Monday, September 5, 2011

Interview: Christian Romance Author Amanda Stephan

It’s a pleasure to welcome my friend Amanda Stephan to my blog today. Amanda is a Christian romance author, the co-founder of Christian Indie Authors, and a homeschooling mom extraordinaire. You can read more about Amanda and her work by checking the websites listed below. And now, without further ado, here’s Amanda.

Hi Karin! Thank you for having me here today, I look forward to getting to know your readers better.

Tell us about your upcoming book.

My new release, Lonely Hearts, is a sweet Christian romance about a lonely mother, two matchmaking kids, and three eligible bachelors. Oh yes. And apple pie!

When Becky Callis moves to a new town, she had no intention of becoming romantically involved. Her children, on the other hand, think she’s been lonely far too long, and decide to take matters into their own hands. Choices range from handsome cowboy, Scott Boone; local preacher, Jack; or rough around the edges rancher, Pearce Morgan. It doesn’t take long before her children find that True love is harder than it looks!
Have you published anything previously?

Thank you for asking! Yes, Lonely Hearts is my second romance novel. My first, The Price of Trust, was released in May 2010. If any of your readers are interested, they can get a sneak peek here.

When did you know you wanted to write?

To be one hundred percent honest, I’ve just always written. I never thought or even considered writing professionally as it was something I just loved to do. When I finished my first, full length book, The Price of Trust, I was excited and told my husband about it. He asked what I was planning on doing with it, and I said printing it out and hiding it away until our kids were older. He asked me to try to have it published, and the rest is history. Since then, I’ve been hooked!

What made you decide to write romance?

I am an incurable romantic. There’s just something about reading how a couple come together that makes me sigh and dream. But, with that said, I’m not one for edgy or graphic books. I’m super picky about what I read, so if it’s inappropriate for my children to read, it’s not in my house.

Do you keep a writing schedule?

Ha ha ha! That’s what I like so much about you, Karin! Always joking around! I suppose I’m rather eclectic in that matter. I find my best writing comes when everyone is in bed and I can let my imagination run free.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’m either teaching school (I homeschool), sewing, or reading a book to review.

Name your three favorite books.

My three favorite books? Let’s see, Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, and 101 Dalmations. When I was growing up, I absolutely tore my paperback copy of 101 D up.

Name your three favorite authors.

That is not an easy question! Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Karin Kaufman! (She’s an up and coming author to be reckoned with, I’ve heard!) :)

What’s coming up in your writing future?

Oooh, I am so glad you asked! I’m currently working on a Christian romance/suspense series.

What would you do if you were tricked into marrying the wrong man? I take that thought and build an entire set up around the couple. As I was writing, new, fresh ideas were coming at me so fast, I had to make it into a series! To tell you the truth, it’s my absolute favorite I’ve written so far. Book one and two are finished, and I’m working on the third now.

Any last thoughts?

Just a quickie before I leave. I’m going to be having a book launch on November 1st, 2011, and I’d love to invite all your readers to participate. There’s going to be some pretty awesome prizes, like a Nook, a Kindle, free eGifts from various awesome authors, and more they can win. If they’d like to know more, they can find the information on my website. Again, thank you for having me here, it was a blast!

How can readers connect with you?

You can find me lurking almost everywhere, but here are the places a frequent the most:

Facebook: personal page
Facebook: author page
Facebook: book page
Twitter
Website
Book blog
Personal blog

14 comments:

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Hi Karin!
Thanks for having me here today, I had a lot of fun answering your questions :)

Lisa Tortorello said...

Loved the interview Karin...I have not met Amanda personally yet, but by reading her first book and communicating with her via social media I feel as if I know her already. She's witty and funny and I loved her first book, The Price of Trust! I look forward to her upcoming works! Amanda...you go girl!

Gwendolyn Gage said...

Hi Karin, great interview! I will be looking up Amanda Stephan. :-)

Karin Kaufman said...

My pleasure, Amanda!

Karin Kaufman said...

Lisa, Amanda is not only witty and funny -- as anyone who has come into contact with her in any way has discovered! -- but, I've found out, incredibly hard working and talented.

Karin Kaufman said...

Thanks, Gwen. Yes, *do* look up Amanda's work, and check out her blogs too!

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

Gee, y'all are making me blush! Such nice compliments! Who needs fan clubs?! Blogs are the best way to go :)

Lisa & Karin, it's funny, but I pretty much said the same about you two. See? We would have never met if it hadn't have been for Social Media :)

Hi Gwen! Thanks for stopping by today, and thank you for liking my facebook page. So sweet of you ~ I hope you enjoy your time there (as well as love to laugh)

See you all around!

Karin Kaufman said...

Amanda, it just goes to show you that while social media can feel a curse (like when we're trying to write), it can also be a blessing. :)

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

True, Karin! I just have to get tough and make myself stay within my allotted time frame. So far, I haven't been lucky... ;)

Darlene Shortridge said...

Great interview! But, I expected nothing less with Karin doing the interviewing and Amanda the answering :) Amanda...you put me to shame! On the third book in the series? I am still lollygagging around book 2 in my series. Yikes!

The Crazy Cat Lady said...

No, you're not lolly-gagging. You're blogging, building a platform, tweeting, chatting, encouraging, speaking, marketing, and so on and so forth! Must I remind you of your wonderful blog that some of us can only DrEaM of?! The Food Snob ~ oh my goodness, makes my mouth water every time I'm there!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Karin Kaufman said...

Darlene, in comparison to Amanda, I feel like a lollygagger too. She's right about your food blog, though. In fact, I'm going to test your quiche recipe (http://foodsnobfun.blogspot.com/2011/08/quiche-easy-quick-versatile.html) this fall!

Gwendolyn Gage said...

Hi Karin! I really enjoyed your interview with Amanda Stephan. She sounds like a fun person to get to know, and I'm sure that her books are awesome. :-)

I wanted to stop by and let you know that I've awarded you with "The Versatile Blogger Award" on my blog. :-)

Lisa Tortorello said...

I just gave you the Liebster Award Karin! Congratulations!

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