When I was getting ready to send today’s awesome guest questions for this Q&A below, I had to do some mental digging to remember when I first met her. Then it hit me: I met Amanda G. Stevens in Florida. Beautiful Florida with its warm temps and ocean views…and yearly MBT Deep Thinkers Retreat.

Amanda and I were both aspiring authors when we met, both working to learn the craft and grow in our storytelling. And I was SO excited when I heard the news that Amanda had signed with a publisher for her Haven Seekers series. I’ve got her first book, Seek and Hide, on my kindle and can’t wait to start reading.

And guess what? The e-version is only $3.99 right now on Amazon! So while we’re doing a giveaway for a paperback copy of the book below, if you’re like me and you can’t wait, I suggest downloading now. 

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Melissa: All right, we have to talk about your book, but first, let’s talk Jack Bauer for a second. Because I’m pretty sure the first time I met you, we talked about 24. Why should someone who has never watched 24 give it a try…?
 
Amanda: Ah, Jack Bauer. Really, does one need any other reason to give 24 a try? Unstoppable, uber-competent hero who saves the world in twenty-four hours, risks his life to do so, and makes the hard decisions for us while we watch from the safety of our sofas. I also think those first few seasons of 24 can be a good writing lesson in how to raise stakes and construct a multi-layered plot.

I will add a caveat and say that I “got out” of 24 a few seasons in (but Melissa, I know you still watch it) due to gratuitous character death and a few other things that just turned me off too much. I’ll always love Jack Bauer, though, and I stand by the early years.

Melissa: Haha, that’s understandable. There was a LOT of death—you pretty much learned to never get too attached to anyone other than Jack. So, can you give us the basic premise for Seek and Hide? 

Amanda: Sure! Here’s the book blurb:

Six years ago, the government took control of the church. Only re-translated Bibles are legal, and a specialized agency called the Constabulary enforces this and other regulations. Marcus Brenner, a new Christian, will do anything to protect his church family from imprisonment–including risk his own freedom to gain the trust of a government agent.

Aubrey Weston recanted her faith when the Constabulary threatened her baby. Now released, she just wants to provide for her son and avoid government notice. But she’s targeted again, and this time, her baby is taken into custody. If only she’d never denied Him, maybe God would hear her pleas for help.

When Aubrey and Marcus’s lives collide, they are forced to confront the lies they believe about themselves. And God is about to grab hold of Marcus’s life in a way he’d never expect, turning a loner into a leader.

 
Melissa: Turning a loner into a leader. I love that! What sparked your interest in telling spec-fic stories? What draws you to that genre?
 

Actually, I’m an accidental spec writer. I write for the characters first. Marcus and Lee (who plays a secondary role in this novel and with whom Marcus is in love) showed up in my head as distinct people without a plot. They were both adamant about fighting some sort of war or resistance, something like the Underground Railroad, World War II France … except they were modern characters with modern perspectives. My only option seemed to be creating my own world, so I did.

It’s possible, though, that I will always write speculative fiction. I say this because the other stories in my head all have speculative elements. This is as surprising to me as to anyone else. As a reader/viewer, I had no use for spec until I was almost out of high school. Now, I love the stuff—as long as it’s character-driven. I love how speculative storyworlds offer such extreme playgrounds for humanity—our nobility and evil, our reason and emotion.

 
Melissa: You mentioned character-driven and it reminded me of something author Rachel Hauck said at ACFW–all good stories are about characters; no one wants to read a story about a plot. Since you’re all about the characters, tell us about your hero, Marcus Brenner.

 
Amanda: Gladly! I love Marcus for so many reasons, the first being his earnestness. He puts himself 110% into everything he does. He’s intensely loyal and protective. He’s a recovered alcoholic who fights hard to stay sober. He works as an independent contractor and woodworking is his favorite part of his job; it’s where he loses himself. He’s a terrible communicator and he can’t quit anything he starts, good or bad. He loves ice cream sundaes and good movies and hard work and star-gazing.

 
Melissa: Now I want to ask Marcus what he considers to be good movies. Because it’s one of my favorite subjects. I have a feeling I’d get along with him. Okay, Hollywood’s going to make your book into a movie! Who do you cast as your main characters? And what song just has to be included in the soundtrack?

I am the only author I know who doesn’t cast characters. Typically, Hollywood people are too attractive for me to picture them as my “regular” people. If my book were becoming a movie, the most important thing to me would be that the actors are skilled and natural and believable.

(You are not alone! People always ask me this and I never have a good answer…so I’m not sure why I ask others. LOL!)

But of course, there would be physical specifications. Marcus shouldn’t be a reedy little guy, Aubrey shouldn’t be unnaturally thin, and Lee should be unnaturally thin. That kind of stuff would matter to me. Hair and eye color can be changed to match the characters, so that’s not a big deal.

As for the soundtrack: in order, the credits should roll with “Eric’s Song” by Vienna Teng (for Marcus and Lee), “In The Girl There’s a Room” by Sara Groves (for Aubrey), and “The Body of Christ” by Geoff Moore (for the underground church). The score would resemble that of The Town. I love “The Letter” from The Town score, and I have it on my Haven Seekers playlist.
 

Melissa: What’s next for you writing-wise?
 

Amanda: The next Haven Seekers book, Found and Lost, will be out early next year. There are four books total, and I’m drafting Book Four right now. After that, I have a new character ready to tell his story. And yes, of course, it is a speculative story. I can only shrug at myself.
 
Melissa: Hey, nothing wrong with finding your niche…if spec-fic is your niche, YAY! Finally, just for fun, what are three little known fun facts about you?
 
When I was in college, I considered becoming an interpreter for the Deaf. I know a bit of ASL (American Sign Language) but used to know more. ASL isn’t like riding a bike. If you have no one to talk to, your vocabulary shrinks. It’s an intriguing language and culture, and I’m glad for the time I committed to studying it though it didn’t turn out to be a career path I wanted to pursue.

I’ve had two surgeries on my left foot, so it is at least a size and a half smaller than my right foot. It also has screws and a plate fusing a bone together. None of this is as dramatic as it sounds. I don’t even set off metal detectors.

(But how do you buy shoes??)

Probably because I don’t drink pop or coffee, I’m extremely sensitive to caffeine. Half of one of those Starbucks frappucino bottles will leave me bug-eyed and fast-talking and keep me awake for eight or ten hours. It’s a great tool for editing deadlines.

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As a child, Amanda G. Stevens disparaged Mary Poppins and Stuart Little because they could never happen. Now, she writes speculative fiction. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in English, she has taught literature and composition to home-school students. She lives in Michigan and loves books, film, music, and white cheddar popcorn.

Giveaway Time!

Amanda is generously giving away a paperback copy of SEEK AND HIDE. The giveaway runs through midnight, October 15, and entry is super easy. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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