A couple of months ago, my daughter and I met a handful of local authors at the Nampa Library’s Treasure Valley Indie Book Fair, and while there I talked a few of them into participating in this series. I remember having a fun chat with Amy Maren Rice while there, and was very happy she agreed to do this. Life and whatnot has delayed her appearance here, but I can finally bring you this fun Q&A with a newer author to the local area. Hopefully this isn’t her last appearance on this blog.
A personal highlight was the way she describes my daughter—which drove my daughter into a laughing fit so long that it almost started an asthmatic episode (she loves it and finds it ridiculous at the same time). I can’t tell you how often we’ve quoted that in the week or so since I received these answers.
Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Oh gosh, all about me, hu? This is always a bit nerve-wracking. It reminds me of the first day of school which was always terror invoking.
Here goes. My name is Amy Maren Rice. I’m an American author of pre-teen fantasy and I was born in and am currently living in Idaho. I’ve always loved books and have had a desire to write since my teen years. While I’m, ahem, a bit past those years, the desire is still there and I finally took the dive. My first book was published in the fall of 2022, Fuzzwiggs the Switcheroo. It’s geared toward pre-teens, the age group my boys were when I dreamed up the story. We always had a hard time finding fun, interesting books that were at a high enough reading level so, I wrote one. It entertains but challenges their vocabulary and is good clean fun. As a parent this is what I was always on the lookout for. I didn’t anticipate where the book would take me, however, and found myself writing about Fuzzwiggs with fart powers. Growing up I wasn’t even allowed to say the word fart! Sorry Mom!
I have several links where you can find Fuzzwiggs The Switcheroo. Through Covenant Books who I worked with to publish, of course on Amazon.com, and I was really excited to see it online at Target, Walmart.com and Barnes & Noble. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram.
Are you a native Idahoan? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
Yes! I was born and raised in Eastern Idaho and moved to the Western side shortly after I graduated from Idaho State University. There’s no place like home!
Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
Nope … anxiety!!! I’m working on it! Ask me about it sometime and I’ll tell you about my rollercoaster of emotions and involuntary physical quirks. I’m always discovering new ones! It’s actually been a big journey for me to allow people to even read my book.
I hear that—so what was the final push to get you to put the book out in the world?
My desire to be an example to my children. I realized that they were struggling with some of the same social anxieties that I was and they needed me to be their example. I needed to show them that I was brave enough to do the things I was asking them to do and, if I failed, they needed to see that too because I could show them how to be resilient in the face of disappointment.
What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I’ve been to a few library-held events. My first one was where I met you! At one point, you mentioned that you get nervous approaching people about your blog and, well, while we were talking, I was secretly having a heart attack! I tend to say all the words at once and several on repeat. You seemed so cool with your blog and intimidatingly cool daughter and all the while I was hoping you wouldn’t see through my facade of claiming to be a real author. I’m still waiting for someone to find me out.
I definitely wish we had more venues to connect with readers and other local writers. It was the biggest thrill when an eight-year-old saw me at another event after she had bought my book and came to meet me. I mean, just wow!
What a rush that must’ve been. I’m assuming most of your feedback has been pretty positive at this point—anything else stand out to you? Do you have plans to look into other avenues (craft/art fairs, bazaars, etc.?) Or are you just dipping a toe in the water until your anxieties quiet down a little bit?
Yes, it was! I really enjoy talking with kids. Adults are a bit harder.
People who attend literary events tend to be kind because they’re there for the books. They have the same love for them as you do, so yes, I’ve had mostly a positive experience so far. Fingers crossed, eyes closed and breath held – a nod to Jasper’s good luck charm in Fuzzwiggs the Switcheroo.
Toes are being dipped, but I’m open to other events if I feel it’s a good fit.
What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Oh gosh, I’m just grateful to have readers! Fuzzwiggs the Switcheroo came out last fall and I have had a ton of support locally, both here and in Eastern Idaho. It’s written for kids in that mid-range of 8-13 but I have a lot of adult readers too. They tell me it’s not just for kids!
I’ve seen my book listed in all sorts of places all over the world like Australia, Austria, Poland, Romania, The UK, Germany and China. What a rush! I became a stalker of Google listings for Fuzzwiggs last year and took a screen shot of every single one I found for the dopamine!
Have you had any interaction via social media or anything with any out-of-country readers? Or for now is your foreign dopamine coming from the listings?
I have foreign sales but haven’t interacted with any readers outside the US. That would be a rush though. Talk about dopamine!
Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I do bring my version of Idaho to the book and a few of my experiences growing up here. It takes place in an Idaho mountain setting where my two main characters, young brothers, are new to the area and I get to explain some unique Idaho things through their eyes.
Hmm, Idaho-sensibility. What’s interesting about Idaho is that we all do seem to have a collective Idaho-ness about us but you see a range of different lifestyles here. I grew up growing a garden that was essential for our family’s food source. If we needed it, we grew it, made it or built it. My father built the house I grew up in. My husband grew up on a golf course, my friend grew up on a cattle farm, another in a double-wide trailer they could barely afford the rent on and another in the largest home in the whole town with luxury cars, boats and vacation homes. But we all had commonalities in the way we acted and how families were at the center of everything we did. A feeling goodness permeated my childhood. For the most part, that’s something I feel is prevalent in Idaho. I hope you feel that in my writing. I wanted to bring that goodness to my characters. They go through their journey and have their faults, but eventually they show their true colors as good, kind kids. Throw in a little magic and a plethora of farts and you have my very first book Fuzzwigg the Switcheroo!
Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you for inviting me to participate. Another notch on my “learning to try new things” belt! I had a great time.
Sally Doherty lives in leafy Surrey with her husband and three-legged (but speedy) rescue dog. After studying French and German at university, she worked for a year in London before unexpectedly falling ill with M.E. Being stuck at home and often in bed for sixteen years, however, has lit a cauldron of stories bubbling inside her imagination.
Grab a book, any book.