Welcome to the Pen Dames March 2025 blog! This month we are
interviewing the bubbly and super funny author Amy Vansant. She is the author of
the Pineapple Port Mysteries, Shee McQueen Thrillers, Kilty Urban Fantasies
& Romcom Collection: He’s Got to Go being the latest. You can find
her on her website:
https://AmyVansant.com
You can buy her books at: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Vansant/author/B001K8WXV0
Read on for the interview with Amy and a contest for her upcoming
release or a Kindle reader, plus get three free books!
What can you tell us about YOU that will allow us to get
to know you better—where you live, your background, jobs, interests, etc.?
I was a freelance writer for years and East Coast Editor of Surfer Magazine back in the early
nineties, which was funny because I was also freelancing for Modern Maturity
Magazine at the same time. Slightly different audience between those two!
I’d started building websites when websites were new, and
because it was easier to make money doing that, I put writing on the back-burner
and started a web development company. One morning I woke up and realized I was
supposed to be writing!
What books were your favorites as a child? How and when
did your writing journey begin?
Pooh. When I was little, I actually wrote “Winnie the Pooh,” complete with crayon drawings. I was about six years old, so the prison sentence for plagiarism was relatively lax. With time out for good behavior, I was free before naptime.
What genre is your book? What do you like about writing
in that genre?
I bop around to keep from getting bored. I write cozy
mysteries (Pineapple Port Mysteries), action thrillers (Shee McQueen) Romances
(He’s Got to Go & Slightly Stalky) and urban fantasies
(Kilty). The common thread is humor. I’ve tried writing very dark serious books
but it just never works. I keep adding jokes.
What inspires you to write?
Always felt like I had to. I used to write books for the
girls at the barn where I took riding lessons and sold them their own stories
for 25 cents each.
What is the setting of your book? Please describe it.
Most of my books take place near the beaches in Florida—Pineapple
Port was based on my mother-in-law’s place on the west coast. Shee is in “Jupiter
beach” where I live in Jupiter on the east coast. He’s Got to Go was in
Miami. Kilty was in Los Angeles.
Why did you choose this setting?
I grew up in Sea Isle City, NJ, a small beach town, so I’m a
sucker for beaches!
Is your book part
of a series or a standalone?
All series.
Which of your main characters is your favorite and why?
I’m in love with whatever characters I’m writing. I
particularly love a lot of the characters in the Kilty series—Broch, the
time-traveling highlander who’s obsessed with modern showers, Kilty’s Con and
then Uncle Seamus in the Pineapple Port series are my Irish rogues. I loved
writing Stephanie my serial killer’s daughter in Pineapple Port… Usually the
most badly behaved characters are my favorite.
If you could spend an afternoon with any of your
secondary characters, who would it be and why?
Mariska from Pineapple Port is literally my mother-in-law,
so I actually do hang out with her. 😊
What writing projects do you have on the horizon?
I’m working on a new thriller series I love so much I don’t
even want to share details yet. It’s about a girl named Cricket—and oh boy,
does she have some secrets!!
What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
Keep Writing. That’s the only way you get better and make
any money.
What is your favorite book marketing tip?
Build your own newsletter list. It’s the one thing over
which you have control. Social media comes and goes—changes, blows up, makes it
harder and harder to be found/heard. Your list is YOUR list.
And now for the contest! Amy
Vansant Contest and Free Books
We hope you enjoyed this interview with Amy Vansant and we’re
sure you’ll love the three free books she has for you! Good luck with the
contest. If you win, please let us know.
