Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Amanda Cox & The Edge of Belonging

I am so excited to welcome Amanda Cox to the blog today to chat about her DEBUT novel, The Edge of Belonging!

Amanda Cox is a blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, but her first love is communicating through story. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children.

You can connect with Amanda on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

THE EDGE OF BELONGING
SERIES: The Edge of Belonging #1
GENRE: Inspirational Dual Timeline Fiction
PUBLISHER: Revell
RELEASE DATE: September 8, 2020
PAGES: 397

“A beautiful story about broken people coming together to find healing. With a masterful pen, Amanda Cox draws us into a story of dynamic characters, gentle romance, and an authentic celebration of life and humanity. A touching and brilliant debut novel that is sure to linger sweetly in the minds and hearts of readers.”–Heidi Chiavaroli, Carol Award-winning author of Freedom’s Ring and The Tea Chest

When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee her late grandmother’s estate sale, she soon discovers that the woman left behind more than trinkets and photo frames–she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy’s adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he’s ever loved.

In this dual-timeline story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth–both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others–takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.

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Hi Amanda! Welcome to the blog! I’m so honored to have you here!

Amanda: As a long time fan of your blog, I am so excited to be your guest!

Carrie: It’s always super fun for me to see blog fans become authors & get to host them here 🙂

Amanda: Winter! Where I live the summers are hot and humid and the winter is generally mild. If I have the choice I would rather be cold than hot! I’m sure I would change my tune if I lived in a different part of the country, but for me, winters are usually nothing more than a nip in the air and a slight chance of snow a few times per year!

Carrie: I’m with you!

Amanda: I always thought I was a dog person until I got my Bengal cat, Crusoe. As a busy mom, I enjoy my little cat buddy who isn’t needy and likes to hang out next to me while I write without wanting attention. Of course, he does play fetch like a dog, so maybe I’m still a dog person.

Carrie: hahaha

Amanda: Coffee! I like tea, but I love coffee. There is something comforting about the rich smell and flavor. And the extra caffeine content doesn’t hurt either 😉

Carrie: Caffeine is life. lol

Amanda: Tough choice… If I had to choose I guess I would choose the ocean, but one of my favorite places in the world is Acadia National Park in Maine where I get to have mountains and oceans all in one place.

Carrie: See? that’s what I want – a place to live where there are both in one place!

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Amanda: Hmm…listening. I’m not much of a talker, but I love to kick back and listen to people and their stories.

Carrie: a superpower that more of us need for sure!

Q: If you knew you were only going to be allowed FIVE books for the rest of your life, besides the Bible, which five would make the cut? 

Amanda: Ouch, this is brutal…I wanted to cheat and include a trilogy and a series but….I’ll switch it up and stick to the rules. The Count of Monte Cristo, Pride and Prejudice, Where the Red Fern Grows, Anne of Green Gables, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Carrie: i know… i should fire myself for asking such a horrible question 😛 And I adore your list – except for Where the Red Fern Grows which I’m still traumatized from reading in 5th grade hahaha

Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?

Amanda: I love to sit outside in my backyard to write if the weather is nice.

Carrie: You live in such a beautiful city too – I bet it’s lovely outside when not too hot

Q: Some authors like to hide little things in their stories. Is there anything you have hidden in The Edge of Belonging? 

Amanda: I have a little obsession with the historical meanings of plants, flowers, and trees. So, if I mention a specific name of a plant or tree in a specific scene it is usually intentional. I know that my little nerdy self is probably the only person who is going to know that, but it makes my little symbolism loving heart happy.

Carrie: lol i love that – and i’ll be keeping an eye out for it now 🙂

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from The Edge of Belonging?

Amanda: To borrow my character, Pearl’s, words, “If the story of my life could say one thing, I’d hope it would show the importance of venturing into the highways and the hedges to let invisible people know they’re seen and loved. To invite them in.”

If I had to choose one thing that I hoped readers would take away from my book, that would be it. It would be to encourage them to slow down and count the people around them and see past first impressions.

Carrie: beautifully said ♥

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Amanda: Fall 2021 my next book, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, will hit the shelves. This novel is about three generations of women whose lives have revolved around the happenings at their family owned grocery store. When the store may have to close due to the changing times, the past resurfaces, revealing that each of these women have kept secrets from one another, secrets that have shaped the course of their lives and Old Depot Grocery in surprising ways. I’m so excited to share this story about mothers and daughters and how those relationships make a lasting impact across generations.

Carrie: oh my goodness – i love that title!

Revell is offering a print copy of The Edge of Belonging to THREE of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox?