Magic Thursday: When The Time Is Right with Amanda Ashby!

I’ve always been an avid reader and books are one of the most important things in my life. But in 2009, I noticed that my to-be-read pile was growing higher and the number of books I was reading in a year had decreased significantly. At first I was upset and then made myself feel better by thinking of why it had happened. I was writing my own books, working in a library and my kids were both in primary school. There was a lot going on.

Yet, even though I had my board-certified, perfectly legitimate reasons all lined up, something still bugged me. The only one losing out is me. So, I decided to fix it. Then and there I set myself a Goodreads reading challenge. 50 books a year, every year. Non-negotiable.That was 15 years ago and while my TBR pile is still huge, and I’ve had a couple of ‘what happened that year?’ moments, overall, I’ve stayed on track. Now days I aim for 100 books a year, and I usually hit it, or get very close. And all it took was for me to decide what was important in my life…and to look for ways to put that first.

It’s the same with writing a book.

For so many people, taking action on their writing dreams is right down the bottom of the list. Clothes get washed, ovens get cleaned, dogs get walked, but the amazing story that’s been sitting in their heads for so many years, is left until last. Or, worse…until there’s more time.

Sound familiar?

The truth is there’s never going to have more time. We all get the same amount and there’s always going to be something waiting to use it. It could be the Internet, work, your social life, friends, family. And that’s fine. All those things are important. But so are your publishing dreams.

Like with reading, I learnt this the hard way when I moved to Wellington six years ago and our lovely mortgage broker looked at me and said: ‘you want to get a mortgage with a part-time library job and a casual book career? Cute and adorable. Now, go and get something full-time and I’ll get you a house.’

It was daunting—not least since at the time my ADHD hadn’t been diagnosed and the idea of working full-time (and staying in that job for more than a nano-second) was challenging. But we wanted our house, so I did it. Unfortunately, like with my TBR pile all those years ago, my writing came to a halt. By that time, I’d had book deals with Penguin/Random House, Albert Whitman and Entangled but hadn’t never been able to turn it into a full-time income and it was easy for me to decide that perhaps publishing wasn’t for me.

But again was that niggle. The only one losing out is me. Still, it was hard to find my way back into a consistent writing practice, especially when my previous books had been across numerous genres (Chick Lit, YA, MG, Romance) so it was never like a single story called out to me. But when my close friend, Sally Rigby suggested we write a domestic thriller together, I knew enough to say yes. It wasn’t about the genre, or even the story, it was about finding a way to put writing first.

We entered it into a competition held by Boldwood Books and we published four books with them over the next couple of years and just like that, I’d managed to get writing back into my life. Since then, I’ve also been diagnosed with ADHD, and like with finding a reading challenge, I started searching for systems to help me stay focused. I currently use Flown.com for body doubling and accountability, Plottr and Todoist. I have no doubt they will change as I find other sparkling options, but the point is that after deciding what was important, I went and looked for ways to keep me on track.

I’ve since sold a new cozy mystery series called The Widows’ Detective Club and book one comes out in January. And even better, it feels like after years of genre jumping, I’ve finally found a lane that fits.

So, my question to everyone is – what is it you’ve been putting off and who loses out if you don’t do it? Is there a way you can take action and turn it into a non-negotiable?

The Step Mother 

by Sally Rigby and Amanda Ashby

She’ll do anything to protect her family…

Libby Curtis never wanted children, until she met Nathan, a gorgeous widower with two young children. Now ten years later she can’t imagine her life without Sam and Sienna – she’d do anything for her precious kids. Anything…

So when a missing teenager is found lying on the side of the road, Libby’s first thoughts are for her own kids. Are they safe? Are they home?

What Libby doesn’t expect is for her children to be involved in the girl’s disappearance. But when she discovers an item in her stepson’s car linked to the victim Libby’s fears increase.

She can’t believe that the sweet boy she’s raised could do something like that. But if not Sam….who?

Libby must discover the truth before her family is ripped apart. But someone is determined to make sure their secrets stay hidden – even if the consequences are deadly…

Buy

| Boldwood Books | 

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Amanda Ashby

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand where she writes romance, young adult and middle grade books. She also works in a library, owns far too many vintage tablecloths and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture.

She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book was listed by the New York Public Libraryʼs Stuff for the Teen Age.  Because she’s mysterious she also writes middle grade books under the name, Catherine Holt and hopes that all this writing won’t interfere with her Netflix schedule.

She also runs writing workshops and loves to speak to people about Buffy (er, she means writing). See her Appearance page for more information.

​You can find Amanda at her website: amandaashby.com