I bring the Rebel Author Newsletter to you every Monday to share insights and wisdom about writing and publishing and building an author career. If you like what you read, I’d sure appreciate your support - consider becoming a paid subscriber, and you’ll be entered to win monthly book giveaways and invited to bimonthly writing coaching calls. The next call will be March 27th at 12 p.m. ET. This month’s book giveaway is The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi.
Writing Opportunities for YOU!
I’m on book tour this week in California, so next week’s Substack will have photos and details about the 4 book talks I have there along with some fun hikes and adventures with friends and family.
In the meantime, I’d love to write with YOU! Here are a few opportunities…
Announcing a new program: the Publish & Prosper Mastermind, led by me and Heidi McIntyre. This is for authors looking to work on book marketing strategy and implementation and author branding. Learn more here!
Creative Writing for Beginners begins March 5th. Register here.
I’m offering a series of Rosh Hodesh women’s writing workshops at Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Register here.
There are spots open in TWO cohorts of my Accountability Cohort - details and registration here. There is also a one-month midday opportunity starting April 8th.
Author Interview: Meet Amy Hagstrom
I’ve been hosting the Make Meaning Podcast since 2018, and I’ve recently taken a hiatus in order to rest my voice. I just love talking with authors and hearing their stories and unique journeys. So…since I don’t want to lost the opportunity to feature amazing authors, I’m dedicating occasional Substacks in the coming months to interviews with career authors while the podcast is on hiatus. (I hope to be back on the microphone later this year!)
This week, I’d like to share a conversation with Amy Hagstrom, a writer and editor with two decades of experience in the travel and outdoor industry. Amy was an O Magazine Insider and columnist and feature writer at Travel Oregon, US News, and HuffPost. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Whitworth University and served as a volunteer EMT with her local county search and rescue unit before launching a travel writing career. The Wild Between Us is her first novel. Amy lives in central Mexico with her wife.
Tell me about your first memory of writing - how old were you? What feelings did writing bring you? What were some early responses to your writing?
My first memory of writing solely for pleasure was in 3rd grade. I spent hours in my room, writing 'chapter books'. Most of them centered around animals (dolphins and horses), magic and boy protagonists. I’ve wondered why it never occurred to me to write a girl protagonist in my adventures, and have sadly concluded the patriarchy is to blame. I’m lucky that early response to my writing was positive and encouraging. My parents even found me a national writing contest for kids, which I won in the 4th grade!
Were you ever discouraged from pursuing writing?
I was never told not to pursue writing, though I did stall many times out of frustration, and wondered whether I should continue. It’s lonely going when you can't seem to attract an agent; it feels like you're treading water. At times, the continual failure (in my viewpoint) felt like a weight and I told myself I'd probably be happier if I stopped trying, but I just couldn't give up the act of writing.
What do you most love to write, and why?
I love to write character-driven, action-filled fiction because it allows me to escape into adventurous landscapes while helping me to make better sense of relationships, choices and human nature. I love exploring what makes people tick and the 'what ifs' of a fantasy life.
What was the inspiration for your novel? Any roadblocks along the way?
My debut novel, The Wild Between Us, came out in November 2023, and my sophomore novel will be published in November of this year. Both were heavily inspired by a sense of place.
'Place' is a character in all my novels. The Wild Between Us is set in the Sierra Nevada mountains where I grew up in Northern California, and my 2024 title (currently called Smoke Season), is set in rural Oregon, where I raised my children and lived for more than 20 years.
The journey to my debut was long. The Wild Between Us was the first manuscript I ever attempted to write. I tried to find an agent for almost ten years, and it was only after I set it aside, calling it “my practice novel”, that I finally found my dream agent with a different project. We went on submission with that novel, then another, over the course of several years (unsuccessfully) before I dusted off what would become my debut. We worked through an entire edit, went on submission, and found a home for it, and my second book, at Lake Union...almost 15 years after I started writing novels.
What is hardest about being a career author? What do you love most about it?
For me, the hardest aspect of being a career author is marketing myself. This is one reason I wanted to work with the team at Lake Union; I believe they have a reach that I cannot hope to have on my own, and I feel less alone publishing with them.
Can you share an unusual or inspiring story about your writing journey?
I don't think this is unusual, sadly, or all that inspiring, but as a member of the LGBTQIA community, I have found it hard to 'get in the door' with protagonists who reflect my experience. That said, the forthcoming Smoke Season has a queer protagonist, and I’m eager to get that book out in the world. I hope it will pave the way for me to sell other manuscripts that include this kind of diversity that I can write authentically.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Talent only gets a person so far. Hard work is essential, and the authors who find success are consistent ...putting in the work day after day. Stay in the game!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Amy! I’m excited to share that my next novel, CAVE OF SECRETS, which launches in August, features a gay protagonist among its four main characters!!
Thanks for reading, everyone! See you next week.
Reminder that paid subscribers qualify to win monthly book giveaways and are invited to bimonthly live writing coaching calls, the next of which is March 27th at 12 p.m. If you find value in this weekly newsletter, please consider becoming a paid subscriber! I sure appreciate your support.
Love, Lynne
Thanks Lynne! I appreciate Amy's perspective on LGBTQIA+ characters. My protagonist is a lesbian but that is not her whole identity. The story isn't about the trauma of being queer, she just happens to be queer. My hope was to show how folks navigate the world as all of the parts of themselves - like I do.