Author Interview with A.K. Smith – New Release: A Deep Thing

I am thrilled to introduce today’s guest, A.K. Smith. I had the pleasure of meeting her in Vegas at a conference where she pitched her story to me. She sent it to me at The Wild Rose Press, and we contracted it. Now, it’s finally released! It’s a fantastic story filled with intrigue and emotion. Please help me welcome A.K., who is going to tell us a little about herself…

 

Why did you choose this genre?

My first Dean Koontz book was Whispers, (the last novel he wrote on a typewriter). I was around fourteen, and I remember thinking I was reading a racy, thrilling, exciting adult novel. The pace of the book captivated me and the surprise ending fascinated me. I then went on to devour Stephen King, James Patterson, and John Grisham novels. The suspense kept me turning the pages, and I fell in love with stories that surprised me and could keep me up at night. The “What if’s,” fascinated me and in my writing, I wanted twists and turns. I love being surprised—but, I also love a happy ending.

Where did you get the idea for A Deep Thing?

My husband and I took a romantic vacation to the Mexican Rivera Maya, and we discovered cenotes. Cenotes are deep iridescent underwater caves with fresh water. Outside Puerto Morelos, Mexico there is a road called “Route de Cenotes” we hired a taxi driver to take us to see a cenote. We drove back uncommercialized dirt roads, and in the middle of the jungle he let us out, and we walked back a jungle road to a beautiful hole in the ground. The water luminescent, we were in awe of our surroundings. You can dive, snorkel and swim in these wonders of nature, and the setting was surreal. When we returned home, I couldn’t stop thinking about the cenotes. Why had I never heard of them? Why were they so secret and on private land? What if? We returned to the Rivera Maya before the final draft of my novel and dove the cenotes in Tulum. It was an incredible experience.  My novel was born in the Yucatan.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read, A Deep Thing?

When they close the book or read the last page– I want their mind to be racing. The question in their mind, What if?

What is your favorite quote?

I love quotes, and there are so many epic ones, but “What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” motivates me.

If stranded on a desert island and you could have three (inanimate) objects, what would they be?

I love this question because of the What if’s. My practical side would choose a swiss army knife (you can do everything with that), my iPhone and a solar charger. I have an off- the grid cabin and my iphone charges with a simple solar charger and last for eight hours. Then I would have all my kindle books, the bible, movies, music, even a compass, and flashlight app. Come to think of it; I better download a survival guide.

What celebrity would you most like to be stranded on a desert island with?

Hmmm.  My husband is not a celebrity, so I can’t choose him. So, who could I put up with? I’m not a huge Keith Urban Fan; I like his music, but he seems like a down-to-earth nice guy, definitely not bad to look at and he appears even-tempered. I think he would do, at least if nothing else, we could sing together. If he’s not available, I choose the best looking, even tempered, reality survivor guy.

Giveaway: 1 e-book, 1 print book. Winners selected by Alicia Dean. To qualify, retweet, facebook or pin the blog post and paste the link in comments. Winners picked on Friday, December 23^rd.

Blurb:

What was her husband hiding in the jungles of Mexico?

Rocked by her husband’s tragic death, Kendall Jackson strives to put her life back together. But Ryder, her nineteen-year-old stepson, is bitter and wants nothing to do with her. And she can’t keep the grief at bay. Sometimes, it’s so strong, she wonders if life is worth living.

A call from a cave diver in Mexico gives her hope of mending the relationship with her stepson. Before his death, her husband arranged a diving expedition as a birthday gift for his son. Kendall persuades Ryder to honor his father’s last wish.

From the campus of Western Maryland College to the woods of Camp David and the caves of the Yucatán, Kendall and Ryder take a journey to discover what her husband worked so hard to hide, and to protect his treasured secrets from falling into the wrong hands. The choices they make will decide their fate and the future of others. Will they risk everything for the truth? 

Take the trip. Join the journey. Because sometimes you need to escape to an island, beach or mysterious jungle.

 

Buy Link: Amazon

Nook:

 The Wild Rose Press

Bio:

A.K. Smith is the author of debut fiction novel, “A Deep Thing” from the Wild Rose Press. She loves all things jungly, beachy and mysterious. Her goal is to write thrillers, suspense, and romance, which have the power to make you stay up late.

A new scuba diver, she counts diving in a cenote (underwater caves in the Yucatan) and surviving– one of her biggest achievements. Mexico has a special place in her heart; it’s where she escaped after walking out on Corporate America and where she fell in love on a sailboat. She is a graduate of Shippensburg University (BA) and has a Master of Arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She treasures her family, friends, and kindness. Her goal is to step foot on every continent in the world. She blogs at www.wordstravelfilm.com.

Check out her website at www.aksmithauthor.com or find her on Twitter@aksmithbook, and Facebook/aksmithbook.

Amazon