July 26 - August 1 - Spotlight Author
Amanda Dick
About The Author
Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie buff and music lover. She loves to do DIY (if it's not bolted down, she'll probably paint it, re-cover it or otherwise decorate it) and has tried almost every craft known to man/womankind. She has two sewing machines and an over-locker she can't remember how to thread. She crochets (but can't follow a pattern), knits (badly) and refrains from both as a public service.
She believes in love at first sight, in women's intuition and in following your heart. She is rather partial to dark chocolate and believes in the power of a good vanilla latte.
What lights her fire is writing stories about real people in trying situations. Her passion is finding characters who are forced to test their boundaries. She is insanely curious about how we, as human beings, react when pushed to the edge. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human behaviour - love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and the complexity of relationships in general.
After living in Scotland for five years, she has now settled back home in New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Books by Amanda
Jack McKenna is a man with two very distinct pasts. One
ended with a car accident involving his girlfriend, Ally, and a split-second
decision with horrific consequences. Desperate to escape the guilt, he carved
out a new life for himself. Four years spent hiding in the shadows, punishing
himself for not having the courage to go back to her. Then, out of the blue, a
phone call forces him to face up to everything and everyone he left behind.
Ally Connor’s life was split in two—before the car accident that shattered her spine, and after Jack’s sudden disappearance. Abandoning her when she needed him most, she fought hard to make it back from the brink. The face she shows to the world is strong and courageous, but behind the mask, the pain is burrowing deeper.
But fate had more in store for these two broken souls than either could have imagined. A funeral, a homecoming and a journey of self-discovery that would change both their lives—if they let it.
Suddenly, the secrets they want to hide from each other are the very secrets that could make them whole again.
Ally Connor’s life was split in two—before the car accident that shattered her spine, and after Jack’s sudden disappearance. Abandoning her when she needed him most, she fought hard to make it back from the brink. The face she shows to the world is strong and courageous, but behind the mask, the pain is burrowing deeper.
But fate had more in store for these two broken souls than either could have imagined. A funeral, a homecoming and a journey of self-discovery that would change both their lives—if they let it.
Suddenly, the secrets they want to hide from each other are the very secrets that could make them whole again.
Five friends. Three days. One heart-stopping discovery.
Three years ago, Danny Morris left behind a gun, a tonne of questions and a gaping hole in the lives of those who loved him. What he didn’t leave was a suicide note.
On the anniversary of his death, his closest friends gather at his parents’ beach house in New Zealand's idyllic Marlborough Sounds. Danny’s girlfriend, Kate, is fighting valiantly against her blossoming feelings for his best friend, Finn, afraid she is somehow betraying his memory by moving on. Max is self-medicating with alcohol, fighting off nightmares he refuses to talk about as the memory of finding Danny’s body continues to haunt him. While Finn is finally ready to admit to himself that he is drawn to Kate, trying to save Max from himself dredges up long-buried anger and frustration that threaten to overwhelm him.
Three years ago, a single bullet ricocheted through all of them. But instead of time easing the pain, it has created a new set of problems.
How do you leave the past behind when it's right in front of you?
Three years ago, Danny Morris left behind a gun, a tonne of questions and a gaping hole in the lives of those who loved him. What he didn’t leave was a suicide note.
On the anniversary of his death, his closest friends gather at his parents’ beach house in New Zealand's idyllic Marlborough Sounds. Danny’s girlfriend, Kate, is fighting valiantly against her blossoming feelings for his best friend, Finn, afraid she is somehow betraying his memory by moving on. Max is self-medicating with alcohol, fighting off nightmares he refuses to talk about as the memory of finding Danny’s body continues to haunt him. While Finn is finally ready to admit to himself that he is drawn to Kate, trying to save Max from himself dredges up long-buried anger and frustration that threaten to overwhelm him.
Three years ago, a single bullet ricocheted through all of them. But instead of time easing the pain, it has created a new set of problems.
How do you leave the past behind when it's right in front of you?
I’ve always believed in what I can see, what I can hear and
what I can touch. Surfing was my religion and destiny was just a fairy-tale.
But one summer, over ten days during the hottest February on record, all that
changed. I found hope – the kind of hope that sustains you, even when you don’t
want to be sustained.
The night Emily disappeared, I was branded. She became the girl on the ‘missing’ posters, and I became the one trying to keep everyone from falling apart. I thought that somehow it would keep me from being devoured by the emptiness inside me. Five years later, I was beginning to appreciate how deluded I really was.
Then Maia showed up. New in town, with a past as mysterious as she was, she reminded me so much of Emily that I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near her. What I didn’t realise was that there were forces at play that neither of us could possibly understand.
It takes a determined soul to alter destiny. There is a loophole, a back door, and the events that unfolded during those ten days showed me how that loophole can change everything.
Do you believe in fate? If so, let me tell you my story. If not, what happened to me might change your mind.
The night Emily disappeared, I was branded. She became the girl on the ‘missing’ posters, and I became the one trying to keep everyone from falling apart. I thought that somehow it would keep me from being devoured by the emptiness inside me. Five years later, I was beginning to appreciate how deluded I really was.
Then Maia showed up. New in town, with a past as mysterious as she was, she reminded me so much of Emily that I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near her. What I didn’t realise was that there were forces at play that neither of us could possibly understand.
It takes a determined soul to alter destiny. There is a loophole, a back door, and the events that unfolded during those ten days showed me how that loophole can change everything.
Do you believe in fate? If so, let me tell you my story. If not, what happened to me might change your mind.
Teasers
Absolution
Between Before And After
The Trouble With Paper Planes
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