Amy Quinton – Featured Beau Monde Author

Amy Quinton is today’s featured Beau Monde author.

Amy Quinton is an author and full time mom living in Summerville, SC. She enjoys writing (and reading!) sexy, historical romances. She lives with her British husband, two boys, and two cats. In her spare time, she likes to go camping, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking… And did she mention reading? When she’s not reading, cleaning, or traveling, she likes to make jewelry, sew, knit, and crochet (Yay for Ravelry!). Her favorite place to visit is England and the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

The Beginning:
In my early years, I had never considered a career in writing. In college, I briefly majored in music, math, acting, engineering – yeah, all over the place – but never writing. Then, two of my college professors asked me about my writing and if I had ever considered a career as an author. I hadn’t, but the idea took root in the back of my mind. Still, I graduated college and entered the workforce with your typical entry-level job in computers, eventually working my way up to manager in charge of software design. After 8 years, my husband and I decided to have children, and I left my reasonably successful career to become a stay at home mom.

However, the idea of a career in writing still danced around in the back of my mind. You see, I love to read.. and read and read and read… and I primarily read Regency Romance. So, with technology and publishing being available to anyone, I finally decided: Why not give it a go? What’s the worst that could happen? Never mind that I’m generally shy, and I’d be forced to put myself “out there” in the public eye. Anyway, at the time, my kids were still young, but both in school, and I needed something to do. So, I started writing What the Duke Wants. Right away, I was hooked! I was in love with the entire creative process… not to mention the ability to be in charge of each character’s destiny (to a point). Having never taken a creative writing course in my life, I relied heavily on the unconscious knowledge I picked up about writing through my voracious reading habit.

Thus, the plan became: finish the book, self-publish, see what happens… (If you write it, they will read it, right?) But as I started owning up to my secret past time with my friends, they, of course, asked to read my work. To my delight, they all thought it was fantastic (and were greatly relieved not to have to lie to me about what they thought about my book). So, on February, 27, 2014, I made the monumental decision to query my manuscript to agents and publishers who took unagented submissions – just to see, mind.

I’m not usually very thick-skinned, so I was quite nervous and prepared myself mentally for rejection after rejection. And I did get them. But to my surprise, I also received an unusually high number of full requests for a new author – 15 over the next two months, and by 4/1, I had an offer!

I still remember the day I got the email… I was up late working when the offer came in. I screamed, literally, at the top of my lungs (despite the chance I might wake the kids and my cats giving me the evil eye as if I had lost my mind). Then, with my heart racing, I ran up the stairs to wake my husband and give him the news… And it’s been a whirlwind of excitement since. Admittedly, I’m still not completely sure I’m not dreaming, but I’m going along with it anyway 🙂

Favorite Genres:
I primarily enjoy Regency romances. I love to read Scottish historicals for pleasure, and I hope to one day write paranormal regency and paranormal antebellum south centered around the Charleston, SC area (where I have lived all my life).

What do you love best/interests you most about the Regency Era?
First of all, I love England. I love visiting there. I love the people. I realize we write a romanticized view of the time period, but it is so very romantic. The men are dashing in their clothes, and I love that the treat their women with respect. Though women of the time period have fewer freedoms than we do these days, I love thinking that the women are strong and sassy behind the scenes in order to survive in such a world.

What do you like the most about the Beau Monde Chapter? How long have you been a member?
I love the information available about the regency time period that is available. I am continuously amazed at the wealth of knowledge our members have about the time period. I also love the support the members, as a general rule, offer one another. I have been a member just under a year.

Amy’s Professional Writing Organization Memberships:
Romance Writer’s of America
The Beau Monde RWA® Chapter
Lowcountry Romance Writers of America Chapter
Hearts through History RWA® Chapter
SCWW – South Carolina Writers’ Workshop

Find Amy online at AmyQuinton.net – Facebook – @AmyQuinton – Google+ – Pinterest – Tumblr