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Author Discovery ~ Mini Interview with Ametra Rayford
[image error]Please welcome the author of Duality, a book soon to be sporting a new cover! But my lucky readers get to see the new one here.
What author do you compare your book(s)/writing style to the most?
Ira Levin. I’ve read several of his novels – a few more than once – and I love how he was able to include descriptions and set a scene for you without it feeling like a lecture and without detracting from the flow of the story. He provided a stellar example of showing and not telling. He was so good at it that it was hard to see the characters or the setting in any way other than how he wrote it. I saw the movie Rosemary’s Baby before reading the novel. The first time I read the book it felt as though the novel was an adaptation of the movie, rather than the other way around, because the movie plucked so many details from the book and brought them to life. That’s what I admire and try to emulate. I’d love it if my readers could come away with an ability to see, smell, and taste (because I tend to incorporate food here and there) the situations I toss my characters into.
What is your favorite book genre? Why?
I read a lot of different genres, but I love fantasy novels the most. From the time I was in elementary school reading mythology, to high school and stories about Merlin, before David Eddings, R.A. Salvatore, Margaret Weis, and Tracy Hickman took over in young adulthood – fantasy novels have always been something I go back to when I want to dream. I am also a huge fan of seeing how different fantasy authors craft the limitations that exist within the worlds they’ve created. I love reading about the hierarchy or power structures as they exist in a world that’s otherwise limitless.
What is your favorite television show? Why?
[image error]New cover – coming soon!
I haven’t had a lot of time lately to watch television, but my go-to show for years has been Criminal Minds. I have a deep fascination with what comprises the core of a person – what makes them tick. That’s pretty much the premise behind the show. What makes a person transcend from a normal, everyday dude to the UnSub (Unknown Subject)? I’m all over that.
If you could have written a popular, well-known book, what would it have been and why?
Well, I hope that I have written what will become a popular, well-known book. (Ha!) But, if we’re talking about the book of another author, I’d love to have written The Godfather. I am more than mildly-obsessed with mob culture. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in Chicago and learned about Al Capone at an early age…or if it’s because I was glued to the television during the farce that became the opening of Al Capone’s vault…but, I have been in love with mafia lore since I was a child: The Godfather, Casino, Goodfellas, Hoodlum, The Making of the Mob series – all of that thrills me.
Using your most recent book, who would play your main character(s) in a movie?
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet.
[image error]Why should your readers pick your book over a well-known author’s book?
I’m not sure that they have to. There’s plenty of room at the table, so to speak, and I’ve yet to meet someone who goes into a bookstore and comes out with only one book. With a well-known author, there’s a certain comfort level involved. You may not know the details of this particular story, but you know enough about the author’s work to have a general idea of what to expect. You don’t know what to expect from me. I am a new author, currently working on my sophomore novel, and I haven’t yet settled into a trend. My first novel combined suspense with splashes of horror and spirituality. My next novel is fantasy. My work transcends multiple genres.
What is your go-to snack?
Sunflower seeds! I can go through a ridiculous amount of them while working on a novel. I’d eat them at work if I could – shell-cracking and all.
You can follow Ametra on her:
Twitter @AlwaysAmetra
You can buy the book on Amazon.
