Q&A with Amy Croall discussion

Go ahead, introduce yourself!

I am a writer. When I tell people this, they say, "Oh, cool! A writer! Wow!"

Of course, I don't have the heart to tell them that writing isn't all fun and games. On a good day, I still sit in front of the computer for upwards of four hours without any human contact except the occasional quip from my husband about how I'm "spending too much damn time on that laptop".

Yes, I love writing. I love coming up with ideas, dialogue, characters that break and warm my heart. But this isn't something I merely want to do. I have to do it.

What comes to mind is a line from The Godfather. "This is the business we have chosen!"

Yeah, I chose it, and it makes me want to pull out my hair sometimes. I spend months and months writing, researching, and editing a book. Then, I spend several more months writing, tailoring, and editing a query. Then, I spend a year sending that query to agents, only to obtain "Dear Author" rejection letters from agents who are too busy to bother with another Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy. Puh.

Well, in the words of my Facebook friend, Jason Duke, "I can't wait for the day when a publisher makes me an offer I can't refuse."