A. M. Hudson loves her life in Australia
She fell in love at just sixteen, got married young and, since then, has added three boys to the mix--also releasing her first two novels before her thirtieth birthday.
A. M. prides herself on writing the shocking, the depthy and the highly-emotional subjects other writers steer away from. She addresses the uncomfortable with conviction and enjoys taking stories down dark paths.
Some of her heroes are Stephen King, Walt Disney, Hamish and Andy, Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars, and with influences like these, one can only imagine what stories will unfold.
When she's not writing, A. M. reads books, watches movies and chats with fans on Facebook.
I can sing well enough that I was almost going to make a career out of it, but I much prefer to write. I can also draw and paint pretty well. And I’m very good at making cakes that look like masterpieces. I was a bee’s leg away from opening my own cake store when writing took off for me and I chose to follow that path.
Tell us 1 thing about yourself that most people do not know?
Uuuum. I’m incredibly shy. The thought of social situations can make me quite anxious sometimes. Unless I’m in the mood for it. Once there, I usually embrace it and shine.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
It was always there. I never imagined I could make a career out of it, so it was just something I enjoyed doing when I had spare time. I used to write books as a kid and try to sell them to my siblings and friends, and my mum’s friends. They were usually picture books with basic stories. Then I went through a poetry phase, tried my hand at writing for children, didn’t like it, moved on to romance. Loved it.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I couldn’t find anything to read that really ‘ticked all the boxes’ for me. I’d find myself thinking ‘This book would be good if they did this’ or ‘Why can’t there be a story where this happens?’. So, I decided to write my own book—make it everything I’d want it to be if I was looking for something to read.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?
The Australian Writer’s Forum, with special mention to Peter Mclennan. He was the very first person to take me seriously and gave me endless advice, including the best advice I ever had. It went something along the lines of ‘The only difference between a published writer and a wannabe is persistence.’ But I’m paraphrasing.
Hardest scene you have ever written?
Oooh. Tough question. Maybe the dungeon scene, where Jason is torturing Ara. It took a lot of energy for me to write that from her perspective, keeping general writing rules in mind and trying not to be too grotesque while also making it realistic and not overbearing. I had to literally ‘feel’ what she felt both emotionally and physically. I didn’t go as far as to cut myself or anything, but I did sit on my legs for about an hour to see how they’d feel if they went numb, and I did lay on the hard ground to get an idea of what Ara might see or feel (and some other crazy stuff). In fact, to write the scene where she’s in a coma, in the dark, then wakes believing she’s buried alive, I stuffed myself in the blanket box at the end of my bed (and yes, I am claustrophobic), and closed the lid. After the hyperventilation passed, I got up and wrote like mad.
What gives you the most inspiration?
Mundane tasks. Nothing makes me come up with scenes faster than doing the laundry.
Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:
#1: In the beginning, David was supposed to be Ara’s BFF (and human), and Mike, the tall, blonde Aussie, was the vampire. But every time I wrote a scene with the vampire, I kept writing ‘David’. After this happened repeatedly, I realized the characters had grown minds and desires of their own. I made David the vampire and Mike the BFF. David always wanted Ara.
#2: The first book was split in two in 2011 and released as Tears of the Broken and The Knight of the Rose. It has since been combined again.
#3: I came up with the character Ara after dreaming of a girl in a yellow dress who, at the time, I believed would be the daughter I was pregnant with. That daughter turned out to be a boy, so I brought Ara to life in words. She began life in a story set in the 1800s, and it has changed so much since then.
#4: The very first ever version of Dark Secrets had no title, so it was saved on my computer as ‘The girl in the yellow dress’.
What are your current projects?
Book 5 of Dark Secrets and the Elora series that will follow.
Will you have a new book coming out soon?
By the end of this year, yes.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
The fifth book in the Dark Secrets series. All the questions will finally be answered, all the truths finally uncovered, but the journey from the first page to the end page will break your heart, make you cry, tear you apart and leave you whole at the end.
What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Spread word! If a Facebook post asks what book everyone should read, mention Dark Secrets. And leave reviews. Authors always read reviews. Reviews not only tell the other readers that you liked or disliked the book, they let the author know what the readers want next. I’ve shaped this series based on what the majority of the readers have begged or asked for. I had planned to kill Jason, but the Beta Team saved him.
Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
You guys are the reason I smile. Writing saved my life in more ways than one, and the support from my readers has been the steady platform that keeps me going when the writing world gets shaky. I love you all.
And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us?
Okay, here’s one of the most highlighted quotes from Amazon:
“It doesn’t matter how loud you scream. There is no such thing as the worst things can get. There is no rock bottom. There is only a deep, endless pit of hell that you can fall through.”
I want to Thank AM Hudson for taking the time out of her busy schedule from Down Under and give me this amazing interview. If you are not aware she is pregnant and is due very soon. So good luck and have a safe and happy delivery….
To prove the greatest love,
you must face the greatest challenges."
~AM Hudson
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