Issue Two - Love

Amy Brecount White

Hey WRN'ers!  We are super-excited to introduce you to debut author, Amy Brecount White. Her totally-amazing book Forget-Her-Nots hits the shelves on March 2nd. We got a sneak-peek of the first five chapters (okay, we're not like exclusively special or anything...it's posted on her web site so you can read it too) and we are HOOKED. Cannot wait for its arrival. Ready for some questions, Amy? Here we go.

1. Obviously, we wanna know Whatcha' Reading Now?

I’m in the middle of Soul Enchilada by David McGinnis Gill and can’t wait to see how Bug escapes her demons, so to speak.  (David and I are on Young Adult panel together at the Virginia Festival of the Book on 3/20.)

2. This is your debut novel...congrats! Can you tell us what you did before writing this?

I taught high school English for seven years, which really helped with the classroom scenes in my novels.  Then I freelanced for publications, like The Washington Post, Washingtonian, FamilyFun, and Notre Dame Magazine. I also have an “apprentice” novel sitting at the bottom of a drawer. 

3. We always hear authors say they write what they know. With that in mind, is Forget-Her-Nots a personal story in any way?

Definitely.  I’m a huge fan of flowers and gardening, so I had a great time researching and thinking about the language of flowers.  Also, all my characters have some aspect of my personality in them, I think, even Tara.  I believe that any writer has to explore and exploit her own emotional truths to create characters.

4. Have you always had a thing for flowers?

Yes.  We moved to a new house when I was going into 7th grade, and our neighbor was an avid gardener who went beyond the norm to grow bleeding hearts and other lesser-known plants.  I loved wandering through her yard and also through a beautiful city garden near our house.  My mom was and is a big fan, too.

5. You start the book with the quote, "The more we learn about flowers, the less silent they are." Did you get the idea for the book based on that quote or did you have the idea for the book before you came across it?

LOL!  Actually, that quote was the very last thing added to the book, but it was perfect.  I found it at just the right time!  I got the idea for the book after reading about tussie-mussies and making a get-well tussie (a bouquet made according to the language of flowers) for a friend with cancer.  I so wished my flowers could magically cure her.  I kept thinking what if …..

6. How did you incorporate the meaning of the different flowers into your book? (check out Amy's The Language of Flowers section on her web page...did you know that Daisies = innocence? Find out what your fave flower means.)

It was a little tricky, because I wanted to follow the historic meanings of flowers in mythology, Shakespeare, and the Victorian language of flowers.  Language of flower lists – which you can find all over the Internet -- don’t always agree, so I went with the meanings that were most common, such as snowdrops for hope.  Also, many flowers, like red tulips which mean “a declaration of love,” bloom only once a year. I had to coordinate the unfolding of the novel with bloom times and flowers meanings and weave it all together in a fun and compelling way.  It’s making me tired to just think about it! 

7. Where did you learn about Victorian flower arrangements and what role do they play in the book?

I found a book on tussie-mussies at an indie bookstore (Books & Co.) in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio.  I wanted to do a non-fiction article about tussies, but never got the chance.  However, the concept kept growing in my sub-conscious until one day it bloomed.  J In Forget-Her-Nots, Laurel learns she has more than “a way with” flowers when she makes a bouquet for a class assignment and its floral wishes come true.  Her attempts to understand and master her magical gift of flowers -- while navigating a new school, friendships, and a big crush -- are the fun and exciting parts.

8. Laurel--your main character--gets electrical "fizzy" like shocks from the flowers. Have you ever had something happen to you that's totally weird or that you can't fully explain?

Definitely.  I don’t attempt to explain lots of things that happen.  I think all those déjà vu or ah-ha! moments in our lives are a sign of deep connections that we’re not fully aware of.  Just after my dad died, I had a vision experience while listening to a band and dancing.  (Hmmm, I’d like to blog about that sometime.)

9. Do you tend to write quickly, or do you take time to mull over each chapter? 

I take forever to write.  I honestly cannot say how many times I wrote and rewrote this book.  I usually estimate it at eight years!  But that last time I read it, I didn’t want to make any changes, so I knew it was ready for the world.

10. You have a second novel, tentatively titled String Theories. Can you give us any clues as to what it's about? Do you incorporate flowers once again?

No flowers in this one, although I’d love to write a companion novel to Forget-Her-Nots one of these years!  String Theories is about the physics of our lives, love v. lust, a watershed, and getting even. 

11. Our bonus question--because who doesn't love a bonus? Can you tell us something totally random about yourself? 

I’ll tell you three, because I’m thinking in three’s today.

1) I make mean blueberry muffins.  Pancakes, too.  Real butter.

2) The scent of paperwhites now fills my house, because my daughter’s science experiment is on bulbs and sunlight.  I was so happy to have something blooming inside while snow was piling up around us.

3) I’m thrilled about all the new connections I’ll have around the world because of Forget-Her-Nots!

Amy. Thank you bunches. I especially have goose-bumps after reading your answer to #5. Wow! We wish you much success with Forget-Her-Nots. WRN? fans, be sure to check out her web site at www.amybrecountwhite.com And, remember, you can purchase the book March 2nd. Until next time...