SALT LAKE CITY, UT November 12, 2013
Reader praise for Amy Saia’s debut YA novel The Soul Seekers (WiDo Publishing, 2012) has been enthusiastic and positive, with phrases like “beautifully crafted,” “a feast for the senses,” “realistic and haunting.” It is for this reason that WiDo’s submission editor Allie Maldonado was very happy to see a polished manuscript arrive by Saia, titled “The Time Seekers,” continuing the saga of Emma Shay and her one true love William, the ghostly guy from the past.
“Amy’s new manuscript is very well done in the way it kept me in the present life of Emma and William, while still bringing up the past threat of those who once tried to destroy them,” Maldonado states. “And it is written in her signature style– lyrical writing, yet plot-driven and romantic enough to appeal to her particular demographic.”
Saia’s background as a writer began in childhood, where she developed a love for books from her librarian mother. Wanting to be like her favorite authors, she started writing and “once spent an entire spring break writing and illustrating a brother/sister novel that I thought was going to be the coolest book in the world!”
As an adult, with kids at home, Saia decided to actually write something for publication. “I had a novel in mind that not only did I enjoy spending every minute on, but which seemed destined to be written. Many, many drafts later it ended up with my publisher, WiDo, and the rest is, as they say, history.”
With both of her kids now in school full-time, Saia averages three hours writing time each day. “The first thing I do is write in my journal; it’s calming, it gets me to that subconscious state where things flow better. Then I’ll open a document and edit my last day’s work. Sometimes that leads to more material, sometimes it’s enough to just edit. I feel all work is good work. Then I’ll spend some time reading a book while I wait for my kids in the car pickup lane at school. Most important is the music. I have a playlist for every novel.”
Saia has enjoyed her experience with WiDo, especially the editing process– “though I did avoid email for a full week after receiving my first revision notes.” She is glad to be back. “WiDo is wonderful about promoting their authors on Facebook and Twitter. You know the people behind the tweets, and that they have your best interest at heart. It feels like a family, not just a publisher. You’re not just another book to them. They really care about you as the writer, and as a part of their company.”
And WiDo is glad to have her back. “Amy is a gifted writer with a promising future ahead of her,” says Allie Maldonado.
And finally Amy Saia has this to say: “I’m happy to not only be a writer, but a real, honest-to-goodness author. I’m grateful for my publisher, and for my readers. I feel blessed!”
Amy Saia grew up in a small town in eastern Kansas where early on she developed a love of fiction, largely due to her mother’s job at the local library. Her first serious work, The Soul Seekers, was picked up by WiDo Publishing and came out in 2011. Since then, Amy has worked diligently on novels and short stories, and is proud to be working with WiDo for her time-travel romance, The Time Seekers. You can find her on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/amysaia and on her blog: http://thatamysaia.blogspot.com.