Amy Ewing

As a child

I was born in Boston, MA, the daughter and granddaughter of librarians. Needless to say, books factored greatly in my childhood. I loved reading, especially Roald Dahl, and my mother used to read me Greek myths as bedtime stories. I loved fantastical stories, but I never thought about being a writer. I wanted to be an actor, and I moved to New York to study acting at New York University, when I was eighteen.

As an adult

Acting, like any creative endeavor, is difficult to get into, and I hated auditioning so it was particularly hard for me. I worked in lots of restaurants (which I hated almost as much as auditioning), and eventually landed a job as a sales rep for a wine distributor. When the economy crashed, I was laid off and found myself facing an extended period of time on unemployment. I’d always toyed around with the idea of writing a young adult fantasy book, and now I had nothing but time. So I wrote a book. And it changed my life. The Jewel is not that book. But that book got me into The New School’s MFA program in Writing for Children, where I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic group of writers who have encouraged and inspired me, offered shoulders to cry on through my failures and cheered me on in my successes. It’s strange to think that I never wanted to be a writer—now I can’t imagine doing anything else.

As a writer

I really like to write in the mornings—generally, I start at nine and write until about one. I do this every day, Monday through Friday, even if I only end up writing two pages. It keeps me going, moving forward through the story. My favorite place to write? Curled up in the sun on my living room couch.

Things you didn't know about Amy Ewing

1. I love string cheese—it’s my absolute favorite thing to eat.
2. I play the guitar and write my own songs.
3. I used to perform with a bassist friend of mine at open mic nights in New York.
4. I sing aloud to musical theatre when I clean my apartment.
5. I am a cat person.
6. My favorite city is Paris. I lived there for six months when I was studying at NYU and completely fell in love with it.
7. I am a complete high fantasy nerd—I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I could probably name every character, and their father, and their father’s father…
8. I never listen to music while I write, but my best friend (and fellow writer), Jess Verdi, makes me playlists for my books when I finish them And they are always terrific.
9. I often develop crushes on fictional characters.
10. I always, always, mix up my right and my left. I am abysmal when it comes to giving directions. Or following them, for that matter.