Hi! I’m Amanda
Kentucky Girl
I’m a Kentuckian born & bred — our family has been in Kentucky since . . . well, since Kentucky was Virginia. Before that, they were rattling around Ireland & England mostly, with the odd Viking & Israelite thrown into the mix, apparently. (Genealogical genetic testing is an amazing thing.) We aren’t horse farmer Kentuckians, though, more like moonshiner Kentuckians. Okay, exactly like moonshiners.
To my everlasting shame, I do not follow Kentucky basketball. It’s a character flaw I have to live with. My husband and his family make up for my lack of enthusiasm while I sit in the corner & read. While I’ve never actually lived anywhere but Kentucky, I did make a pilgrimage to the motherland for my brother’s wedding in County Kerry, & if I ever leave the Bluegrass State, it will be for the Emerald Isle.
Scooby & Trixie & Agatha
My love of mysteries — and ghost stories — started early with Scooby Doo and continued when I discovered Trixie Belden. Sometimes it seems I’m the only mystery writer out there who never liked Nancy Drew.
After I’d plowed through my library’s stock of Trixie books, I dove right into Agatha Christie. I blame her entirely for my lifelong ambition to be a mystery writer & live in an English country house. I was the kid who always had her nose buried in a book. In fact, I once got in trouble for reading at school. True story.
I also watched lots of 80s television detectives. I vividly recall sitting with my grandmother, eating ice cream and watching Murder She Wrote & Matlock while my grandfather snored in his recliner, thunder rumbled, and rain pattered outside the screen door. With my dad, I watched Magnum PI, Remington Steele, & In The Heat of the Night. It’s no wonder that my favorite stories are mysteries.
So, What’s Your Major?
In college, I considered lots of majors—psychology, history, environmental engineering—before I finally gave in and accepted what I had known all along . . . I was an English major through and through. I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in creative writing.
A word of warning—if you earn an English degree, everyone you meet will ask you the same thing, “Are you going to teach?” I’m painfully shy & hate public speaking. Throw in the fact that I wasn’t comfortable around groups of kids even when I was one, and you’ll understand why teaching was the last thing I had in mind.
What I wanted to do, but didn’t really want to admit, was write novels. Instead, I tried a few “practical” jobs, from data entry operator to photographer, before I became a full-time homeschooling mom. The irony is not lost on me.
The Next Chapter
When I turned 40, I decided that if I was ever going to write that mystery novel I’d better get started. So now, I spend my downtime plotting murder.
My kids, the hacker & the ballerina, are very excited that mom is writing a book and frequently ask why I’m not writing right now, but at the same time they’ve sworn they will never again drink from a pot of tea that I’ve brewed.
That’s what happens when you start thinking out loud about how you could poison someone without getting caught.
Around here, you’ll find my ramblings on the writing life, mysteries, and photography. I also offer editing services for indie writers. I’m so glad you stopped by! Feel free to get in touch if there’s anything I can do for you.
A Few of My Favorite Things:
• Rain & thunder
• Starbucks (a tall latte with an extra shot, please)
• Twinkle Lights (they aren’t just for Christmas, y’all)
• Notebooks & pencils (I hoard them. It’s a sickness.)
• Vintage cameras & typewriters
• Bandit the cat
• Loki the dog of mischief
• U2 & Dwight Yoakam
• Barry’s Tea
• The beach – specifically, Captiva Island, Florida. It’s my happy place.
• Autumn
• The Oxford comma
• Peanut butter fudge