Melissa Foster: Chasing Amanda
Book Club Discussion
Melissa Foster discusses her second novel,
Chasing Amanda, with Queenie D.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
This
story centers on Boyds, MD. Can you tell us if the places, people, or history is based on fact? If not, how did you create such intricate detail
about the town?
Boyds
is the small town where I have lived for the past 13 years. When I originally wrote Chasing Amanda, I buried the book in fact and historical
data. While my local beta-readers loved having all of that information in the book, I worried that it might bog down the story for those who didn't
live in the area. The result of my rewrites shows a combination of truth and fiction about this historical data. Obviously the people are made up,
and they are not based on the people in real life who might have parallel roles (ie; pastor, savior of the post office, etc.). The people in the
book are fictional characters.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
Let's
talk about clairvoyance. Are you a believer? Do you or someone close to you possess the "Knowing?"
Laugh
if you must, but yes, I am a believer. I know people who have gifts similar to those described as the Knowing. Our spiritual sides are so powerful,
I simply cannot believe that they cannot be called upon by people who are open to them.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
The
theme of loneliness runs strong in this book. All characters, both "good" and "bad," struggle with it. Molly from Cole; Pastor Lett from Rodney
before the beating; Tracey from her parents, then Mummy; and others whom I won't name so as not to spoil the mystery. How does this feeling shape
the course of the story for the characters? Can loneliness ruin a person's life?
I'm
glad you picked up on that, Queenie. Loneliness can be such a devastating emotion. There's a difference between being alone and being lonely. I
think that loneliness shaped the efforts of the characters in many different ways. I won't speak to specifics, because I don't to reveal spoilers,
but I do believe that loneliness can drive a person's life into a form of unhealthy depression.
I also have feel very blessed that I have so many loving people around me (we have a gaggle of children), that loneliness is hard to come by, which,
I think, is one reason I reach out to so many people when I hear they're going through a rough patch. I believe that if you are blessed with happiness,
even momentarily, you should share it with others who might need a good dose of it. That probably drove some of the book without me even recognizing
it. Thanks for opening my eyes.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
Hannah's
story was a sad one, especially for a mother. Your first book, Megan's Way, also pulled at readers' maternal heartstrings. How does your
experience from being a mother of six shape your writing?
I
don't think you can be a mother of one, much less six, without having it spill over into all aspects of your life. I believe being a mother enables
me to write more true-to-life and convey raw emotions when it comes to mothers and children.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
Small
towns seem to be the perfect setting for harboring dark secrets and old tragedies. Do you think there are places in real life with questionable
histories such as Boyds as you describe it in the book?
Absolutely.
Small towns, big cities -- I think dark secrets are everywhere. Small towns just seem creepier for some reason.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
Can
a child who is abducted and then emotionally abused ever really be "normal" again? Can the family of the child ever treat that child as a "regular"
member of the family again? Why or why not?
I'm
not an expert in this topic, but I will venture a guess based on what I've read. I would think that a child who is emotionally abused and/or abducted
will be scarred for life on some level -- whether that's in the areas of trust or intimacy, I couldn't be certain. I would think that those types
of situations would leave a mark so deep that even when they are masked, they are underlying.
As far as "normal" goes, I'm not sure there is such a thing. Every person has their own issues, whether we see them or not, so I'm hesitant to use
that word. Can they live a fairly typical life? Probably so, with the right emotional help, therapy, understanding, although, again, I would think
there would always underlying issues.
Can a family ever treat that child as "regular" again? That's a tough one. As a parent, I think if it happened to my child, I would always be on
alert for all of my children (and everyone else's). I'm not certain that normalcy of childhood would ever be just-so again. But again, I'm not an
expert, so I would imagine there are parents out there who might think they'd be able to get back into typical habits.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
I
found it interesting that both of your novels have a girl's name in the title. Was that intentional or just the way it worked out?
It's
funny you ask that, because my husband loves that about my books. I did not do that intentionally. Megan's Way was truly a story about the
way Megan wanted to live her life, the choices she made, and Chasing Amanda fit the story perfectly because I felt that Molly was chasing Amanda's
ghost throughout the book. My next book is called Come Back To Me -- no names, of course, that's the working title of the novel, so one never
knows how it may change, but I'm very fond of the title.
Chasing Amanda interview with Melissa Foster
Can
you tell us about your current writing projects?
I'm
currently working on two novels. The first is an international love story/tragedy, called Come Back To Me, and the second is a YA/women's
fiction crossover, Shade of Gray.
Below is a brief summary of Come Back To Me:
Tess Johnson has it all, Beau, her handsome photographer husband, a thriving business, and a newly discovered pregnancy. When Beau accepts an overseas
photography assignment, Tess decides to wait to reveal her secret--only she's never given the chance. Beau's helicopter crashes in the desert.
As Tess struggles to put her life back together and deal with the pregnancy she can no longer hide, a new client appears, offering more than just
a new project.
Meanwhile, two Iraqi women who are fleeing Honor Killings find Beau alive in the middle of the desert, his body ravaged. Suha, a doctor, and Samira,
a widow and mother of three young children, nurse him back to health in a makeshift tent. Beau bonds with the women and children, and together,
with the help of an underground organization, they continue their dangerous escape.
What happens next is a test of loyalties, strength, and love.
Return from Chasing Amanda to Home
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TYPE OF BOOK: Fiction
NUMBER OF PAGES: 374
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2011
AUTHOR'S SITE: MelissaFoster.com
BOOK RATING:
DISCUSSION RATING:
Queenie D Says:
What a twisted, dark, and secretive story to take place in an innocent small town like Boyds, MD. Between two child abductions, the beating of a
mentally disabled person, people living underground, and a few psychics...this little community is rocked to its very core during the course of the
novel.
Molly Tanner has spent ten years trying to get over the abduction and murder of a little girl, Amanda, whom she witnessed screaming in a store parking
lot as she was being taken from her parents. Molly didn't do anything even though she had a nagging feeling something wasn't right. She almost loses
her husband and her son because she is unable to let go of the guilt and responsibility she feels for Amanda's death. When Tracey goes missing in
her small town, Molly's "Knowing" kicks into overdrive and she knows this time she won't stand idly by while another child dies. At the expense, again,
of her marriage, she chases every lead in hopes of finding Tracey. The secrets she unlocks about the town along the way are chilling and life-shattering
for all involved.
I don't want to give anything away, but this is a book definitely worth reading in a book club! There are many topics to debate -- child abduction,
mental illness, how far one should/will go to keep a secret, trust in a marriage, clairvoyance...and these are just the ones that I can share with you
that won't spoil the plot. As you read, more topics for conversation will be revealed! Molly is the type of character that seems like she could be your
next-door neighbor which allows the reader to really identify with her, and root for her heartily, against all odds. The secondary characters are
well-developed and fantastically interesting -- a pastor of a church who sneaks around in the middle of the night?! -- readers will definitely be
intrigued.
This is Melissa's second novel and BCQ stays an enthusiastic fan. Well done sister!
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