About the Author
Autobiography
Bullied and pushed inward...
Amber was born on March 11, 1976, in Van Wert, Ohio. The second daughter of David and Mavis Rigby. She grew up on a small farm in Monroe, Indiana. When Amber was old enough for school, she attended a small farm community school in Monroe. All grades from Kindergarten through high school were in one building. She attended Adams Central Community Schools until her Junior year in high school when she moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Amber was teased and bullied while she attended Adams Central. The children called her names, excluded her, chose her last when making a team in class, gossiped from a distance where she could hear them, and went as far as destroying her belongings. Amber learned if she reacted to them, it would only make things worse, so she bottled it up. The mental abuse Amber endured, didn't end when she went home. Her mother also treated her differently, ignoring her at times, giving her extra chores, telling her ailments were just in her head, and more. Her older sister also mentally abused her, sometimes punching her in the arm when she refused to play along. Amber turned inward, where she depended on her imagination to make friends and keep herself entertained. She often wondered what was wrong with her, why couldn't she be loved. When Amber was 10 years old, the pain was so severe that she attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on Tylenol. Luckily, it didn't work.
A year later, when Amber was 11 years old, she discovered writing. She learned that she had a gift for storytelling and enjoyed writing stories. Knowing that she was now a "somebody" and finally had a talent, writing became her tool to deal with the teasing and bullying. The act of writing her stories saved her life. It was all she wanted to do. She closed herself off even more and made "friends" with the characters she created.
When Amber started attending North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, things began to pick up and her grades improved. She studied Journalism, wrote for her school newspaper, took keyboarding, and creative writing class. She thought the teasing in her life was behind her. And it was through school. Her family continued treating her like she wasn't worthy of anyone's love. That changed when she met Jack Grosjean. They were later married in 1996. They had three children together.
Today, Amber is happily married to the same man and they have five grandchildren. Amber continues writing. She was often told writing wouldn't pay off. She has spent every day since she was 11 to prove her family wrong.
FAQ
Can you write a story about me? Amber's Answer: I actually don't take requests for stories, but I always thank people for their ideas. I have enough ideas boiling in my mind so I'm good for quite a few years and more ideas are brewing almost daily. I did meet a man who played for the Harlem Globe Trotters in the day and a book was written about him. He said if he had met me first, I'd be the one writing that book. He autographed it and gave me a free copy. I gave him one of my books too and signed it for him. That would have been one book that I would have written for someone. He turned out to be a great friend. He's passed away since then.
Can you give me some writing tips? Amber's Answer: I am always sharing tips on writing, editing, marketing, and cover design (from what I've learned). I enjoy helping other authors because I know how it feels to start from nothing and have no help. So if you want to know something, ask on Instagram (I'm on there the most). You're also welcome to email me at a.r.grosjean@hotmail.com for a more direct answer.
What do you keep in your writing space? Amber's Answer: My laptop is always front and center. It is the most-used thing on my desk. I am a smoker, so there's an ashtray next to it. I keep it clean. I keep my books closeby as well as all of my notes. There's a shelf on the desk where I have a few things like my "Nana" mugs, pictures, pens for notetaking (I love gel pens), notes on post-its, as well as a corkboard, and dry erase boards. I keep my planner there as well because I store notes in it while writing as well as the notebook for character names and other notes.
What was your first book? Amber's Answer: The first incompleted story was called Adventures of Norman Witchcrafte. He was a little boy who died and went to the wrong part of Heaven. Kind of like a Goonies type story. I lost that story and couldn't remember how it was told so I gave up on it. After that was "My Haunted Castle". I loved castles growing up and I always wondered what it would be like to live as a witch so I put the two together and wrote that "short story". It was rejected by 17 Magazine and rewritten as a novel called Mysteries of the Peterson Estate. Over the years, it was changed, lost, rewritten, and rewritten again before it was finally published under my original pen name. Peterson Estate was my first completed story. I never gave up on it. It was since republished under my new pen name as a series.
On Writing
Amber is passionate about writing. It is like the air you breathe, you can't live without it. Amber is always learning and growing. Her mind works like a movie screen, she watches the characters act out the scene and scrambles to keep up, writing down what she sees and feels. Sometimes, she has to go back through editing to fill in those things she missed during the first or second round. Editing is an important part of the writing process--it cannot be skipped. Amber (like many writers) used to dread the editing part but came to love the process because it always made her stories better.
Amber doesn't plan her stories, she allows her characters to run wild and lets them tell her their story. It is, after all, their story. Through editing, she does push her ideas through but only after her characters "have gone to bed". She does try to plan when she will write and how she writes (using a laptop vs writing long-hand). Her series is somewhat planned so she doesn't repeat her stories by accident. Other than that, Amber is what you call a panster (write at the seat of her pants). She focuses on the story at hand and sets the goal of 1K-2K words per day, sometimes more or less. She doesn't listen to music while writing or editing. It tends to disturb her writing. She snacks a little while eating (nothing much) and takes much-needed breaks to stretch and use the facilities.
Writing on a laptop, Amber is constantly saving her work and has 2 or 3 places used for backup (flash drive, Google, and OneDrive). She's lost many of her stories over the years so now she backs everything up as often as needed.
If you have any questions, please email Amber and tell her what's on your mind. Thank you!
Frequently Asked Questions
I bet you make a lot of money, don't you? Amber's Answer: Believe it or not, most writers don't make a living on writing. We write because we love it. I'm one of those writers. Of course, I would love to be like Stephen King who does make tons of money on my books, but sadly I don't yet. It would be an added bonus for me. Until then, I will just keep on writing. Most writers need a full time so they can pay their bills, and write in their spare time. I do write full time but haven't hit it big yet. I'm going to keep learning and growing as an author so I can shoot for that goal but it isn't the most important thing for me. The important thing is getting read.
What is your religion? Amber's Answer: I say Christian, though I don't really belong to one religion. For me, it's a relationship, not a religion.
How do you come up with your ideas? Amber's Answer: Ideas come from all around me. And sometimes, they come from out of nowhere lol. I had one idea that did just that, and it scared my husband because I accidentally blurted it out loud. It still makes me laugh thinking back at that moment. It has gotten to the point now that if my husband has a dream, he shares it with me and tells me I can use it for one of my books if I want to. I have one of his dreams written down with the intention of writing a book with it. It was a weird dream but sparked my own idea, so it was cool lol. He thinks it's amazing. I do keep my mind and eyes open for endless possibilities as I move around daily. I never know when something someone says or does sparks another idea to form in my mind. My own dreams included. I keep a pad of paper with me when I do go out just in case something hits me and I have to write it down for later. That way, I don't forget!
How do you handle rejection? Amber's Answer: When I first began writing, I received a lot of rejections for Peterson Estate. And I mean a lot. The first one came from 17 Magazine. It was a magazine my sister read a lot so I thought it was the perfect place to try first. I was writing for my age group so it made sense to me. When they finally replied back saying no thank you, I was excited because the editor did say it was good but it just wasn't for them. It gave me hope, something I hadn't had yet. Imagine, someone professional, saying I was good. I went back to the drawing board. The story was just a short story at the time, so I began working on it, and I improved it far beyond my wildest dreams. The short story turned into a novel-length story. I had the beginning. I wrote, then rewrote, then rewrote again. So instead of tossing the story out and giving up, it inspired me to keep going. I tried again. Another rejection. I tried again and kept going. I was determined to find one publisher who wanted this story. After losing this story and rewriting it from memory, I decided to put it on hold and try another story. Cursed Blood was finally accepted, then Stolen Identity, and then finally a publisher accepted Peterson Estate. This was a result of my determination and dream.
How long does it take to write a book? Amber's Answer: Every book is different, although the average book can take 1-2 months to write. Then 1 month to edit, give or take. I have a lot of books that I have started writing but put them on the back burner for other things. So those books may take less time to finish because the bones are already there. I've had a few books that actually took a year to write from beginning to end before the editing process started. Those books were on the back burner for a long time before I got back to them and finally finished them. And I had a story or two that took less than a month because it just flowed quickly. The editing process for those took longer to make sure they were just right. I have no control over how fast the stories leave my mind so I feel blessed I've been able to get them out and onto the paper. I try to stay motivated and inspired so writer's block doesn't affect me.
What is your writing routine like? Amber's Answer: Over the years, it has changed many times. Right now, I don't have a routine. I have a job that takes part of my day, off and on (I'm on call basically). So, I write when I have free time. Once a week, I stay up all night so I can work on my "writing" stuff and I'll do extra writing at that time.
Why do you write in so many genres? Don't they confuse you? Amber's Answer: I write whatever my characters compell me to write. I do this because these people inside my head deserve to have their story told. I know what it's like to be ignored and want nothing to do with that. Plus, I don't have to turn down a good idea because of the genre. Do I get confused? No. As I get older, I am having more problems with memory. By the time I'm finished with a story, I've already forgotten how it began so I can turn around and begin editing right away. If I'm finished editing, I can move on to the next book, sometimes on the same day. I just switch gears, so to speak.
What fears do you have as a writer? Amber's Answer: I used to fear losing my stories but after actually losing them, I don't fear it. Instead, I keep everything backed up in several different places so if I do lose something, I have it somewhere else and can have access to it. Fears I have now include... 1. Not being able to write anymore (losing my eye sight, losing my laptop, or for any other reason I can't write anymore. 2. Not selling any books. I think a lot of writers fear this one. I want to be read. It's not about making money but if no one buys anything, they can't read them. I do give away copies, so that's good. 3. Learning that I'm not as good as I think I am. In my heart, I believe I am a good writer and I have been told many times I am good but the fear still remains in the back of my head. Sometimes, it feels like people are just saying nice things to me like they did when I was a kid. It stings so the fear still resides. 4. A few other fears are there, but the first three are the biggest.
What do you do when you're not writing? Amber's Answer: I clean rooms for a small local hotel in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The rooms normally take an hour or less, but sometimes do take a little longer than that. I'm also a "secretary" for the hotel, printing copies and doing other paper work on my computer for the owner/manager of the hotel. Occasionally, I will help watch the front desk and run the hotel when the manager isn't there. That part takes care of itself though lol. Besides that, I watch movies and play games on my tablet when I'm not with family or friends. I pretty much stay busy through the day and night.
How do you get past writer's block? Amber's Answer: I can be struck by writer's block at any given time. Sometimes just thinking about the scene can help me get through it. Sometimes, I have to take a step back and let my mind wonder about other things so my mind can take a quick break. For a while, I was switching back and forth between other books, and sometimes that helped. And sometimes staring at a blank page will push me into writing lol. Every book has been different, and every block has been different. It doesn't strike that often so I feel lucky. I just stay focused on the story at hand and try to keep writing, even when it doesn't make sense. When I edit the story, something could trigger inside me that will change the scene and that always helps. On the real tough blocks, sometimes changing the wording on a sentence and making a minor change in the scene pushes me through the block. Reading the last sentence usually does help though. Or looking words up in the thesaurus for that one word that's blocking me from finishing the sentence.
How did you begin creating covers? Amber's Answer: It was a learning curve. When I began, I knew nothing but didn't want to use generic covers found on Amazon's list of designs. So I asked questions and got to know people who did their own covers. Some took me under their wings and taught me a thing or two. Then I went online and watched videos to learn techniques. Though I'm still learning, I have to say I've come a very long way since I first began. Now, I'm trying to make covers for other writers. I'm not ready to make costum covers yet, but I'm growing toward that goal.
