Amanda Coppedge, Young Adult Author
Biography
I had a lot of different interests and dreams as I grew up. I lived on a horse ranch and my parents ran a wildlife rehabilitation center when I was a kid, so I thought maybe I’d be a veterinarian. I sang and played the piano and watched plays and musicals so I thought maybe I’d be a Broadway star. I read a lot of science fiction so I thought maybe I’d be a molecular biologist. I loved to draw so I thought maybe I’d become an animator. And ever since the age of nine, I had been “the girl with the notebook” who was always writing down stories, so maybe I’d become a writer.
Around age 16 I sat down and had a long talk with myself. I thought of all the different hobbies and interests I had and realized that I should probably pick the one I was most passionate about. Thinking back over all the things I loved, I knew that writing was my favorite, hands-down. I still love singing and drawing and animals and science—but writing is my one true love.
While I worked on my Bachelor’s degree in English, I wrote a lot of Very Serious Adult Fiction and submitted it to publishers and literary magazines. Afterwards, I got a job in library youth services and started working on my Masters in Library Science.
A bunch of puzzle pieces started falling into place. Hadn’t I always loved reading young adult fiction by Cynthia Voigt and Robin McKinley and Irene Hunt? And weren’t most of the characters in my stories teenagers? And as much as I loved doing story times for children, wasn’t I always looking forward to my next teen program at the library? I started writing young adult fiction in 2005 and it felt like coming home.
My passion for writing young adult fiction goes hand in hand with my job as a Children's Librarian. I love dreaming up and hosting programs for teens and children. In collaboration with my fellow children's librarian and young adult writer Mimi Curtis, I wrote the Tween manual for the 2011 Florida Library Youth Program. This manual was used by librarians throughout the entire state as they planned their summer reading programs for 2011. Our teen programming ideas were also featured during FLYP training sessions in 2009 and 2010.
When I’m not writing or planning my next program at the library, you’ll find me cooking and playing video games with my husband and friends, taking my dogs Ripley and Faye on long walks, reading everything I can get my hands on, playing the piano and singing constantly. I also love to help fellow writers craft excellent query letters; contact me to discuss my services and fees.