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Author Revealed

Amy Reed
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Amy Reed

Amy Reed was born and raised in and around Seattle, where she attended a total of eight schools by the time she was eighteen. Constant moving taught her to be restless and being an only child made her imagination do funny things. After a brief stint... Read full bio

Author Revealed:
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. No matter what, tell the truth.
Learn more about Amy Reed
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Amy Reed: A Self Portrait
Amy Reed Revealed
About Amy Reed
  • What is your birthdate?:
    9/15
  • Previous occupations:
    gas station cashier, summer camp counselor, telephone fundraiser (aka phone solicitor), waitress, barista, personal assistant, publisher's assistant, administrative assistant, editorial assistant (any other kind of assistant I can throw in?)
  • Favorite job:
    Does writing count?
  • High school and/or college:
    Roosevelt High School (Seattle), Garfield High School (Seattle), Seattle Central Community College, Reed College (Portland, OR), Academy of Art University (San Francisco), New College of California (San Francisco)
  • Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:
    I was obsessed with the late, great Elliot Smith for most of my late teens and early 20's
  • Favorite movie:
    Most people think I'm crazy, but I think Todd Solondz's "Happiness" is truly brilliant.  And disturbing.  But mostly brilliant. I tend to like movies that show people at their most grotesque and, in my opinion, interesting.
  • Favorite television show:
    It's a tie between the Daily Show and the Colbert Report
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. loving lucky busy disciplined creative funny fabulous full
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. Be honest.
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. balance
Q. What’s your greatest fear?
A. being alone
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. an island
Q. Which living person do you most admire?
A. mothers
Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?
A. just
Q. What do you regret most?
A. any time I was cruel to someone
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A. the ability to function without sleep
Q. What is your greatest achievement?
A. becoming someone I wouldn't have recognized as a teenager
Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
A. self-doubt
Q. What’s your best quality?
A. discipline
Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A. My dog Peanut
Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?
A. my height (or lack there of)
Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A. Jean Valjean (Les Miserables)
Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A. Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment)
Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A. I would love to ask Jesus and Mohammad what they think of their more radical followers.
Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. closed-mindedness
Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A. hiking, camping, running, cooking, gardening, sleeping
Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
A. farmer
Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A. integrity, kindness, loyalty
Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A. fresh bread
On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Dorothy Allison, Marilyn Robinson, Richard Russo, Anne Sexton, Pablo Neruda, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green
Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold; Anne Sexton's Complete Poems; The Road by Cormac McCarthy; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey; The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. Anne Sexton's Complete Poems. I have no idea how many times I've read through this book. It's been at least once yearly since the age of 13.
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. No matter what, tell the truth.
Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
A. That I've helped them not feel so alone.