From Amy's Pen

-

From Amy's Pen

I can't believe that this week marks one year since I published my first book.

I spent about six months seriously writing The Last Wagon, though it was built on many years of compiling information that contributed to it. I've been researching my ancestry and my husband's ancestry for more than 20 years, and the one thing I noticed about genealogists is we are hoarders of information, but few share that information outside other genealogy hoarding circles. I set out to change that. I wanted to find a way to share all those stories I've been hoarding for 20 years with the rest of the world and make them interesting enough that others will enjoy reading them.

From Genealogy to Storytelling

I've done that with The Last Wagon, which is non-fiction (though parts are creatively written), and then my novels based on ancestors: A Mother's Last Gift, His Greatest Regret, and Where the Compass Points. These are all my Woolsey ancestors' stories told as novels, using the names, dates and places from their lives and told in a way that is entertaining and how I imagined it happened.

Then I dipped my toes into the novelist world. I decided to write a western romance series based in North Idaho where I live, a rugged landscape that stayed rugged well into the 90s and in some places is still rugged today. It makes for a great western romance setting. For the Pack Saddle Ranch series I started with Until We Meet Again, a short story that kicked off the series, then the trilogy that included The Rancher's Healing, The Outlaw's Second Chance, and The Quiet Hero's Promise. I had so much fun writing this series and I look forward to writing more like it. I also had a lot of fun designing the covers—yes, I design my own covers. As a photo restoration artist I also have the skill to do that myself.

Six books and two reader magnets in one year. If you'd told me that a year ago when I was nervously hitting "publish" on The Last Wagon, I never would have believed you.

What's Next?

I touched on some of this last week, but I do plan to write a book about another Woolsey ancestor—two actually: Henry and his son Daniel Woolsey. They were patriots of the Revolutionary War. I think it would be amazing to write a father and son soldier story in time to honor our country's 250th anniversary. So yes, I need to get a move on and get this written.

Currently I'm organizing all of my husband's paternal grandmother's life and ancestry into another non-fiction book. This one will be slightly different than anything else I've done to date. It will be like a scrapbook at the beginning as I recount her life and share the photos I have, then it will go into her ancestry.

I'm also going to enter the contest for Writers of The Future again with another story. The last one I told you about, The Crossing Hour, didn't make the cut, but that's okay. What I have to keep reminding myself as an author is it's like a muscle that gets stronger with time. The more I use it the stronger it will be. I don't even expect to make the cut this time, but it's an exercise in self-improvement for me. This time I'll be writing a mythic/supernatural story based in the Hoh Forest of Washington—a natural place for the freaky and unexplained. I don't have a title yet as I'm just starting the brainstorming process, but I'll keep you in the loop.

Thank You

The most important thing I want to say is: thank you. Without all of you I wouldn't have made it this far. Do I think I can quit the 9 to 5 in four years when my husband retires? Well, only time will tell. Right now I'm still not making a profit, but over the last few months the gap between my advertising costs and my sales is closing. What I do hope to see this year is that those two numbers will flip so that I do start to see a small profit. One step at a time.

I hope you continue to enjoy my books, and thank you for being a patron of my work.

Until next week,
Amy

Another book to enjoy

The Vine Once

In the 1960s in the South, this promises to be a good read. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newsletter: His Greatest Regret

-
Image
"It started like a spark — hot, irresistible, impossible to ignore. But sparks burn out fast… and the ashes leave scars." When I wrote  His Greatest Regret , I wanted to explore what happens when grief and longing push two people together — not because they’re ready, but because they’re lonely, human, and aching to feel alive again. Richard and Charlotte’s love was never meant to last. It began as a spark: a widow and a widower, each carrying their own grief, finding an unexpected comfort in one another. What started as warmth grew into a fire that neither of them could control — and that fire left behind ashes that scarred everyone it touched. Most of all, it scarred William — the child born of that spark — who would carry the weight of Richard’s choices for the rest of his life. (William’s story comes next month — but you’ll need to catch up on what came before.) 🔥 Excerpt: Charlotte stood before the shop, her arms wrapped around an enormous flour sack that threatened to s...
Read more

52 Ancestors: The Bridge Between Two Worlds--William Vaughn Cook

-
Image
  The Bridge Between Two Worlds: William Vaughn Cook's Journey from Missouri Pioneer to Chickasaw Citizen In the dusty archives of the National Archives and the faded pages of century-old census records, there lives a story that speaks to the heart of America's frontier experience—a tale of love, adaptation, and the courage to cross cultural boundaries. It's the story of William Vaughn Cook, a man who became a bridge between two worlds. A Mystery That Began in Kentucky Picture this: somewhere in the rolling hills of Kentucky, a family named Cook made a decision that would echo through generations. Ananian (or Ananias, as records sometimes spelled it) and Mary Cook packed their belongings and joined the great westward migration that defined 19th-century America. Like thousands of other families, they sought opportunity in the expanding frontier, carrying with them little more than hope and determination. But here's where their story becomes a genealogist's riddle...
Read more

52 Ancestors: Earliest Ancestor - Edward Beeson (1659-1712)

-
Image
  When I think about how far back I can trace my family tree with confidence, Edward Beeson stands as my earliest researched ancestor. While WikiTree may show lines stretching further into the past, Edward represents the furthest point where I've personally validated the research and feel confident in the documentation. He's my 7th great-grandfather, and his story spans two continents and three marriages during the tumultuous early years of colonial America. From Leicestershire to the New World Edward Beeson was born on February 24, 1659, in Thrussington, Leicestershire, England, to Thomas Beeson and Ann (Pecke) Beeson. He was christened the following year, on February 24, 1660, in the same parish where his family had deep roots. This was during the reign of Charles II, a time of religious upheaval in England when nonconformists like the Quakers faced persecution for their beliefs. Edward's early adult life was marked by both tragedy and new beginnings. Around 1681, at ...
Read more