Musings from a Writer’s Brain—Reality or Make-believe? by Amy R Anguish

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Amy R Anguish, characterization tips, Musings from a Writer's Brain, No Place like Home, Sweet romance, writing tips

Reality or Make-believe?

My t-shirt reads, “Careful or I’ll put you in my novel.” It usually gets a laugh. I have a mug that says something similar. Maybe if I wrote suspense, it would be intimidating even. But I write romance.

Still, every now and then, I have to be careful to make sure my characters aren’t too much like someone I know in real life. After all, if I base one on someone I love and they feel I did it wrong, that could lead to awkward family dinners in the future. Right?

Needless to say, when I set out to write my latest novel, based on what “could have been” my life if I’d made different choices, I knew my character also needed to be a preacher’s daughter. I wanted her history to be a lot like mine. But what to do about her dad.

My dad is my biggest fan. He’s the one I can talk to for over an hour and never run out of things to say. Growing up, if I needed to vent or talk through something, his office was where I went. I’m a daddy’s girl through-and-through, probably why I don’t mind that my daughter is one, too. I get it.

But to make my preacher dad character in my book just like my dad wasn’t going to completely work. Because my character Adrian is estranged from God … and her dad. And her dad isn’t sure how to talk to her without making things worse.

My dad still has a full head of silvery-white hair. It’s gorgeous, honestly. And a beard and mustache—he’s had the mustache as long as I can remember. In my book, the dad is balding and clean-shaven. There’s a few things to differentiate the dads.

But then, some similarities snuck in even without my meaning them to. His office with a rather untidy desk full of papers and books, shelves loaded down with research volumes. His tendency to walk over to the small church building just down the block on a Saturday evening so he can adjust the temperature to be comfortable on Sunday morning. The way he rises super early on Sunday so he can study over his lesson again and make sure he remembers everything he wants to say. Those are all my dad.

Maybe it’s harder than I thought to keep my characters from having at least a few characteristics of people I love in real life. I’m sure the heroes all have a bit of my husband in them. Because how can I write someone to fall in love with without basing it on someone I love? And I know the heroines all have some of me. It would be impossible to not give them at least a little of my sense of humor or favorites things (like snickerdoodles and old movies).

Perhaps I worry too much about how much reality creeps into my books. Maybe instead, I should simply write what is put on my heart and let my readers guess about what is based on real life and what is simply made up.

Do you ever wonder how much an author includes from her own life in her stories?

Check out Amy’s newest release No Place Like Home

No Place Like Home

by Amy R Anguish

Can love secure Adrian’s wandering heart?

Roots are overrated, at least to someone like Adrian Stewart, preacher’s kid, who has never lived anywhere longer than six years. That’s why her job with MidUSLogIn is so perfect for her—lots of travel and staying nowhere long enough to have it feel like home. But when work takes her to Memphis, TN, closer to her family for the first time in years, and in the same small office as Grayson Roberts, she starts to question her job, her lack of home, and even her memories of her rocky past with the church.

Gray is intrigued by Adrian from the moment he sees her, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of why this girl who loves old movies and hums when she works won’t go to church with him. As they grow closer, he wants more, too, but how can he convince her to stay in Memphis when she doesn’t believe in home—or God? Can he use his own broken past to break through hers?

You can find No Place Like Home at Amazon

About the Author:

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

Learn more about her books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/ And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA

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A Writer’s Garden–Hoping for a Harvest by Amy R. Anguish

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A Writer's Garden, Amy R Anguish, Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams, Christmas Anthology, Garden blog, Mistletoe Make-believe, vegetable garden

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing. Today’s writer/gardener guest is Amy R. Anguish talking about the uncertainty of gardening. Welcome, Amy!

You Never Know

Every year, when we plant the seeds in our garden, we have no idea what the outcome will be. Obviously, we have our hopes and dreams of what will happen to those plants throughout the summer. But every year brings different weather, bugs, diseases, and sometimes just bad seeds.

Still, we poke the tiny seeds into the earth, give it lots of water and as much sunshine as God will send, and then wait.

Waiting is the hard part.

As the tiny green shoots poke their heads up, branching out and expanding, blossoming and growing, our hope grows right along with it. How can it not? The excitement of seeing those first little green tomatoes or tiny green beans comes every time.

This year, we picked around 40 pints of green beans, canning most, sharing some. We ate and ate tomatoes, as well as making several batches of salsa and spaghetti sauce. And we picked squash until we were all sick of it.

But as we watched and waited for the cucumbers, which last year came in abundance, nothing but disappointment grew. In fact, something destroyed the first two plants we had come up, and we had to replant. Twice.

Same with our pumpkins. And sunflowers.

• 

• 

Just about the time I was ready to give up on the watermelon, it stretched out and actually gave us a nice basketball-sized one.

And just when I had decided we would just settle for the cucumbers we’d gotten from friends, we got a nice big one, with more coming on. In late summer, no less. Only weeks from autumn.

My five-year-old was thrilled, to say the least.

You never know what you’re going to get when planting seeds, but isn’t it exciting when you do get something? Just like in everything in life, it’s always worth it to try. Even if you only get a few carrots from a whole pack of seeds. Those few carrots are always worth it to my children.

And most of the time, anything we’re willing to put a little effort into, will bring us at least a small harvest.

What have you tried that may not have turned out exactly as planned, but was still rather sweet?

About the Writer/Gardener:

Amy R Anguish

Author of An Unexpected Legacy, Faith and Hope, and Saving Grace

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at  her website Facebook  Or Twitter

Learn more about her books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/

And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)

Mistletoe Make-believe by Amy Anguish

(From the Christmas Anthology Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams-a selection of five sweet beach read Christmas novellas)

Charlie Hill’s family thinks his daughter Hailey needs a mom—to the point they won’t get off his back until he finds her one. Desperate to be free from their nagging, he asks a stranger to pretend she’s his girlfriend during the holidays.

When romance author Samantha Arwine takes a working vacation to St. Simons Island over Christmas, she never dreamed she’d be involved in a real-life romance. Are the sparks between her and Charlie real? Or is it just her imagination?

Buy Link

Wednesday Writers–Saving Grace by Amy R. Anguish

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Amy R Anguish, Christian fiction, Saving Grace, Sweet romance, Wednesday Writers

Welcome to Wednesday Writers. Today’s guest is Amy Anguish, who will be talking about “falling in love” or more precisely about whether or not one can fall in love. Welcome, Amy!

 

This may sound a bit crazy coming from a person who writes romance novels, but I firmly believe you can’t actually fall in love.

Falling in love is a myth.

Mostly.

I’m talking about how love is a choice. And while the hormones and feelings that come with the first blush of a romantic relationship are wonderful, you can’t base a marriage on them. Not really.

Why?

Because when the going gets tough, warm fuzzies aren’t going to get you through it. Instead, you have to have trust in each other, a deep knowledge of who the other person is, and you have to want to make it work even through the hard times. So, when we base our relationships on feelings, which sometimes change more often than a preschooler’s favorite color, that relationship isn’t going to last.

In my newest book, Saving Grace, I play with this concept a bit, but with a twist.

Michelle and Greg have been best friends their whole life. When someone points out that she and he should get married, she scoffs and says he’s like a brother. But as the book goes on, she grows more confused. Can a relationship be possible without the romance?

Her mom gives her the following advice.

“Love.” Mom set down her mug with such force that some of the remaining liquid sloshed out. “Do you even know what truelove is? If you’re looking for what they get in the movies or books, you won’t find anything close to it.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. Well, that was disheartening.

Mom leaned forward and looked her square in the eye. “But if you want real love, well, that’s the kind of love that gets you through those weeks when there’s not enough money to buy groceries. So, you just eat whatever’s in the pantry, even if that means boxed macaroni and applesauce as your whole meal. Love is when you take care of your sick spouse even when you came down with the exact same thing and are just as miserable.

“Love means supporting each other through the good times and the bad like Phillip and Darcy are doing. It isn’t butterflies and lightning. It’s something you can count on. It’s trust and support and reliability.”

“But don’t you and dad have butterflies and lightning sometimes too?” If those weren’t important, there wouldn’t be so many novels discussing such things, right? “Isn’t that at least part of it?”

“Sure. I had butterflies all over when I first met your Dad.” Mom squeezed her arm. “But over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the other kind of love more. It’s what keeps those flutters alive.”

 

This is my personal opinion, obviously, but maybe if more marriages started out based on thinking like that, they’d last longer and be richer.

What do you think? Do you prefer books where the characters fall in love, or do you like the kind where a relationship is based on something more?

Saving Grace

by Amy R. Anguish

What if saving Grace doesn’t mean what she thinks it does?

Michelle Wilson’s one goal in life was to become a top journalist at the local paper back in her hometown of Cedar Springs, AR. But on the way to bringing that dream to reality, a life-changing wreck interrupts Michelle’s plans and adds an orphaned baby into the mix. Now, she has tough decisions ahead—did God put her in that accident to save baby Grace? And if so, why is it so hard to convince everyone else she should be the baby’s new mommy?

Buy Link

 

About the Author:

Amy R Anguish
Author of An Unexpected Legacy, Faith and Hope, and Saving Grace

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

Learn more about my books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/

And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)

Musings From a Writer’s Brain by Amy R Anguish

Tags

Amy R Anguish, COVID-19 writing, essay, Faith and Hope, Musings from a Writer's Brain, writing, Writing ideas

 

Temptation to Switch

 

With the world in chaos and feeling very much like we’re living in a dystopian novel right now, this romance writer is having all sorts of ideas running through my head. I read across various genres, including fantasy. Needless to say, a situation like this is triggering my imagination to try my hand at a new type of writing.

So far, in my few years of being a published author, I write Contemporary romance and women’s fiction. But I also have some friends who do write in the speculative genre, and we’re always bouncing ideas around to each other, as well as helping edit. Maybe they’re rubbing off on me?

But how can you not be tempted by this situation?

You could do a book where each chapter is from the POV of a different character, a peek into all the different lives and how they’re affected by a worldwide pandemic. This is the most tempting one to me.

There could be one where it’s a competition to see who can stockpile the most groceries from the limited supply.

What about one where the scientists are trying to find the perfect human to work with to test a new vaccine, but there’s no promise the person even exists? And then, they find one, but have to wait for so long before they’re sure it works … and the person dies before the time is up! Yikes!

Toilet paper wars.

And, of course, the household trapped together, and how long they’ll get along before their senile ancient uncle starts killing people. That one is way too dark for me.

But you get my drift. I’m always coming up with ideas to write, but it’s normally still in my main categories of romance and women’s fiction. Would people be more or less likely to want to read dystopian after living through something that feels like it?

Ah. The questions will probably remain unanswered for me. I’m too busy writing more romances to truly delve into any of these ideas, so feel free to use them for yourself!

In the meantime, if you need a book to take your mind off the craziness of the real world, take a peek at my book, Faith & Hope.

 

Faith and Hope

By Amy R Anguish

Hope needs more hope. Faith needs more faith. They both need a whole lot of love .Two sisters. One summer. Multiple problems. Younger sister Hope has lost her job, her car, and her boyfriend all in one day. Her well-laid plans for life have gone sideways, as has her hope in God. Older sister Faith is finally getting her dream-come-true after years of struggles and prayers. But when her mom talks her into letting Hope move in for the summer, will the stress turn her dream into a nightmare? Is her faith in God strong enough to handle everything? For two sisters who haven’t gotten along in years, this summer together could be a disaster, or it could lead them to a closer relationship with each other and God. Can they overcome all life is throwing at them? Or is this going to destroy their relationship for good?

  Buy Link

About the Author

Amy R Anguish

Author of An Unexpected Legacy

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor  Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)