Author Interview: the GORGEOUS Amber Lynn Perry

I recently read the lyrical and romantic So Fair a Lady and knew I wanted to feature the lovely Amber Lynn Perry again on the blog. So lovely, she is, that she is the cover model on that book! what a fun fact!  So Fair a Lady is on TWO top 100 best-seller lists on amazon and it will leave you craving the next in the series, which Amber assures me is in progress :)   Amber is an author I have really come to respect. And a person whose fresh and gentle spirit just breathes through her words. She's a special one, friends :)

When did you first discover you had been bitten by the writing bug?
Fun question!! I think I first got the bug two years ago, but my story actually goes back a bit further. When I was about 13 I got this "great idea for a story!" I remember sitting in my purple beanbag chair, daydreaming and writing for hours about a girl, a Patriot and a British soldier--I just KNEW this story would be published some day. *hehehehe* But I quickly gave up the idea when I realized it was such hard work and I forgot all about those delightful imaginary friends. Fast forward almost twenty years when I discovered historical Christian romance books. Bless my romance-hungry soul! I hadn't known there was such a thing and I read as many as I could get into my greedy little fingers. It was shortly after that time that I remembered my good friends (AKA "characters") from back in junior high and I thought I'd like to try my hand at bringing them to life once again--this time with a bit more perseverance. *wink*


Your prose really floored me. I must confess to being absolutely impressed. Did you have any professional editing done?
Oh my goodness, that is so generous of you. *blushing* I'm not sure I deserve that, but it means a lot all the same, thank you.
Professional editing? Yes and no. As I prepared for publishing I worked with the always-fabulous Tina Radcliffe. She helped me make sure the plot was working and that I was following all the basic writing rules. (Because I was a completely-new-with-absolutely-no-experience-writer.) As for line edits, etc--that was done by none other than the very best: my mother. Seriously! My mom is amazing, and even with no degree in English and no experience in editing, she is fabulous! I will always trust my books with her. Period.



When did the characters first pop up in your head?
This goes back to question one. *teehee* I loved these people and spent entirely too much time thinking about them and how to ruin--and then fix--their lives. ;)

Did you craft the series outline at once when you were plotting the books, or just the first hoping the others would fall in place?
Just the first. I wanted to think my crazy and completely sudden passion for writing would go somewhere, but I couldn't be totally sure it would, so I didn't plan ahead. But thankfully the way it turned out, I have at least three more books in the works--all with connecting characters. (I can't wait to share these other characters with the world. So fun! .... At least for me. *wink*)


How long did the research take? I mean your dedication to research is evident :)
Oh boy. That's a good question! I've been obsessed with all things "American Revolution" and "colonial era" since I was young. I visited Boston when I was 15, and I thought I died and gone to heaven. I mean, you would have believed I got tickets to a New Kids On The Block concert--I was THAT excited. While we were there we drove around Cape Cod and I was particularly struck by a little town named Sandwich. Yeah, I kind of giggled too--I mean, a town named Sandwich? *teehee* I've never forgotten that profoundly lovely place and I knew I needed to set my story there-- I just didn't know how completely fabulous it would be considering the time period I wanted to write in. All around, I have been learning about and studying the Revolution for years. But don't ask me to tell you too many specific dates--I'm embarrassingly bad with dates. ;)



What are three of your favourite Christian historical books ?
Only three?!?! You're simply cruel. ;)
The very first one that comes to my mind is A BRIDE MOST BEGRUDGING, by Deeanne Gist. There's just something so wonderful about that story, I've never been able to forget it. The next, THE MEASURE OF A LADY, also by Gist--I could not get enough of that book! As for the third? I could go SO many different ways. But I think I would have to say A HEART REVEALED by Julie Lessman. That hero!!! Seriously though, as you know, there are just so many Ah-MAZING historical romances out there, its just so hard to pick only three. 

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