Question 1

Why did you change your pen name?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

How long will this take?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

Will you continue writing all books planned?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

Where will your books be found?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

Do you have free books?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

What do you do when you're not writing?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

Why do you create your covers and how did it begin?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

What was the first book you wrote? Is it published?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 9

What is your favorite written book?

Accepted Answer

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.

The full list:
Fairytale's Truth
Birth of a Witch (Peterson Estate, book 1)
Glimpse of Murder
Murder Through Time
Farmer Takes a Wife
Song of the Bones and Sun
Heart of Thirst
Buried House

Question 10

Can you write about me? Or can I tell you an idea to write about?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

How do you handle rejection?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 12

How do you come up with your ideas?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 13

How do you get through writer's block?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 14

What's in your writing space?

Accepted Answer

Here's a picture. Below are all the things in this space...
 
*This has been updated on 8/25/2025...
I am always changing things around, but this is one of the pictures I took of my space.

If you didn't know, I live in a hotel room, so space is limited. I used to be in the back of the room, by the bathroom, but now I'm in the front of the room, which now feels bigger but less private. Before, no one sat in my private space, but now Billy will sit in my chair. He doesn't touch anything in my space, but I still keep it clean. Usually.

Shown:
Starting from the left--the orange wall. My memory has been getting worse, which totally sucks, so I keep a lot of notes everywhere. On the wall, I have several picture frames that I'm using as "dry-erase" boards. I learned how to do that from watching a DIY video (love those!). One frame lists my books releasing in order with the dates, so I don't have to keep searching. The frame below it lists the books in order that I'm writing them. Two frames have "notes" for newsletters and publishing. And one frame is for the current project, where I jot down notes that I need on a whim. Then I have my calendar, which is for writing and day-to-day living. The corkboard is just to pin things to for things I don't want to lose, keeps them handy so I don't forget about them. Everything else is decoration.

Below all that stuff on the orange wall, you might be able to see some of the small cubes that I got from the Dollar Store (some came from Walmart), each for around a dollar. The row of books I wrote. Some are under A.R. Grosjean (I'm not ordering the new copies even though they are all getting republished under this new name). I've got my wifi box and collection of gel pens next to the books. Below that "shelf" is a collection of things that I didn't want to throw away, like batteries, my "Nana" mugs, which are filled with small things, and other things. Next to my desk are a few more of those crates that I decorated and have my medicine so it's hidden, but I still see it when I'm sitting at my desk, so I don't forget to take it.

On the desk itself, I've got two organizers. Inside those are my highlighter pens for my planner, more gel pens, a book for my list of published books to keep straight where they are available, and a few other things that I didn't want in drawers. My laptop is centered with my planner and book of notes to the left. And on the right, I had a drawer set where I hide more stuff lol. Then there's the printer on a drawer unit that's always been by the door. I made it part of my space.

The top part of the desk, I made with cardboard. It's two boxes (flattened) and put together like a door. The inside part is put together in a "honeycomb" design to give it strength. I wrapped it in shelf liner to match the rest of the room. It is held up by 4 crate boxes (two on each side) that are filled with my "stuff". Underneath, where I keep my feet, I have crafts and my toolbox. It's out of the way that way.

I think that covers everything.

Question 15

Why did you write your autobiography?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 16

Why so many genres?

Accepted Answer

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!

Question 17

Do you put yourself into your stories?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 18

Can you give me some writing tips?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 19

You picked up more writing. Does that get overwhelming?

Accepted Answer

So far, it hasn't. I've been pushing myself to see what my mind is capable of doing. Plus, I set deadlines for my books to keep me on my toes. So far, I've met those deadlines and finished those stories ahead of schedule. Each year, I surprise myself. So, this year, I've been pushing a little more. The words have always flowed and when I'm not writing, the scenes keep playing out in my head. If I sat on my stories, I would keep changing them, not really editing per se. I did that when I first started writing. I wasn't really making the story better, I was just shifting things around to say the same thing I already said. I learned a lot back then and I'm still learning. That will never change--it's how we grow. So, today, I write it and then edit--making what I write better. Yes, I may change things a little as they are edited, but it's not the same thing as what I did before. I'm so much better now.

I do get overwhelmed in other areas of my life though. I wish I could be stronger in those areas. I really don't know how I'm able to be such a strong person when I'm writing. It's like I'm a totally different person and I'm comfortable with who I am. Maybe that's what it is--simple and true just being comfortable with being a writer. By George, I think I figured it out! Now if I could carry that through the rest of my life, I'd be awesome. That would be the coolest thing--being confident in all areas of my world. Like I said, I'm a work in progress.

Question 20

Are your books in Audiobook form?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Most of them anyway. All of the books that were narrated can be found through ACX (Audible) and Amazon. I will not be getting them redone, so the first 25-something will have my old pen name on them. In case you didn't know, that pen name was A.R. Grosjean. The men and women who narrated them put too much work into them for me to redo them. I have respect for these people. It isn't easy to record perfect audio, and they all did an awesome job!

The first book that was recorded under this pen name is Buried House. The others came after. Some of them cool sound effects were added in, so those took extra time to finish (Magical Expansion is one of them).

So, if you do prefer audiobooks, keep an ear out for them. They will be linked under the book when they are available. I have one link per book, so everything is shared under that one link.

Thank you!!

Question 21

Why did you change your logo and brand design?

Accepted Answer

To make a long story short, my brand really didn't say who I was as an author or a person in general so I sent out to discover everything I could. The full story can be found in this section of my website. https://ambergrosjeanwrite.wixsite.com/home/about#more-about-author

(this was added on Aug 25, 2025)

Question 22

What is your writing routine like?

Accepted Answer

I'm not sure I really have a "routine". First, whatever book I am working on at the moment, I keep it on the bottom of the laptop, so when I am ready to write or edit, I just click and open the file. This speeds things up for me so I'm not thinking too much about anything.

Before I write, I usually read the last paragraph and immediatly start typing. If for some reason, I can't get my fingers to work, I may read further up the page to figure out my train of thought for the scene. Usually those two work and I'm back to writing.

With editing, I don't like ending mid-chapter, so I will complete the chapter before stopping so when I get back to the editing process, I just have to begin with the next chapter.

When I am finished working on the writing project, I cannot stop mid-sentence. I've tried it before and I completely lose what I was going for. That means, if I get called away for something (even if its just to answer a question), I have to finish the sentence before I can move away from the story. If I choose a stopping point, I would prefer to end when I feel like I've reached the end of a chapter, so when I do return, there's no guess work. Lately, chapter breaks signal a scene break or a big lapse of time, so that helps. I can pretty much start with a new idea for the beginning of the chapter. When I edit, I will fix those areas that feel jarring.

I prefer quiet when I'm writing.
I like writing at night when people are sleeping, but I can write during the day. Lately, I've been writing at different times of day.
I don't take breaks often but when I do, it's usually a few days to get my mind back on track. Or I may be thinking of the next scene that will be difficult and I need that extra time to come up with something to put the character through. I can be a stinker that way lol. Normally, I do follow the character's lead though, giving them the first chance to make a move. If they take the story astray, I take charge to put them back in line lol.

I am an open-minded person through and through. I like keeping things that way...

Frequently asked questions