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Hi there! I'm A.F. Lamonte (my author pen name), a.k.a. historygeek402. When I'm not off in the historical wonderlands of my own creation and not fighting in the usual uphill battle with my beloved, yet headstrong main character, Lucian Cole (the ghost who has haunted my mind 24/7 since I was 17), I'm busy with my duties as a stay at home mom of three girls, wife of a Devil Doc, and a crazy cat lady with four, yes FOUR friendly, feisty felines. After ten years, I finally put my first novel out there for the world to see, but only as a Kindle trial copy on Amazon. It's not well-edited. I mainly published it to figure out how to use Amazon Kindle Publisher and to see what kind of reception my book would get. The book, The Writer's Ghost, is the first of a four-book paranormal series called the Eidolon books. In between editing the first book and writing the second (which will be called The Window People), I'm writing a book called When Walls Talk, which will be a collection of poems written from the perspective of abandoned buildings. Each photograph of the abandoned building will have one poem plus a brief summary of the building's history (if I can find the history of it). I've been writing since receiving a writer's kit at the age of five for Christmas, and always had my nose buried in a book. I write paranormal and historical fiction (or books that are a blend of the two) and have since I first picked up the American Girls series and Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories trilogy. M.R. James is one of my favorite authors and I drew some inspiration from him as well. His Ghost Stories Collection, plus Haunted America by Michael Norman and Beth Scott, are my favorite books. I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington, and at 21, moved with my beloved college sweetheart to his neck of the woods, which was Port Townsend, Washington. It was here that my book series, which at the time was just a baby in a cradle, truly came to life. Port Townsend draws writers and artists for a reason. It's a historical Victorian shipping town filled with old buildings, and when you walk around town, especially along Water Street, you can really lose your sense of what year you're in. The setting of The Writer's Ghost is the fictional town of Lacey, New York, which is a blend of Port Townsend and Spokane. My love of old or abandoned buildings and towns has been a part of me since childhood and fuel my creativity. My husband, love of my life, doesn't quite understand this passion of mine. He looks at an abandoned or old place and sees it for what it is. I look at an old or abandoned place and I see a story. I hear its past. And then I sit down and tell its tale, whether its the tale of the place itself or of someone who was once there and left a mark. My motto is everyone has a story to tell. It's on my Wordpress blog, Ramblings of a History Geek. As a hobby historical researcher, I can find out the truth of that story, and as a writer, I can embellish that story or make one up out of thin air. I'm glad to join this community of writers who understand what it means to drift away from life for a while, to look at a place and see not just what's in front of them, but the beauty and ugly within it that others cannot see. Just like many other writers could probably say, in school, I was always the kid who teachers disciplined for daydreaming, telling wild tales, or "wasting time" writing and doodling. As an adult, I've made a hobby out of it, and hope to make it a career. Nice to meet you all! I look forward to communicating with and offering my support to other writers. Always, A.F.L |
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