Title: Channel 20Something (20Something #1)
Author: Amy Patrick
Publication date: August 12th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
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.
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.
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | All Romance
Excerpt:
The baby reached
out for the stick mic, grabbing a handful of the foam windscreen covering it.
Her mom scolded her and tried to pry her tiny hand away. “No, no, Cassie.”
“It’s okay. She
can’t hurt it,” Aric reassured. He cupped the baby’s downy head, his large hand
covering the entire back of her skull. As he cooed in her face, the baby gazed
at him as if he was all that existed in the world. “May I please have this back,
Cassie? Can I? Are you going to let me have my microphone back?”
She released her
grip and gave him a wide gummy grin dotted with two tiny front teeth.
“Oh, thank you.”
Aric stroked her plump cheek.
Oh
my God. I’m envious of a baby. I shook my head to clear it. I
really needed to get a hold of myself. Especially now that I knew Aric was
involved with someone long-distance and he believed I was in a committed
relationship. I had to work on my just-friends attitude and banish the improper
thoughts that insisted on popping up every few minutes when I was with him.
We finished the
interview, Aric thanked the family, and then we talked to a few students on
camera, getting some good usable sound bites and some that would never make
air. One group of frat guys we met had clearly started the party early. They
were loud and happy and flirted with me outrageously.
“You’re
beautiful,” slurred a lanky guy with a mop of platinum hair and a maroon
blazer. He looked like a freshman and teetered over me like a skinny tree that
might go down with the next strong breeze.
“She is, isn’t
she?” Aric said in a clipped, impatient way. “Okay guys, just a couple of
questions—”
Another one of
them, a stocky guy in a wrinkled button-down and crooked tie, ignored Aric
completely and pushed things a step further. His whiskey-soaked breath
surrounded me as he crowded my personal space. “You’re way cuter than you are
on TV. They should make the news desk see-through. You have great legs.”
The guy lurched
back from me as Aric stepped in and gave him the buddy-slap on the shoulder,
employing more force than seemed necessary. “Okay, friend.Time to move along.
This one’s spoken for.”
Aric’s voice
sounded even deeper than usual. Though he’d obviously been referring to Hale,
the protectiveness of his tone struck a shameful chord of pleasure in my
midsection. I hadn’t actually been afraid—we were in a crowd of people in broad
daylight—but there’s something almost magnetic about a guy whose instinct is to
stand up for you.
In his state of
drunken invincibility, the stocky kid bowed up, frowning in offense. Then he
apparently realized how far up he had
to crane his neck to see Aric’s intimidating expression. He shrank away and
joined his friends stumbling into the stadium.
We picked up our
gear and headed for the sidelines, flashing our media passes at the security
guard on the way in.
“Thanks,” I said
quietly.
Aric cut a
glance in my direction and grinned. “Anytime.Reporter, photographer,
bodyguard.Whatever you need.”
Author bio:
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.
Social Links:
Author Interview:
Where do
your story ideas come from?
I work in television, so I
get to go and see a lot of interesting places and things and meet a lot of
interesting people. Often, that will spark ideas. I also look into my own past
relationships and experiences to bring authenticity to the characters I write.
For the 20 SOMETHING series, I drew on my career as a news anchor and reporter
working in 4 different states over the years to write the stories of my
twenty-something TV news newbies. Some of the stories they cover and the
newsroom situations they encounter are inspired by my own experiences.
Where do
you live, and does that have any impact on what you write, or how you write?
I grew up
in the Deep South, living at different times in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas,
and growing up mostly in Mississippi. Naturally that gives me a real
understanding of Southern people and places. I was able to draw on that for
CHANNEL 20 SOMETHING and will again for Books 3, 4, and 5 of the 20 SOMETHING
series. Now I live in Rhode Island. I was able to draw onmy knowledge of the
Ocean State’s most special places and experiences for Book 2 of the 20
SOMETHING series, STILL YOURS, which is Mara’s story. She takes a job in
Providence, the last place she ever thought she’d go because it’s too close to
home and WAY too close to him, the
only guy who’s ever tempted her to let go and truly let someone in.
Favorite
thing to do other than write?
I’d have to say reading. I
also love movies, so basically all my interests seem to revolve around stories,
don’t they?
Speaking of movies, have any favorites? Favorite TV shows?
I’m a
big fan of the Marvel Universe movies. I also love Avatar, When Harry Met
Sally, and I’ve seen Bladerunner at least a hundred times. Because I spend so
much time writing, I don’t get to watch much TV, but I have been watching Game
of Thrones, and I got sucked into Outlander on Starz by their free online
premier episode. Now I’m hooked. *curses
Starz marketing team while shaking fist*
What books or authors have inspired you as a writer?
I love
so many New Adult books and authors, but as far as authors who inspired me to
write in the first place, I have to list Lisa Kleypas first. I’ve read all her
books, historical and contemporary. My very favorites of hers are Again the
Magic and Dreaming of You because of the incredible, sexy, self-made-man heroes
and because of all the feels. I tend to write a bit lighter subject matter than
Lisa, though, and my inspiration on the romantic comedy side of the genre is
Kristan Higgins. My favorite book of hers (so far) is Somebody to Love. Great
hero and heroine and perfect, sweet, gradually developing relationship. If I
had a dream-review of my writing (and hopefully I’ll get there someday) it would
look like this: “If Lisa Kleypas and Kristan Higgins had a baby who grew up to
write New Adult romance, it would be Amy Patrick.” I can dream, right?
Thank you
so much for inviting me to be here today. It’s been a blast!
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