Amanda Brainerd

Amanda Brainerd lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, blocks from where she grew up, and attended The Nightingale-Bamford School before going on to graduate from Harvard College and Columbia Architecture. Age of Consent is her first novel.

Twitter: @anerdbrain

Instagram: @amandabrainerdauthor

Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?

The Conformist, Dressed to Kill.

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?

David Bowie, but no music when I write.

What’s your favorite comic strip or graphic novel?

Tin Tin.

Favorite non-reading activity?

Writing.

Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?

A few pages.

Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?

Old Man and his Grandson by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Louvre, and yes.

Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?

City. Learn about another culture.

Is there another profession you would like to try?

Baker.

Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?

1980s matchbooks

What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?

I am a writer first. Once I finish something I become an author.

If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?

Martyrdoms.

What do you worry about?

Being laughed at.

What brings you great joy?

My family.

What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story about your life?

My Stephen Sprouse peace sign dress from 1984.

Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?

French. Yes, and no, it does not influence my writing.