Made in NH– Authors: Amy Ray
This is the fifth in a series of ten-question interviews of authors who represented NHWP at the Made in New Hampshire Expo booth.
Amy Ray’s book, Dangerous Denial, is a Silver Falchion nominee in the category of Best First Novel: Thriller/Mystery.
Amy will be signing books at Bayswater Book Co., 12 Main St., Center Harbor, NH on July 4th from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Question: What inspired you to become a writer?
Amy Ray: When I was in college, my English professor read a student’s essay aloud as an example of good writing. I was shocked that the words that were coming from her lips were ones that I had written. It was the first time I considered that there might be a writer hidden underneath my business major exterior. It took a long time for that writer to fully surface.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you?
AR: Writing a first draft! I find it agonizing, but once I get that initial draft on paper, the rewriting and editing are a pleasure.
Q: There are many typewriter fans here at the Writers’ Project. How do you write: computer, typewriter, longhand, dictation…?
AR: I plot longhand, write on the computer, print it out and edit longhand (with a stereotypical red pen) and then go back on the computer. The last two steps are repeated several times.
Q: Plotter or Pantser? (Do you plot ahead of time or fly by the seat of your pants?)
AR: I plot the story out. First I write a summary, then I plot each scene separately. I sometimes change the order of the scenes, but they are planned out in advance.
Q: What was your path to publication: agent with traditional publisher, small press, indie publishing or self-publishing?
AR: Dangerous Denial was published by Barking Rain Press, a publisher in Washington. I was lucky to have my manuscript accepted by a small press because they had a professional editor work with me and also took care of cover design, ebook design, and a host of other tasks I probably know nothing about.
Q: How long did it take you to get from your initial inspiration to the finished product?
AR: Way too many years to admit.
Q: How do you market your books?
AR: I try everything! Online, I have a website, author Facebook page (Writer Amy Ray), Twitter (@WriterAmyRay), GoodReads page, and Amazon author page. I also do bookstore signings, library events, and book fairs & festivals.
Q: Do you have a favorite motivational saying?
AR: My grandmother gave me a stamped cross-stitch kit when I was eight years old. The saying on it is perfect for an author, “Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it.”
Q: Are you working on a new writing project?
AR: I have another mystery/thriller finished and it is being proof-read before I send it out. Each chapter has been workshopped with my writers group, so once I make sure all the typos have been caught, it will be ready to go. I’m working writing the sequel. It’s fully plotted and I’m in the process of working on that agonizing first draft.
Q: What book are you reading now?
AR: I enjoy reading books by local authors, so right now I have Sydney Strand’s His Favorite Distraction, Marcia Strykowski’s Call Me Amy, Steve Hobbs’ New Hope, Jessie Crockett’s Live Free or Die, Jed Power’s Honeymoon Hotel, Brendan Dubois’ Blood Foam, and Ernest Hebert’s The Dogs of March on my nightstand. Although she’s not a NH author, I also have Janet Cantrell’s Fat Cat At Large. I have a lot of good reading ahead of me!
Amy Ray’s book, Dangerous Denial, is a Silver Falchion nominee in the category of Best First Novel: Thriller/Mystery. Ray also has a short story in the New Hampshire Pulp Fiction anthology, Love Free or Die. She lives on the seacoast and is a longtime member of NHWP.