Saturday, November 1, 2014

Interview with Fantasy Author Amarissa Ainsworth

Ever since Amarissa was young, she was intrigued by the worlds of fantasy, magic, and make-believe. As time went on, she became the ultimate fan of those genres. Now, besides raising two active boys and a busy husband, Amarissa finds time to put her imagination into words in her debut novel, The Secrets of Myth. She is now working on the two sequels.

"I am impressed with this fantasy. The characters drew me into a world of make believe so easily. I fell in love with them right away. That is what kept my interest. This story is fast paced and keeps you turning the pages. This is Amarissa's first book and she sounds like a professional story teller. I would recommend this book to both young adult and adult alike." --Linda Weaver Clarke, Author

Hello, Amarissa. I’ve read your book and it’s an intriguing story. I know that fantasy lovers will love this story. Please tell us about The Secrets of Myth.

Leila Butterfield, an exceptionally smart high school girl, finds her world turned upside down when she discovers she may not be human. After washing up on the beach at the age of six with no memories except for a disturbing reoccurring nightmare and an incapacitating fear of water, she is adopted into a family that knows nothing of her past. But someone does know and they aren’t telling. With the help of a mysterious stranger, they dive into her past, unlocking secrets about her life and who she really is. But time is running out. Leila races against the clock to find out the truth. But whom can she trust? One day could alter the course of her entire future, but will she even survive that long?

Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

I have always loved writing short stories. About seven years ago, before I had kids and my husband still worked late, I started reading a book my family told me about. When I reached the end, there was a big cliffhanger. I love cliffhangers as long as I have the next book in my hand, ready to read. But since this was a new book, the next book in the series had not been released yet. I was too involved with the characters, and agonized waiting to find out how the greater story ends. I distracted myself with another book. After finishing that book, in less than two days, I found that one was also a cliffhanger. Now I was worrying over, not one, but two books. I decided to read a stand-alone book to distract me from worrying about how those other two series’ would end. After finishing the third book, I realized that it too was part of a series. Frustration and excessive puzzling over each book started to become overwhelming. So as I sat home alone one night, counting down the days for the new books to come out, I directed my excessive obsessive energy into writing a book of my own.

Haha. That is so funny. Who is your favorite character in this story and what do you love about him or her?

In this book, The Secrets of Myth, my favorite character would have to be Leila’s little brother Eric. His easy personality and fun-loving nature made him easy to write. But I also love the magical creature characters. Gates was also an intriguing character to write, being surrounded by mystery and a little bit of danger.

What does your family think about you becoming a new author?

My family thinks it’s incredible that I have published my book. They’ve heard enough about it over the past seven years that they are thrilled it’s published. And even more thrilled they never have to hear me tell them about it again!

Haha. They can now hear about the sequels, right? It’s time to tell us something about the real you that we’ll never forget.

Leila, the main character in The Secrets of Myth, and I share a few traits in common. But the one thing that was the crux of her character is that she has an intense, irrational fear of water. I too share that fear. As much as I love boats and flying on an inner tube over a lake, I have only done it a handful of times in my life. As soon as the boat stops moving, I become enveloped with fear. Mermaids have always fascinated me, but the fear of water always made me nervous to be around the beach or dive into ocean-themed media. The question floated into my head, what if there was a mermaid that was scared of water? Thus, The Secrets of Myth was born.


That is so interesting. I never thought about not being afraid on a boat but when it comes to a stop it’s a completely different situation. Thank you for visiting my blog, Amarissa.

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Amarissa, I enjoyed reading about your inspiration, and hope you can solve some of the three cliffhangers someday! I've always been captivated by myth, too, and love a good twist on a myth. Your mermaid who is afraid of water sounds like an awesome read. Wishing you lots of success with your publishing venture!

Charissa said...

This was a great read!

Sonja said...

That sounds like an amazing mermaid! I hope that you have lots of success and will keep on writing!

bn100 said...

Interesting inspiration

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

Since I've already read the book I'll just say it is an amazing book! I hope everyone who loves a good read will get it and enjoy it! Way to go Amarissa!

Jenny said...

awesome amarissa!! sounds like a good book!

Dede said...

I teach 6th graders, many of whom are very bright. I think they would relate to the main character in this book -- except for the not being human part!
dedezoomsalot@yahoo dot com

Annisa said...

Sounds like a great story! I can't wait to read it!

Elaine said...

Yea Amarissa! Congrats on your first book. It sounds great. Thanks for sharing the inspiration for your work too. Books that have that personal component are my favorites. I hope to read more of your stories in the future!

Janice said...

Amarissa how wonderful for you. Congratulation!!! The book sounds amazing I love fantasy. chamoviatt@yahoo.com

Erin said...

So excited to read this! Way to go on the start of an awesome adventure for you!

Molly Mortensen said...

Magical creature characters are my weakness! So I'm assuming none of your books will ever end in a cliffhanger?

molly.mortensen [at] gmail.com

Unknown said...

Great Giveaway

AshleighSwerdfeger said...

This sounds like a great fantasy tale! They are are one of my favourite type of novels. I love reading about you got to write the book- very inspiring.

Sheila L. Majczan said...

I just bought this book. The reviews on Amazon were all good so it sounds like I have to take the plunge...and since you have so kindly gifted other books with that purchase you can find me at odara7rox[at]rcn[dot]com I do realize that this is the first in a series so I may have to wait to find out what happens.

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

I'm so glad that you purchased this book, Sheila. How wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sending you the 3 free ebooks right away.

Brooke Showalter said...

This sounds like a really interesting fantasy read! I love losing myself in a good fantasy. It is so fun to get pulled into a brand new world.

brookeb811 at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

This book sounds amazing and I find myself very intrigued with the premise, I'll definitely will be reading this so hopefully I win :) Thanks for the giveaway!

Unknown said...

Btw, My email is Josy15love@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hmm, interesting to read about how you gained your inspiration for the book. It's a beautiful book cover as well. I'll stick it on my Goodreads To Read list and hopefully I'll read it in future! :)

cattsy.goldfinch(at)gmail(dot)

Linda Weaver Clarke said...

Congratulations, Jenny! You are the winner of this awesome book. I know you'll enjoy it.