Where Amy reveals secrets behind her debut novel:  Inescapable 


There is a Brownie and a Buns.  (Yes, they really do exist.)  Frightening as it may sound, two of my characters are based on real people.  In real life, Buns and Brownie know how to have the most fun without getting arrested--not to say you won't be arrested if you are with them, it's just that somehow they won't be arrested.  They are Hillsdale College alums who can be found from time to time at a Hillsdale Homecoming game or fraternity party.  If you ever meet Buns, there is a very good chance that she will call you "sweetie".  If she does that, you know that you have a friend for life.  If you ever meet Brownie, there is an equally good chance that she will flip you off.  If she does that, you will also know that you have a friend for life. 

The Golden Goose.  Buns was the owner of the Golden Goose, which was a 1985 gold-colored Buick LeSabre (I thought it was a Mercury Grand Marquis when I wrote the book, but Buns's little sister, Baby Buns, set me straight).  It had been a co-conspirator in many of our wars.  Buns recently told me that I neglected another detail in the description of the Goose: it had a very thin, red pinstripe that ran its length on both sides and on the trunk.  Postmortem:  When I asked Buns how the Golden Goose died, she told me that she sold it to one of her employees at the ice cream store that she used to own.  One day, Buns was driving down a country road outside of Ft. Wayne and saw the Goose abandoned on the side of the road.  Apparently, the new owner had forgotten to put oil in it.  I am very sad.  R.I.P. Goose.

Crestwood College

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My neighborhood: The Hills of Crestwood
Crestwood College is named after my neighborhood:  The Hills of Crestwood.  I modeled the college, however, upon Hillsdale College, which is my Alma Mater. Yeats Hall, the turn of the century mansion, is a pretty close description of Mauck Hall where I lived for about three years of my life.  (Although, Mauck was actually built around the 1920's, the radiant heating system made it feel so much older.)