When I first saw the above image, it was a bit strange for me to see a quartet of little Ami-s staring out from the cover art of my forthcoming memoir. It didn’t take long though, to realize that with a handful of black-eyed Susans and a kindergarten portrait from the 1970s, designer Kelly Hill had perfectly captured the spirit of the book. (As she always does.) Who’s that girl? I’d just turned five when I started kindergarten at Perry-Worth Elementary. I couldn’t wait to start school. I was learning to play the piano like my big sister, Lori, and …
Category: The Witches of New York
Some people have been asking, “Why is Half Spent Was the Night so short? The simple answer is: “Because it was never meant to be long.” What I’d set out to do, from the very start, was write a short Yuletide tale—in the tradition of a Dickensian Christmas story, but with witches instead of ghosts. I’d wanted to create something different: —a small little book that could be tucked away in a pocket, —a tale that could be read in one sitting, either alone or aloud with friends by a crackling fire or dancing candlelight, —a story filled with ancient …
So I’ve written a little tale that will appear mid-October (because a certain magical raven didn’t want to stop talking, even when I repeatedly told him I had a different book to write.) “I have unfinished business,” he said. “Can’t it wait?” I asked. “No,” he insisted. I don’t want to give too much away, but as you can see from the beautiful cover art, the Witches of New York are back, along with Perdu in a Yuletide story that to me sits somewhere between A Christmas Carol and a Dr. Who Christmas special. I’ve always adored short stories that …
The discussion questions posted below are for use by book clubs and individual readers alike. (SPOILER ALERT – the discussion questions focus on various characters, themes and plot points of the novel, The Witches of New York. If you haven’t read the book and don’t wish to have anything revealed ahead of time…don’t read past this point.) Description of the Novel: From the publishers: In the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, comes a new novel from historical fiction maven Ami McKay that transports readers to the heart of Victorian New York, where three witches practice their craft—to the …
I’ll be ushering in autumn this year by attending Hal-Con…as an author! In years past, I’ve gone to “the biggest, geekiest sci-fi convention in Atlantic Canada” with my family and had a total blast, so I’m SUPER excited to be one of this year’s featured authors. Of course I also have a ton of burning questions…Which Kiki’s Delivery Service t-shirt do I wear? How do I keep my cool while fan-girling over Tamora Pierce? What’s my limit when it comes to buying new D&D dice? Hopefully I’ll get that all figured out before I go. If you’re headed to Hal-Con, …
In certain circles in the 19th century, drinking tea was considered a dangerous habit. More specifically, working class women were discouraged from engaging in the practice because if they were taking time from their daily chores to congregate around a pot of tea, it could only mean that they were up to no good. In short: “Sipping tea was once thought of as a reckless, suspicious act, linked to revolutionary feminism.” (Alison Aubrey, for npr.org) No wonder I love it so! My love affair with tea began in my early 20’s. Up to that point, I hadn’t given it much …