THE TRUTH ABOUT THEA, by author, AMY IMPELLIZZERI

Will Cann, a recovering heroin addict-turned-counselor for whom truth is a championed element to recovery, has a dark secret — shared with no one outside of his anonymous AA meetings. Over twenty years ago, after an ultimatum from his pregnant ex-wife, Will was forced to assume a new identity and to fake his own death to get out from under his dealer and user-friends once and for all.

Now, Will is counseling Thea Brown, a young woman who has been diagnosed with a pathological addiction to creating fake social media identities, and who founded a start-up company (“Alibis”) that created false internet identities for clients, many with suspect pasts. Thea’s addiction has landed her in rehab as a condition of her parole — after a plea bargain cut short a court case that would have put both Thea and Alibis on trial for a very high-profile crime.

As Will counsels Thea, the past is on a collision course with the present. Both Will’s, and his young client’s, fast-held secrets start to unravel... and reveal, at long last, the truth about Thea.

"Impellizzeri unleashes a tangled skein of half-truths and lies that unravels with each chapter.  Perspectives alternate between that of almost sociopathic Thea and others who are trying to discover Thea’s truth.  This satisfying story will keep readers guessing until the end."
-Booklist

"Clever, mind-bending and darkly original, THE TRUTH ABOUT THEA had me hooked from page one. In Thea Brown, Amy Impellizzeri has created a brilliant, complicated, flawed character that gets under your skin and stays there. Fast-paced and twisty, the unexpected ending will have you gasping for air. "
​-Heather Gudenkauf, NYT best selling author of THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE and NOT A SOUND

"A man’s past and a woman’s present collide in Amy Impellizzeri’s latest up-all-night thriller where nothing is as it seems. Filled with questionable characters, long-held secrets, and a tangled web of twists and turns, THE TRUTH ABOUT THEA will keep readers guessing who — if anyone — can be trusted. A perfectly compelling read all the way to the shocking end."
-Kimberly Belle, USA TODAY and WSJ best selling author of THE MARRIAGE LIE

"Thrilling and well-plotted story. You’ve made me a fan of psychological suspense!"
​Julie Cantrell, NYT and USA TODAY best selling author

"Filled with tension and twists you don't see coming, Amy Impellizzeri's dialogue crackles and her characters scheme and surprise. I was invested and thrilled -- what a ride!"
-Kelly Simmons, international selling author of ONE MORE DAY and THE FIFTH OF JULY

"Just try to keep your eye on the ball in this intricate thriller. No matter how carefully you follow all the moving pieces, nothing will prepare you for where Impellizzeri takes you. A twisting story where everyone has secrets, and no one can be trusted."
-Rena Olsen, Author,
​THE GIRL BEFORE

Some Q & A with Amy ~ 

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I have always been a writer. But in college, I put away all my creative writing journals to get ready for law school. I was convinced I could not pursue BOTH creative writing AND get ready for law school. I’m not sure that was exactly correct. But, hindsight is 20/20. I packed all my journals away, and only re-discovered my creative writing voice when I took a sabbatical from my 13-year corporate law career in 2009. I took a one-year sabbatical that year – and I’m still on it!

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I can never really sit still too long. I love to travel. And I incorporate my adventures into my novels. From New York City to Central America and the Caribbean, the settings of my novels are often based on places I’ve already fallen in love with.

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

So even though I left the law in 2009, I’ve pretty much always had a “day job” alongside writing. (See above. I can NEVER really sit still too long!) For several years, I was on the executive team of a start-up company working to raise up and market women entrepreneurs. I’ve also worked as a speaker on career transition and as a teacher of writing workshops nationally, and more recently, I’ve been working in development and marketing for a local private school. Also, I have three children 13 and younger. And a dog. So there’s them. But writing isn’t something I “fit in” alongside my day jobs. It’s woven into the fabric of every day. It sustains me, frankly.

Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere. The news, the coffee shop. My friends. (Just kidding! I never use my friends in my novels. But if I did, I would totally change their names. Wink.)

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I used to think I had an unusual journey to publication. But I’m learning that every story is completely unique, so maybe not. I submitted my first novel without an agent to Nancy Cleary of Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing after a former magazine editor friend of mine introduced us. I think I even kind of hounded Nancy to read it after she read the synopsis and declared it intriguing. It was one of those things that could have backfired if the planets were slightly misaligned. But it didn’t. She read it, she loved it, and after I landed my fabulous agent, Bob Diforio, I stayed with Wyatt-MacKenzie for my next two novels. 

What are you working on now?

I am working on a new novel about a powerful political couple from Washington DC – the place where I started my legal career. When tragedy strikes, everything they thought they knew about each other – and wanted for each other – will change. For those familiar with my novels, you won’t be surprised to hear there’s a lot of unraveling of secrets. The working title is “Why We Lie.”

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Yes. You have time.

What I hear most from aspiring writers is that they want to write a story, but they can’t find the time. And in my writing workshops, I work hard to help students find it. I’m not interested in covering up the truth that writing DOES take a lot of time. And sometimes carving out the time feels a little selfish at first, but I work with writers to help them get over the guilt and carve out the time anyway.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you! It’s been an amazing and humbling journey putting three novels out into the world and watching readers and Book Clubs embrace them. I’ll never stop being grateful. 

To connect with Amy:

Faceook: https://www.facebook.com/ImpellizzeriAmy

website: www.amyimpellizzeri.com

Amazon Buy Link: bit.ly/ownyourtruth

THE BLACKBIRD SEASON, by author, KATE MORETTI

New York Times bestselling author Kate Moretti’s latest is the story of a scandal-torn Pennsylvania town and the aftermath of a troubled girl gone missing.

“Where did they come from? Why did they fall? The question would be asked a thousand times…

Until, of course, more important question arose, at which time everyone promptly forgot that a thousand birds fell on the town of Mount Oanoke at all.”

In a quiet Pennsylvania town, a thousand dead starlings fall onto a high school baseball field, unleashing a horrifying and unexpected chain of events that will rock the close-knit community.

Beloved baseball coach and teacher Nate Winters and his wife, Alicia, are well respected throughout town. That is, until one of the many reporters investigating the bizarre bird phenomenon catches Nate embracing a wayward student, Lucia Hamm, in front of a sleazy motel. Lucia soon buoys the scandal by claiming that she and Nate are engaged in an affair, throwing the town into an uproar…and leaving Alicia to wonder if her husband has a second life.

And when Lucia suddenly disappears, the police only to have one suspect: Nate.

Nate’s coworker and sole supporter, Bridget Harris, Lucia’s creative writing teacher, is determined to prove his innocence. She has Lucia’s class journal, and while some of the entries appear particularly damning to Nate’s case, others just don’t add up. Bridget knows the key to Nate’s exoneration and the truth of Lucia’s disappearance lie within the walls of the school and in the pages of that journal.

Told from the alternating points of view of Alicia, Nate, Lucia, and Bridget, The Blackbird Season is a haunting, psychologically nuanced suspense, filled with Kate Moretti’s signature.

Some Q & A with Kate ~

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I started writing when my youngest was an infant and slept 22 out of 24 hours a day. I KNOW! Don’t kill me, my oldest had colic. I earned it! I’ve always written and always wanted to write a novel, but just never knew how. I thought the words would just flow out of me, all 85K of them (*dies laughing*). Now I know it’s a daily push and dedication!

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

Family time. My kids are into sports and activities and elementary school age is filled with a zillion To-Do lists. I’m not 100% sure I enjoy every single minute of it, but between that and the day job and the writing, I don’t have time for another hobby! I’ve started going to the gym again a few months ago. I’m trying to enjoy exercise! Last winter, I took my daughter skiing and remembered that I loved it (my knees do not). I’m finding my way back to the kitchen, now that I’m part-time at the day job. I love decorating and after I finished my last book, I shut down my computer for a week and redecorated my living room on a shoestring budget at a barn sale.

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

I work part-time for Johnson & Johnson. I’m a technical writer for them, sometimes from home. I spent 20 years in the lab and at some point, you get tired of the demands of lab work, especially working with cells and biologics. They wait for no one! I love the flexibility of my current job. It allows me to spend more time with family, while still keeping my toe in an industry I love.

Where do you get your ideas?

I have no idea. They come to me when I see something in real life and think “wow, that’s kind of interesting” and wonder how I could turn it around or spin it into a story. I don’t feel like I have control over what sends my brain into overdrive. A friend Kimberly Brock once called it “catching lightning” and I’ve never forgotten that. I feel like I do that constantly. Sometimes, I’ll feel that buzz of this would be a good story but then get distracted and poof, it’s gone. So it really does feel that transient.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

You know, I don’t think so. Yes, I’ve made mistakes and yes, I wish I would have dug deeper here or knew then what I know now, craft-wise, but honestly, the journey has been so incredibly rewarding, I’m not sure I’d go back if I could.

How do you market your work?

A little bit every day! I make connections with other writers as much as possible. I try to give back as much as possible. I try to be as generous as I can and talk about other writers more than myself. I try to respond to readers (I don’t always succeed, and it’s never a result of anything other than slipping through the cracks!). It’s been a long, slow process of getting my name out there, it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s been five years now!

What are you working on now?

I’m between projects! It feels so relaxing. I have ideas brewing and a proposal I’m working on, but it’s been nice to focus on articles and blogs and let the next project marinate.

Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences?

Only in little unrecognizable pieces :). Parts of friend’s personalities, conflicts I’ve seen or observed, nothing directly translated.

  

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Nothing that hasn’t been said a million times: keep going. The writing is the thing. Don’t get too distracted by all the “other”. The person you’re admiring and think has everything feels exactly like you do about someone else, no matter who they are. The feeling of insecurity you have right now? Get used to it. It never goes away, no matter how much success you have. In fact, I’d say the more successful you are, the more uncomfortable you feel. There’s more to lose! This career is made for people who can ignore the discomfort and enjoy the writing. Everything else is just noise. (I hope one day to be able to take this advice!)

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

THANK YOU!!!! Truly. 

   Kate Moretti is the New York Times Bestselling author of four novels and a novella, including Thought I Knew You, While You Were Gone, Binds That Tie, The Vanishing Year, and Blackbird Season. Her first novel THOUGHT I KNEW YOU, was a New York Times bestseller. THE VANISHING YEAR was a nominee in the Goodreads Choice Awards Mystery/Thriller category for 2016 and was called "chillingly satisfying." (Publisher's Weekly) with "superb" closing twists (New York Times Book Review).   
    Kate has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for twenty years as a scientist and enjoys traveling and cooking. She lives in Pennsylvania in an old farmhouse with her husband, two children, and no known ghosts. Her lifelong dream is to find a secret passageway.

To connect with Kate:

www.katemoretti.com

www.facebook.com/katemorettiwriter

www.twitter.com/KateMoretti1

www.instagram.com/KateMoretti1

Email: katemorettiauthor@gmail.com