Q&A with Amy Greene discussion

Readers are usually also curious about my background, and how where I come from informs my writing. This is the place for questions about the setting of Bloodroot.

Amy
Your writing has such an incredible sense of location - not only detail but that rare ability of a writer to make the reader feel as if they are actually "there"
How has your background, childhood and the memories from your youth contributed to your writing? Not just in locations,but in how you create such unique characters?

To me I felt that the Bloodroot mountains were almost a character as much of a location. Is this a place you grew up? It was a beautiful setting and you did a great job at making the reader feel like they were there.

Hi Amy--

The one thing that I ponder when thinking about the setting of your novel was whether you took inspiration from your own family's setting in real life? Do you have relatives who lived a truly "country" lifestyle? Honestly, much of the description of the town and home in Bloodroot reminds me of my own grandparents' home in west TN! Loved it!

Hi Rick, Susie and Kyle! It's wonderful to meet you all. I'll address this comment to all three of you, since your questions are similar. So much of my inspiration for writing Bloodroot was the landscape I’m surrounded by here in East Tennessee, the farmland and mountains and creek banks of where I come from. I grew up (and still live) in a rural area. My sister and brother are both much older than me and we had no close neighbors, so I spent most of my childhood playing alone, exploring the woods and hills around our house. Even as a little girl I embraced the natural world. Byrdie talks in Bloodroot about loving the land as much as she does any of her kin, and that’s how I feel about it. When readers mention the focus on place in my story, I think they’re seeing the love of home that flowed into it. I’ve also been inspired by the people I grew up knowing. Historically, there’s been a lot of hardship in Appalachia, but there’s also a lot of strength and humor and hope in the people who live here. The first draft of Bloodroot was fairly easy to write, because I used the voices of all those people I’ve known and loved for my characters.

Hello, Ms. Greene. I finished Bloodroot a little over a week ago and was blown away. I was mesmerized throughout the reading. I fell in love with the setting, choosing to savor descriptions, sometimes devouring passages over and over just to make sure I took it all in.
For me, Bloodroot represented a world where characters and place were equals and dependent on one another for their magic. I was wondering what writing devices and approaches you think are most important for communicating the allure you managed to achieve.
Once again, your talent is immense. Bloodroot is on my list of books to suggest to anyone and everyone. No pressure intended, but I am already eagerly anticipating reading and recommending your next novel.

Hi, Faith! What a beautiful name:). Thanks so much for joining the discussion, and for your kind words. The approach I took to writing Bloodroot was just to pour my heart into the pages. I think it's my love for the people and the landscape of Appalachia that creates the allure. For me as writer, the most important thing is to feel a real connection with the characters and their stories. If I can achieve that connection, then hopefully I can convey it to readers as well.

Hello, Amy!
I just completed your book over the Christmas Holidays in Polk Co., Tennessee! I don't know if you meant it literally in your setting but it certainly made me feel at home!We have a cabin there and my father's family live in Polk and McMinn Counties. Reading your book was like being with family. I could look out my bedroom window and imagine it was Bloodroot Mountain, remembering my solo wonderings over the mountain behind our house in Ky when I was a child. I've traveled to many places around the world and have seen many beautiful places but I still think the Appalachian Mountains are my favorite. I love reading books set in Appalachia and yours is one of the best! I hope to read more of your books about such a special place again soon.

Rebekah wrote: "Hello, Amy!
I just completed your book over the Christmas Holidays in Polk Co., Tennessee! I don't know if you meant it literally in your setting but it certainly made me feel at home!We have a ca..."

Hi, Rebekah! I always love hearing from a fellow Tennessean:). Actually, I didn't realize that there was a real Polk County in Tennessee as I was writing Bloodroot. I thought I was making it up! Before going on my book tour last winter, I hadn't spent much time outside the South. Now that I've been to New York and California, I can say that I completely agree with you, there's nowhere more beautiful to me than Appalachia.

Hello Amy! I realize that much of Bloodroot was inspired by real landscape from your life and childhood. When you create "place" in your novels, do you ever feel pressure to describe it exactly as it really exists? Or, on the other hand, do you ever feel pressure to intentionally make variation on it? I have always wanted to ask you that!

Sara wrote: "Hello Amy! I realize that much of Bloodroot was inspired by real landscape from your life and childhood. When you create "place" in your novels, do you ever feel pressure to describe it exactly a..."

Hello, stranger:)! I really don't feel pressure either way. What I'm trying to evoke is more an impression than a perfect rendering of reality. When I think of the hill and the woods behind my childhood home, for instance, the memory of it comes back to me almost like a dream. I'm writing more about that dreamlike image I have in my mind than the actual landscape, so it's personal to me, it's my unique perspective of Appalachia. That releases me from the pressure of describing the terrain in an exact and factual way. Does that make sense?

It does make sense! Your process is just as beautiful as the results. And I learned something. Thank you!