Amy Reade: Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome fellow lawyer Amy Reade to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you. 
I have been married for eighteen years, I have three kids, and I grew up in Northern New York.


2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
If I say dog person, my cats will be mad.  If I say cat person, my dog will be mad.  It’s best if I say both.

3.  Tea or coffee?
I like tea better, but I’ll drink both.  If I drink coffee, it has to have enough cream and sugar in it to taste like ice cream.

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
I say wear what makes you comfortable.  Just don’t wear your jeans so low that you share your preference with the rest of us.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
The first thing I remember writing was a poem in honor of my baby sister.  It ended like this:  “I love fried chicken like the dickens, but most of all I love my Megan.”  Then when I was in seventh grade I wrote a story called “Klara’s Wish.”   A local author read it on her radio program.  I still have the tape of it somewhere.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
I started calling myself a writer when I finished my first novel and started to look for a publisher. 

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
So far, my first novel, Secrets of Hallstead House.  I’m working on my second novel right now, and I love every minute of it.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
I’d love to tell you about it, but I’ll end up with nightmares.  I’ll tell you the second-scariest.  When I was a teenager, I was babysitting for a boy who pulled a gun on me.  It goes without saying that I wasn’t allowed to babysit for that family anymore... not that I would have wanted to.
 
9.  How did you end up getting published?
After a very insightful acquisitions editor suggested that I do something to establish an online presence, I got started on Facebook, then I got a website and Twitter account.  I don’t put a lot of myself out there, but I try to comment on other people’s blogs and FB pages as often as I can.  I’ve also started blogging, and I absolutely love doing it.  That same editor made some helpful suggestions about revising my first manuscript a bit, then I sent it off to Kensington Publishing, which offered me a contract.  The editing process has been fantastic, and I’ve actually enjoyed doing the revisions. 

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I’d try to fight, but sadly, I’d probably end up as food.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
I went to law school in a state far from home where I didn’t know anyone.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I’m not sure I’d be good at being famous…way too many embarrassing things happen to me.  So I guess I’d rather be rich.  I’d use my wealth to do good works and help others without attracting any attention.   

FROM THE AUTHOR:
My first novel, SECRETS OF HALLSTEAD HOUSE, is the story of a nurse from Manhattan who has endured the deaths of her parents and the end of a long-term relationship.  Looking for a new start, she takes a job on Hallstead Island, part of the Thousand Islands in upstate New York.  When she arrives, she finds that she is not only unwelcome, but also in danger from unknown persons.  She discovers secrets that reach far into her past and will affect her far into the future, but there are people who don’t want those secrets shared.  They will stop at nothing to make sure the secrets remain hidden.

You can find me on my blog at http://amreade.wordpress.com/

You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/readeandwrite

Visit my website at http://www.amymreade.com

Finally, you can visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/amy.reade.92