Today on the Indie Author Spotlight at the Seventh Star Blog, we are featuring an award-winning, multi-genre author, filmmaker, and screenwriter, Amy Leigh McCorkle! Amy has a new memoir out exploring the creation of her feature film “Letters to Daniel,” and we invite you to find out more about Amy and her writing in the new interview below!
How would you describe your writing style to a reader who has never read your work before?
Emotional. My work is subversive in a lot of ways. I realize simply trying to change someone’s mind on race, mental health, chronic illness and disabilities is to address their hearts directly and bypass the mind. Because if someone is a decent human being their heart can change when you put a face on it. Then it’s a natural thing for the heart and mind to align.
What genres are you published in, and what do you like most about writing in those genres?
Scifi, Fantasy, under the name Kate Lynd. Romantic Thrillers under my given name Amy Leigh McCorkle. Women’s Fiction under my given. I like the dystopian vein of scifi and fantasy it allows me to address serious subjects while crafting a serious story and providing representation of marginalized groups such as POC and woman, and those with serious mental illnesses and other maladies. Women’s fiction allows me to fall in for 50-70k words will telling relevant slice of life stories. But I’ve recently found I have a penchant for memoirs and how-tos. Telling my story from breakdown to bestseller allows me to show my readership that though I may bipolar disorder I won’t be defined by it.
Are there any genres that you would like to explore that you have not yet been published in? If so, then what interests you about potentially writing in those genres?
Not really, I just tend to write what I want.
Tell us about your latest release.
My third memoir to release, The Making of Letters to Daniel details what it takes to successfully execute a passion project while tangling with mental illness. It also shows you behind the pictures and you meet the people along the way who all made it possible.
What are you currently working on, in terms of your works in progress?
A stageplay adaptation of Letters to Daniel aiming for NY. A talk show pilot, with a mental health advocacy twist, Recovery Unplugged which I’ll be tapping in LA in late February, the Guardian the tv pilot, and the Guardian: A Feature Film. These projects should take me up to the end 2022.
What do you personally find most challenging about the craft of writing?
The period in between projects. It’s painful. This March I wrote Songbird and wrote Songbird and Dark Moon at the beginning of this covid adventure. Then in May when I finished I was completely paralyzed by my anxiety. Then late July I was seized by the idea to write a stage play adaptation of Letters to Daniel to do a show in NY. I teamed up with Missy of course, Queen of AOF Anabelle Munro, and Del Weston founder and host of AOF. Then 40 pages in I was seized with the idea of the Guardian the feature film. An AOFer has already come on board and has been an angel in support.
What do you view to be your strengths when it comes to writing?
Story, voice, emotion, and character.
Tell us a little about your path to becoming a writer, including when you decided to pursue writing with a goal of becoming published, and what initially drew you toward writing and storytelling.
How long you got? I’ve always been a storyteller. I was also a voracious reader. I still read now but it’s hard to sit still and concentrate because of the anxiety and bipolar disorder. I first started attempting to get published at 13. Television, movies, and books all played a part in my formation as a writer,
What do you find to be some of the biggest hurdles in being a writer today?
Actually I think it’s the fact writer/poet/screenwriter won’t get out of their own damn way. There are realities to today publishing landscape, such as a large portion of individuals are self-publishing. Those who edit and get their book into shape and are willing to put in the marketing you can at the very least build a platform that will take you places. What I absolutely CAN NOT stand are writers who whine they want their Agent or publisher to do the non-writing jobs. All I can say is suck it up buttercup. If I found a way anybody can.
What do you see as the most important advice you could offer a new writer?
Write. Write. Write. And write some more. Figure out which social media sites work for you and network the shit out of them. And in this time of covid if typically you’re unable to travel to film festivals and conventions take advantage of the panels and workshops offered at them.
_____________________________________________
Connect with Amy at the Following Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.l.mccorkle.5
Facebook: Letters to Daniel Page
Facebook: Making of Letters to Daniel Page
Facebook: Amy Unplugged Page
Twitter: http://twitter.com/amylmccorkle
Instagram: http://instagram.com/letterstodaniel
Blog: http://g1nbc.net/healing-hands
Synopsis of The Making of Letters to Daniel: The Making of Letters to Daniel details what it takes to successfully execute a passion project while tangling with mental illness. It also shows you behind the pictures and you meet the people along the way who all made it possible.