In Episode 161, author Amanda Peters joins me to discuss her surprise hit novel, The Berry Pickers. This debut novel (which was the 2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Pick) seamlessly blends sadness and heartwarming moments. In our chat, Amanda shares what (or who) started her on this journey, the road to publication, and what she hopes readers take away from her first novel. Plus, Amanda shares some great book recommendations!

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• A brief, spoiler-free overview of The Berry Pickers.
• How Amanda's family history shaped the story.
• Amanda's journey from book concept to securing an agent and getting published.
• Recognition as a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick for both November and 2023 overall.
• How Amanda's life has changed in the wake of the book's runaway success.
• What it's like to be an introverted author on tour.
• Amanda's decision to focus on character journeys rather than presenting the book as a typical mystery.
• Examining the topic of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
• The recurring theme of the unconscious mind's ability to remember trauma.
• The role of self-forgiveness and how difficult that can be.
• A glimpse into what's next for Amanda, including a collection of short stories and a new manuscript.

Amanda's Book Recommendations [25:28]

Two OLD Books She Loves

• A Burning by Megha Majumdar | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:12]
• The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:55]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Truth Telling by Michelle Good | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:28]
• We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr (expected US release October 8, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:24]
• Other Books Mentioned:
  • Five Little Indians by Michelle Good [42:08]
  • Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr [30:42]

One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About

• Fire Exit by Morgan Talty (June 4, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:29]
• Other Books Mentioned:
  • Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty [32:40]

Last 5-Star Book Amanda Read

• Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:32]

Other Books Mentioned

• A Burning by Megha Majumdar [5:16]
• Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah [10:06]
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. [21:19]
• Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Amanda Peters (expected publication August 13, 2024) [24:11]

About Amanda Peters

Website | Instagram

Amanda Peters is a writer of Mi'kmaq and settler ancestry. Her debut novel, The Berry Pickers is the Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction, the 2023 Barnes & Noble Discovery Prize Winner, and was shortlisted for the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year and the Atwood Gibson Fiction Award from the Writers Trust of Canada. Her work has also appeared in the Antigonish Review, Grain Magazine, the Alaska Quarterly Review, the Dalhousie Review and Filling Station Magazine. She is the winner of the 2021 Indigenous Voices Award for Unpublished Prose and a participant in the 2021 Writers' Trust Rising Stars program. Amanda is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts Program at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has a Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto.