How an English class helped jumpstart a writing career
Ever since she was young, Amber Clement loved to tell stories through art. She had a passion for drawing and saw herself becoming a comic book artist one day.
As she looked at universities, Indiana University Northwest stuck out — it was close to home and had an art program perfect for honing her craft. But she soon found that visual art wasn’t her only talent after taking a writing class with IU Northwest English Professor William Allegrezza.
“I took a fiction writing class with Professor Allegrezza, and I realized I loved writing,” Clement said. “He said I was a very talented writer and suggested that I should write a novel.”
The following summer, Clement started working on her book. She picked up a creative writing minor to complement her graphic design major and continued putting pen to paper.
Now, Clement’s hard work is paying off in a big way. Her debut novel, Fortune’s Kiss, will be released in November by Union Square & Co., a prominent publisher owned by Barnes & Noble.
The novel centers on two best friends who enter a gambling den and get caught up in a dangerous game called Lotería. Early praise for the book calls it “seductive, haunting and beautiful.”
The story holds significant meaning for Clement going back to her childhood. Lotería isn’t entirely fictional — Clement has fond memories of playing the card game with her grandmother.
“As a little kid, I was fascinated by the cards, with each having its own magic. Making Lotería into a deadly game really appealed to me,” Clement said. “I think it was almost like fate the way it happened.”
If you ask Allegrezza, Clement’s success isn’t because of luck or a twist of fate. Rather, it’s due to continued hard work and grit.
“Amber writes a lot,” Allegrezza said. “She is persistent. She works on stories, frets over plotlines and worries over characters. Once she graduated college, she researched how to get published and kept at it.”
After graduating in 2017, Clement continued to stay in touch with Allegrezza, asking for feedback and advice on how to land a book deal.
“He was very encouraging with my writing,” Clement said. “If I hadn’t had that encouragement from him, I might have given up.”
From Allegrezza’s point of view, Clement was always poised to succeed. He said she stood out right away in class and created imaginative stories that far exceeded word count requirements.
“She was so excited about writing stories that it was a pleasure to work with her,” Allegrezza said. “She came in with energy and a drive to write.”
Over the years, Allegrezza has been proud to see Clement and many other students become published authors. “Our students are wonderful and can achieve great success. Their success feels like a vindication of my belief in them,” he said.
Clement has proven that, with enthusiasm and drive, wishes can become reality. In fact, this is one of Fortune’s Kiss’s key themes.
“In real life, there are a lot of people with big wishes, but they don’t always go our way,” she said. “I want Fortune’s Kiss to show there’s always hope things can work out.”
So, whether you’re playing Lotería with grandma or drafting your first assignment for fiction writing class, keep in mind that a win is always in the cards.
