Visiting with Amy Huntley

www.amyhuntley.com

Today we're visiting with Amy Huntley, whose debut novel, THE EVERAFTER, was just re-released in paperback by Balzer + Bray on 8/24/10!



Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this--she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can re-experience--and sometimes even change--moments from her life.

Her first kiss.

A trip to Disney World.

Her sister's wedding.

A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life--and death.




What I’ve Lost THIS Week ….

Since THE EVERAFTER focuses so much on lost objects (and loss as an emotion as well), I thought I’d share with readers a little bit about what I’ve spent time searching for in the last week. Please note—I am not the only person in my family who loses things with regularity. So what have I searched for?

1. The cat. Now I know that sounds a bit more than careless on my part, but the gray feline who lives at my house is also an outdoor cat. She’s usually good about returning after a night out on the neighborhood partying it up, but I hate those mornings when she doesn’t show up right away for her breakfast. Then I worry, and often go on a search for her. This week it turned out that she was in the closet rather than outside after all!

2. My eight-year-old daughter’s CD case. My daughter is a real audiobooker, so her CD case is filled with a ton of audiobooks. She has no idea where last she left it, and so far our search has turned up zilch. I hope we find it soon. When the case went missing there was a Geronimo Stilton CD in one of the players, so while the whole collection’s been AWOL, I’ve heard A Cheese Colored Camper a few too many times. It’s a great book, but how often should a parent have to listen to one story?

3. My School Keys. Yes, it’s time to head back to school for us teachers as well as for students. I started doing some work in my classroom yesterday, and right away I jumped right back into the lose-my-work-keys-at-least-once-a-day routine. I finally located them under a stack of books.

4. A strawberry bagel. I could have sworn there was one more in the refrigerator! Since I couldn’t find it, I had to eat a cinnamon raisin one this morning.

5. My husband’s wallet. Ironically enough, it turned up three miles away from where we were looking for it!

6. Summer quiet. It’s the back-to-school season, and along with those opportunities to buy a few new clothes comes a bit of sadness at seeing the more relaxed pace of summer crowded out by giant TO DO lists. I also get a lot more writing time in the summer, so I’ll really miss that, too.

**Amy was kind enough to also answer some of my prying questions - enjoy!

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

I would bring to life the sister of the main character. Her name is Kristin. I always liked her (and yes, she has some things in common with my own older sister), but when I first heard the audio version of THE EVERAFTER, I was amazed by the voice Tavia Gilbert (the narrator) gave to Kristin. She captured something essential in Kristen’s character that I never quite knew was there. I’d love to meet Tavia Gilbert’s version of this character.

Your own six-word memoir.

Interrupted by lots of good stuff.

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I think I’d have to say A SEPARATE PEACE. I fell in love with the character of Phineas. I’ve never really met anyone else who loved that book the way I did when I was a teenager—which has been something of a disappointment to me. When I was young, there were a lot of good mid-grade novels, but there weren’t very many true YA books out there being published, so I didn’t have the same opportunities to fall in love with YA characters that teens get today. I do remember reading Judy Blume’s FOREVER, though. I also liked Paula Danzigger quite a bit when I was in middle school.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be both a teacher and a writer. I’ve been incredibly lucky in that I’ve managed to do both now!

Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

Hhhmmm….. I usually liked history better than I liked my English classes, but every once in a while I’d get a great English class I loved, too.

The book you wish you had written.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen!!!!

Your five favorite reads from 2010 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2010).

FLASH BURNOUT by L.K. Madigan
BLUE FIRE by Janice Hardy
CROSSING STONES by Helen Frost
THE POISON DIARIES by Maryrose Wood
PAPER TOWNS by John Green

What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I’m a Scorpio. There are a lot of ways in which the description fits me, but I have to say that I am not a big fan of water, so calling it my “element” is a stretch. And I’ve always hated my birthstone—topaz. When it gets down to describing my personality, though, I could be considered a hard-core Scorpio. I’ve had to learn (for my own sanity!) how to make my interpersonal relationships a little less intense and dramatic, but I have always leaned toward being “wise.” When I was a kid, I always related better to adults than I did to other kids. There’s certainly some irony in that since I write for teens and teach teens, but as a teen myself, I got along better with adults! Huh…go figure. As for the three levels of Scorpio evolution, well, I consider myself to be in the second. Although NEVER a criminal, I certainly did, when I was younger, tend to get in my own way with my self-criticisms and determination to succeed!

What is your ultimate vacation destination?

Anywhere in Great Britain. I love it there. London is fascinating. I can totally channel Jane Austen’s spirit in Chawton. Scotland has an almost primordial call for me. And Land’s End, Cornwall—let’s just say I spent such a spectacular day there that I never want to return. Nothing could ever live up to that memory. I still would love to wander around Penzance, Cornwall, though, having scones with clotted cream and jam.

The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

READING! The great irony of my life is that since I started publishing, I haven’t had nearly enough time to read the works of other authors. I would love an entire day where I didn’t have to do anything but READ.

If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

I actually have another job. I’m a full-time high school English teacher. I love it. But I love writing just as much. In my ideal world, I’d work half a day at each job. It would be marvelous beyond words to get to live my life that way.

Your publisher has instructed you to write a new series based on an endangered species. What animal do you choose?

Thanks for the idea! I’d say I’d have to go with the Andean Cat. It’s a cute little critter. (I realize this isn’t fair to many other important species who may not be cute, but I’m very partial to cats.) I’m not too sure I could manage to devote an entire series to the Andean cat, but I’d love to give it a role in a story I’m working on right now for my daughter. She’s going into third grade so it’s a children’s chapter book, not a YA story.

The paranormal genre is big in teen/YA literature right now. Most bestsellers feature vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels, or the like as a main character. In your opinion, why are teens currently fascinated with all things paranormal?

The paranormal story has gone in and out of style many times in history. It is particularly big right now, though, for sure. I think partly it’s popular just because … it’s popular. That might not sound like it makes sense, but it does. Once something gains a bit of a following, its popularity leads to it becoming even more popular. It’s sort of the snowball effect. I see it at work all the time in the halls of a high school! But I do also think there are other reasons the genre is popular, too. Perhaps the current fascination shows a desire to reexamine whether what appears “good” or “bad” can actually be labeled that way. It might also show a desire to find things in the world that can’t simply and easily be explained away.

Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

The funny thing about those “classics” is that I can actually enjoy them now that I’m older. I hated almost all of them when I was in high school. The problem isn’t the books themselves—it’s the timing we have in handing them to kids. I can say this, though, I agonized, struggled, hated, and groaned over the middle one third of THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. I also despised ROMEO AND JULIET, even though I am now an avid admirer of Shakespeare’s work. Ironic, huh? As for a favorite, I’d have to say I was very engaged by TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD when I read it in 9th grade. The way Harper Lee gave Scout Finch a real voice and wove together so many different short stories really opened my eyes about some of the freedoms authors could take when writing a story.

Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

ABSOLUTELY! I could still create stories for my daughter to read. Or for my friends. I would love that. When I was in high school, my audience was made up entirely of my classmates. There’s something awesome about interacting personally with the people you write for, and getting that satisfaction doesn’t have to be limited to publishing.

**Thanks so much to Amy for visiting with us today! Be sure to check out her website, listed above, or you can also find her on Facebook or email her directly at amy@amyhuntley.com.

She's also been so kind as to offer up a signed copy of THE EVERAFTER, along with a bookmark, to one lucky poster today! Additionally, three other lucky posters will get a signed bookmark - so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section!