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Amy Hill Hearth

American nonfiction writer and novelist, Peabody Award-winning journalist, and New York Times bestselling author. 

Amy's Blog: 'One Author's Life'

A Novel's Character Talks to a Wild Bird: Peculiar, or Charming?

November 4, 2015
Do you ever talk to wild birds or animals (or critters, as we say in the South)?

I thought this was an unusual hobby until I was in Florida last week, when I flat-out asked people. I was surprised at the number – one out of every ten, I would venture to guess – who raised  Read More 

Dogs Can Teach Us How to Live

October 21, 2015
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love dogs. My current dog is a very small Boston Terrier named Miss Dot, who serves as my writing companion when she isn’t busy telling me what to do.

To me, a house does not feel like a home without a dog. When  Read More 
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The Upside (and Downside) of a Protected Childhood

October 7, 2015
We came home from church and were still in our Sunday best. My two older brothers raced upstairs to change. Mom headed for the kitchen. My sister and I were in the living room with Dad when he turned on the TV to check the news – not a habit in our family, but then again, the previous few days had been unlike any others.  Read More 
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The Delany Sisters' Favorite Beverage Treat

September 24, 2015
Fans of my first book, the 1993 oral history, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100, may recall that the centenarian Delany Sisters’ favorite beverage treat was something called a “Boston cooler.”

What is a Boston Cooler, you ask?

It’s an ice cream soda similar to a root-beer float, except it’s  Read More 

A Special Cake for a Book Birthday!

September 8, 2015
When you’re writing a book, the publication date seems so far in the future.

And then, suddenly, it’s here.

Today is publication day for my new novel, Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County, which I started writing 730 days (or two years) ago.

I’m relieved, ecstatic, and a little  Read More 

Trying to Hang onto Summer? Make a Key Lime Pie

August 26, 2015
When I was a newspaper reporter, I knew a novice food writer who got the assignment of her dreams from a big magazine: She was to travel throughout the South in search of the best Key Lime Pie. It seems the distinctive flavorings of Key Lime Pie have inspired epic struggles about the “right”  Read More 

Lets Talk about Grits!

August 12, 2015
The release date for my novel, Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County, is just around the corner – September 8. I’m celebrating by sharing recipes of yummy dishes and desserts mentioned in the book, which is set in Florida during the 1960s. Today’s recipe is for Collier County “Guilty Pleasure” Cheese Grits. Special thanks to my husband, Blair, who grew up in Collier during that era, for his dutiful assistance in helping me re-create these recipes. Read More 

When Baking Brings Back Memories

July 29, 2015
One of the most popular desserts of the 1960s was Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. The way I remember it, there rarely seemed to be a gathering where someone didn’t bring one, and church suppers often featured two or three. At home, my mom sometimes made one when it was her turn to host her  Read More 

New Video! (Also known as a "Book Trailer")

July 15, 2015
A book trailer (or short video) is a way for an author to connect with her readers and let them know what her book is about.

At 5 minutes and 49 seconds, my new one is a little longer than most. While it focuses on my new book, we found it necessary to provide some context  Read More 

The Lazy Days of Summer: Where Did They Go?

July 3, 2015
One of the saddest moments when you’ve become an adult is when you realize that summer is not what it used to be.

Gone are the days of playing hopscotch, climbing trees, and getting on your mother’s nerves.

Gone are the days when the only deadline is getting home in time for  Read More 
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