Back in 2015, Pitch Wars founder Brenda Drake put out a call for middle grade mentors to take on a second mentee. Without any idea who the writer was or what the story was about, Joy McCullough, Rebecca Wells, and I volunteered to co-mentor this mysterious project.
That writer turned out to be Amanda Rawson Hill, who was working on a gorgeous story called The Three Rules of Everyday Magic. Amanda joins us today to discuss her book, which publishes on September 26th.
Amanda, welcome to The Winged Pen and congratulations on your upcoming debut! Tell us a little about your story.
Amanda: The Three Rules of Everyday Magic is about Kate, who is having a hard time lately. Her dad took off a few months earlier and her grammy is losing her memory and needs to move in with Kate. Grammy teaches Kate about these “Three Rules of Everyday Magic” and Kate decides to use them to try and fix a friendship that’s falling apart and bring her dad back.
I haven’t had a chance to read this story since your Pitch Wars days, and I know it’s grown and changed since then. One of the things that surprised me most about the cover was the fact that it features a musical motif; what can you tell us about the role music plays in your story?
Amanda: The music didn’t really get added much until after the book sold. I had one memory in the manuscript about Kate singing with her dad and my editor said, “I want a lot more of that.” So, I added more. What the music does now is act as a way for us to see Kate’s memories of her dad slipping into depression and also as a way for her heart to heal. It is an objective correlative for Kate’s own journey in being able to embrace her now and move forward instead of being stuck in the past.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers about the Three Rules of Everyday Magic, but can you talk about how or why you chose to write this story?
Amanda: I started the story as a book about guardian angels, because I thought it would be a fun premise. But I continued with the story (even when it no longer had guardian angels in it) because it became about knowing when to love and when to let go and how to love someone who doesn’t seem to want your love. It became about exploring how we connect to others and heal our own hearts through giving and kindness.
And finally, do you have any tips for spreading Everyday Magic in our own lives?
Amanda: Spreading Everyday Magic just means spreading kindness without expecting anything in return. Make something for someone else, give someone your time, a listening ear, and do it knowing that it will bless your life somehow. Even if you can’t see how, always know that acts of kindness are worth doing.
Thanks for joining us!
Amanda Rawson Hill grew up in Southwest Wyoming with a library right out her back gate. She got her degree in Chemistry from Brigham Young University and now resides with her husband and three children in Central California. THE THREE RULES OF EVERYDAY MAGIC is her first novel.
Posted by: Jessica Vitalis
Jessica Vitalis is a middle grade author and active member of the literary community. In addition to coordinating Letters for Kids, she volunteers as a Pitch Wars mentor, with the We Need Diverse Books campaign*, and contributes to The Winged Pen. When she’s not pursuing her literary interests, Jessica can be found chasing her two precocious daughters around Ontario or eating copious amounts of chocolate. Represented by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch.