About the Author
There are a few events in my life that I thank God for.
The day I was married
The day I became a mother (three events there)
The day I became a grandmother/when I was deemed Nana (two events there)
Each time I become published
Hello, I'm Amber Grosjean. I have been writing since I was eleven years old. It was during a dark time in my life. The year before I learned I was a writer, I attempted suicide. I was lost, hurt, and felt like God made a mistake when He made me. I often asked "why me". I was laughed at, teased, left out, and made to believe by my peers and some family members that I was a lost cause. Nothing I did mattered so I thought I didn't matter. I learned how powerful words can truly be. I wanted to change the world, heal the world, and make everyone happy. I wanted to be a better person; someone who could be loved. I was an introvert in everyway a person could be.
My life began to change when my family moved from a small town to a large city (Fort Wayne, Indiana). Hey, I thought it was large. I found God and became saved. With the love of writing in my heart and soul, I studied journalism, creative writing, keyboarding (typing class), and wrote for the school paper. I even entered a local poetry contest where I earned 3rd place. That poem is still at the local library.
I was still suffering from depression and anxiety even though my life was improving. At least, the teasing from my school mates had stopped. I couldn't do anything right in my mother's eyes, so her mental abuse continued. I couldn't wait until I moved out of the house so I could finally have a better life. That couldn't come soon enough. God answered my prayers when He sent Jack Grosjean, aka Billy. I married that man on June 22, 1996. We were blessed with three children.
Writing came and went, but I never stopped believing I'd be published some day. I held onto that dream while dabbling with it here and there. When my first book was finally accepted by a publisher, I was beyond cloud nine. I didn't think anyone could be happier. Well, my husband was. He was so proud of me. I'm still in awe for how he encourages me to write. Billy is my biggest fan. Almost to the day, twenty years from the day I picked up a pen to write my first story, I was being published. Goes to show you, giving up is never the option. I published the original Cursed Blood under the pen name Amber Rigby Grosjean, a combination of my maiden and married names. Several traditionally published books later, I decided to join Indie Authors and publish my stories on my own terms. I changed my pen name to A.R. Grosjean. Since then, my girls started their families giving me five grandchildren. I'm still waiting for my son to have a family.
I wrote and published 30 books under A.R. Grosjean. The "R" still reminded me of the pain I endured growing up and still have. And then an incident occured that scared me so I changed my pen name one more time in 2024. Now I am starting over with my real name. That was in November 2024. The old books are being unpublished and republished under the new name while I'm writing new books that are original. I'm different, so I write in most genres. It's who I am--I've always been an adverse kind of person. Words have power and I choose to use that power for good, helping anyone I can whether it's through entertainment or healing.
That's me!
My first book was written when I was twelve. That book is called Peterson Estate. Follow me through email and learn more, ask questions, and see what I'm writing next.
"I have heard if you can write a book about your life's story without shedding a tear, you have truly healed, and are a strong person. That is someone I strive to become. Though writing my life's story did help me heal somewhat, I am not the person I strive to be. Yet. When will I know I've become her? I don't know. But I won't give up. I am a work-in-progress." Amber wishes to reach others like her, who need to escape their brutal worlds in order to heal, or just have a break from their day-to-day pain. Becoming someone else, even for a little while, can give strength when needed the most.
More about Amber
Adversity is a common factor in my life, through writing, music, TV/movies, reading, and food. I love Christian Rock, country, R&B, alternative, pop, etc. Movies are the same way. Horror is my favorite (love the scary scenes with all the blood lol), romance, science fiction and fantasy, etc. I just love food, but there are some foods I won't touch like guacamole (yuck!).
My favorite color is "all" shades of Blue. Hmm, so why isn't blue a main color in your brand, you ask? When I first joined the Indie Authors community, I had no idea how to make a logo. Another author made one for me and came up with a color scheme to go with it. I love Teal too so I loved her choices. She was the one who came up with the clouds. At the time, my slogan was "A writer with her head in the clouds" or something like that. It's been changed since then lol.
I love crafts. Making them and seeing creations other people make. I love to crochet even though I haven't made anything for a couple years. I keep telling myself I'll get to it. Meanwhile, the yarn sits under my bed.
I am passionate about writing. It is the process of writing that I enjoy the most.
I am what you call a "pantser" which means, I don't "plan" the stories. The best way to say it, is I watch the characters play out the scenes in my head and write down what I see, hear, and feel. I step into the shoes of my characters, who don't leave after the story is finished lol. I did try planning a story once, but when it came to writing the story, the outline for the story "went out the window". Not knowing what's around the corner keeps me excited about each story, pushing me closer to the end, whenever that may be. Read my blog for more about writing.
You can use Amber's Media Page if you'd like to share my information. It will be updated as more books will become available.
Every writer is different. What works for her may not work for you, so do what works for you if you're a writer too. Amber talks about writing on Instagram and would love to be friends there.
Like many writers, Amber used to dread the editing process but came to love it because it always made the stories better. This is a process that cannot be skipped. One thing Amber learned is that when others edit the story, the writer can't allow their personal feelings to cloud their judgment. It isn't personal when an editor says something needs to be fixed. It is only for the story's improvement. She has grown to love to hear other's feedback.
Amber has a flexible imagination, which has enabled her to write different stories back-to-back. She can write fantasy and turn around to write a thriller with a completely different feeling and tone to it. This has made her different from other writers, something she hated about herself for a while (being different), but grew to cherish as writing improved. Amber loves being different now.
If you have any questions, please email Amber and tell her what's on your mind. Thank you!
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Where will your books be found?All of my books will still be available on Amazon for those who prefer shopping there. In addition, they can also be found at Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, Booktopia, Powell's, Foyle's, and more. You can even find most of them on Walmart's website. Right now, only online but you can go to your favorite bookstore and have them order you a copy. I'm hoping to get my books in physical bookstores but it takes time. Crossing my fingers. Each location (that I can find) are under one link for each book. That makes it easier for you. See a book you like, follow the link, and choose where you want to go.
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Can you give me some writing tips?I love sharing what I've learned over the years. When I started out, I didn't have someone helping me through the process, so there was a lot of trial and error. And then the days of computers and laptops rushed into existence. I was far into my writing before I was meeting others like me and I was learning fast at that point. There were so many things I didn't know that I didn't know lol. Because of this, I am always sharing tips on writing. The location depends on when I'm sharing the tip. Sometimes, I'll post something on Instagram and Facebook. Sometimes, I'll write something on my blog. You are more than welcome to follow either or both. FYI, you can follow my blogs without signing up for my emails and vica versa. They are separate entities on my site (same goes if you become a member of my site). I do not delete my blogs, so you can search my blog for any tips I've got on there. I enjoy participating in challenges on IG so some of the tips come from that. Follow me on IG if you want to see them as they are post. The same is true for my blog. You can also email me at ambergrosjeanwrite@hotmail.com if you'd like to ask me directly. If I don't know the answer, I'll ask around for you.
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Will you continue writing all books planned?I may change things as I work out the bumps and get my books recovered. I may drop some of my books. I haven't decided just yet. I will be sharing everything through my newsletters and blog so be sure to sign up for those.
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Can you write about me? Or can I tell you an idea to write about?I'm sorry, but no. I have enough planned stories that I don't need requests. I do love sharing ideas though so we can talk about them. If you have a great idea, you can also try writing it yourself. Some of the great writers in our world didn't know they had it in them. You could be one of them. You will never know what you are capable of doing if you don't try. So, give it a try. If you need help, that I CAN do. I'll share loads of tips on writing in my blog or on Instagram. And you're welcome to email me and ask questions about writing any time. My email is ambergrosjeanwrite@hotmail.com
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Do you put yourself into your stories?Yes. There is a little of me in every story I write. It could be a little of my personality, something from my past, etc. When I was writing Birth of a Witch, I created a character who "didn't love her child" taking some of it from my relationship with my mother. Of course, I exaggerated big time on that (my mother was not that bad) but it moved the story forward and gave something special to the plot. I used a lot of my past in A Mother's Pain. Some of the facts were twisted a little to fictionalize the story. I like playing around with different ideas and blending them together to make each character a piece of me or people I'm directly around. It makes the characters more real.
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What do you do when you're not writing?I like to crochet, although I haven't made anything since my youngest grandchild was born. Each of my grandchildren has a baby blanket that I crocheted. I enjoy playing games on my tablet. I prefer the types of games where you're not competing with each other, play at your own pace. I love movies. I grew up on them. I like most--true stories, horror, romance, comedy, science fiction, fantasy, etc. In December, I watch a lot of Christmas movies and in October, I watch a lot of horror movies. The first horror movie I saw was Nightmare on Elm Street, so Freddy has a special place in my heart lol. In movies, horror is my favorite. I love blood and gore lol. I can sit there and listen to music too. And of course, I sing along. Quietly, of course. I don't have the greatest singing voice lol. I'm good, just not that good. And I love to visit. I enjoy it when the kids drop by or a friend comes over. I almost forgot lol. I clean rooms at the hotel where I live. I also help with the front desk and do the laundry for the hotel. I stay busy either way.
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How do you come up with your ideas?A long time ago, I made a realization. Ideas are everywhere. You just have to keep your mind, eyes, and ears open to them. I've always had a vivid imagination so finding ideas were never really a problem. Its getting them to stop where the trouble lies lol. Seriously, though. Ideas have come from everywhere. One came from my daughter. One came from my husband's dream. I had an idea that came at me from a darkened alley. One hit me as I listened to a conversation. Another came from a movie that I was watching. "What if" is the biggest question I've always asked. It's helped me with plot ideas too. That one question can help with the entire story. Well, except picking out the names of the characters. That's the hard part lol. I know you didn't ask where the names come from but it does fit with that question. I used to take names from people I knew or heard of, Samantha and Tabetha both came from Bewitched. Those are two characters in Peterson Estate. I chose Maria because it's a Hispanic name and Alivia is Mexican. Today, I study names and try to choose them based on personality or the sound. I also use a website that helps in choosing names. A few are made up.
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Why did you change your pen name?I changed my pen name because Amazon was allowing other "sellers" to sell my book under their company and pocketing the sales minus Amazon's cut. I know it will be a challenge to move all of my books out of Amazon and republish under my new name, but it'll be worth it. Plus, using my real name will make it easier in the long run. No more switching gears. I am, after all, a writer/author 100% 24/7 in all that I do.
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How do you get through writer's block?Each block I've ever had in my writing career has been different. The sooner I was able to pin point why I was having the block, the quicker I was able to get through it. That's the hardest part. Sometimes, it was just a word which I had to look up. Sometimes, having the wrong beginning just had me dead in the water. That happened with Murder Through Time. The story was going great until I hit that wall. It took me like a week before I realized it was a false beginning and I had to reach deeper to find the right one. After that, I was able to go back where I left off and continue writing because I had more details that I didn't have before. Sometimes the plot isn't working and I had to change something. Sometimes, the characters just needed more. The more you know about the story, the better you're prepared to get through the blocks. I don't like knowing everything. The surprise of it all keeps me writing. I tried planning a story, but the outline was waisted when I began writing. The same goes when I tried planning who the killer was. It ruined the story for me and that killer had to be changed because it simply didn't work for the story. Plus the beta reader guessed too quickly. She told me who it was right away lol. That's why writing is an adventure. As long as I keep it that way, the blocks don't hit as often. It's when I start thinking when the blocks hit lol.
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Why did you write your autobiography?I had a story that needed to be told. I was bullied growing up and was used as a doormat by my family members. I always asked "why me" because at the time, I didn't understand. While I may not know why each person was cruel, I do know I had to experience it to become the writer and person I am today. Though the pain is still there, I understand why me now. Some of the things I experienced took writing my story to figure it out. It is my hope that I can help someone with my story. Someone who needs to understand "why me". Maybe I can help ease their pain and hopefully slow down bullies.
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Why do you create your covers and how did it began?When I first started out publishing the books myself, I was using Amazon's free covers. They were generic and didn't really tell my story very well. I couldn't afford to pay anyone to make a cover for me, so it left me one choice--I had to make them myself. I knew nothing when I first made the covers. And it showed. I was in a group on Facebook and people were discussing covers. I asked about it, and a woman took me under her wing. She made a cover for me (for free) and showed me the basics. Another woman made a different cover for me (I just had to write a review for it). After that, I got on Google and studied videos on YouTube and just kept learning. I also went to Amazon and looked at the covers in my genres to learn what I needed to learn. That all happened while I was writing under A.R. Grosjean. I'm still learning, but now I am creating a cover for another author and according to her editor, I hit the genre with my design! I may not be the greatest designer, but I AM having fun and enjoying the process.
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Why so many genres?I don't choose my stories, they choose me. Having said that, I don't like the idea of turning down a good idea just because of the genre (except Erotica--I don't write that). If a story comes to me and I like it, I'm going to write it. I don't think there has ever been a story that I started and didn't finish because I wasn't getting into it. I get pulled into the stories as if I was reading it for the first time, which is why I love writing at the seat of my pants (pantser). Not knowing what's around the corner pulls me to keep going! I'm a reader, learning about the story for the first time and its compels me to turn the page! That's why I write in so many genres. I love it!
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What's in your writing space?I am always changing things around, but this is one of the pictures I took of my space. The drawers are filled with things I use in and out of writing. I made the blocks with the help of my husband (Billy). I put them together, he spray-painted them. The bear was a gift for Mother's Day. The painting behind it, was something I did in art class when I was in school. All the mugs were gifts. I use them for storing pens and such. A few pictures--my grandmother, me as a baby, me and Billy when we started dating, another picture of me and Billy on the day we were married, one picture of Billy by himself, and all but one grandchild (the last one wasn't born yet). My planner is next to the laptop. I write everything down. Those sticky notes are used in the planner sometimes, but usually I make a note and stick it to the wall (not shown). Also not shown: Dry-erase calender, three dry-erase boards that I made using a picture frame, a couple baskets on the wall to store the dry-erase markers, and a cork board. Plus, I've got a lot of sticky notes on the wall so I don't forget something. I'm always forgetting things. The planner is a normal planner from the store. I use it for writing and my life outside of writing so everything is in one place. My word-count for the day, plans, and appointments. I have a few notebooks for note-taking for each book. I also have my books and other books written by Indie Authors who I consider friends. And who can live without colored pens? Not this woman lol.
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How do you handle rejection?I have a lot of practice being rejected. Outside of writing, it was hard and very painful. In writing, I am much stronger. I learned a long time ago, that it isn't personal. Publishers and agents do not know me, nor how the idea of the story changed me just from writing it. They didn't know that the ideas came from a piece of who I am. They couldn't possibly have known. It has been a very long time since I even sent a story to a publisher. That was by choice. When I got a rejection, I looked at my story and asked myself what I could change to make the story better. Then I finally got an acceptance letter and it made me cry more than the rejection letters did. This happy cry was one I had been waiting for, for a very long time. It took more than 20 years to get one. See, I didn't give up. Those rejection letters made me a better writer, a better person. You just have to take it one day at a time.
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Do you have free books?I do! I'm trying to write shorter stories in all genres that I write in. Obviously, this will take time. When the book is finished, it will be added to the books page with all the other books I've written and published. As of January 13th, I have 2 books available for free. Those are "Strange New World", and "My Writing Journey". They are only available in ebook form. Other titles will include "The Missing File", "Tomorrow", "A Line Between Friends", "They Come out at Night", and "When Animals Talk". My subscribers will be notified first as I include the books on the page. Then I will announce their release on social media. Occasionally, I will also share free ebooks in my newsletter. Because I've gone "wide", I don't have to be sneaky about this anymore so I may also include links for free ebooks within social media. It's always easier to follow me or subscribe to get this notice.
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What is your favorite written book?For the longest time, it was Peterson Estate. I had bonded with Emily Peterson more than any other character. I was 12 when we met. It's stll on the list as being one of my favorite stories, but the story that takes the top is Fairytale's Truth. It was a story that I took from my real life...well, the idea and the MC. Maria is exact replicate of my first grandchild, Alivia. Except for the age. She was 5 years old when the book came out, so I had to change her age. But her personality was given to Maria. When Maria hugs a tree, Alivia actually did it. My granddaughter had a rough beginning in her life and I wanted to give her something special so she had something to look back on and smile about. Making her a star of her own story was how I did that. My other favorites include Murder Through Time, and Song of the Bones and Sun.
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What was the first book you wrote? Is it published?The first full story I wrote was Peterson Estate. It had a different name back then. It started out as a short story called My Haunted Castle and I sent it to 17 Magazine. At the time, I didn't know they only publish stories about make-up and stuff. They did send me a letter telling me they liked the story and it was written well, but it wasn't for them. They wished me luck. This encouraged me and did confirm what I already thought was true. I sat down and pushed within myself to keep writing, making the story better and longer. I changed the name to Mysteries of the Peterson Estate. For the longest time, this was the only story I sent to publishers. I wanted to be known for this type of story. Over the years, I wound up losing the book and the books that I wrote for the series for it. I had a total of 7 finished stories, all around 60K words. I'm guessing on the word count. I tossed out my notes for the story. Then, years later, the MC came to my dreams and begged me to tell her story. I rewrote the story from memory and changed the title to Peterson Estate. It was later finally accepted by a publisher. I traditionally published another story before taking the risk for being an Indie Author. I republished the few books I had and began my new life publishing on my own. That was when I became A.R. Grosjean. I had no regrets. Still don't. 30 books later, I decided to change my pen name again. Again, no regrets.
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How long will this take?I'm not sure how long it will take to work things out. There are so many things to change and create. I will slowly unpublish the books as I work them in. There won't be any more books under the old (A.R. Grosjean) name. As I publish new books, the old one will have new covers and reformatted. It will take a while, I imagine.
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Who are you?As a writer? I think of writing as an adventure. I am a writer who loves to explore, so I write in most genres. I love fantasy and science fiction the most because the rules are more flexible. Rules were made to be broken though, right? So I guess I'm a rulebreaker. I've already broken one rule--writers write one or two genres. I write a lot lol. I also enjoy paranormal, romance, mystery, thriller, women's fiction, non-fiction, some comedy, etc. I do not write adult-oriented stories. That means sex will either be behind doors or there won't be any mention of it at all. Some books do have swearing. I like combining genres as well. Some stories may have a touch of romance but won't be in that category. Or there may be a little mystery in there somewhere. Who knows? I write what the characters tell me to write lol. As a person? I've been bullied and teased, so I know how badly words can hurt. I show compassion and am passionate in certain areas of my life. I believe if you're going to do something, you have to put 100% into it. That means going a little overboard at times. I'm as flexible outside of writing as I am in it. I love different types of music including country, R&B, alternative, pop, Christian Rock, etc. The same goes for movies. I love a good movie and will watch a lot of those in my spare time. I live in a hotel so I know how to make use of small spaces. I think vertical rather than horizontal. Shelves make great storage when you don't have much space. I love to create. I like to crochet. It's been a while since I made something, but the yarn is there just in case. I can be sensitive, giving and receiving. I love to laugh, but I don't hurt anyone to make myself feel better. Like a lot of people, I do procrastinate.