The Black Hour Lori Rader-Day Choose one book to wave in front of the camera? No pressure. I considered bringing my original copies of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, both of them with my name written in giant, elementary school cursive inside the front cover. Or a book from Lois Duncan, Agatha Christie, or Mary Higgins Clark, the three women who turned me into a mystery reader. Or a copy of one of the books that helped me find the kinds of stories I wanted to write: Flannery O’Connor, Annie Proulx, Gillian Flynn. I really went through the shelves for this. But of course the book that changed my life the most is the one I wrote. The Black Hour came out last year, the culmination of a lifetime of dreams and about eight years of real commitment, actual put-up-or-shut-up: writing, revising, connecting, and now, at Printers Row, promoting and selling. Before The Black Hour, I wanted to be an author. Now, I am. Being published doesn’t solve all your problems, but it’s rewarding to talk to readers, and now I get to be the one to encourage other writers.
This House: The True Story of a Girl and Ghost by Amelia Cotter (that's me) This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost tells the story of my childhood encounter with a ghost in a beautiful and mysterious abandoned house. It’s a story about our adolescent desire for adventure and to be loved, and the fervor for living we experience as we grow up and discover the wonders, joys, and tragedies of life. This book reminds me of what a brave little explorer I was and should still strive to be. But most importantly, this book reminds me that the foundation for a life well-lived is love.
