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Read some interviews from past editions:
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S.J. Stewart
June, 2008
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Zelda Benjamin
April, 2008
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Shirley Marks
December, 2007
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Donna Wright
December, 2007
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Carolyn Brown
August, 2007
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Roni Denholtz
June, 2007
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Tara Randel
April, 2007
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Sydell Voeller
February, 2007
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Sheila Robins
December, 2006
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Ann Holt
October, 2006
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Cynthia Danielewski
July, 2006
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Jane McBride Choate
March, 2006
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Kathryn Meyer Griffith
January, 2006
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Mel Taylor
November, 2005
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Kathleen Fuller
September, 2005
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Tracey J. Lyons
July, 2005
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Ludima Gus Burton
May, 2005
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Holly Jacobs
March, 2005
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Sandra D. Bricker
January, 2005
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Kathryn Quick
November, 2004
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Cheri Jetton
September, 2004
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Heather S. Webber
July, 2004
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Karl Fieldhouse
May, 2004
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Shelley Galloway
March, 2004
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Ilsa Mayr
January, 2004
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Kathy Carmichael
November, 2003
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Dorothy P. O'Neill
July, 2003
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Joani Ascher
May, 2003
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Patricia DeGroot
March, 2003
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Nancy J. Parra
January, 2003
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Barbara Meyers
November, 2002
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Christine Bush
September, 2002
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Debby Mayne
July, 2002
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Jean C. Gordon
May, 2002
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Charles E. Friend
March, 2002
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Norma Seely
January, 2002
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Glen Ebisch
November, 2001
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Gina Cresse
September, 2001
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John Paxson
July, 2001
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Terri Alcock
May, 2001
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Clifford Blair
March, 2001
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Kent Conwell
November, 2000
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Carolyn Brown
September, 2000
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Annette Mahon
July, 2000
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Marjorie McGinley
May, 2000
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Jack Lewis
March, 2000
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Amanda Harte
January, 2000
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Joyce and Jim Lavene
November, 1999
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Return to the current Author! Author! interview:
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Sherry Lynn Ferguson
August, 2008
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Author! Author!: January, 2001
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Click on images to learn more about these books.
An Interview with
Amanda
Harte |
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Have you always wanted to be a writer?
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The short answer is, “Yes!” Like many avid readers, I always dreamt of writing books of my own and giving others some of the pleasure I found from reading. I’ve been very fortunate, because that’s one of my goals that has come true. Two of my earliest dreams wound up being inter-related. The first was to become a published author, and the second was to live in Europe. As it turned out, living in France as a college student and then in Germany while my husband was stationed there with the Army provided me with the background for my first novel, a short contemporary romance entitled Half Heart, and for my first historical romance, Silver Thorns. How’s that for what people in the business world would call synergy? I prefer to call it serendipity -- or perhaps Fate.
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There’s a bit of a mystery in Moonlight Masquerade. Does that mean you might become a mystery writer?
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I actually think all books have their mysterious elements, or else we wouldn’t keep turning the pages. In most of my books, the mystery is more “How on earth will these two people find a happy ending?” rather than “Who done it?” In "Masquerade", I’ve given you a little of both. Will I ever be a mystery writer? The one thing I’ve learned is to never say ‘never.’
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You also write historical romances. What differences do you find between those and your contemporary novels?
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Probably not the ones you might think. Some readers tell me that a contemporary novel should be easier to write, since there’s no research involved. Not true! I do just as much research for a book set in the twenty-first century as one set in medieval times. When I set a story in Manhattan at Christmastime, for example, I had to go into the city, ride the subways, make sure I put stores on the right street corners, etc. That’s just as important as knowing how a knight feels when he’s wearing a helmet (yes, I wore one as part of my research for Silver Thorns) or dressing a pre-Civil War heroine in the right clothes.
For me the most obvious difference is length. My historical romances are twice as long as my Avalon books, and so they take longer to write. Dialogue in a historical is more formal than in a contemporary, and characters may be more constrained by the times. But overall, I find there are more similarities than differences between the genres.
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Why did you pick New Jersey as the setting for Moonlight Masquerade?
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Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to the Garden State than twelve lane highways and shopping malls. Although I’m not a native of New Jersey, I’ve lived here for over twenty-five years and wanted to show my readers that it’s a beautiful and romantic spot. But don’t take my word for it. Read the book.
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What’s coming next?
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A number of people who read Strings Attached have asked me to tell Luke’s story. Like me, they felt sorry for the man and wanted him to have a happy ending. I’m working on that. I’m also planning another spin off of "Strings" called Bluebonnet Spring and found just the right setting for that on a recent trip to Texas. And then there’s the story of a woman who restores carousel horses, and then...
If I’m going to get those books written, I’d better get back to work. In the meantime, I love hearing from my readers. You can reach me via e-mail at amanda.harte@sff.net or visit my web page at www.amandaharte.com.
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