Author Uncovered: Amber Kizer (Author Interview)

Hey guys!

For my next Secret Agent Uncovered, I'm interviewing Amber Kizer. She has a newly released book called Meridian. Perhaps you've heard of it? I HAVE! It's on so many blogs! I can't wait to read it! Thanks for allowing me to interview you Amber!






Current Releases:


What was the last movie you watched?
Coraline, Mama Mia, Taken, and Hotel for Dogs

What's your favorite sports team?
I am a college basketball addict, but I don't have a favorite team. I just like watching really beautiful ball and I tend to root for the underdog if they're playing smart.

Who is your biggest influence as a writer?
Everything and everyone-anything that goes in can find its way out onto the page.

Rejection letters - save ‘em or toss ‘em?
I only saved them in a file until I signed with an agent and publisher to help me keep track of who I'd sent what to-they're just a piece of paper!

Who or what was your inspiration for Meridian?
This book is very close to my heart--the idea came from sitting vigil as my grandparents died (about 18 months apart). They both had very different dying experiences, though in both cases, as a family, we chose to work with a wonderful hospice organization (St. Vincent's Inpatient Hospice Care, in Indianapolis, IN).

With everything in life, I like to know as much as possible so I read and did a bunch of research on dying, the physical process itself, the psychological process, and people's near-death experiences.

For this story, I wanted to explore the idea that the "light" people talk about as they die is an actual person and what that might mean. What if everyday of a person's life was that of being a window to beyond? I wanted to give a face to death that wasn't the Reaper's, wasn't something out of nightmares. And saying "God" is there in death doesn't say much--what does that mean really? How does that look?

And from a science aspect we're all energy. Where does that energy go? And isn't a soul of any animal or plant worthy energy? How does that look? How does that fit with the major religions and cultural norms?

And I also wanted to explore some organized religion as fear based--the idea that people hide behind religion because they're afraid or upset or angry. How does that twist what can be profound and comforting in faith? The mob mentality is so easy to manipulate if you're good at it--I wanted a character (Perimo) who was good at it and used it.

Readers can find the first three chapters on www.MeridianSozu.com

What authors do you like to read?
I read everything but computer programming and math theory. Those are foreign languages and give me a headache! Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Faulkner, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou, Jude Deveraux, James Whitcomb Riley, Eudora Welty -are favorites. I post reviews on Goodreads and always mention my most favorite current reads in my monthly newsletter--interested readers can sign up for on www.AmberKizer.com

If you could be any supernatural character who would it be?
Wonder Woman.

What's one thing you're really proud of?
Besides getting published and staying a working author? I send mail to our troops and have since we engaged in the middle east in 2001. I also make and send quilts to the Freedom Quilt Project which matches quilts with families who have a family member killed in action. Those are two things I'm very proud of being a part of.

What's up next for you writing-wise?
I have lots of projects in various stages, but a companion novel for MERIDIAN is in the works as is a book about an influenza pandemic.

What's your favorite piece of advice for writers?
Write. Practice-it's like being an Olympic athlete or a concert violinist-it's not always fun, but hard work and dedication will get you where you want to go. But you have to practice! Do you have any other upcoming books other than Meridian? The next in the GERT GARIBALDI'S RANTS AND RAVES SERIES: FROM BUTT TO BOOTY will be out soon. And like I said the next book in the Fenestra series will be out in 2011. I'm also writing adult romance and I'd love to see those on the shelves sooner rather than later!

Fans can keep up with the latest information by finding me on Facebook, Goodreads and my own websites: AmberKizer.com, MeridianSozu.com, and OneButtCheek.com

Thanks for having me!

That's it! Thanks again Amber!