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Amanda Cabot
I have to say, I've been looking forward to this interview for a long time. I contacted Amanda Cabot months ago, asking to interview her. She readily agreed, but with our conflicting schedules, it took a while before we could get together. Thankfully, we were able to work things out nicely.
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, the Texas Crossroads trilogy, A Stolen Heart, and Christmas Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. Amanda is delighted to now be a full-time writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming.
I've known about Mrs. Cabot for a long time, and have enjoyed reading her books. The most recent, however, is quickly becoming one of my favorites! "A Borrowed Dream" is the sequel to "A Stolen Heart" and is, without a doubt, making my appetite whet for the next book in the Cimarron Creek series.
Continue reading to find out what she has to say about her newest novel.
AJ: First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself and your background that led you to become a writer?
AC: I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can recall. In fact, I started to teach myself to read so that I could be like my parents, who always had books in their hands. I was fortunate that my father had been a teacher, so he pulled out some of his old books and began to teach me … starting at the back of the book! I think that was supposed to challenge me, and it probably did, because from then on, it was hard to find me without a book. And, at least for me, it was a logical step from loving to read to wanting to create stories of my own.
I won't say that it was a smooth road, because I’ve collected enough rejection notices to paper a good-sized room, but I met my goal of selling my first book before my thirtieth birthday. Since then I’ve sold thirty-four others along with eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what I describe as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a small country.
AJ: Your newest novel has just been made available for download (or purchase). "A Borrowed Dream" is the second book that finds us in Cimarron Creek. Can you tell us a little about this little community?
AC: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to introduce you to my fictional town. I’m going to sound like the Chamber of Commerce when I say, “Welcome to Cimarron Creek.” Even though it’s been decades since it was established on the banks of the Muddy Creek, which was quickly renamed for obvious reasons, this small town in the Texas Hill Country continues to be dominated by its two founding families: the Whitfields and the Hendersons. In the fifteen years since Appomattox, while many of the wounds inflicted by the War Between the States and Reconstruction have been healed, the town’s idyllic appearance hides secrets, some of which threaten lives and livelihoods. It’s against this backdrop that three couples discover love and adventure.
AJ: Catherine Whitfield and Austin Goddard each have their own secrets from their past. As their futures collide, how do these past secrets finally bring them together?
AC: Oh, Alisha. You know I can’t answer that question without spoiling the story, so all I’m going to say is that they and a number of other characters need healing. Fortunately, both of them are healers – Austin through formal training, Catherine by necessity – and so, though Catherine vows she’ll never marry a widower, and Austin has no intention of marrying again, they unite to help others. If along the way they discover an unexpected love, well, this is a romance, so you know that there’ll be a happily-ever-after … eventually.
AJ: What would you say was the most challenging part of writing this book?
AC: It’s a tossup between creating the villain and making Austin’s medical expertise seem realistic to modern readers. The villain is so evil that I struggled to make him feel real rather than a caricature. And though there was indeed plastic surgery in the nineteenth century (well before that, as a matter of fact), I worried that it sounded too modern.
AJ: I am famous for interviewing Indie authors because I am one! However, I have interviewed quite a few traditionally published authors, as well. How has your life changed since you've become a published author?
AC: Let me start by saying that I admire you and other Indie authors. I don’t know how you balance all the aspects of publishing – everything from editing to cover design to marketing – without a publishing house behind you. I know I couldn’t do it!
My life didn’t change dramatically when I published my first book, largely because I was still working at my day job. The biggest change came when I was able to take early retirement and become a fulltime writer. That was the same time that I moved from the secular to the CBA market and started writing stories with faith elements in them. It’s been a wonderful change. There’s absolutely nothing more rewarding than receiving an email from a reader, saying my books helped her through a difficult time and deepened her faith. While royalty checks are nice, being able to touch readers’ hearts is the reason I write.
AJ: Your Amazon author page says that you've published over 30 works under different pseudonyms. Out of the protagonists you’ve written about so far, which one do you feel you relate to the most?
AC: That’s a difficult question to answer, since I try to immerse myself so deeply in the story that I become the characters, even when they’re very different in personality and talents from me. If I had to choose only one heroine, though, it would be Elizabeth from With Autumn’s Return. While I’m not a physician like her, I’ve been a woman in a male-dominated profession and have faced many of the challenges she does.
AJ: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
AC: I hope Alisha and I’ve intrigued you enough that you want to visit Cimarron Creek and discover the secrets its inhabitants harbor. And, if you do read any of my books, I hope you’ll share your opinion with me. I love hearing from readers.
AJ: Of course, we all want to be able to find or follow you on social media. How can readers discover more about you?
AC: The easiest way to find out more about me is to visit my website. There’s lots of information about me and my books there, including a new and fun feature for A Borrowed Dream: bonus features. Click here to find out more.
You might also enjoy my weekly Wednesday in Wyoming blog posts where I spotlight interesting places in my adopted home.
Don’t be shy. As I said before, I love hearing from readers. Alisha, thanks for spending time chatting with me. It’s been a pleasure.
You can also buy any of her books on:
Come on y'all! Click on these links, or any of the pictures, and let's show this author some love!
