Book Review and Author Interview with Amanda Waters
You Again, written by Amanda Waters, is a contemporary romance I recently enjoyed reading. This clean and wholesome novel hooked me from the start. What made it even more fun was that I already knew a little something about the author. She’s my friend! Amanda is one of my writing critique partners, and I met her through Hopewriters. Anyone of you who are writers, probably already know how valuable strong critique partners are. They’re gold. That’s how I view Amanda. So it’s with great pleasure that I share her book with you all today, along with a short interview. I hope you enjoy getting to know this wonderful author.
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You Again, back cover blurb:
The summer before her senior year of high school, Rosalee fell in love with George. By the next summer, George had broken her heart, and Rosalee was sure she'd never see him again.
Forty years and a lifetime later, Rosalee's quiet, predictable life is turned upside down when she runs into George at a restaurant and discovers he's moved to town. George wants to reconnect, and while Rosalee's head isn't so sure that's a good idea, her heart is saying something different.
It's a story about first love and second chances, family, friendship, and living life to the fullest.
My Review:
You Again is a late-in-life romance that is incredibly sweet, while also feeling very real. I loved the character of Rosalee. The story goes back and forth between the past and the present in a way that's very well done. This story was like a warm hug. I highly recommend it.
Interview with the author, Amanda Waters:
1. What inspired you to start writing?
When I was a kid, I was always playing pretend and making up stories. I would mentally rewrite the endings to books, and make up stories to fall asleep at night (a trick my dad taught me when I would have trouble sleeping). I think I wrote my first physical book when I was 8 or 9. I made the cover out of an old cereal box and contact paper, and illustrated it with photographs. It was a very melodramatic tale about hurt feelings, an attempt at revenge, and just desserts! As I got older I wrote sporadically, but always in some form or fashion: college papers, blogging, half-finished novels or short stories, newspaper writing. When I had babies and decided to stay home with them for a while, writing became a kind of lifeline to myself, and I was a lot more motivated to be consistent and turn it into a career.
2. What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Work with yourself, not against yourself. For example, if you work better in long blocks of time, it’s okay to write three hours one day a week rather than 30 minutes a day. Know your strengths. Also, read a lot and read widely. Read in the genre you write, but also outside that genre. I primarily write romance, but I’ve learned so much by reading really good fantasy and mysteries.
3. What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
This is a really nerdy grammar quirk, but I’ve adopted a pet peeve from one of my college journalism professors that has stuck with me after 20-plus years. He was a stickler for using the phrase “over” for spatial references and “more than” for references to amounts. Here’s an example: Do: “There were more than 500 people at the rally.” Don’t: “There were over 500 people at the rally.”
4. How much ‘world-building’ takes place before you start writing?
Usually, I start with a scene, or a character, or an idea and just start writing. Once I get to a sticky point, I’ll pause and fill out the background and world a little bit before I keep going. I will say that I mostly write contemporary fiction, so I do less world building in general than if I were writing speculative or historical fiction. I have a sci-fi book that I’d like to write one day, and I have a feeling I’ll do a bit more world building on the front end with that one.
5. What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading On The Come Up, by Angie Thomas, and re-reading the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan on audio. On deck is Summer at the Garden Cafe by Felicity Hayes-McCoy.
Amanda’s Bio:
Amanda Waters has a degree in print journalism and worked as a staff writer for a weekly newspaper, where she did her best to make school board meetings sound interesting. She took advantage of a cross-country move to make a career change and spent some time working as a barista before going back to school, earning a masters in library science, and working for several years as a public librarian. Amanda currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and their two children. When she’s not writing or hiding from the humidity, you can find her reading, drinking way too much coffee, or playing endless games of UNO and Go Fish.
Thank you for sharing with us today, Amanda! If you would like to read Amanda’s book, You Again, you can find it HERE.
And now, I have a question for you! Would you like to see more author interviews here? If so, please let me know. I would love your feedback.
