Q and A and Giveaway with YA Thriller Author Natalie D. Richards

Today I'm welcoming YA Thriller author Natalie D. Richards to the blog to talk about her about-to-be-released book My Secret to Tell. First, here's a little more about the book, which I'll be reviewing on Monday. And be sure to enter to win a bundle of Natalie's books!

My Secret to Tell
Natalie D. Richards
To be published on October 6th, 2015
by Sourcebooks

Synopsis: His smile is a crime. 

Emerson May is “the good girl.” She’s the perfect daughter, the caring friend, the animal shelter volunteer. But when her best friend’s brother breaks into her room, his hands covered in blood, she doesn’t scream or call the cops. Because when Deacon smiles at her, Emmie doesn’t want to be good… The whole town believes notorious troublemaker Deacon is guilty of assaulting his father. Only Emmie knows a secret that could set him free. But if she follows her heart, she could be trusting a killer…

You can’t always trust the boy next door.

About the author: After years as a professional paper-pusher, Natalie decided to trade in reality for a life writing YA fiction. She lives in Ohio (Go Bucks!) with her husband, three children, and a ridiculously furry dog named Yeti. My Secret to Tell is her third YA book, after Six Months Later and Gone Too Far. Visit her on Twitter @natdrichards or at nataliedrichards.com

Ten Second Q and A with Natalie:

Jen: What are some some scary influences (books, movies, TV shows, real life phobias, etc.) that inspire you as you are writing?

 Natalie: I’ve always gravitated towards books, movies, and television shows with very high stakes, often a paranormal or scary element, and really fast pacing.  I also really enjoy books where you can’t figure out exactly what’s going on and you’re desperate to pull the different threads until something makes sense.  And I do like a bit of romance on the side, but none of those elements seem to guarantee my satisfaction.  I admit I’m picky, but it has everything to do with characters.

Jen: I definitely saw all those threads to pull in My Secret to Tell, and I loved the setting of this book too. Thanks for stopping by!

Excerpt from My Secret to Tell:

“Emmie?”
My name lands somewhere between a hiccup and a sob, and my feet stall out on the sidewalk in front of my house. I adjust my grip on the phone, hoping I misheard her tone. This doesn’t sound like Chelsea. This voice is breathless.
Frightened.
“I’m here,” I say. “What’s up? You don’t sound right.”
“I’m not.” She takes a shuddery breath.
My shirt’s sticking to my back and cicadas are click-buzzing the end of another blistering day, but I go cold. Something’s wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
“It’s my dad, Emmie,” she says. I can tell she’s crying.
I grab my chest. It’s too tight. Burning. “What happened?”
Her words all tumble out on top of one another, interrupted by shaky breaths. I try to pick out pieces that make sense. “He’s hurt—bleeding—we’re behind the ambulance and I can’t—he’s not—someone attacked him.”
I start climbing the porch steps, because she’ll need me. I’m her best friend, so I should be there. I need to change clothes and go. “You’re on the way to the hospital, right? They’ll help him there.”
Another sharp breath. “I don’t know if they can. He’s so bad. So bad.”
My heart clenches. “Where are you?”
“We’re almost there. Joel’s with me.”
“Okay, good. I’m coming,” I say, crossing my porch and hauling my front door open. “Let me just call Mom. I’ll borrow the car.”
Chelsea’s still crying when I storm down the hallway toward my bedroom.
“Emmie, I can’t find Deacon…”
“Your brother never answers his phone,” I say, pushing open my door. “I’ll run by the docks first and—”
“No. No, he was there. He was at the house.”
Chelsea makes a strangled sound, and I notice the liquid-thick heat in my bedroom. The kind of heat that tells me the air conditioner is broken. Or my window is open.
My gaze drags to my fluttering white curtains, to the dark smudge on the windowsill.
Chelsea’s voice goes low and raspy. “He ran, Emmie. God, he was there with Dad. He was in the house, but he ran.”
I swivel with an invisible fist lodged in my throat. My bathroom door is open, a red-black smudge beneath the knob.
My mouth goes dry, my pulse thumping slower than it should. Then I see the blood on the floor by my sink, and my heart tumbles end over end.
“We’re here. I’ll call soon,” Chelsea says and hangs up.
I see him, his back to my tub and his dark head bowed on one bent knee. Oh God.
He’s covered in blood. It’s on his legs, his hands. Dripping onto my white tile floor. He looks up, and my heart goes strangely steady.
I take a breath that tastes like purpose. “Deacon?”

Come back on Monday and hear more of my thoughts about this book! And enter to win a book bundle!



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