Ami McKay Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Ami McKay describes the series of coincidences that led her to create The Virgin Cure and shares the experiences she had while writing this book.

Coincidence? I think not.

After you've finished writing a novel, there comes a moment when you decide to pack up the notebooks, index cards, and sticky notes you've scattered through your life for the past few years and bid them a fond farewell. It's a bittersweet process to be sure, but it's also a time of excitement, because (if you're lucky) there's a new idea sitting in the back of your head waiting to find its way to the page. Before I put it all away, there's a story I'd like to share, a story about the importance of accepting what comes your way and then choosing to dig a bit deeper.

My journey to writing The Virgin Cure began with the simple, personal act of tracing my family history. Even as a child, I'd been curious about what was lurking between the roots of my family tree and would often beg my parents and grandparents to tell me everything they knew about my relatives, people I affectionately called "the dearly."

The life of my great-great grandmother, Dr. Sarah Fonda Mackintosh had always been of interest to me and it was her story that led me visit dusty archives and search out census records in hopes of learning more about her past. There was no trace of her left in my family's personal papers - no journals, no ...