Originally Posted Friday, 26 September 2014 here
BIO:
AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 22 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.
An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie’s poem “The Candle,” written at age twelve, was published in a University of Warwick journal. At fifteen, she was a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed simultaneous Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, Mothers of the Nation.She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge (A-levels) as well as a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive.
She is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, PW and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was an Amazon bestseller and a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in New York with her husband and three children. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency and is a member of SCBWI.
What has she written?
She has written: Bloodspell, Waterfell, The Almost Girl, Alpha Goddess, Oceanborn, Bloodcraft, SeaMonster , The Fallen Prince
Now For The Interview!!
1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion? Even at a very young age, I was always scribbling some story or another into a journal. I remember writing a story about a young girl covered in magical tattoos when I was about nine. Talk about an active imagination! 2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works? I hope that my books would provide my readers with a bit of escapism as well as an opportunity to learn about something new (for example, ALPHA GODDESS is about East Indian mythology). 3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer? Get yourself out there and write regularly—hone your craft. Take part in writing events like NaNoWriMo. Learn to self edit (a book that really helped me sharpen my pencil was Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King). 4) What is your favorite novel, why? I have so many, but if I had to choose, I would say Lord of the Rings because the world building and the characterization are beyond epic. 5) Who is your favorite author, why? J.K. Rowling. Not only does she tell a great story, she also overcame so much adversity on her route to publication. That's incredibly inspiring. 6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing? I enjoyed watching movies and spending time with my family. 7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most? My mom. I never had all the toys I wanted, but I always got all the books I wanted, so I have my mother to thank for that. She always encouraged me to feel free to express myself and to explore my ideas (no matter how wild). 8) What are the top five things on your bucket list? Sky dive. Flip a house. Run a marathon. Learn to play the violin. See the Northern Lights. 9) What is your funniest childhood memory? Pretending to astral travel when I was about eleven with my best friend. I can't help giggling every time I think about it. 10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be? Be resilient, embrace challenges, learn from your mistakes, and be compassionate
Comments