An Interview with Amy Safford

Amy Safford’s articles and essays have appeared in Soul Magazine, Mythology Journal, Mind Prose, Write a Catalyst, and other publications. Goode Vibrations of the Wresting Place is her debut novel. She taught English composition at the University of New England and was a contributing writer to Coastal Fish of Southern Maine and New Hampshire, published by Wells Reserve & Laudholm Trust. Her alma maters include Boston University’s College of Communication and University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program. She is the former executive director of the Maine Psychological Association and lives in Southern Maine.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

In high school English, I was introduced to New England poets like Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. My whole view on life changed after that; I fell in love with poetry. I remember we had an assignment to write a poem in the style of Edgar Allen Poe, so I wrote something quite dark, and the teacher read it to the class. I was rather embarrassed hearing my poem (my underground thoughts) shared aloud but also thrilled and captivated by the power of language.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I’ve always been fascinated by the vibrations animals can pick up on, especially with strangers. When I started thinking about “Good Vibrations” as a possible working title, I read that the Beach Boys frontman, Brian Wilson, came up with the song name after talking with his mother about people and animals giving off different energies, or vibrations. By naming my main character Penelope Goode, I had a new twist on an interesting title, phenomenon, and story theme.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

When readers and people I’ve never met before told me how much they enjoyed the novel, it all felt very real and reassuring.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Well, that’s easy! But seriously, “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, “Mandinka” by Sinead O’Connor, “Fell in Love with a Girl” by the White Stripes, “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, “I Put a Spell on You” by Nina Simone, “Dog and the Butterfly” by Heart (a very eclectic mix, as you can see).

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

I hope readers have a better understanding of what it means to be exiled, or forcibly removed, from a place or a land they loved, a place that gave identity and meaning and life. We’re all intimately connected to the lands we come from.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on the next book in the Goode Vibrations series, each story about a different episode in history, unearthing our shared past for a better future.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.