Terry Tyler: Bill Bryson

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

The Z Files: Rachel Amphlett ~ Sagittarius

Astrology ~ a bit of fun, a load of rubbish, or something to take seriously?

I invited around 70 writers/bloggers to write a piece about how typical they are of their sign, and how its traits affect their writing life ~ if at all...

Has your favourite writer been featured yet? Links to all previous posts at the end of this one :)

Zipping over on a long haul flight from Australia, in true Sagittarian traveller mode (in fact, her Twitter bio says 'traveller at heart'!), is thriller and suspense author Rachel Amphlett. Rachel's new book, Three Lives down, is now available for pre-order HERE, or on Nook, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iTunes ~ sadly no link for the last one as I haven't got a clue how to find things on there! I've bought it recently, as someone who has already read it told me that it's stunningly good ~ watch my book review blog :)

Now, Rachel, please take the pack off your back and tell us what being a Sagittarius, that most fortunate and optimistic of signs, is like for you ~

"I laughed when I read the opening line to this one. (NB: Rachel refers to the list of traits I sent to all contributors)

"From playing in a band, to running a pub, to starting a new career in radio, to emigrating halfway round the world from the UK to Australia, to starting another new career as an author – yeah, that takes optimism, and a sense of adventure.

It helps to keep a sense of humour, too, especially when life isn’t so much handing you lemons as chucking well-aimed ones at your head.

Am I a philosopher? I definitely think too much, and crave the stimulation that comes from learning new skills.

To me ‘carefree’ sounds a bit too irresponsible; I’m more of a calculated risk-taker. I like to weigh up all my options, do my homework, and then pick the best one. I never purchase anything on impulse. OK, maybe the odd guitar or book…"

"I’d like to think that I’m generous and sincere. People that know me understand that if they’ve got me for a friend, they’ve got me as a friend for life. I’ll fight their corner for them, help them out of a tight spot wherever possible, and am usually the one they turn to for a shoulder to cry on, and I wouldn’t change any of that for the world.

Finally, I do think I have an eagerness for life and everything it chucks at me. I love the fact I can go anywhere, do anything, whenever I want. I think too many of us forget sometimes how lucky we are to be able to have that freedom."

The last sentence is very Sagittarianly philosophical, of course :) You can follow Rachel on Twitter and read about her suspenseful thrillers on her website ~ ooh, look, and when you click on, you can claim a free copy of her book, Under Fire!

Rachel's new book, Three Lives Down.