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Amanda G. Stevens | Unexpectedly Speculative
October 24, 2014
Story has been my deepest love since before I could read. And I was serious
about it. I watched Mary Poppins at five years old and thought the
idea
of a carousel horse joining a real horse on a racetrack was insulting. I
expressed similar disdain when books violated reality. A mouse born to human
parents? A swan learning to read and write and play the trumpet? Ridiculous. I wrote my first story in first grade and never stopped writing. My stories
never messed with reality, never took “what if?” too far. Then, in high
school,
I discovered Star Trek: Voyager. A new frontier opened in my
imagination.
I started seeking out fantasy and science fiction. A few years later, my
first
full-length novel idea bloomed—the idea that would grow into SEEK AND
HIDE. In the storyworld of SEEK AND HIDE, the government has seized control of the
church. Bibles have been retranslated. Churches agree to teach only from the
retranslated Bible or are closed. The dystopian world is represented well by
the
bleak sky and dilapidated farmhouse on the cover; here, freedom and truth
are
decaying like this house. My main character, Marcus Brenner, is a new
Christian
who will do anything to protect his Christian friends from imprisonment. I’ve been asked what drew me to write speculative fiction, but I’m an
accidental
spec writer. The characters Marcus and Lee showed up in my head before
anything
else did, distinct people without a plot. They were both adamant about
fighting
in a war or resistance, like the Underground Railroad, World War II France …
except they were modern characters with modern perspectives. My only option
seemed to be creating my own world. I had no idea at the time how often I
would
ask not only “what if?” but also “what would this look like on an individual
human level?” and “what would it look like on a cultural level?” and
finally,
unavoidably, “what would I do?” Pretty sure Marcus is braver and more
stubborn
than I am. And now it’s possible I will always write speculative fiction. The other
stories
in my head have speculative elements, too (how did that happen?). These
days, I
love spec as long as it’s character-driven. I love how this genre’s
storyworlds
offer such extreme playgrounds for humanity—our nobility and evil, our
reason
and emotion. I’m still catching up on the speculative classics I ignored so
long. And I have to laugh at the adamant kindergartner who informed her
mother
that Mary Poppins “could never happen. How about you? Have you ever grown to love a different kind of story? What
changed you? And if you have any spec recommendations, please share! Comment below to be entered to win your own copy of SEEK AND HIDE! *** A debut novelist, Amanda G. Stevens holds a Bachelor of Science degree
in
English and has taught literature and composition to home-school students.
She
lives in Michigan and loves books, film, music, and white cheddar popcorn.
Visit
her at her website.
Comments
16 comments posted.
Re: Amanda G. Stevens | Unexpectedly Speculative
I do enjoy reading stories occasionally when they are
slightly different from the norm, but not so off-kilter as
to either make them laughable, because the story is so
unbelievable, or because you just can't picture something
like that taking place. That doesn't mean I don't have an
open-mind, it just means that some Authors are too far off
in left field, and perhaps want to make a quick buck by just
writing about anything that pops into their heads to write a
story!! Believe me, I've been reading for a long time, and
have seen some whoppers!! To come up with an example, it's
too early for me. I was up late on the phone last night,
due to family issues, and am on my first cup of coffee.
However, I am very anxious to read your book, and find out
more about your writing. Congratulations on your book!!
(Peggy Roberson 9:42am October 24, 2014)
Wow! What a storyline - I am hooked already - I am new to your writing, and this certainly is a great place to start!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 10:44am October 24, 2014)
Sounds like a great book. Would love to win! Thank you for the opportunity.
(Karen Mikusak 3:02pm October 24, 2014)
"Hide and Seek" sounds like a really interesting and thought-provoking book :)
Did you know that P.L. Travers author of Mary Poppins hated Disney's version of Mary Poppins?
Well, I'd love the opportunity to win and good luck to all the entries
(Holly Loch 4:47pm October 24, 2014)
This sounds like a really good book, I would love a chance to read it. Good luck everyone.
(Renae Kelly 5:00pm October 24, 2014)
Your book sounds like a great read. I enjoyed learning more about you and your writing. Thank you for the contest.
(Nancy Wolfe 5:28pm October 24, 2014)
Sounds like a great story! Here's to winning:)
(Karen Gales 9:02pm October 25, 2014)
It sounds like a fantastic book!
(Susan Mahaffey 1:25am October 26, 2014)
looking forward to reading seek and hide!
(Joanne Dowson 1:50am October 26, 2014)
Hide and Seek sounds like it has great storyline! Would love to read!
(Teresa Stebbins 9:22am October 26, 2014)
I would say my marriage changed my story and the story you have
written sounds incredible.
(Denise Austin 11:51am October 26, 2014)
I really love fiction that enagages your mind and makes you think. I'd love to read this story!
(Sydney Peters 12:19pm October 26, 2014)
This sounds like a book that I'll not put down till the last page is read. I Love the books like that , they don't come around very often.
(Joan Thrasher 3:24pm October 26, 2014)
A fascinating and intriguing novel. Great.
(Sharon Berger 4:30pm October 26, 2014)
Thank you for the comments, everyone, and best wishes for
the drawing!
@Holly Loch, I've seen SAVING MR. BANKS, so I know a bit
of the story, though I haven't investigated to see how
accurate the film is. When she is adamant that Mr. Banks
does NOT have a mustache, at first I thought, oh come on,
don't be ridiculous, why does that matter? Then I
realized that if my book became a movie, I would NOT want
Marcus to have a mustache. ;)
(Amanda G Stevens 4:50pm October 26, 2014)
Ii looks great
(Kent Cook 7:30pm October 26, 2014)
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