Amanda Flieder

INTRODUCING

AMANDA FLIEDER

Hello! 

First question:

Tell me about the things you sew!

Mostly I sew pants (because me in

skinny leg anything is not good,  so the

past few years I couldn't find anything 

that I liked wearing from stores) but I

Also make up simple shirts. I work from

patterns, except I'm really bad at

following patterns... I use them as a basis

and then spin off into what I want the 

article of clothing to look like 😁

That's awesome! You can make matching

jimmies for the fam 💓

Speaking of family, you're a mom. Age(s) of 

child(ren)?

I am, yes. I have a 7YO and a 4YO.

Littles! Do you spin stories for them?

They are. I don't, no. My imagination

doesn't give me stories for kids very

often. My 7YO has started doing her own

short stories at home, though, and 

completed an outline for a novel that's 

actually a really good idea if she ever

wants to write it out... so I guess I'll let 

them tell me the stories!

I love that!

OK, last one. Tell me about the Steam Punk book.

Are you into the genre in other ways, or just writing?

(I love steampunk!)

Oh no... the Steam Punk book... lol. It

started off as a single idea for an off-

beat romance, then a couple side

characters showed up and I thought that

they could work into a fun, three-book, 

connected-but-not-sequels series.

Then airships and politics and secrets

showed up, pulling along a whole

 world behind, and I got lost in the 

machinations. My little book go blown up

by pirates, and I love how bit the idea

is getting! The genre is one I adore

consuming, yet am intimidated by for 

creating. (which makes these bossy,

loud, colorful characters perfect; they 

never let me set them aside for long!)

Sounds fun!

Amanda, thanks for giving me your time!

No problem! Thank you for putting your

time into this for so many of us. It means the world.

Hope you have a good night!

You too!

STANDARD TWEEP TATTLER INTERVIEW

1) Where do you live?
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

2) What is the first thing you remember writing?

One of our in-class assignments in Grade 1 was to write a story. I ended up with something about 7 pages long that my teacher pulled my mom aside about because I’d done a complete story arc with character development. I only remember that the main character was a clown because he rescued the princess from something about trains, and at 6 or 7 years old I knew circuses traveled by train.

3) Why do you write?

I honestly can’t remember a time I wasn’t writing. I wasn’t interested in reading that much when I was young, not getting into it until I was in my early teens, but I always had stories brewing and other worlds growing in my mind. Reading sparked off wanting to read more and different stories than I was finding, so I started writing my own.

4) Have you published any of your work?

I have! :) I currently have 8 works that are published: five novels, two novellas, and a short story.

5) What are you currently writing?

I’ve got a multi-book series happening in Steam Punk, another short story that’s a dip into Sci-Fi, and a stand-alone novel currently on the back burner because I need to get into more research for that one than I have time for (ie: rather than get frustrated by not having enough research time, I’m getting the other stories out so I have more time).

6) Are you currently querying?

I am! I’m sending out the Steam Punk idea to see if there’s interest.

7) Finish this sentence (three lines or less):

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT… at the backwoods cabin. The front porch groaned under the gusts and rain hammered the tin roof. I tossed another log on the fire and snuggled into my favorite chair, cat in lap; this murder mystery wasn’t going to read itself.

8) Which activities do you like to participate in, in the Twitter writing community (VSS365, etc.)? 
My favorites to play so far are TalesNoir, SaidSun, 2WayTues, ProtagProverbs, and Btr2sDay. For non-playing community participation, I really think the EditDash hashtag that ran each day in February was simply fantastic both for the great feedback from the host and for the conversations and critiques with other writers and authors.

9) Do you have any formal training/education for writing?

In a way, yes. My background is in industrial construction and the schooling I did included courses for writing technically. I’d say the better education for creative writing came from the Editors I was lucky enough to work with (specifically the Editor who took on my trilogy) during the past five years.

10) Do the people in your life know that you write?

I’m one of the lucky people who found support for what I’d grown up being told was a “cute hobby” that wouldn’t amount to anything. My husband actually found and contacted the publisher I used for my first books after reading over my shoulder and deciding my writing was good, and my in-laws helped toward editing and marketing costs on a couple of my novels. Again, I’m super lucky with the people in my life now.

11) Tell me about the people in your life. Family? Pets?

12) Where do you wish your writing to take you?

Honestly? I’d like to get to a point where writing is a viable second income. There are a lot of things that I’m good at from my previous career, and some things that I liked doing, but even focusing on writing as a job for the past year hasn’t taken the pure enjoyment out of it.

13) What did you expect when you joined the Twitter writing community? Did it turn out as expected?

Mostly I expected to be talking to myself, like the vacuum I found on other social media, so this is not going the way I thought it would at all. Connecting with real people, finding wonderful conversations, the encouragement and talent and passion… this community is so much more than advertised!

14) Where do you write?

I have a wee desk in the corner of my bedroom which I set up as an office space, and my brother-in-law gave me his old computer when my laptop started glitching more than it was working. It’s a cozy little space for tucking and letting stories unfold.

15) How much time do you dedicate to writing, weekly?

I’m a stay at home mom right now, so try for five hours a day dedicated to writing work. If the muse hits it can be all writing, and if not then it’s dedicated time for the other parts of being an author: editing, blogging, querying, and marketing / website work.

16) Do you have other talents?

I’m decent enough at running a Singer sewing machine that strangers have asked where I bought something that I’d made, and I can knit basic sweaters, hats, scarves and blankets.

17) CHOOSE ONE:

1. I do not mind when other writers ask for advice.
2. I’d rather keep to myself!

Always A! I feel I’d be a poor member of the writing community if I didn’t try to pay forward all the help I’ve gotten.

I'm Amanda Flieder, a multi-published Canadian Author using she/her who lives and writes in Edmonton, Alberta, and a happily married mom of two. When not keeping up with my husband and kids in reality, I'm keeping up with the characters in my next books. So far I’m mainly self-published in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and have two Modern Romance novellas. For non-self, I have a short story accepted and published through Story Shares, which is a non-profit group supporting literacy. You can find out more about me and my books at www.amandaflieder.ca.