Q/A with author of the Amnesia Duet, Cambria Hebert

AMNESIA DUET Q/A WITH CAMBRIA HEBERT

1. What kept you inspired while writing this duet?

My inspiration was the covers for the stories, the eerie feel of Lake Loch and the suspense of the story. Also, Eddie and Am's love. I also have a Pinterest board I used to pin images and things that reminded me of the story and it kept everything fresh in my mind.

2. Do you base your characters on real life people around you?

Not usually. I like the characters to build organically. But sometimes I use people I know as a base for the character. For example, Eddie was based on my dad who died when I was 11. He had dark curly hair, everyone liked him, blue eyes and an ornery personality. So I have a few characters based on someone I know but usually the character themselves take over and do what they want, and I prefer it that way.

3. What was the hardest thing about writing Amnesia and Amnesty?

Tying up all the loose ends, keeping it unpredictable and making sure it wasn’t too over-the-top. I wanted an eerie feeling but I also wanted to balance that out with romance. Hopefully, I managed to pull it off. Lol.

4. What was the writing process while doing this duet? Did you write everything in order?

I wrote Amnesia in order, and I kind of just went by the seat of my pants and let the characters guide me. That’s why it ended up as a duet and not a standalone as I meant. Lol. It just went in a certain direction and I got more ideas so I went with them. I didn’t write Amnesty in order though. For the most part I did, but I skipped around toward the end and wrote the scenes I saw in my head then connected them all together with scenes later. It was a little unorganized, ha!

5. I loved how passionate and protective Eddie was about Am!! What are your favourite types of heroes to write about?

Alpha males all the way, lol. I like strong, stubborn protective types. Kind of bad boys, but good men – you know? I like passionate characters and I love snarky, sarcastic types. I also like underdogs, people that can rise from the ashes of a craptastic life and succeed.

6. There was some surprises in Amnesia and Amnesty! How did you come up with all the twists and turns? And still keep things unpredictable.

Well, I’m glad you think I was able to do it. At times when I was writing I would say to myself, this is predictable. Lol! But I went with it anyway and tried to keep it as twisty as I could. I think one thing that really helped was that I didn’t know which way it would go, haha! So there was a truth to it when I was writing, because I myself didn’t know. By the time I started writing Amnesty I knew where I was going and it was about getting there and keeping it exciting for the readers. I took the twists one at a time really. And I brainstormed a lot with my daughter. We would sit around at home and be “what if…” some of the stuff I came up with started out as a joke and then I was like wait a minute… and it evolved.

7. Lake Loch is a huge part of this story. Have you been around an area that was similar? And if you had what about it made you want to write a story where it was a major factor in the plot?

I grew up in a small town, but it wasn’t like Lake Loch. The small town feel was familiar to me (as in everyone knew everyone’s business) but I made Lake Loch more appealing to myself. Lol. I’ve always wanted to live on a lake (hopefully someday I will). I love the lake feel… I think its mysterious and beautiful. My husband grew up in Maine and I love the weather there so I decided to combine the two. And to be honest I’ve always been fascinated by the Loch Ness Monster, lol. I would LOVE if it was found, haha! So really I just combined a bunch of things I loved (because it would make me passionate to write about them) and made them the base of an eerie story.

8. If you had a movie deal with a huge budget, who would play the main characters?

Oh man, wouldn’t that be a dream come true! Lol! I’d love to know who the readers would choose! Let me think…

Eddie: Adrian Grenier

Amnesia: Emma Stone

9. What do you have next for your readers? Are you planning another duet, series or standalone?

I have started a standalone, but it could turn into a series, who knows! LOL. But right now I’m planning on it being a standalone. 😊 It’s a contemporary romance. More on that to come.

10. What is it you want your readers to learn or take away with them after they finish reading this duet?

Honestly, I just want them to walk away feeling entertained. And maybe like they’d been on an exciting ride. Also, it never hurts if they feel a little swoony over the romance, lol. I think with my books, I always just want to offer an escape from whatever reality a reader might be living.

Huge Thank you to Cambria Hebert for participating in this Q/A can't wait to read her next WIP!!