on creative writing. Sadly, they all rejected me. At the time, I took it as I was incapable or with poor talent. I’m dyslexic, and I’ve struggled with writing mechanics my whole life. Back in my high school days, we didn’t have all the lovely technological tools we have today. My teachers would tell me things like ‘my writing was terrible, but what I wrote was good,’ and I had a hard time understanding the message. You know when you’re a teen, and five people can tell you how great you are, but one person is like “you suck.” and you latch on to that one comment like they are the only ones speaking the truth? So I gave up writing for teaching. The ironic part being I ended up becoming an ESL teacher. My job is literally teaching all those writing mechanics I struggled with (and sometimes still do).
Even when I stopped writing, though, I never gave up storytelling. I just found different ways to express it. Roleplaying games, tabletop games, online forums, and character creation, even in the classes I taught, always found ways to spin stories. A few years ago, I was on this online roleplaying forum and me and another person took turns writing out this interactive story. At one point, I was visiting a friend, and it was my turn to write. We watched a movie, and I pulled out my laptop, as I was really into the story and getting my part out. My friend asked me about what I was doing, and I showed her the forum. Until that point, I hadn’t realized it was 32 pages long. My friend’s comment was something like, “Are you writing a novel?” It was meant as a joke, but something inside me clicked, and I realized I kind of was. At that point, I decided to write my own book. I did a few Nanowrimo’s and failed at it. A ‘pantser’ I am not. It took a bit of patience and trial and error before discovering the right amount of plotting vs. pantsing that works for me. I have been writing every day for a little over two years now.
What was your favorite book growing up?
I had this hand-me-down the collection of fairytale books that were my mother’s from 1950. They had the lenticular pictures on the front. The Little Mermaid and The Twelve Dancing Princesses were my top two!
What is your favorite book as an adult?
The list is quite long, and it really depends on my mood. I think I have a favorite book for every category and genre!
What is the name of your new book?
'A Court of Fates' is my current "working" title. This will likely change when it's finished, though.
What inspired you to write the book?
As a teenager, I dealt with bullies and feeling powerless that came with it. As a teacher, I've had the privilege of working with some wonderful young women in my life, from all over the world! But many of them struggled with empowerment. I wanted to write a fairytale story that reminded young women that sometimes you don't have to wait for Prince Charming.
Tell us more about your new book
A Court of Fates is a retelling of a relatively obscure Fairytale that focuses on a young woman’s journey to self-discovery and empowerment and how to overcome the learned helplessness she’s struggled with her entire life. I placed everything I treasure about fairytales as well as the things I yearn for them to include, such as strong female heroines ready to take on the world and to learn to lift themselves. It’s kind of Court of Thorns and Roses meets Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Forced to live in her sister’s shadow, Niamh’s ambition in life is to make sure she’s forgotten. Her sister, after all, is promised to raise the position of their family. Long ago, she’d given up on her dreams and resolved to support her sister in achieving the future the stars promised. Then, her sister is gravely injured, and even the Oracles whisper that she is not long for the world. Niamh is her family’s last hope. Unable to bear the loss of her beloved sister, Niamh sets out to uncover a cure and finds that she has to travel to places she never imagined possible and face choices she could never have believed. Can Niamh save her sister?
Where do you go to get into writing mode?
I have two places that are my ‘writing’ areas; my patio and my girl den.
My patio has a lot of greenery. Plants and trees surround me. Nature is always a great inspiration for my creative mind. My girl den is my writing and craft room. I have a desk for writing and a table I use for crafting. It’s important I keep them separate. 2020 has given me a lot more writing time. While I used to write solely in the evenings after work and weekends, now I wake up and go straight to it. I have a timer cube, and I write for 30-minute intervals. When the timer goes off, I give myself a small break, or if there is some research I need to do, I do it in between my writing times. I usually write for 1-2 hours during the day and upload and minor editing in the evening. I have this little AlphaSmart word processor from the early 2000’s I got on eBay that I write on. I love it. While I am writing, I prefer quiet, so I rarely listen to music though I listen to soundscapes. If my characters are at the ocean or its raining, I listen to the sounds to help put me in the scene. When I am plotting and outlining through, I have a playlist for characters, moods, and scene types. I usually pick a song and listen to it on a loop. Sometimes it’s classical music like Swan Lake or Claude Debussy; sometimes it’s Panic at the Disco or Ruelle. This last week it has been Matthew Heafy’s heavy metal version of “Toss a coin to your Witcher”
I always outline chapters and scenes that I plan to write that day before I start writing. I do this in a notebook with a pen and paper. My outlines look like messy checklists. I try not to go too far out in the planning, as I’ve learned that everything might change by the time I get through my current chapter. I love being surprised, so I let my characters lead me—I kind of view writing a novel like a road map. I know the destination and the major tourist spots I want to hit, but there are a million ways to get there.
Who needs to read this book?
My aim is young women, but really anyone that has ever felt powerless and needs a reminder that we all have a capacity to 'save ourselves.'
Who inspires you?
It sounds corny, but my mother. She has always been reliable and independent and encouraged me to walk my own path. In recent years she was diagnosed with Leukemia, but not even that diminished her spirits or kind heart. I inherited my adventurous nature and love of story from her. I’ve always been grateful.
How important is reading and literacy for youth in this world?
I mean, as a teacher, I genuinely can’t put a strong enough emphasis on just how important it is. I’ve taught as young as Kindergarten all the way up to College. My college students who read books and newspapers learn English three times faster than those who don’t. Kindergarteners who have access to books, even ones they can’t read yet, come into the classroom (on day one) years ahead of those who don’t. I could literally go on for hours about this topic, but I won’t. I’ll just leave it at reading and literacy for youth is a necessity.
What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream to create something they dream of?
Never give anyone permission to tell you what you can (or can’t) achieve. There will always be naysayers. People who will tell you ‘you can’t.’ As hard is it might be to brush them off, you have to. Find that little spark inside you that dreams and nurture it with every positive thought you can muster. When you fail (because we all fail), learn from it, and improve. The world needs your dream! Your story, your painting, your music, your machine that will write your thoughts while you sleep, whatever! There are people out there that need your dream as much as you need to create it.
Where can people find your new book?: http://www.amynclegg.com
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