Get to Know Author Christine Amsden

Let's give a warm welcome to Christine Amsden, author of The Immortality Virus. Please check out her website, and let me know what you think of it when you are done.


1. Please tell readers about your current book.
The Immortality Virus
In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren’t talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the ever-increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence.
Four centuries after The Change, Grace Harper, a blacklisted P.I., sets off on a mission to find the man responsible for it all and solicit his help to undo The Change ― if he’s still alive. To complicate matters, Grace’s employer is suspected of murdering his father, and when the police learn of their connection, they give her a choice ― help them find the evidence they need to convict Matthew Stanton, or die. But if they discover Grace’s true mission, they won’t hesitate to kill her in order to preserve their shot at immortality.


2. Who or what inspires your writing?
In 2003, I attended a by-audition “boot camp” with Orson Scott Card, who, aside from being a very good science fiction and fantasy author, is a wonderful teacher. Though I know I have always been a writer, I also feel that this was a turning point, when I became a professional writer.


3. When did you know you would be a writer?
I'm not sure when the thought consciously crossed my mind, but I have always been a writer at heart. Even before I could read, I would look at picture books and spend hours making up stories about them. I wrote my first short story, about Cabbage Patch Dolls going to Mars, at 7 or 8, and by that time I knew I had to write. It wasn't even a choice.


4. How long did it take you to write your first novel?
Twenty-seven years. : )
I get this question a lot, and I don't know any other way to answer it except to give you my age when I finished the first novel I published. Everything before that led to me finally finishing something I was willing to sell, including scrapped drafts of short stories that had nothing to do with it. I don't keep track of how long I take to write a specific book, because it leads to mathematical chaos. How do I count the months between drafts that I spend working on other projects, perhaps even waiting for critiques of my first novel? How do I count daydreaming time? The creative process is difficult to quantify. I will say that in the seven years since I finished Touch of Fate, I have finished five more books (including The Immortality Virus), and that with each one, I seem to get a little better and more efficient.


5. What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Marketing. I've had to fight natural shyness to get out there and tell people about me and my books, but I think I'm getting better at that, too. Lately, I've discovered that I meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends when I really put myself out there.


6. Do you have any writing rituals?
Yes. When it is time to write, I light a candle, meditate for a few minutes, using deep breathing exercises to clear my mind, then I suck on a hard mint and turn on a music mix. The ritual helps me focus, and it uses all five senses to help queue my mind that it's time to start writing.


7. Have you written anything else?
The Immortality Virus is my second complete novel. At this point, I have four books, all in the same series, that I hope to see published soon. My first novel is called Touch of Fate, and it is a paranormal suspense.


8. Any advice to aspiring writers?
Lots! In fact, I write regular tips for writers on my blog at www.christineamsden.com


9. Who is your favorite Author?
I only get to pick one? I like so many different authors, and for many different reasons. I read science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, and even young adult – each type of writing is my favorite when I'm reading it, and many authors are my favorite when I'm with them. I love Orson Scott Card, Asimov, Heinlein, Robert Jordan, Jim Butcher, JK Rowling, Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Catherine Anderson, Madeleine L'Engle...just to name a few


10. What is your favorite book?
My answer is pretty much the same as my answer to my favorite author. Ender's Game, Stranger in a Strange Land, the Foundation series, The Wheel of Time series, The Dresden Files, Harry Potter, Perfect, A Knight in Shining Armor, Blue Skies, and A Wrinkle in Time, just to name a few. :)


11. What are you currently reading?
Mistwood by Leah Cypess (YA Fantasy) and Love's Bounty by F. Roseanne Bittner (Historical Romance). I'm often juggling three books at a time: one in print, one on audio, and one I'm critiquing for a class or a friend. I read almost anything – just give me characters!


12. How do readers find out more about you?
www.christineamsden.com
I update my blog regularly with writing tips, book reviews, new on my own writing, and sometimes whatever is on my mind! I'm very active on goodreads and I'm a member of book blogs. Plus, if you're an aspiring writer, I teach wokrshops at http://www.savvyauthors.com. This July, I'm teaching one on novel beginnings, and in January 2012, I'm teaching a world building workshop for fantasy and science fiction writers.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me today!
If I were to share one thing about myself as a reader and a writer, it would be that I love characters. Forget genre. I want someone I can sympathize with, relate to, admire, or even envy. I write cross-genre, but always with strong female heroines with some underlying issues.
I try to be friendly and approachable, so feel free to contact me with questions or comments. I love comments on my blog, and I love e-mails from readers.

Author Website
Facebook Fan Page
GoodReads



In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren't talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence.
Four centuries after The Change, Grace Harper, a blacklisted P.I., sets off on a mission to find the man responsible for it all and solicit his help to undo The Change - if he's still alive. To complicate matters, Grace's employer is suspected of murdering his father, and when the police learn of their connection, they give her a choice - help them find the evidence they need to convict Matthew Stanton, or die. But if they discover Grace's true mission, they won't hesitate to kill her in order to protect their shot at immortality.

Kindle Edition: 533 KB
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
ASIN: B004WOY0W4
Purchase at Amazon