From award-winning author and two-time GOLDEN HEART® finalist Amy Patrick comes a New Adult contemporary series about twenty-somethings entering the world of TV broadcasting, where what happens behind the scenes is the real news.
22-year-old Heidi Haynes is almost one year into her “real life”. She has her first reporting job, her first apartment, and a comfortable relationship with her college sweetheart. But for some reason she’s not as eager to talk about walking down the aisle as he is.
Heidi secretly longs for big cities, big-market breaking news, and real independence from her way-too-close-by helicopter parents. Problem is, the last time she left the security of home for new places and new people, things didn’t go so well. Disastrously, in fact, and she came running back to a local college and a “safe” boyfriend.
Aric Serrano is definitely not safe.
He’s six-feet-four-inches of missing-Hemsworth-brother-hotness and plans to stay in small-market-Southern-Hell just long enough to grab a cup of coffee and put together a kick-ass “escape tape”. He’ll serve his one-year contract, then he’s taking off for a higher rung on the TV sports ladder—alone—the way he likes it. Then he meets his new co-anchor.
Heidi would be so much more comfortable if she could simply ignore Aric. He’s just her type—the type she’s so careful to avoid these days. But that becomes impossible when she's forced to work closely with him on the weekend newscast. Now the attraction between them is growing even faster than the ratings, and what happens behind the scenes is the real news
What sets your book
apart from other New Adult books on the market?
I think CHANNEL 20 SOMETHING is unique in that
it gives the reader a peek inside a profession not many have inside access to,
TV news, and what it’s like for people just starting out in the broadcasting
business. Because that was my career for 12 years, I’m able to write about it
in an informed way while telling an entertaining and romantic story. I also
focus more heavily on the romance than the sex in my series. There are some hot
scenes, but CHANNEL 20 SOMETHING and the upcoming books fall more into the
category of fun and flirty than erotic romance.
What made you decide to
write New Adult romance?
I think it’s a fantastic time period in life to
write about because SO MUCH happens during the years you’re 18-26, and the
decisions you make during that time can determine the entire direction of your
life (yeah, no pressure there). There’s probably no other time of life that
holds more possibility or more romance than those years. My own life during
that time was an exciting, crazy, wonderful mess. I did so many stupid things,
but also many amazing things, and I’m sure a lot of people can say the same.
Your main character
Heidi grew up in a small Mississippi town, but always longed to get away, go
exciting places, see exciting things. Where did you dream of going when you
were in high school and college?
I always wanted to visit Hawaii, and I grew up
without a lot of money, so that was a real dream. I did have the opportunity to
vacation there a few years ago when I worked in California, so I can check that
one off the list. Career-wise, I dreamed of making it to New York, the top news
market, and working at the network someday. As I got older and further along in
my TV news career, I did have the chance to do that, but my dreams had changed
by then.
Anywhere you still dream
of travelling?
I’ve never been to Europe, and I especially want
to see Italy, Greece, and Paris. I’m betting that if things work out for Heidi and Aric, they *might* choose one of
those locations for their honeymoon… someday. J
Is
the next book in the 20 SOMETHING series a continuation of Heidi and Aric’s
story, or does one of the secondary characters get their own story?
There’s no cliffhanger
ending. You’ll get a full, satisfying ending for Heidi and Aric, though they’ll
make appearances in the other 20 SOMETHING novels. Book 2 will focus on Mara as
its main character, and Book 3 is Kenley’s story.
Biggest celebrity crush?
As you may have guessed from the story blurb for
CHANNEL 20 SOMETHING, I have a little thing for Chris Hemsworth. Liam’s up
there on my list, too. And I have a huge crush on Tom Hiddleston, who plays
Loki in the Marvel movies.
Thank you so much for
having me here today. I’m thrilled to be a guest on your blog!
Amy is a two-time Golden Heart finalist (2013 and 2014) who writes Young Adult fiction as Amy DeLuca and New Adult romance as Amy Patrick. 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.
