Thursday, March 17, 2016

Guest Blog - Amanda Flower: Why I Write For Kids Too

Why I Write for Kids Too

By Amanda Flower

At the end of January, my cell phone rang and the location of the caller on the display was Washington DC. I knew what the call was. Only one source has ever called me from that city, and it’s not the president. With shaky hands I answered the call because I could always be wrong in my assumption. The caller told me she was calling from the Malice Domestic Board to notify me that my children’s book, ANDI UNSTOPPABLE, had been nominated for an Agatha Award. I had been right,
and I squealed and thanked her repeatedly. This is my fourth nomination overall and the third for the Andi Boggs middle grade mystery series. I am absolutely thrilled.

Despite the nominations for the Andi Series, I am better known as an adult cozy mystery author. When people find out that I also write for kids, they are surprised and some even ask me why. The simple answer is I write for kids because I remember loving to read as a child, especially at the middle grade level. I gobbled up books by the dozens, but my favorites were and always have been mysteries. Back then, there weren’t that many mysteries about kids close to my age. The ones that I loved were the Baby-sitter Club Mystery Series and the Mandie Series. I read them all, among others. Before too long, I ran out of children’s options and I was reading adult mysteries by age eleven, but I still wished for more books about clever sleuths my own age.

So the Agatha Award nominations, win or lose, for this series are extra special to me because I know that eleven-year-old Amanda would have loved them. I also know from the notes I receive from young readers that kids are enjoying them too, and that’s all I ever wanted from this series.

Happy Reading!!
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GIVEAWAY
Visit Amanda’s website for a chance to win one of four $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift cards. Winner’s Choice!

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Amanda Flower, a three time Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Amanda is a librarian in Northeast Ohio. She also writes as USA Today Bestselling Author Isabella Alan. Her next release is CRIME AND POETRY coming April 5, 2016. www.amandaflower.com


2 comments:

  1. I agree with you - I didn't even have Babysitter's club growing up. We had Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown and that was about it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoyed this blog. Since I have grandchildren who are tis age I am so happy you write for this age group. Good luck at Malice Domestic.

    ReplyDelete

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