Please Welcome...

Amy Puetz!

Welcome to Homeschool Authors Amy.  First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hello, Sarah. It’s such an honor to be here! I graduated from homeschooling in 2000. My homeschooling journey began in the eighth grade. Up to that point I had been attending Christian schooling. All of my teachers had been wonderful, but inside I was an angry kid who had built up walls to protect myself from the cruelty of other children. When I came home I became a different person. I was suddenly free to be myself, without peer pressure. Next to becoming a Christian this was the most amazing event of my life.

What is your favorite Homeschool memory?

One day we were sitting down to read our history lesson, and my two sisters and I were chatting away instead of getting ready to learn. My mom let us talk for a few minutes but then she tried to get our attention. She said, “We need to learn about Napoleon and how he met defeat at Waterloo. As she said the word defeat, she lifted up her feet and said it so it sounded like de-feet. I realized in that moment that my mom was fun and funny, something I’d never noticed before.

How did you discover your love of History?

This was the one subject that my sisters and I did together, and I think that is why I began to love it. We would read about an event and then talk about it over the supper table. Then I began to find good old books that really made history come to life. One of my favorite authors is G. A. Henty! He does such an amazing job of making history interesting. That is what makes history exciting. Who likes to read about boring dates and names that don’t mean anything. But tell someone a story about a person and they will remember it. That is what I try to do with my books, tell the stories of real people who showed remarkable character. I also love to examine God’s hand in history. There are so many events that can’t be explained without a firm belief in God’s intervention.

What inspired you to start writing?

When I was fifteen I started having some serious health problems. I was finally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Finishing high school took me a year longer than expected because of my illness, but after I graduated I wanted to write a historical costume book. It started as a dream and then I began to work on it. The idea was to take a basic dress and sew accessories to put over the dress to make it look like it came from different time periods. My sisters and I did this kind of thing all the time as children. After that book was finished I started writing for Home School Enrichment. About five years later I complied these article into a book called Uncover Exciting History. I always laugh at God’s sense of humor. When I was in school I hated to write and English was my worst subject. And on top of all that I have dyslexia. Only God could transform someone like that into an author! In 2010 I started to feel better and I have been slowly growing stronger. This last year I started attending homeschool conventions, and I hope to expand my business with historical workshops.

What caused you to write Heroines of the Past Bible Study?

For several years I have sent out an ezine called Heroines of the Past, and I knew that at some point I wanted to publish those stories in a book. I love learning about historical ladies! So often history books don’t have space to talk about the women of history. (Only so much can fit into one book!) These forgotten ladies had an amazing impact on history but so often historical women are shown through the lens of modern revisionism. Going back to old sources is a great way to learn about historical women. 

What is it about?

Heroines of the Past Bible Study is an inspiring thirteen week virtue study celebrating the noble deeds of women and girls from history. Each week is broken into five daily readings that are just four pages long. There are stories about historical women and girls, then a virtue study about a character trait that she demonstrated. It’s basically two books in one. First there are the stories and then there is the virtue study. Some of the women are famous, like Mary Slessor and Florence Nightingale, others may not be as well known, including Princess Edith of Scotland and Clotilda of Burgundy.

Where can people buy it?

It is available from my website

Do you plan to write more books?

Yes, I have several books in my brain right now! My current project is a history curriculum for children!

Do you have any final thoughts?

Thank you so much for putting together this wonderful website that highlights homeschool authors. It has been an honor to be featured on your blog. If folks are interested in joining my free bimonthly ezine called Heroines of the Past, please go to this link:

Or you may visit my website.