Fridays 5 with Aimee McNeil

Aimee McNeil was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she continues to live today with her husband and three children.

Alluring Song is her first novel, which she presented to the world after a lifetime of dreaming. Aimee writes fantasy because she does not like to be confined within the boundaries of reality. Other interests include reading, painting, and enjoying every moment with her family.



1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) Writing has always been a strong part of who I am. Whenever I had downtime I would curl up with a pen and paper and let the words flow. Even as a small girl I would daydream and create stories. Writing has always had a natural pull on me. Though, it was not until January 2015 that I decided to take the next step with my writing and present it to the world. I finally decided to let go of the lingering doubt and put myself out there. I no longer feared rejection and wanted to know if my words would be enjoyed by others.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Finding the time to write is definitely the hardest part about writing for me. I am a homemaker and stay-at-home mom to three wonderful children who are very actively involved in a many number of activities. Life is busy and some days will pass me by and I regretfully do not get a chance to sit down with my writing. My family always takes center stage in my life and sometimes claims the majority of my time. I know that because writing is so important to me I always find myself back in front of my keyboard before long.



 

 
 

 3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) Wow!! I was completely overwhelmed with emotions. To have a final, polished product available to the world that represented the many hours, days, and months of work that it took to get to that point ... incredible. It also made me feel vulnerable because it was a big piece of my heart that I was finally brave enough to share. So far I have only published my first book, Alluring Song, but I am very hopeful that I will find success and be able to continue publishing more books in the future.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) I don't know if I see either the story or characters as more important than the other because they go hand in hand. A good story needs solid characters and vise versa. I put equal importance in developing my characters as I do the story line. My characters grow and develop as the story is created. The characters and the story have to work together to achieve a successful finished product.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.) I wear many hats throughout the run of a day, which can be very unpredictable when it comes to having children. I struggle to find balance every day because it is impossible to complete my to do list that is always endless. Now that my children all attend school and when I am not running errands, cleaning, preparing meals, tackling the never-ending pile of laundry, or at the grocery store I revel in those few precious hours that I have the house to myself to sit down with a cup of tea and write my heart out. I make the most of my time until the hour of beautiful disaster arrives and my little ones come jumping off the bus and barreling down the driveway completely famished and desperately needing to be fed. After I feed their hungry, talkative little mouths I open their lunch bags to discover that they barely touched their lunches that I spent great consideration packing the night before ... ugh. Then the running around for extracurricular activities which can fall before or after dinner depending upon the day and planning supper accordingly so we can all sit down together and eat. Once my children are tucked in for the night and everything is organized for the next day is when my husband and I enjoy some time to ourselves, this is where I usually sneak in some reading or on the rare occasion get to do a bit more writing but usually by that time of night I'm running on fumes so my creative thoughts are not as forthcoming. Though my imagination always kicks into gear in the middle of the night! Ahhh...sleep, the wonderful, sometimes elusive luxury.

Author Links:

aimeemcneilswriting.blogspot.ca

Instagram/@aimeemcneilswriting

Facebook.com/aimeemcneilswriting

Twitter/@aimeeswriting

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