Interview with Amy L. Sullivan

About the Author

When Amy L. Sullivan was a child, she imagined stories in her head and forced unsuspecting neighbor children to listen to tales of magical dragons and faraway places. Today she writes for oodles of print and online publications. Connect with her at AmyLSullivan.com.

The Interview

1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
I became an author before I knew how to spell. I made-up stories in my head, and then "wrote" my stories on yellow legal paper. This looked like pages and pages of nothing but scribbles. I'd grab my yellow legal pad, head to my club house, and invite the neighbor kids over to listen to me read what I had written. I'm pretty sure the neighbor kids weren't thrilled about being forced to listen to my stories, but I had a pretty cool club house.

2. Who are some of your favorite authors? 
This questions is always difficult for me! It's like asking me to pick my favorite child. If I had to pick one I'd say Cynthia Voigt because turned me into a reader. She wrote a series of books called The Tillerman Series which focused on a young girl named Diecy and her siblings. I developed such an intense connection for Diecy and her siblings that I truly grieved when the series was over.

3. What does your writing process look like?
It depends on what I am writing, but writing always starts early, early in the  morning. I feel most clear and creative in the mornings. For the series I am working on now, Gutsy Girls, my writing process involves a great deal of reading biographies. Recently, I gobbled up four books on tennis champion, Althea Gibson. 

4. What inspired the idea for the Gutsy Girl series?
Gutsy Girls was inspired by a need. I couldn't find any fun and engaging stories of Christian women for my daughters. I found middle grade. I found young adult, but where were the picture books which focused on women of great faith? They didn't exist or if they did, they were dated and Pollyanna-ish. I wanted to change that. I hope I have.

5. What do you want readers to take away from reading this series?
I want girls to see parts of themselves in pages of Gutsy Girls. I want them to understand that when they face adversity, they don't have to dig deep to find strength. Instead, they can rely on God. 

 6. When you are not writing, what other hobbies do you enjoy?
I love spending time outdoors, visiting schools, (which I know goes along with writing, but it's so much fun!), and being with my family.