Around the Region

Sangerville native pens her first novel in ‘dystopia trilogy’

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

NE-Thome-DCX-PO-17    SAN ANTONIO — During Amanda Howard’s high school years at Foxcroft Academy, one of her favorite books was George Orwell’s “1984” which is considered the most popular dystopian novel of all time.
    The setting of “1984” was the mythical state named Oceania during a period of perpetual war and unrelenting government surveillance. “Big Brother” was the driving force in the novel and movie, and is used to describe excessive government surveillance even today.
    “I kept an eye out for other dystopian novels,” she recalled. “But in the back of my mind, I always wanted to write my own.”

NE-ThomeRuin-S-DCX-PO-17

    Today, Amanda Howard is Amanda Thome, full-time physical therapist and author of “Worlds Apart: Ruination,” the first novel of a trilogy about a society where a single decision can chart your course in life forever.
    “Ruination’s” heroine, Vanessa Hollins, has to make life-changing choices like these: “If everything came down to a test, could you handle it? Could you accept your fate and leave the ones you love behind or would you risk a war and stay?”
    Thome, a Sangerville native who now lives in Texas, began writing “Ruination” two years ago. Holding a full-time job and writing a novel proved to be quite a challenge.
    But now that her husband, Clinton, is completing his residency in anesthesiology, she said she has plenty of time alone. “Of course, I miss him because of the long hours he has to put in,” she said. “But it’s the perfect environment for a writer. Once in a while, you need time to be alone with your thoughts.”
    Thome also noted that her co-workers “were really supportive. One of the things about writing is that you try to seek input from your peers. So I gave drafts of the novel to five of my close friends,” she said. “It’s amazing how well it worked. I’m so lucky to have family and friends to help me get started.”
    Thome gradually migrated to the Lone Star State after her undergraduate work at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania and her graduate work at Columbia University. She plans to return to Maine either in August or September to visit family and friends and hopes to convince some local businesses to stock “Ruination.”
    “It’s available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other online retailers and you can get it on Kindle, Nook, hard copy and paperback,” Thome said.
    Her preference? “I may be old school, but there’s something about holding a hard-cover book that really speaks to me,” she said.
    For a video of the book trailer and a synopsis, visit www.worldsaparttrilogy.wix.com/ruination.

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