Author Interview: Amy Metz

Please welcome to Feed My Need, the fabulous author, Amy Metz!




Amy Metz Lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband and teenage son. She attended Centre College and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BA in Elementary Education. She taught first grade until her first child was born, and motherhood and volunteer work took up her time until her mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2009.

Life became so crazy after that, she turned to writing as therapy, and an author was born. Amy has been richly blessed with two sons--an adult, and a teenager. When not actively engaged in writing or spending time with her family, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in her hands. Contact Amy at: amy@amymetz.com



When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing in 2009, right after my mother was diagnosed with dementia. It was such a stressful time I decided to write a book about it. But because that book was so dark and depressing I also began writing
Murder & Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction. I needed an escape after navigating through a contentious day with my mother. As her condition got worse, I spent more and more time in Goose Pimple Junction.


What was the hardest part of writing your book? What is the easiest?

Honestly, the hardest part was writing the query letter and the blurbs for the book jacket. Trying to condense the essence of the book into a few paragraphs, or in the case of the “small blurb” just a few sentences, was
distressingly difficult. Writing the book was the easiest! Seriously.


What music do you listen to while you write?

None. Except for whatever my son is playing on his mirimba or drum set in the basement. And occasionally there’s a barking dog in the background.


What inspires you?

Oh, the dreaded “what inspires you” question. I’ve joked before that my mother inspires me to drink. But seriously, I guess my ancestors inspired me to write a book about their tragedies. My kids inspire me to be the best I can be. God inspires me to be a good person. Great authors inspire me to be a better writer. Don’t ask me to pick one author who inspires me—there are too many.


Do you have any hidden talents?

Yes…but I like to keep them hidden. (She smiles sweetly.)


What are your current projects?

I just finished the second book in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, and I’ve started two others. I’m also working on a photography coffee table book that Iconic Publishing is going to publish. And on the
back burner is a thriller I started a year or so ago.


What book are you reading now?

At home I’m reading John Sandford’s Prey series in hardcopy, when I’m out and waiting for my son or killing time waiting on something else, I’m reading Head Wounds by Chris Knopf on Kindle, and I listen to audiobooks when I’m doing things around the house or in the car. Currently I’m
listening to The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly.


Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why?

Shapeshifter. I would love to be a shapeshifter, hmmm…but on the other hand could you trust your fellow Shapeshifters? No matter. It has to be Shapeshifter. Blood freaks me out.


Do you have any advice for other writers?

My main piece of advice is to write, rewrite, edit, and then walk away. Work on something else, then go back fresh and look at your manuscript again. Then rewrite and edit some more. I also think you should seek advice on your work from fellow writers, but don’t let them talk you into changing something you feel should stay in the book. It’s your story and only you know how it should be told. I’ve seen one friend in particular
send his work to editor after editor and they all told him to take out something different. I think it would have been a mistake if he’d followed their advice, even though they’re supposed to be professionals in the
field! Listen to advice, but follow your gut.


Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you for choosing to spend some of your time in Goose Pimple Junction. Please drop me a note and tell me your thoughts on the book and my characters. I’d love to hear from you. And if you liked the book,
please tell your friends. If you didn’t like it, remember what your mother used to say: If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Website:
amymetz.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/AmyMetzAuthor
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmyMetz
Twitter:
@goosepimpleisms
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4790665-amy-metz

August 2012
Murder & Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction

 

If brains were dynamite, Willy couldn’t blow his nose. Could a murderer be that stupid? Jack can charm the dew right off the honeysuckle. Could a murderer be a fine southern gentleman? Told with southern humor, Murder And Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction is a murder mystery that will keep you guessing and laughing until the very end.

Starting a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, Tess Tremaine tries to learn the foreign language of southern speak and to resist her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, while dealing with the strange things that happen to her when she begins looking into a seventy-five-year-old murder. A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy are the background of the mystery which Tess and Jack attempt to solve. As Tess gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, and a lot of southern charm. Her quest to find answers brings her friends, enemies, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.

Combining mystery, a little romance, and a lot of southern humor, Murder And Mayhem In Goose Pimple Junction is the first in a series set in the zany fictional town of Goose Pimple Junction. Iconic Publishing will launch this novel in August 2012 under their Winding Road imprint.