Amanda in the Summer

Yeah, yeah. I know it’s Thursday. 😆 But I wanted to have my guest back and Friday didn’t work for me this month, so we’re doing FanFare Friday today. 🙂

I’m so excited to have the lovely Brenda Whiteside traveling from warm(er?) Arizona, braving the cold here in Oklahoma to return to the ranch! What a great sport.

Calisa, thank you so much for having me today. 😀

You’re welcome. Let’s start the fun, shall we? How did the writer’s journey begin for you?

I think I’ve been writing all of my life. As far back as the early years of grade school, I remember writing letters to anyone who would answer me back. School got me hooked on reading and writing. But I also loved art and thought becoming an artist was my destiny. It wasn’t until after college that I found more satisfaction filling a blank page with words than an empty canvas with color. I left my paints behind.

Although I didn’t start out to write romance, I’ve found all good stories have to involve complicated human relationships. I’ve also learned, no matter a person’s age, a new discovery is right around every corner. Whether humorous or serious, straight contemporary or mystery, all my books revolve around those two facts.

 Learning that about yourself is definitely a bonus for us! Tell us three things about you-the writer-readers wouldn’t typically know.

1. I’m a workaholic. My husband says I don’t know how to relax. What he doesn’t understand is that all of my writing activities are so enjoyable that I don’t mind the exhaustion.

2. I’d like to write a true literary novel. To me that means a book that doesn’t really fit into any genre and appeals to a wide range of readers. It would be a book about ordinary people living extraordinary lives. The reader would be so enchanted by the characters that there wouldn’t need to be any conflicts besides those we all live with everyday.

3. I love to entertain readers. I’m not sure if this is something readers don’t know about me. But it is my purpose in writing and publishing – to entertain.

My husband tells me I don’t know how to say ‘no’. LOL It all began when…

Amanda in the Summer came to me from the title. And I got the title from a wedding invitation that was folded in such a way the words came together – Amanda in the Summer. It sounded so whimsical.

I love how you came up with this story idea. Where did you get the premise for this book?

Like I said earlier, I loved to write letters as a child and then as a teen. Letter writing has since nearly disappeared in our fast-paced society. Because the title sounded whimsical and I romanticize the 1940’s in my head, I started from there – a letter written in the 1940’s. I have to admit that as I started doing some research, a story unfolded without a lot of effort. I looked up the meaning of Amanda which is one who is loved or some variation depending on the site you read. Love led me to look up Venus, and I stumbled on the Transit of Venus. That gave me a time frame for a long period of time (fifty-seven years) and so I chose to write letters from three generations of women, all named Amanda.

I miss the art of letter writing. What stands out about this story that made writing it different for you?

Telling a story in the form of letters was new. The letters are all written to the same woman and although we never hear from her, we get to know her as well as the three generations of Amandas.

Interesting concept. Were there any difficult challenges or special subject matter you came across while writing this book?

I certainly had to keep a timeline going. Each Amanda is pregnant with the next Amanda. The letters are written only during the summer and over the course of fifty-seven years. When I stumbled on the Transit of Venus, which is a rare occurrence, and I wanted to use it for a couple of the Amanda’s birth dates, I had to make the time line fit. The transit happens when Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth or some other planet.

Timelines can be difficult. I admire your ability to keep us all straight. J What about this book would make us want to read it more than others of similar taste?

Female friendships can run very deep. We don’t see many movies or read many books about female friends. We get a lot of guy buddy stuff. I hope this story will make you smile and make you cry.

I agree, we need more girl stuff! Will you share some about the book, please?

Blurb:

Three generations of women…and the secret that strengthens their love.

A line of women, all named Amanda, stretches back for generations. Each with her hopes, her joys, her pain—each pouring out her heart in correspondence with a dear family friend who shares their lives, understands their loves, and joins in their sorrows.

But within the correspondence lies a secret. And as the youngest of the Amandas retraces the journey through the years—beginning in post-war America and following through to modern day—the letters reveal, layer by layer, the Amandas who came before her. Soon, the truths and lies hidden in the letters lead her down a path of self-discovery that forges a bond between her past and future.

Love it! What do you want readers to take away from this book?

Friendship is complicated. It’s not always honest, but it’s not dishonest either if it’s unselfish.

Tell us about the finished book. Is there anything special we might not know after reading it?

Tilly is the friend all three of the Amandas who correspond with her over fifty-seven years of friendship. The reader will wonder, and probably hope, if Tilly makes it to the beach house one more time to see the newest Amanda. There’s a bit more about Tilly and her life the reader will only be able to guess.

I think I’ll like Tilly. I can’t wait to find time to read this book. And now an excerpt?

Excerpt:

August 24, 1968

Dear Tilly,

A few days of bliss with no one to talk to but the

seagulls. I have you to thank for this. I’m so glad you

popped back after Amanda, Robert, and Mother left. The

strain I put on all of us while you were here would’ve

dragged on for who knows how long if you hadn’t

returned. Once again, Tilly, you read the tea leaves and

righted things.

My moods have been so ragged of late. Jealousy of

all things. Jealous that you could talk to my daughter,

get along so lovely with her, which I’ve had difficulty

doing these last few months. Jealous of your longer

running friendship with Robert than with me. I’m not

sure if I was jealous of him or you. You’re both mine.

And angry that the two of you are uncomfortable around

each other after so many years and not making sense of

that. When Robert left, I tried to give him the blue

swimsuit you had left behind and asked him to drop in

on you to return it. He said no, I could do it when I got

back. This was so unlike him and did more to unsettle

me…

 ***

Where can readers find you and your books?

Visit me at www.brendawhiteside.com

Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

I blog on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

I blog about prairie life and writing at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

Amanda in the Summer release worldwide yesterday, December 18. It’s available where eBooks are sold. The links for Amazon and the publisher, The Wild Rose Press are below:

Amazon

The Wild Rose Press

Is there anything else you want to share or add?

I’d like to thank you again for letting me guest on your lovely blog and answer such tough questions!

All thanks go to you darling! You came so far to answer them so thoroughly. 😀

Please be sure to say hi to Brenda and if you would take a moment to ‘share’ this with your twitter, facebook and other social friends, I’m sure they would like to meet the lovely Ms. Whiteside too! Thank all of my readers for visiting!