I grew up near Pennsylvania Amish country and began writing while living in San Francisco.

Odd bits of information, like historical footnotes, often turn into stories.

A museum exhibit sparked "Mud," in Terra! Tara! Terror. WWI was mechanized slaughter, a "modern" war with tanks and planes, but also cavalry charges! Imperial War Museum photos show soldiers with dogs and cats, which killed rats in the trenches, and boosted the men's morale. Dogs were trained to carry messages, lay communications wire, and haul machine guns. Animals were decorated. My grandfather told stories about the horses and mules used in WWI.

Genealogy prompted "My Jack" in Flame Tree's Urban Crime. My great- and great-great-grandmothers emigrated from London, England in 1886.

Recently read: Salt, by Mark Kurlansky, the saga of that common substance; Heretics: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy, a graphic novel by Steven and Ben Nadler. The Library Book by Susan Orlean, and lots by Jody Picoult!

Amber Newberry is the Editor-in-Chief of FunDead Publications, and she writes as often as the muse gives her opportunity. She published her first novel, 'Walls of Ash', in 2012, and released a follow-up novella called 'The Widow's Blessing'. She is currently working on the second novel in the Daughters of Rhineholt Series: 'The Masque and the Mausoleum'.

Amber has published short stories in 'Shadows in Salem', as well as 'O Horrid Night'. She currently has two young adult novels in the works. Amber lives in Salem, MA, where it's Halloween all year 'round. She spends most of her extra time writing, planning insane theme parties, and getting tattoos. Amber is married to her very own bard, and together they've raised three beautiful fur-babies.