Let's begin with a bit about your background. Where were you raised?
That is a hard question to answer. I was born in Oregon. Then when I was 3 my family moved to Sacramento, California for 5 years. After that, we came back to Hillsboro. I lived there for 5 years and then when I was 13 I went away to a seminary boarding school for five years. After leaving the seminary, I moved out on my own. Over the next four years I averaged moving every 6 months. It wasn't until 1984 that I finally settled down in Oregon City. I spent 26 years there. Now I live in Redmond, Oregon and have been here going on 11 years.
Wow. That's a lot of moving around. So, when did you start writing?
I started writing when I was in the 8th grade. Our teacher assigned the class to each write an eight page story for the 1st graders. We were supposed to keep it simple and illustrate it. After doing the assignment, I had so much fun I continued and wrote several more.
After I went away to the seminary I continued to write stories but for my eyes only.
You didn't let anyone read them?
No. Although my junior year, someone stole the notebook where I kept my stories. On my graduation day, I found the book on my bed. The person returned it after holding onto it for two years.
Did you find out who took it?
No.
So when did you start letting other people see your stories?
Not until twenty years later, in 1995.
Twenty years! What happened then?
I wrote SECRETS. The story was inspired by a dream I had. I told a co-worker about it and she encouraged me to write it down because it would make a great story. So, I wrote it down and it was sixty pages. I gave it to her to read. She did and she gave it back to me and said, "I want more." I told her, "More? That was the end of the dream." She said, "I don't care. I want more." Now, I had to rely on my imagination and SECRETS was born.
The premise of that story is just because you grow up in a family with siblings doesn't mean you know everything about them.
Interesting. I never thought about that before. We're out of time but before you go, can you give our audience a bit about what you are working on now?
Sure. I just finished a new thriller, AND THEN THERE WERE NUN. It's a story I thought of back in 1975 but never could get started on it. As with a lot of my stories from then, they started with a drawing. I think I still have it somewhere. Anyway, I finally was able to get started on it two years ago, but as my characters will sometimes do because they think it's funny, they led me into a brick wall. Finally, last November I was able to focus back on the story and get it finished. It will be released March 1st.
Meanwhile, I returned to a 450 page manuscript I wrote back in 1979. It is a soap opera story about a middle-class family living in a small town. Back then I even outlined an 8 book series, each book covering a year in their lives. My goal is to have this finished and published by September.
A soap opera story. That sounds interesting. We will have to talk more about that another time. Will you come back?
I'd love to.
Well, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. I look forward to reading AND THEN THERE WERE NUN. For more about author A. M. Huff and his books check out his website at amhuff.com.
That is a hard question to answer. I was born in Oregon. Then when I was 3 my family moved to Sacramento, California for 5 years. After that, we came back to Hillsboro. I lived there for 5 years and then when I was 13 I went away to a seminary boarding school for five years. After leaving the seminary, I moved out on my own. Over the next four years I averaged moving every 6 months. It wasn't until 1984 that I finally settled down in Oregon City. I spent 26 years there. Now I live in Redmond, Oregon and have been here going on 11 years.
Wow. That's a lot of moving around. So, when did you start writing?
I started writing when I was in the 8th grade. Our teacher assigned the class to each write an eight page story for the 1st graders. We were supposed to keep it simple and illustrate it. After doing the assignment, I had so much fun I continued and wrote several more.
After I went away to the seminary I continued to write stories but for my eyes only.
You didn't let anyone read them?
No. Although my junior year, someone stole the notebook where I kept my stories. On my graduation day, I found the book on my bed. The person returned it after holding onto it for two years.
Did you find out who took it?
No.
So when did you start letting other people see your stories?
Not until twenty years later, in 1995.
Twenty years! What happened then?
I wrote SECRETS. The story was inspired by a dream I had. I told a co-worker about it and she encouraged me to write it down because it would make a great story. So, I wrote it down and it was sixty pages. I gave it to her to read. She did and she gave it back to me and said, "I want more." I told her, "More? That was the end of the dream." She said, "I don't care. I want more." Now, I had to rely on my imagination and SECRETS was born.
The premise of that story is just because you grow up in a family with siblings doesn't mean you know everything about them.
Interesting. I never thought about that before. We're out of time but before you go, can you give our audience a bit about what you are working on now?
Sure. I just finished a new thriller, AND THEN THERE WERE NUN. It's a story I thought of back in 1975 but never could get started on it. As with a lot of my stories from then, they started with a drawing. I think I still have it somewhere. Anyway, I finally was able to get started on it two years ago, but as my characters will sometimes do because they think it's funny, they led me into a brick wall. Finally, last November I was able to focus back on the story and get it finished. It will be released March 1st.
Meanwhile, I returned to a 450 page manuscript I wrote back in 1979. It is a soap opera story about a middle-class family living in a small town. Back then I even outlined an 8 book series, each book covering a year in their lives. My goal is to have this finished and published by September.
A soap opera story. That sounds interesting. We will have to talk more about that another time. Will you come back?
I'd love to.
Well, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. I look forward to reading AND THEN THERE WERE NUN. For more about author A. M. Huff and his books check out his website at amhuff.com.