We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Hughes, “Mandy”. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mandy below.

Mandy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Haint Blue Creative® was born from a vision. One day after work about a decade ago I went for a walk at the park, Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a quaint little island connected to the mainland by a causeway. While walking the causeway, the wind in my hair and the seagulls cackling over the water, I was considering what I might write next. I had just finished my first novel and was ready to get started on something else, but I didn’t have a clue what.

As if in a vision, a woman appeared in my mind. She was older, with dark skin and long silver braids. She was sitting on a porch hunched over a table, and on the table were a selection of tarot cards: the Knight of Wands, The High Priestess, the Five of Swords, and the Queen of Cups. I remember stopping mid-stride and saying aloud. “Tarot cards?!” I’d never touched a tarot deck before! Why in the world would I have a thought like that?!

The woman in my vision was Pinkie Perideaux, “Ms. Pinkie,” one of my main characters in my duology THE SCARS WE CHOOSE. After that day, I somehow knew I was supposed to learn who she was and what those cards meant. And so, I did just that. I bought my first Smith-Waite deck and started researching. Then I used the cards to finish writing my book series, which took several years from that moment by the water to the publishing of Book Two. I even included the cards I “saw” in the story.

After publishing, I learned that several of my readers were also writers who worked with the tarot, but they had never thought about using the cards to enhance their writing. Inspired to help my fellow storytellers, I began Haint Blue Creative®, a space for readers to explore, learn, and create. I offer books that haunt the heart and storyteller resources to help elevate writing and publishing.

Mandy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In my more than thirty years as a storyteller and visual designer, I have written and designed over a dozen works of literary, Southern Gothic, and women’s fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee.

I am the founder of Haint Blue Creative®, a space for readers and storytellers to explore, learn, and create. I hold a Bachelor and Master of Science in Psychology, and I have worked as an instructional designer for nearly twenty years.

When I’m not writing fiction, I enjoy the movies, theater, music, traveling, nature walks, birdwatching, and binging “The Office.” I am a tarot enthusiast who uses the cards to enhance creativity and foster wellness. I live in Georgia with my husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit my website at haintbluecreative.com and follow me on Instagram @haintbluecreative.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission, in both my life and my creative work, is to be fearless and authentic. This endeavor has been a tumultuous journey, as I’ve had the tendency to worry about what people think of me and the work I do. As I’ve aged, however, I’ve grown braver around what I write and publish, and I’m increasingly empowered by my readers and fellow storytellers to write from a place of honesty, no matter what anyone else thinks about my experiences, interests, or plot lines.

Similarly, when I began using tarot cards, I was deeply concerned with the negative stigma they attracted—Hollywood has a tendency to perpetuate stereotypes—and I endeavored to debunk misperceptions around the cards through offering ideas for practical application and writing inspiration. It’s my mission to remain brave, share my authentic voice, and empower other storytellers to do the same.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The process of using art and words to create a moving experience for readers and storytellers, to me, feels like making magic. Margaret Atwood said it best, “A word after a word after a word is power.” Weaving stories with relatable, nuanced characters and encouraging others to do the same are the most rewarding aspects of being an artist and storyteller.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.haintbluecreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haintbluecreative/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haintbluecreative/
• Other: Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/stores/A.-Lee-Hughes/author/B081X9M3ZM Substack: https://substack.com/@haintbluecreative Threads: https://www.threads.net/@haintbluecreative

Image Credits
All photo images are credited to me, Haint Blue Creative®