Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The A to Z Challenge: A is for Amy


For the month of April, I've decided to join the A-Z blog challenge. This means I'll make a sterling effort to produce twenty-six blog posts during April, one for every letter of the alphabet, each having some connection with my books and their setting.


In nineteenth century New Zealand, there are few choices for a farm girl like Amy. Her life seems mapped out for her by the time she is twelve. Amy dreams of an exciting life in the world beyond her narrow boundaries. But it is the two people who come to the farm from outside the valley who change her life forever, and Amy learns the high cost of making the wrong choice.
Amy is the main character in Promises to Keep and A Second Chance, and I'll freely admit that I love her dearly. She's had many challenges and trials, but her strength of spirit and capacity for love have carried her through.

She's twelve years old in 1881 when we first meet her, and already running a household for her father and brothers, her own dreams set aside for the sake of duty.

Amy's small of stature, with dark hair, a pale complexion, and blue eyes. When I'm casting the imaginary television series in my head, I see someone a little like Kiwi actress Brooke Williams (but with curlier hair) in the role:


12 comments:

  1. I saw you were from New Zealand, and I decided to check out your A - Z post since I'm also a Kiwi. Children grew up quickly in 1881, didn't they? Lots of responsibilities.

    Shelley Munro

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    1. Hello to a fellow Kiwi! Yes, it's amazing what could be expected of children - and yet they were still considered to be children when it came to making their own decisions.

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  2. This sound like an interesting book. I love to see the authors ideal picture of their characters. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks, Shelley. When I first saw this young actress, I was pleasantly surprised at how close she was to my image of Amy.

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  3. Over from KBoards! Amy is a beautiful girl!

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    1. Hi Jolie! Nice to see you. Yes, she is - beautiful inside and out.

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  4. Glad to discover this. I am always on the lookout for strong female leads in books and I love historical fiction. Looking forward to reading the rest of your alphabetical musings. Happy Writing!

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    1. Thanks, Lila! Your food blog is gorgeous, by the way.

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  5. Hi Shayne, Am so glad I came across your site. I will have a look out for your books. They sound the very thing for my mother-in-law (she's 85 now) who grew up on a dairy farm in Porirua helping with the younger children. She loves to read and is hard to buy for and best of all once she's finished with them we can "borrow them".

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    1. Oh, your mother-in-law must have strong memories of those times! My late father-in-law grew up on the dairy farm that's the model for my imaginary one, and he was a fount of wonderful stories.

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  6. Somehow I missed your post yesterday. Hi from the Kboards!

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