T.K. Ambers

When T.K. Ambers was a student at Eau Claire’s North High, she spent every free moment she had writing, ducking into empty classrooms or the lunchroom to jot down a few words. “Ms. Bollinger told me I should be published, and her belief in me is what pushed me forward with publishing this book. She helped me realize my passion,” Ambers said, reflecting back on one of her junior high teachers. Even today when she goes camping, Ambers will bring along her laptop or journal. “There is something about the fresh air and the peacefulness of the woods that just makes me feel relaxed and want to create,” she said

Ambers’ suspenseful new novel, Runway Dreams: A Black & White Affair, tells the story of Bernadette “Bernie” Price, a professional model who meets the handsome Martin Day on an online dating site. The two quickly marry, and Martin proves a danger to Bernadette and her close-knit family from the get-go. “No one wants to believe it is real,” Ambers said. “Denial is a huge part of my story.”

Ambers has seen the impact of abuse. In college, she completed an internship at a shelter for teen girls in Minnesota. “Before the experiences with the shelter, I had no idea how common abuse could be,” she said. In Runway Dreams, the gravity of domestic abuse is countered by the warm and close relationship Bernie has with her brother and sister. Ambers wanted to create a story that had a very real problem, but also had characters who could be silly and light-hearted.

While she has written short stories and poetry, Runway Dreams is Ambers’s first published novel. The writing and critiquing process took about three years. Ambers has “the bones” written up for two more books. One is a fantasy novel, and the other is a possible sequel to Runway Dreams, although Ambers isn’t entirely sure which way that novel will go. 

Runway Dreams is available for presale from the publisher at Blackrosewriting.com, and will be available online at both Barnes & Noble and Amazon in late March. A release and book signing party will be held  April 14 at The Ivory Piano Bar, 2526 Golf Road, Eau Claire. More details can be found on Ambers’s author page, Facebook.com/HappilyWriting.