Earlier today, I had a few things to say about the very entertaining debut novel from Amy Maren Rice, Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo, and this summer she participated in a Q&A about writing in Idaho with me. Since I met her earlier this year at the Nampa Library’s local author event, I’ve run into her at a couple of other events in the area. Getting to know her a little bit these last few months is a highlight of the year, I hope you enjoy the the As she provides to me Qs below (as well as the previous batch).
Beverly Cleary and Toni Morrison have both said things like, “write the book you want to read.” The last time we did a Q&A, you suggested you wrote the book you wanted your kids to read. Talk about that thinking process a bit, if you could. How long did it take to get from that decision to having Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo in your hands? Were there some abandoned books along the way?
A long, long time! I started daydreaming about writing Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo almost ten years ago. I’d always wanted to write a book but never felt confident enough in myself to pursue it. The push to write came when my boys (about 9 and 11 at the time) and I had difficulty finding books for their reading levels that were also age appropriate and fun. Something sparked inside me, and I finally felt like I could do it.
Once my brain got the go-ahead I was addicted. I started by jotting down the flood of ideas floating around in my head. Often, my favorites came from exhaustion; when I was too tired to think straight but still had parenting duties that demanded my consciousness. The words began to flow, and I didn’t want to stop. There were some casualties along the way (my kids were fine I swear) but ideas were begrudgingly cut as I found my voice and style.
I had a few goals in mind as I wrote. I wanted to challenge my kids’ vocabulary a bit, but not swamp them with it, so I sprinkled a few less commonly used words in there, like eccentricities and melodious, to get their brains whirring. I purposely made the chapters short, some as brief as two pages, each one a small scene to keep their attention. And I made the two main characters relatable to them. I don’t remember where I heard it, but I’ve always liked the saying, “Because I have a brother, I’ll always have a friend.” The plan was to teach the brothers in my story to value each other’s differences and embrace their built-in friendship. I hoped my boys would see the lesson in that.
I was only ever focused on writing one book. There wasn’t room in my brain for more as I was also currently also keeping myself and three small humans alive.
Students at Hogwarts have just the right pronunciation (“It’s Leviosa, Not Leviosaaa”), Samantha Stephens twitches her nose, and your Fuzzwiggs—ahem, pass gas (I whisper, so my older relatives don’t get the vapors). Where did that choice come from? You mentioned you wrote the book with your pre-teen sons in mind, so I’m sure that played a significant role. But can you remember what led up to that?
At the time, my life was my three young boys. Little boy humor, as you may know, is very … unique. There was never a fart that wasn’t funny, so naturally I had to incorporate that. As this was to be a book for “family eyes only”, it never occurred to me to consider the consequences of having to utter the phrase, “my characters have fart powers” in public, but here we are.
That got an audible laugh from me. 🙂
Were you drawing on particular myths or stories when you came up with the tree and the guardians? (I can’t remember the proper name for either, sorry, feel free to edit/correct me) It feels a little Norse myth-with a twist to me. Or am I off-base there? )
You may find this hard to believe but I was just making it up as I went along! It’s very cool that you get that Norse myth-with a twist vibe, I do have Germanic heritage…ha!
For me, trees have always symbolized life and family. Growing up, my own family was big into genealogy, which is often represented with a tree, the branches stretching out into each family line. I often imagined the roots as nourishing and nurturing, tethering us to our ancestors who watch over us and support us. I think it was because of this sense of family and ancestry that I chose the tree as the home of my portals and the family as guardians.
I love how even the baby gets in on the action (at least to a degree). Is this a reaction on your part to the way that younger siblings/parents are frequently pushed to the side for stories with this age group—or was it more of a “it just seemed fun” kind of thing?
It does seem like parents and siblings are often forgotten about or mentioned only briefly, but I’m always looking for things to be resolved. Who’s watching the baby? Where are the parents? For my story, I wanted there to be a feeling of family. Even though the family is struggling emotionally with a loss and the boys are having difficulty getting along, I tried to show them as being together and being there for each other—even the baby, who provides a source of joy for them in a time of sorrow and transition.
Who are some of the bigger influences you have in your writing—whether or not readers can see them, you know they’re there?
One Christmas (back in my teen years) I received a hardback copy of The Belgariad (books 1-3) by David Eddings. I couldn’t put it down and, consequently, was very sleep deprived that December. I became hooked on epic fantasy and soon discovered Robert Jordan— who introduced me to Trollocs (eek) and the one power, and R.A. Salvator—whose character Drizzit Do’Urden captured my heart in his Dark Elf Trilogy. Later in life, after I became a mother, I found Brandon Mull and Tyler Whitesides who inspired me to write a fantasy book for the younger generation of readers, one I would love for my own kids to experience.
How’s the reception to Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo been? What kind of surprises have you encountered?
it’s been an interesting year for sure. When I started writing, I hoped that I would be brave enough to put it out into the world but was never sure it would happen. When I finally took the leap, it was both exhilarating and terrifying. I’m surprised every time someone has something nice to say about it. The little girl who stopped by my table to tell me about her favorite parts in the book, the lady who shouted across the room as she entered, “I came just to see you!”, and the young man who asked me (very politely) to “hurry up and finish book two” …those where huge surprises. I’ll always have those memories to build me up through life and I’m grateful to have met all of those people.
I’ve had my moments where my anxiety gets the better of me, but my growth has been a surprise too. Every time I’m able to attend a book event and talk to strangers about fart powers is a good day. My hope is that by sharing my anxiety struggles I will be an example of pushing through, working to overcome, and allowing myself to be vulnerable— especially to my sons.
How’s the process in working on your second book compared to the first?
Wow, what a different experience! This is my first “second book” and it’s been interesting to see how I respond to challenges as I write it. I can’t just go back and change the first book to match where my imagination wants to go, so there’s a lot of compromising going on in my brain. Lots of ideas in the save for later pile but also lots of new ideas competing for attention. I’m enjoying the creativity and challenge of it.
It’s also very surreal. I wrote a book. I’m writing a second book. How’s that for dreams coming true!
What’s next for Amy Maren Rice, author?
I find that if I imagine too far ahead, I don’t finish what I’m currently working on. I see all the sparkly things and want to explore them all and can become blind to the carnage of forgotten ideas and projects left in my path. I do know that this will be a six-book series, which I’m looking forward to writing, and currently I’m just basking in the glow of having done something way out of my comfort zone and not perished.
Thanks for your time—and thanks for Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo—I’m eager to see what’s next for this family.
On the Difficulty of Giving Books as Gifts
CrimeReads’ The Best Crime Novels of 2023—Some great ones here (and in the Honorable Mentions!)
