Hidden Deep Tour!

Hidden Deep (Book 1 of the Hidden Trilogy)

by Amy Patrick 

Summary from Goodreads:

Give in to the Glamour…

Sixteen-year-old Ryann Carroll has just run into the guy who saved her life ten years ago. You might think she'd be happy to see him again. Not exactly. She's a bit underdressed (as in skinny-dipping) and he's not supposed to exist.

After her father's affair, all Ryann wants is to escape the family implosion fallout and find a little peace. She also wouldn't mind a first date that didn't suck, but she's determined not to end up like her mom: vulnerable, betrayed, destroyed. Ryann's recently moved back to her childhood home in rural Mississippi, the same place where ten years earlier she became lost in the woods overnight and nearly died.

She's still irresistibly drawn to those woods. There she encounters the boy who kept her from freezing to death that long ago winter night and was nowhere to be seen when rescuers arrived. He's still mysterious, but now all grown-up and gorgeous, too. And the more she's with him, the greater the threat he poses to Ryann's strict policy-- never want someone more than he wants you.

Seventeen-year-old Lad knows the law of his people all too well: Don't get careless and Don't get caught. 

It's allowed his race to live undetected in this world for thousands of years, mentioned only in flawed and fading folklore…

Lad's never been able to forget about Ryann since that night ten years ago. When he sees her again, his fascination re-ignites and becomes a growing desire that tempts him to break all the rules. He's not even supposed to talk to a human, much less fall in love with one.

And the timing is atrocious. The Assemblage is coming, the rift between the Light and Dark is widening, and mysterious celebrity fan pods are becoming more and more widespread and influential. Lad may have to trade his own chance at happiness to keep the humans, especially Ryann, blissfully unaware and safe.

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About the Author

Amy is a two-time Golden Heart finalist (2013 and 2014). She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sons and actually craves the heat and humidity of Mississippi, where she grew up. She's been a professional singer and news anchor and currently narrates audio books as well as working as a station host for a Boston TV station.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Book Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

+Raquel Byrnes 

3 Reasons Why You NEED a Writer's Conference

Book proposals clutched in their hands, appointment slip at the ready, writers everywhere are taking one step closer to their dream of publication with a trip to a writer’s conference. From horror writers to inspirational romance authors, they gather at conferences every year with their name tags and pitch sheets.  

And I have three reasons why you should too...

Most agents meet their clients at a writer’s conference than by any other means.  Be it snail mail or email query, the best way to get the attention of a prospective agent is by meeting them. Nothing can replace the passion and excitement you have for your book as you talk about it face-to-face. It’s also a great way to size up what you want in an agent. During your meeting you can ask what their level of involvement is, in what genre they feel they have the best contacts, and how they communicate with their clients.

You connect with other writers. As an author, you cannot get better unless you get feedback. Plain and simple, you have to show people your stuff. If you’re not ready to meet with an agent, then sign up for a critique. Most conferences offer them. It will give you an opportunity to find out where in the publication process you really are. Are you polishing up a ready to submit manuscript or just starting out and finding your voice. Meeting with authors both published and unpublished in invaluable in growing as a writer.

You have access to the experts. The best things about writer’s conferences are the workshops. Classes to learn pacing, character development, crafting a page turner are all available to you and the best part? They are usually taught by authors you know and read. How about learning about character arc from your favorite romance writer? The art of the red-herring from a mystery writer? You can learn so much not only from the class, but from the question and answer period afterwards.

Wherever you are in your writing journey, be it novice or seeking representation, a writer’s conference is a wonderful place to network, connect, and learn.  From face-to-face meetings with your dream agent to ‘How-To’ classes with a favorite author, if  you’re serious about writing you need to go to a writer’s conference.

+Raquel Byrnes 

(Originally posted on Blogging Authors, 3/16/11)

Corralling Creativity for Cohesion

I've written about my "Cool Stuff That Never Happens" notebook where I keep all the strange scenarios that pop into my head when I should be doing something responsible. Its a creative boosting device I picked up years ago at a writing workshop.  If you're interested in the whole explanation including my reason behind "Killer Geisha's with Knife Fans," then take a look at the original post here.

So anyway, this notebook I have is chock full of the most outlandish plot twist, fight scenarios, and action sequence ideas I've ever had...and it keeps growing.  I don't edit my thoughts in this notebook. I don't talk myself out of things cause they're "too crazy" or "might have been done before." I give myself a TOTAL PASS in terms of what I write down. This is good. This is being creative.

The problem is that creativity has to be corralled in order to have cohesion.

Let me be clear here. I am not advocating stifling your creative juices. Not at all. What I am suggesting is once you have all these awesome ideas flitting around your noggin you have to actually pare them down to those that fit your story.

And that is why story blocking is so important.

I would love to have dirigible fights, killer automaton canines, and a spectacular fight atop a speeding train whilst dodging lighting whips...who wouldn't?

In fact, it is quite enticing to throw in everything just because I liked writing the scene and it turned out really, really cool. But you have to ask yourself a question...

Does it move the plot forward? Does it serve the reader to better immerse in the plot or character?

Blocking out your story, however you choose to go about it, is an essential tool in helping you tell the story you want to tell without going off in random directions and losing the reader's interest. Whether you are a Discovery writer or an Architect writer (Planner or Pantser) there has to be some sort of forethought and framework in order for your novel to have a clear sense of moving forward.

Make an outline of the basic points of your plot. Does your sequence serve the story or do you just like it?  How about you notecard/corkboard authors? Does your idea fit in the flow of your book?

From Snowflake method to good old scribbles in a notebook, have a planned plot. 

You can deviate from it if need be, just have a general idea.  I guarantee you will spend less time in frustrated editing at the back end if you keep yourself on track.

Until next time...Go Write! 
+Raquel Byrnes