Amy Q. Barker
Author Interview - Amy Q. Barker
Author of Maplewood
Saying goodbye isn't easy. And neither is falling in love again. Welcome home to Maplewood. Amanda Morgan is suffering after the sudden, tragic loss of her husband. Two years have gone by, and she's still reeling. Finally she decides she needs a change. She hears that her childhood home on Maplewood Avenue in NY is for sale and buys it, moving 600 miles away from everything she has known and loved for the past sixteen years. She hopes Maplewood will be the answer to her unending sadness. Unexpectedly, she runs into her high school sweetheart and feels a jolt. Jonathan Galway has his own shock and hesitancy about seeing Amanda - he has no interest in a relationship after his recent unresolved divorce. Will these two lonely souls come together under Maplewood's healing drumbeat, against all odds, against the unfairness of life, against their own better judgment?
Author Interview - Amy Q. Barker
Author I draw inspiration from: I draw inspiration from real life with a hint of something mysterious or unknown that I want to explore. With Maplewood, before I ever wrote a single word, I decided the magical street where I grew up in Western New York would be the main character in the book, be the backdrop for where the other characters came together and fell in love. After that foundation was set, I crafted a story about how the healing powers of love and home can be a life-line for second chances and hope for the future. In this novel, I also wanted to explore the psychology behind grieving and loss--how to face the sudden, tragic murder of a loved one, as well as the many-layered aspects of mental illness and how that affects more than just the individual who is afflicted.
Favorite place to read a book: On Siesta Key beach. I live in Indiana, but love to travel to Siesta Key several times a year. In Maplewood, the story begins on Siesta Key beach with Amanda, the protagonist, reading a book on the beach and watching several nearby children building a sand castle. This portrayal comes from my real life "happy place." I'm always reading a book, regardless of location, though. Ever since I can remember, the escape and sanctuary of books has been my comfort and joy. In fact, I wrote a whole book about it (published before Maplewood) called Bibliointuitive.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This is one of my favorite books and I think it would be fascinating to have a quick chat with Jane to find out how her and Mr. Rochester are doing.
Author Interview - Amy Q. Barker | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I can't remember the exact moment, but I know it has been brewing there in my heart since I was twelve years old. I have always thought I was meant to be an author, but it took me many years to build up the courage and determination to do it. Writing is very scary in the beginning, and it's also like a muscle that must be exercised and strengthened to get it right.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback. Used book stores are my favorite!
The last book I read: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
Author Interview - Amy Q. Barker | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Computer
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: I'd love to be a docent at a historic author's house museum.
Favorite decade in fashion history: I love the 20s with all that art deco and flapper fashion.
Place I’d most like to travel: I've never been to Italy, so I think it would be fun to rent a local house somewhere in the country-side for a month to eat, drink, write, and watch the world go by.
My signature drink: Red wine - the drier the better
Favorite artist: I love to buy art from local Indiana artists. One of my favorites is an iron worker here in Indiana who creates starkly beautiful tree sculptures forged from welded iron and metal. I have several of his works hanging in my house, and of course, he's just as obsessed with trees as I am (i.e., check-out the cover to my book, Maplewood, which is a photo I took looking up at a massive maple tree that we have here on our property in Indiana). To me, there is nothing more fascinating and majestic than the view looking up at the canopy of a forest.
Number one on my bucket list: Someday I'd love to take a month out of my life and live in a remote cabin in the woods or in a national park, get off the grid for a while, and spend that time communing with nature and nothing else!
Anything else you'd like to add: I write fiction for women and about women with all unique stories. Every book is a "snowflake" with a new setting, plot, and cast of characters. My goal is to make you think, make you cry, make you fall in love, make you yearn for justice, make you dream, make you learn something new, make you root for my characters, and ultimately, make you feel.
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/amyqbarker_author/
https://www.facebook.com/amy.barker.9003/
Author Bio: Amy Q. Barker is the author of the women’s fiction novels Rue, Punk, Bibliointuitive, and Maplewood. Her books focus on the feel-good place where romance and drama meet.
Amy can usually be found reading books of all genres, walking on the beaches of Siesta Key, or hiking in the woods near her home in Indiana where she lives with her husband. Amy holds a BA from Syracuse University and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She grew up in Spencerport, New York.
