E.E. Burke's Best of the West: Amanda McIntyre

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WELCOME BACK TO END OF THE LINE, MONTANA!  

Come by for a visit, we think you'll like it here!

Sally Andersen has spent her life teaching school kids and being a caretaker for her ailing father. Alone after five years, she sees her friends marry and start families and decides she, too, wants a family... just not in the conventional way

Serving overseas left Clay Saunders with no leg, PTSD, survivor guilt, and more pity than he wants. Recuperating at the Last Hope ranch at the insistence of his old friends, the Kinnison brothers, he is asked to take part in a charity bachelor auction by the little town's fiery, redheaded music teacher. What Clay doesn't expect is the hope of a normal life that sparks inside of him at her unusual request...

She wants a baby. NO RULES. NO COMMITMENT. NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

Here's an excerpt

“Did you really mean what you said tonight?”

Oh, shit. Sally swallowed and held his steady gaze. She’d been right. He’d rolled out of bed, tossed a T-shirt and jeans on and drove all the way into town—just to ask her if she’d been serious. “You mean the thing… about the p-proposition?”

He kept his eyes to hers as he reached out and bolted the door. “Yeah. The proposition.”

She darted a glance at the door. It wasn’t fear that caused her heart to feel like a thundering herd of wild horses. “What are you doing?” 

His eyes held hers as he closed the gap between them. “Practicing. Auditioning.” He cupped her face with his hands. “Whatever you want to call it. Sorry, my hands are still cold.”

Let's Meet Amanda

Amanda McIntyre's passion is telling character-driven stories with a penchant for placing ordinary people placed in extraordinary situations. A member of RWA and bestselling author, her work is published internationally in print, E-book, and audio. She writes sizzling contemporary and erotic historical romance and believes no matter what, love will find a way.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   TWITTER @amandamcintyre1

GOODREADS   AMAZON AUTHOR   NEWSLETTER

E.E.: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

Amanda: I read some as a child, but not until I was in middle school did I find pleasure in reading books. The love of reading we passed on to our children very early in their lives. Reading to them nightly, allowing a book, instead of a toy when out shopping, having them read to each other and have quiet raft time (a pallet on the floor made of a quilt that was to be a pretend raft, where for thirty minutes they had to drift and read.) All four are still avid readers as adults. Among other things, I taught my children to play Chinese checkers. I was taught this game by an aunt when I was very young and it’s a treasured memory of summers spent at my grandmother’s house. Sometimes, I feel it’s important to unplug form the technology of today and go back to board games, playing cards, where you can talk, and laugh while seeing that person face-to-face.

E.E.: What is your hope for the future of romance publishing?

Amanda: It’s for certain the romance industry has changed and evolved over the years. But what I hope remains clear and touches the heart of every story written in whatever sub-genre of romance is the idea that regardless of the obstacles, regardless of differences, there is always hope, and love will always find a way.

E.E.: How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Amanda: No Strings Attached is actually the product of the request of readers. After the last book in the Kinnison trilogy (RENEGADE HEARTS) I began to get mail asking whether Clay and Sally would have their story? And/or if there would be more stories from the town of End of the Line? I had hoped with how much readers seemed to enjoy the Kinnison brothers and the quirky characters of End of the Line, Montana to continue with a new spin-off series. Thus the Last Hope Ranch series was born. And while each book is stand alone, several of the characters return in the stories. Probably the greatest compliment I’ve received regarding the trilogy and this new series is that readers tell me they feel like they are part of the End of the Line family now. There are plenty more stories to be told and a couple of cross-over stories coming up as well through Kindle World projects.

E.E.: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

Amanda: Honestly. Immediately, I sort of blink a couple of times and a strange sense of loss washes over me. Make no mistake, it’s an exhilarating, near-giddy thing to be able to type “the end.” And yet in many ways, the journey has only begun. And while you may have fallen in love with the story, the characters—having laughed, cried, trudged through the stories dips and dives—they become a real part of your psyche, as in any project one spends a great amount of time and effort on. Then begins the journey to whether a publisher, a reader, an editor is going to feel as you do about your story. You’ve heard the phrase, “a story is never really fully written?” That’s true in many ways.

E.E.:How often to you get lost in a story?

Amanda: Every time I begin a new book—whether I’m writing, reading for pleasure, or reading for research.

E.E.: What sound or noise do you love?

Amanda: There are many actually, which evoke different responses—for example; rain against a window, the wind through the trees, the sound of a lake lapping on a rocky shore, crickets on a summer night, the snap of a bonfire on an autumn night are all sounds that I find relaxing, soothing. The sound of unbridled children’s laughter, an old favorite song, a train whistle blowing on schedule through my small town, the sound of the marching band practicing early in the morning drifting over the town are sounds that make me smile.

E.E.:What would you say is your most interesting quirk?

Amanda: Probably that I have an unusual interest/fondness/obsession with cemeteries—the older, the better. I find the history of how headstones were once made, their designs and the stories behind the symbolism fascinating. I think the name they give such an interest is called “taphophile.”  While some people have “bucket lists” including famous sites. Mine would involve certain cemeteries/burial grounds; Gettysburg, Highgate Cemetery in London, Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, Salem Cemetery, and Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah are at the top of my list;)

My thanks to E.E. for inviting me for a visit to the Get Lost in the Story blog (what a great name!) and what a wonderful place for authors and readers to come together and share our love of story-telling!

Amanda is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card. To take part in the drawing, answer the comment and enter the raffle.

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WE'D LOVE TO KNOW YOUR MOST INTERESTING QUIRK. DO YOU HAVE ONE?