About the Author: Amanda Rawson Hill grew up in the mountain desert of Southwest Wyoming with a library right out her back gate. After graduating from Brigham Young University with her degree in chemistry, she lived all over the country, finally settling in Central California where she enjoys playing games with her husband, teaching educational outreach programs, and homeschooling her three kids.
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Amanda Rawson Hill: Not really. I use an alpha reader, which is just a CP who reads my first draft as I write it and is only allowed to say good things while I’m drafting. Then after I finish that first draft, they give revision thoughts.
AH: In my bedroom! I have an adjustable bed, so I prop up my feet and head and go to town.
AH: My biggest author inspirations are Kate DiCamillo, Katherine Applegate, and Sharon Creech. I want to write books that make people feel as deeply and hopeful as those books make me feel.
When I was a teen, I was really into fantasy. I remember sobbing at the end of Garth Nix’s Abhorsen trilogy. But as far as what has influenced me most as an author, it would probably be reading Walk Two Moons when I was in elementary school.
AH: Ooh! There are so many! THE SOMEDAY BIRDS by Sally J Pla, LIKE MAGIC by Elaine Vickers, SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS by Jack Cheng, and LOVE SUGAR MAGIC by Anna Meriano. One book I just finished and LOVED but haven’t seen much buzz for yet is GOOD DOG by Dan Gemeinhart.
AH: Stilted dialogue is a big one. It’s so hard to get just right and it can be hard to tell how to fix it, but I can pick it out instantly. I would also say stories where the plot feels more episodic rather than this organic whole with one thing leading to the next. Usually, when that happens it’s because the author has lost focus on the goal and stakes, both external and internal.
AH: Read. Read. Read. And not just read for fun. But really analyze what you’re reading. Why are you sucked in? How does the author paint a character, so you feel like you know them? And if it’s hard for you to do with reading, do it with movies. As you watch a movie, or after you finish, see if you can pick out the plot points and verbalize the theme. As I’ve done that more and more, I’ve really begun to understand plot and pacing so much better.
After that, the next best thing an author needs to do is find good CP’s. A good CP (critique partner) is one who pushes you, is honest about the flaws in your ms, but never makes you feel like a crap writer. They are cheerleaders and hard truth deliverers all at the same time.
AH: I really love to write themes around healing/embracing/creating family and themes around the give and take of human connection.
AH: Middle grade is a special category because readers at this age are just starting to see the world in all its complexity. Black, white, and all the shades of gray in between. And yet they aren’t cynical yet. They are full of hope and optimism. The world, though complex, is still inherently good. And this set of factors makes it possible to create books that point to the kind of world we want to create, that point to the truths found inside each soul that we might have forgotten in adulthood.
AH: This writing thing isn’t a waste of time. It’s not silly or a pipe dream or impossible. It’s okay to own it, invest in it, and be proud of what you are doing, even with no “credits” to your name.
As far as what kept me motivated to finish my first draft, I’m just a really stubborn Type A person. So, once I decide to do something, I do it and I do it to the best of my ability.
AH: Absolutely! I’m always amazed at how when I reach out and I give that my life becomes richer, with more people to love, and helping hands when I need it. I’ve also felt the magic of being able to forgive when I put forth the effort to treat a person with kindness, even if I don’t feel like they “deserve” it.
AH: My debut is told in first person and all of it is from Kate’s point of view. I don’t really have a preference. I love writing in first person to get really up close and personal with my MC. But I just finished a WIP in third person and started another in third, and I love the storytelling options that open up for me. It’s really just about what the story needs and calls for.
AH: Beginnings! Beginnings are hard because you have to cram so much into them. Immediate characterization, inciting incident, stakes, motivation, some backstory. It took until my second revision AFTER my book sold to figure out what my first scene was! The other hard part of developing plots for me is motivation of my character. I’m pretty good at knowing what a character wants and the things that get in their way. But it can be tricky for me to find a motivation behind the want that’s deep enough and strong enough to organically propel my character through the hurdles of an entire story.
AH: The theme itself are the rules of Everyday Magic. Believe, give, trust. Other themes that go along with that include knowing when to love and when to let go and how to love someone who is leaving you, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
AH: I will probably go to dinner at my favorite restaurant and get a fig and prosciutto pizza. My husband also let slip that he is planning some kind of surprise for it so…I can’t wait to find out what that is!
PRR Writer, Julia Shelton