Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! I’m Amanda, I’m an author and storyteller out of Massachusetts. As of now I have seven books published. Four are part of my New Winslow series while three are from North County Paranormal.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent book is Fairview Hills Cemetery, which is Book 3 in the North County Paranormal series. Both the entire series and the book itself are inspired by the region of Massachusetts where I live and where the story is set. It’s a boring-seeming mill town, but there are all sorts of strange stories about paranormal encounters. I wanted to do a supernatural workplace drama where the relationships between the characters are as important as whatever entity they are fighting this week.
Fairview Hills Cemetery in particular in inspired by stories of Ouija board sessions gone wrong. A young boy and his friends decide to have some Halloween fun and now he and the NCP team have to deal with the consequences.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to write completely out-there scenes that don’t really have a place in the book I’m writing at a given moment. Like, an idea will come into my head and suddenly I have 10K words of what is essentially fan fiction of my own work. Usually they never see the light of day, but sometimes they’ll end up inspiring major storylines.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been reading Stephen King since I was probably far too young to be doing so. Being from New England, he’s such a constant presence here. So definitely his books, especially The Stand.
I’m also very influenced by comics and audio dramas. Ghosts in the Burbs by Liz Sower combines horror with the mundane in a way that I aspire to. And I’ve read a lot of Hope Larson’s comics over the years and they’ve really influenced the way I approach relationships between characters.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the next books in both New Winslow and North County Paranormal at the moment. New Winslow is an ongoing, serialized story, so it takes me longer to write each season and make sure all of the threads come together. North County Paranormal is more episodic, with overarching storylines. So this one I’m currently writing focuses on a set of strange deaths in a family of deeply unpleasant shop owners. But it also continues developing characters and situations that were introduced in the earlier books.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Newsletters! Both paid and your own. I’m a big fan of BookFunnel and using group promos with similar authors.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
What happens in your first draft stays in your first draft. It doesn’t need to be good, so just throw the words down on paper. Once you have a first draft, you can go back and make it a coherent storyline.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There’s no speed limit. While there are always going to be things that will impact your writing, don’t feel like you need to slow down and do things a specific way.
What are you reading now?
I’m in the middle of “This Is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and “Trailer Park Trickster” by David R. Slayton.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Lots of things! I’ve got more books coming out in both series, plus ideas for standalone books and a new series.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh gosh. The Stand by Stephen King, definitely. Good Omens should be on there too. And I guess a cookbook to help me make food from what’s available on this island?
Author Websites and Profiles
Amanda McCormack Website
Amanda McCormack Amazon Profile
Amanda McCormack Author Profile on Smashwords
Amanda McCormack’s Social Media Links
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