"Scarlett Elizabeth Nell Waverly has a story to tell and it’s as big as her name." It was this exact line, or maybe just the epic name, that pulled me into this coming of age book titled The Scars We Choose. Meet our Writer of the Week, author, and publisher Amanda Hughes of Instagram.
From Columbus, Georiga, Amanda Hughes puts her Southern roots, and dialect, onto the pages of her debut novel The Scars We Choose. Fitting perhaps from the city best known for Dr. Pemberton and his historic little ol' drink called Coca-Cola. "However, Columbus is also the childhood home of one of my favorite writers," Amanda added, "Carson McCullers."
Photo of Author, Writer, Publisher Amanda Hughes
This thirty-something author writes literary fiction, fan fiction, and romantic comedies from her desk in her studio. Her debut book is a coming of age story, "about how we define love, the ways in which we cope when overcoming adversity, and the consequences that can arise when we allow other people, places, and events to affect our decisions, and ultimately, our happiness."
Amanda told The Writing Wall Blog that she gives credit to music and art for inspiring her to write, "because those were my first loves. I was about four years old when I first started developing stories and when I learned to write, I started writing them." Pulling from life, love, holidays, and forbidden relationships too, Amanda says these things help her to develop the stories she tells.
When we caught up with her she was reading Meet Cute, by Helen Hunting and said her favorite author quote comes from Ernest Hemingway. "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."
Amid her writing endeavors, Amanda also started her own publishing company. Haint Blue Publishing. The word "haint" or "haunt" does appear in her debut book but it left this blogger to wonder how she decided to use it for the name?
"Haint Blue Publishing Company is an indie self-publishing and design service devoted to helping writers grow in their craft. In order to understand our company’s philosophy, it’s important to start with its color: haint blue. According to the history of the Gullah Geechee communities of coastal Georgia and South Carolina, the range of blue-green colors used to paint the undersides of porch ceilings, door frames, and window shutters was believed to fend off “haints,” or unsettled spirits bent on trickery and wrongdoing. As the colors are similar to water or the sky, the Gullah Geechee people believed haints would pass right over them, thus protecting their homes and families. These pretty blue colors can also be found in homes and businesses across the Southeast communities of New Orleans and Key West. Haint Blue Publishing Company has adopted our signature blue-green color as a promise to our customers, seeking to protect writers from the haints of self-publishing."
Amanda lost a little part of her back in January when her pitbull passed away. She said Rocco had been not only her writing buddy but also her youngest child describing him as "the most gentle, curious spirit, Rocco behaved like a cat stuck inside a pitbull’s body. His bed was right beneath my desk and wherever I went, he didn’t stray far. He loved pizza almost as much as he loved me. Because he was an old man, he injured his back in January of this year and we had to say goodbye to him in February. Losing him broke my heart and I miss him every single day."
Her biggest supporters Amanda says comes from what she calls her "tribe friends" and her "Instafriends". And in case you are wondering she is writing the second part of Scarlett's story, but she is also preparing for a stand-alone book in the future.
The Writing Wall Blog did inquire if Amanda had ever written outside of her genre to which she told us, "Oh yes! In fact, because I wanted to write both serious, literary fiction and lighter fan fiction and rom-com, I created two separate pen names. A. Lee Hughes writes upmarket and literary fiction and Mandy Lee writes fan fiction and romantic comedies."
In her spare time, this author/publisher can be found watching movies, reading, enjoying a walk, or listening to music. Amanda said that her walks are where she makes the best notes and works out plot development for her books.
For those considering the self-publishing route, Amanda's advice was this, "Do your research. Find everything you can about self-publishing and read it all. Then, set all of what you learned aside and proceed with what makes you feel most comfortable. Always default to what’s the best process and/or practice for yourself and your story."
THE SCARS WE CHOOSE DESCRIPTION
Scarlett Elizabeth Nell Waverly has a story to tell and it’s as big as her name.
Like most stories, hers is divided into interwoven parts. The first part starts when she’s young and her family buys a beach house on the Florida Gulf Coast. That’s where she meets and falls in love with Julian Rose, a handsome biracial boy with a scarred face and a whacky, secret-keeping family. Just like her ow.
But not quite.
Young Lizzie Nell’s family disapproves of her friendship and budding romance with Julian Rose and they take drastic measures at keeping them apart.
Julian also has a story, a story as magical as his haint blue eyes, only he’s still trying to figure out where it starts and how it ends.
Not long after he turns nine and learns a little about his mother’s disappearance, Julian sets out to write her messages, stuffing them inside empty rum bottles and tossing them into the Gulf. Although he doesn’t yet know it, there is magic in his words, a magic as remarkable as his connection to the little girl down the beach.
As time moves on, and the two blossom into adolescence, Lizzie Nell can no longer live the life her family has chosen for her. She runs away—from school, from her unrelenting mother, and even from her name—setting out for New Orleans where she and Julian have planned to make a life together.
But some things have a way of finding us, like our scars, the truth, and despondent mothers.
The first book in a two-part series, The Scars We Choose is a coming-of-age story about how we define love, the ways in which we cope when overcoming adversity, and the consequences that can arise when we allow other people, places, and events to affect our decisions, and ultimately, our happiness.
You can find Amanda Hughes books and her publishing company information below:
Instagram: @a.lee.hughes and @haintbluepublishing
Haint Blue Publishing: https://www.haintbluepublishingcompany.com/
Works by Mandy Lee
Searching for Signs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0867K62GN/
Works by A. Lee Hughes
A Bright Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081WVY28S/
The Heartbreak Bucket List https://www.amazon.com/dp/1672868866/
The Missing Lamb https://www.amazon.com/dp/1710877626/
The Scars We Choose https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CM6PDP4
A new Writer of the Week will be featured every Monday. Be sure to also follow The Writing Wall on Twitter @TheWritingWall, or on Instagram @writingsonthewall85 for the latest. You can also listen to the podcast every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.