About Amie Irene Winters:
Amie Irene Winters is a former park ranger turned full-time YA Fantasy novelist. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds degrees in anthropology, religious studies, and environmental leadership. When not conjuring up other worlds, she can be found hiking, antiquing, traveling, or painting. She currently lives in a small Pennsylvanian town with her husband and pug named Loki.
What inspires you to write?
I write because it’s the only time I feel completely at peace with myself and the world.
Tell us about your writing process.
Definitely a pantser! While I do plot out loose ideas about the story and characters, I also allow plenty of room for the story to write itself and for discovery and surprise. There might be something that a character does or that the world possesses that I didn’t think of in the beginning, but as I’m enraptured in the story, it becomes more apparent.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I take on the role and emotions of each character as I write them. I try to put myself in each character’s shoes, how they would say something, how they would react, etc., so it’s not uncommon for me to get completely wrapped up in a character’s emotions. Sometimes I’ll walk out of my office feeling completely overwhelmed and anxious after writing an intense scene, or I’ll be super relaxed and happy if something awesome happened.
What advice would you give other writers?
The writing world can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate, so it’s important to get your head straight first. There isn’t a single path or author playbook that you need to follow. It’s all about exploring the diversity of options out there and doing what works best for you.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
It all started when I met a woman at the post office who had self-published her novel. She couldn’t say enough amazing things about the experience. She loved being in control of her vision and overseeing all aspects of her novel from start to finish. The idea certainly intrigued me, but I was afraid and didn’t know where to even start. I eventually tried the traditional route of querying agents, but grew tired of waiting and waiting. My fate was eventually decided over Chinese food with a friend. I joked, “Let the fortune cookie decide what I should do,” and as soon as I read ‘Trust Your Intuition,’ something clicked and I knew what I had to do. The experience has been wonderful, and challenging, but the most important outcome is that I can now share my story with the world, which is all I ever wanted to accomplish. I frequently blog about how I self-published my novel and provide writing tips for aspiring authors at: http://aiwinters.blogspot.com/
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think self-publishing will continue to increase in popularity. It’s so easy to do now and I think a lot of people like the idea of taking matters into their own hands.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Young Adult, Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Amie Irene Winters Home Page Link
Link To Amie Irene Winters Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
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