Rooted in Silence: An Interview

Rooted in Silence is a new book out by A.M. Walker. It follows a woman leading up to her wedding day and what happens after. The thriller aspect is a unique take and something exciting in the indie author space.

The opening chapters read like Shirley Jacksons novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle with how the main character the wife is secretive, likes to bury flowers for safe keeping, and befriends a gardener at a church. The author seems to let the reader in on a secret that something is coming but doesn’t reveal exactly what it is. It’s an interesting premise to set up the story like this. To lead the reader to believe something awful might happen to the main character’s future husband.

My question is why does the fiance want to kill her future husband? Seems like alot of effort. Just break up with him and call off the wedding instead. So far by chapter 3 we have no reason to believe he deserves death. This is exactly the point the author is trying to point out. Sometimes there doesn’t need to have a reason.

I also love the attention to detail in terms of research of the plants used in the book. They are infused into the pages with the scientific names and uses.

This story seems to show the dark side of why someone might kill another human. It’s not a common perspective to make the hero of the story the one that commits the murder. This book won’t be for everyone, but it’s certainly a fresh perspective in this genre of thrillers.

1. Who are you and what do you do?

My pen-name is A.M. Walker, or Alyssa. I’m a wife, friend, human, author, and publisher. I created Harbor & Stone Press, an independent publishing company in August 2025, with our doors officially opening on January 1, 2026. With a team of nine people (and growing), we are enjoying working with authors and helping them tell their stories. I pride myself on being an active community member outside of books, and I like to keep a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

2. What inspired you to write this story?

Don’t panic... Planning my own wedding. BUT! I was NOT planning my fiances murder! Haha. Writing is my outlet. Wedding planning is incredibly stressful, and mentally unloading through writing was an outlet, especially afterwards when decompressing. I’ve always loved to write. When I was a small child, I remember hiding in my closet writing songs because I was too shy for anyone to know. I’m still shy about my writing, but clearly I cannot go back now!

3. What’s your writing process? Do you plot scenes or come up with them as you go?

I use what I created and termed my “sandbox.” This is a space where I mentally free-flow my thoughts and allow things to... happen. I’ve always been very visual, and I often daydream in movie scenes, imagining the music I’d choose or the feeling it would give me. I started to write these moments down, and eventually, I found parts that I felt really proud of. I pieced them together and then developed the parts in-between. So, a little bit of both. I am absolutely a mood writer, though.. if I’m not fueled creatively, it isn’t going to happen.

4. What was the most fun to research in this book?

Shout out to my editor Leilani, because she helped me a lot with the research. I enjoyed researching names the most. Every name has a meaning. The chapter I enjoyed writing and researching the most was the scene where Emily speaks to a professor. I had a very clear visualization of that moment, and loved the vigor of the details.

5. Why plants? It’s a unique way to bring the reader into the world.

Hey, thanks for noticing! My first thought of a book was to have a wise yet cold neighbor.. and in my mind, I kept visualizing an older woman tending to a garden. From there, I developed the idea that she would show her intelligence through plants. Mrs. Volkova is also lightly inspired by Red from Orange Is The New Black, who knew a lot about cooking (even in a menacing way).

You can find more of her work and her publishing house Harbor Stone Press.