Christine Amoroso

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but grew up on the beach in Southern California. We were a big Catholic family, five siblings. Our mom was a midwestern beauty and our dad an Italian immigrant. We had little connection to no connection with our midwest and Italian family. I've spent my adult life becoming very close to them. I power walk nearly every day along the Pacific Ocean, a view that never gets old and is never taken for granted. I have had three careers, accountant, educator, and now writer. I took up soccer at thirty years old and thirty years later I still play. I love travel and even lived in Italy for a year. I enjoy capturing beauty and stories with photographs. Good conversation, good wine, or good coffee is a favorite pastime. I love a good book, reading on the beach or in bed.

When and why did you start writing books?

I started my first book in 2017 and published it in July of this year.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I've always felt I had something to say. I started with a blog, personal narratives, real stories about regret and guilt, and growth and happiness. That blog inspired me to tell a bigger story, on that spans four decades of my life.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

Given that my book is a memoir - the characters are family, friends and former lovers. I would choose different people for different reasons. I can't play favorites, but each has played an important role in my life, my personal development. For that, I am grateful.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

My experience is limited to the only book I've written, my memoir. Vulnerability is hard for me and writing my story, the good, the bad and the ugly, gave me lots of practice. It was scary and difficult. In the end a beautiful experience.

Who is your favourite author and book?

I have a few. But the first author I remember wanting to read everything they wrote was John Irving. I love memoir and memoir writers, Mary Karr - Liars' Club, Jeannette Walls - The Glass Castle, and the list goes on. Ann Patchett is a fiction favorite, but I loved her personal essays in These Precious Days.

What book are you reading right now?

A Memoir - When Your Heart Says Go - Judy Reeves. She and I are being interviewed for an Author Event at a local library this month. We've never met, but I wanted to read her book before the event. It's really very good. I just finished the Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl and I am diving into The Life Impossible by Matt Haig. Both are bookclub reads. It's not unusual for me to read a couple books at the same time.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

For now, my inspiration comes from my own life lessons. The human experience fascinates me.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love learning new things.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Yes, a novel, and perhaps more nonfiction - something about my dad. He had an amazing life.