Tuesday, March 24, 2020

TALK ABOUT HIGH CONCEPT! The amazing Samantha Bailey




HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: We’re always taking about “high concept” here—how to come up with that elusively fabulous original idea...the one that will grab readers from moment one and immerse them in your story.
How about this:  
 A total stranger on the subway platform whispers, “Take my baby.”
She places her child in your arms. She says your name.
Then she jumps…


Irresistible, right? Brilliant, right? And the amazing Samantha Bailey’s WOMAN ON THE EDGE hit number one in Canada! (And the print version is now also available in the US for those who didn’t already grab the e-version.)

But how about Samantha’s own story? Is it high-concept? Nope. It’s high inspiration. High determination. High persistence. High friendship. And high hopes.


A LONG AND WINDING PATH

       SAMANTHA M. BAILEY

If you met me now, at almost forty-seven, you might be surprised to learn that I was a very quiet child. Small for my age, awkward, shy, and insecure, I found my voice in stories—reading and writing them. 


At the age of ten, I wrote and submitted my first story to publishers, a tale about a flame named Freddy who had no friends because everything he touched burned to the ground. But Freddy found his way by becoming a fire starter on a coal train. Of course, trains had stopped using coal by then, which is perhaps why the book was rejected. Or maybe it wasn’t the right story at the right time.

Through my childhood and teenage years, I kept writing. Sinister plots about secrets and suspicion. Though I had a fairly idyllic upbringing, I was drawn to the dark side and danger, fascinated by adventure and rebellion. But it wasn’t until I was twenty-nine, doing my Master’s in Education in Applied Linguistics and taking a course on imagination that I decided to attempt a full-length novel.

Being an author was all I ever wanted, but I was scared to actually sit down and try what seemed so daunting. At the same time, I’d just closed the last page of the book I was reading, inspired to finally do it. That book was Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner, and it changed my life. Her remarkable talent to create fleshed out, sympathetic, hilarious yet also deeply emotional characters and plots motivated me to write my first novel, a romantic comedy that took a year to complete.

I signed with an agent. Giddy and naïve, I imagined myself as Carrie from Sex and the City, strolling through Manhattan in my five-inch heels, signing my debut at a bookstore with a cosmopolitan in hand. Well, it didn’t work out like that.

I could never wear five-inch heels because I’d fall on my face, and the book didn’t get an offer from a publishing house. I forged ahead and wrote another rom com, edgier this time, and that, too, was universally rejected. My agent and I amicably parted ways and I decided I wanted to be published more than anything. So, I did it myself. In 2012, I self-published the second of those romantic comedies.

While it didn’t sell in the millions, it did introduce me to the most incredible authors, readers, and bloggers, many of whom have remained in my life, by my side, until today. The very first blogger I reached out to was Melissa Amster of Chick Lit Central, who has been my champion and friend ever since. I also met the women who have become like sisters to me. Three of us—myself, Meredith Schorr, and Francine LaSala—banded together to create BookBuzz, an author-reader event to cross-promote and interact in person at a big party held in New York City and Toronto. We’ve had three parties so far, and are certainly hoping to plan another, because each event has included more and more authors, which is wonderful. Through BookBuzz, I not only found Meredith and Francine, but also Eileen Goudge, Julie Valerie, Josie Brown, and Jen Tucker. We call ourselves the Beach Babes, because every January, we spend a gorgeous, magical week together writing, eating, laughing, and talking in a beach house in Santa Cruz, California. I also formed a beautiful friendship with Toronto-based author, Lydia Laceby, and blogger Kaley Stewart.

Though self-publishing brought me so much joy, I never wavered from my ultimate dream, which was to find a home with a traditional publisher, a partner, and a team.

Over the next few years, I wrote two more books and tried to find a new agent. No dice.


Then six years ago on a cold winter afternoon, I was waiting on a Toronto subway platform for the train. I saw a woman holding a newborn. She was standing close, too close, to the edge. She seemed frazzled and exhausted, as I was as a new mother.

I wondered what she was thinking; how she was really faring with this shocking life change that happens the moment our babies are put in our arms. Like a lightning bolt, a story idea hit me, and I scribbled the premise on an empty gum pack I found in my very messy purse. That idea became Woman on the Edge.

I signed with an agent, a fierce, dedicated goddess who loved my voice and the idea of what was then a dark women’s fiction story. She suggested turning it into an intense, fast-paced thriller. It was like she’d seen into my soul. I devoured thrillers and my deepest desire was to write one. And though I was terrified, I knew that I had to take a huge risk and try.

My agent promised to be with me every step of the way. She was and still is. Over the next three and a half years, we worked on draft after draft, tearing the manuscript apart and re-building it maybe twenty times. I had the most honest and toughest beta readers and critique partners give me invaluable feedback. Together we created the thriller that would ultimately sell in seven European territories, the UK to Headline, and in North America to Simon & Schuster Canada.

But I wasn’t done, and I was so ready for the editing that was to come, because what I’ve known all along is that revising is a gift. The brilliant insights of my editors transformed the book even further, and in November of 2019, my dream came true. I could walk into a bookstore, with my children beside me, and see my book on a shelf.

Today Woman on the Edge is a #1 bestseller in Canada—unbelievable and stunning to me. Never in my wildest imagination could I have conjured that. And if not for my agent, my author community, incredibly supportive family and friends, readers, bloggers, bookstagrammers, librarians, booksellers, and Simon & Schuster Canada, the publishing house that is truly my home with the most phenomenal team of people I could ever know, none of this would have happened. On March 3, Woman on the Edge will release in the US.

At any point I could have given up. I could have walked away from my dream because it would have been much easier. I didn’t because I always knew that if I stayed focused on my own goals, and no one else’s journey, believed in myself and my book, and really listened to the critiques and feedback, I would get there. And I did. If there is anything I can tell a writer struggling with the wait, worry, rejection, and self-doubt, it is this: It might not be fast, and it definitely won’t be easy. But it is so worth it, as long as you just keep going.



HANK: Reds and readers, this is SUCH a terrific book. I truly could not put it down.

(I’m fascinated, too, about what Samantha says about all the re-re-re-re-writes. Someday, I’d love to see the very first version, an compare with the fabulous final one.)

Most of us are not going to get a great idea in the subway station, not any time soon at least. But do this—look out your window. Any window. What do you see? I see ..the house next door just turned out the porchlight. Who--or what--are they expecting? (And I could make a story out of that!)

In celebration of Samantha’s big idea—tell us what you just happen to see. Could you make a story out of that?

(And we are all one edge right now, right?)


A copy of WOMAN ON THE EDGE to one lucky commenter!

(Samantha’s in a big different time zone, but she’ll be stopping by to say hi!—and share all your visions! Plus? She is--amazing. Amazing! A joyful, loving, generous, terrific person. )




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“[A] nail-biting debut. . . . The tension becomes unrelenting . . . Fans of psychological suspense are in for a treat.”
— Publisher's Weekly (Starred review)


  WOMAN ON THE EDGE 
A moment on the subway platform changes two women’s lives forever—a debut thriller that will take your breath away.

A total stranger on the subway platform whispers, “Take my baby.”

She places her child in your arms. She says your name.

Then she jumps...

In a split second, Morgan Kincaid’s life changes forever. She’s on her way home from work when a mother begs her to take her baby, then places the infant in her arms. Before Morgan can stop her, the distraught mother jumps in front of an oncoming train.

Morgan has never seen this woman before, and she can’t understand what would cause a person to give away her child and take her own life. She also can’t understand how this woman knew her name.

The police take Morgan in for questioning. She soon learns that the woman who jumped was Nicole Markham, prominent CEO of the athletic brand Breathe. She also learns that no witness can corroborate her version of events, which means she’s just become a murder suspect.

To prove her innocence, Morgan frantically retraces the last days of Nicole’s life. Was Nicole a new mother struggling with paranoia or was she in danger? When strange things start happening to Morgan, she suddenly realizes she might be in danger, too.

Woman on the Edge is a pulse-pounding, propulsive thriller about the lengths to which a woman will go to protect her baby—even if that means sacrificing her own life.



ABOUT SAMANTHA M. BAILEY
Samantha M. Bailey is a Toronto-based novelist, journalist, and freelance editor. She is also the co-founder of BookBuzz, a promotional and interactive author-reader event held in New York City and Toronto. Her #1 bestselling psychological thriller, WOMAN ON THE EDGE, is published by Simon & Schuster Canada and Headline UK, and will be translated into seven languages.

98 comments:

  1. What an inspiring story, Samantha! Congratulations on your great success with your book . . . a true tribute to perseverance! I’m looking forward to meeting Morgan and reading your intriguing story . . . .

    It’s early morning, but when I look out the window, Hank, but the motion light on the garage snaps on and I see . . . a baby deer wandering across the front yard. Is he off on a great adventure? Or searching for his mother? Or perhaps just passing through, on the way to something else, somewhere else. Can his watchful mother be far behind?

    Who knows?

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    1. You saw a baby deer? That is the best thing ever—-awwww, thank you!

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    2. Thank you, Joan! Oh, how I would love to see a baby deer right now.

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    3. They are pretty darn cute . . . in the summer, they wander into the yard to drink the water out of the grandbabies' inflatable swimming pool.

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  2. That is an intriguing premise for a thriller. I definitely want to know what happens next.

    A car just turned into my condo complex. At 11:30 at night when we are supposed to all be staying indoors anyway. Where is he coming from? What has he seen? Or am I in danger for noticing him?

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    1. That is so perfect, Mark! I wonder what he is doing ....

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    2. Thank you, Mark! Ooh, this sounds like a promising start to a thriller!

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  3. Oh, this is a book I have to read. So many questions to be answered. I predict great success for Woman on the Edge in the U.S., Samantha. You were wise to keep believing in yourself.

    Lifting a single shade and looking out into the darkness of morning that's still night, I'm surprised to see a car in the front parking area of the water company across the road. It's three hours before anyone usually shows up there for work, and besides, the car is in the customer parking spots, the ones facing my house. I can tell there's someone in the car from a dim light that could be a cell phone. I'm never comfortable with a car showing up and just sitting there as if the person behind the wheel is watching my house. But, my husband would think I'm being silly if I wake him up about it. So, I turn out my light to get some sleep.

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    1. I love that you can see the light from the cell phone! That is very very good detail for a story... hmmmm. :-)

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    2. Thank you so much, Kathy! I'm also really stubborn. :) I agree, Hank. My thriller writer brain is conjuring scenarios right now.

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    3. Samantha, meet Kathy! Kathy, meet Samantha. Stellar author--meet stellar reviewer!

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    4. Thank you, Hank, for introducing us. Samantha, I'm so looking forward to reading and reviewing your book. I'm so impressed by all your hard work.

      We live on a road that has houses on one side and a field, the water company, the local airport, and a fire department on the other side. So many possibilities for a story include the airport. And, we do get the occasional vehicle just sitting across the street that does creep me out a bit. Well, I do read mystery/crime, so it's easy to imagine someone with nefarious intentions instead of just someone texting his girfriend.

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    5. So great to meet you, Kathy, and thank you! You live in a perfect thriller setting!

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  4. Wow. Way to persist, Samantha! I can't wait to read this book.

    It's still dark here in NE Massachusetts. Across the street only one window glows with light that spills out onto fresh snow. Is my neighbor knitting so early ... or researching poisons to finally get rid of her husband?

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    1. (Mind you, my real neighbor is a lovely woman with a devoted husband of many decades...)

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    2. Oh, Edith! You can tell you are a veteran mystery writer! now you’ll have to update us on the husband :-)
      You are so right: Way to persist!

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    3. Thank you, Edith! I now want to read this book about the neighbor!

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    4. Samantha, I also wanted to say that when I was starting to seriously write about ten years ago, the MAN I LIVE WITH used a dire tone to say, "You know, it's really hard to get published." My reply? "Somebody's going to get published, and it might as well be me." My 20th mystery comes out next week! Persistence definitely pays off.

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    5. Congrats, Edith!! Not only are you a published writer, but you are also an award-winning writer! It IS hard to get published, but it's hard to do anything that requires a great amount of work and courage. I hope for everyone that fear doesn't stop them from doing what they really want to do, because we both know dreams can come true.

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  5. Your own story is just as intriguing as your book's premise, Samantha, and I'm off to put Woman on the Edge on my Kindle right away. Thank you for persevering and congratulations on your success.

    It's still dark here in Manitoba, but my cat, Holly, is staring intensely out of the sunroom window. I go over to see what has caught her attention and see...a big fat racoon waddling down our front path and across the street, clearly heading back to the river. No self-isolating for the four-leggeds! And no story in that observation this morning. Oh well. There's always tomorrow...

    Personal note: My mother arrived home safely yesterday evening from her trip to Holland and will now self-isolate for 14 days. Phew. Big relief to me to have back on this side of the world.

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    1. Great! We are so glad she’s back.
      And—Maybe the raccoons are having a party? And you have an instant inspirational story about natures persistence :-). Xxx

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    2. Hank: this is why you're the published author! I hadn't thought of that perspective...

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    3. I'm very happy for you that your mother is now safely home.

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    4. Merci, Danielle. I don't think I had realized how at some level I had been holding my breath! Now breathing more easily this morning...

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    5. Hello to a fellow Canadian! Thank you so much, Amanda! I'm so glad your mom is home safe. Maybe the raccoon knows there's something in the river that the rest of us don't know about...

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  6. What a great story, Samantha. Congrats on the book!

    What am I looking at? My neighbors' house. All the windows are dark except the kitchen. But in the half-hour I've been sitting here, I haven't seen a person at the window. Hmm.

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    1. Oh,… Maybe someone is leaving the light on as a signal to someone outside? xxxxxx

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    2. I like that, Hank! Thank you so much, Liz!

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  7. Lifting the shade in my office, I see the forsythia blooming just beyond the window. My neighbor's fence. And their driveway and house. And there goes a squirrel scampering across the fence top. In these days, I love that story with nothing happening.

    Then there's the pile of books I'm in the middle of reading. Lots happening in those.

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    1. Nothing happening is perfect! Very meditative… And inspirational.

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    2. Nothing happening sounds really lovely right now. I'm a huge fan of yours, Hallie!

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  8. This book sound great, and I admire your persistence! It’s always so encouraging to see persistence rewarded.

    Late last night, just a few minutes before the stay-at-home order went into effect, a car engine roared to life, and sped down the street with squealing tires. The house across the street remained dark. Where was the driver going? And what did he leave behind?

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    1. Wow! Squealing tires! Wonder where someone was going so urgently?

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    2. Thank you, Cindy! Now THIS is a high concept start!

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  9. Congratulations on your new book!

    It's light in Cincinnati. Only the birds are out and about. As always, my neighbor's rolling garbage cart is outside his garage door, but today, the garbage cart is on its side, a raccoon fighting off a skunk. What's inside? More than garbage. A vulture just landed.

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    1. Is that actually true? A raccoon versus skunk fight? And the arrival of a vulture? Your life is The nature channel! We want to watch!

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    2. I'd love to watch this! Thank you, Margaret!

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    3. The video could go viral! Huh. I think we need to figure out another word for that. :-(

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  10. Samantha, just reading the premise makes me want to stop what I'm doing and read your book! What I appreciate most, however, is your advice to persevere. I've wanted to write a novel for years, I keep trying, get discouraged because I'm afraid it's crap, then take a break (months) before going back to it. You have inspired me to JUST KEEP GOING. Thank you!

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    1. No, that is the best thing ever! Samantha, you have changed yet another life :-). Cathy, I cannot wait until we do the blog about your new book. Now get writing!

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    2. Cathy, this means so much to me. I think all writers feel like you do. It's definitely part of the process. Yes, please, just keep going, one sentence at a time, so I can read your book one day!

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    3. Wow, thank you Hank and Samantha! I appreciate the encouragement.

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  11. Boy oh boy! I cannot wait to read this book! I'm a sucker for any book with a baby in it.

    I look outside my window and see snow covered woods. Not a bird, squirrel or deer in sight.

    But a few years ago I needed to get up in the night and noticed a car stopped on the road in front of my house. That was a very snowy night; we had several inches and it was coming down heavily. I wondered if maybe the car was the guy delivering my paper so I kept watching to see if he would make it up the hill or would he turn around. Then I saw a light bobbing from the house across the road. Someone with a flashlight was going to the car. Intrigued, I kept watching. After a few minutes the flashlight bobbed back to the house and the car drove off. Ooh, there were so many possibilities here and every once in a while I think of another one.

    When I told my son about this he said it was a drug buy. Hmm, I suppose it could have been but I like thinking of other things it could have been.

    W

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    1. Oh, gosh who knows...that is a GOOD one! Very haunting. And you were watching, just by chance, with no motives--and yet--you saw it. And then the police call... :-)

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    2. Ooh, Judi, there are so many possibilities here! And thank you!

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  12. Congratulations on your published book Samantha. The premise really caught my attention and as a fellow Canadian, I'm happy to learn about Woman on the Edge and will download it now.
    I have been sitting here since a good half hour with a piece of empty road and the woods of my neighbor in my window.. New snow from last night on every trees and surfaces. Am I the last person in the world ? What happened ?

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    1. Oh my goodness, Danielle: I do hope you're not the last person in the world! Are you brave enough to venture out to see? (I"m not sure I would be....)

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    2. Oh, so pretty and special! Who will be the first to arrive?

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    3. Hi, my fellow Canadian! Thank you so much, Danielle. Wow, this is chilling!

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  13. Congratulations, Samantha! As I sit reading in my living room, I wonder why my neighbors have stopped arguing. Usually I hear the husband yelling at his wife during the day. This has been an annoying recurring event for me (and for his wife, I’m sure) since my retirement. But since we’ve been self isolated I haven’t heard a peep out of them. What has changed? I see him leave the house on errands, but she is pretty much housebound because of health issues. My imagination is going wild.

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    1. WOW! That is SO fascinating! Yikes. SO many possibilities there, you are right! Keep listening, and let us know, okay?

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    2. Thank you, Teri! My imagination is going wild, too! And I'm a bit nervous for the wife.

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  14. You're all giving me the shivers! Danielle, I love how your imagination propelled you to leap into that next, thrilling scenario.

    Awake again in my middle of the night I pad to the bathroom without turning on lights. Which means my neighbor's kitchen light is more noticeable. At 2:30 AM? Looking across the valley between our homes I see through the window a figure moving back and forth around the counter--or what I think is the counter, since I've never been in that room. An arm comes up, and begins what looks like hacking motions.

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    1. Oh, I ALMOST believed you!! Troublemaker! xoxoxoo

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    2. Ha! It's all true but that last sentence.

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    3. Thank you for the much-needed laugh, Karen!

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  15. Thank you so much, Hank and Jungle Red Writers, for featuring me and WOMAN ON THE EDGE!

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    1. So great to see you here! Aren’t these great stories? We could make a book I have absolutely any of them… And I am very tempted, I must say!

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    2. I could write my next five books from these comments alone!

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    3. Exactly! Or we could all do an anthology of short stories...hmmmm..

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  16. And if you get a moment, tell us what you were working on… Or at least, whether you are working :-) I am having a very hard time getting to the computer ....

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    1. I'm writing early in the morning when the house is dark and silent. For me, writing, especially thrillers, gives me a place to put my fears and worries so I can be as positive and upbeat as possible for my kids. I'm not sure my words on the page are fantastic right now, but they're there. I'm writing my next book, which is another thriller centered on middle-aged motherhood, dangerous secrets, and...murder. :)

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  17. I never ever get tired of reading Samantha's experience. It is so incredibly motivating and exactly what I needed right now. (The shout-out was cool too :))

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    1. Meredith, my love, without you, WOMAN ON THE EDGE wouldn't be a book! You've been by my side for so many years, as my best friend, critique partner, champion, confidante. I love you so much. I am in awe of your talent, and the world needs your rom coms right now!

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    2. SO pleased to see you here, Meredith! xxoxoo

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  18. Samantha, you're truly inspiring. Thanks for sharing your journey.

    I can't wait to read Woman on the Edge! Congratulations!

    It's a dreary morning on the coast of South Carolina. I'm looking at a house under construction. Mud is everywhere and there's a huge dumpster sitting in front of house. I'm trying to imagine what it will look like one day instead of the depressing site it is at the moment.

    I've also considered if there's a story with the house. Squatters seeking refuge from the Coronavirus because the homeless shelter is shut down. It definitely needs a lot of tweaking, but it's a seed.
    Stay safe!

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  19. I love and am always so envious of high concept books! I mean, all you have to do is read A total stranger on the subway platform whispers, “Take my baby. She places her child in your arms. She says your name. Then she jumps… I'm waving my hand, saying, take my money, please!!! It's irresistible.

    And I love Samantha's honesty about what crafting a number one bestseller takes - years of dedicated work, with many people pitching in and helping to shape the book. So often the story is presented as, "...then she wrote a book and it sold at auction for six figures!" Which has a nice fairy-tale ring to it, but doesn't account for the time and effort the author actually brings to the table.

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    1. You are so right about that! That's a LOT of time...

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    2. Thank you, Julia! For me, I seem to find my best ideas when I'm not looking so hard for them. It really is a lot about luck and timing. I want to be honest so people know that what they see on social media--those fairy tales, as you said--are so rare. Most authors I know have walked a similar path and have aged a lot in the process. :)

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  20. Hank, at first I thought Samantha Bailey was a character you invented. It sounds like a name you would use for one of your characters.

    Samantha, Welcome to Jungle Reds! I am a BIG FAN of Romantic comedies and I would LOVE to read your Romantic Comedy novel if it is possible to order a copy from you? And your debut thriller sounds chilling!

    Though thrillers are outside of my usual genre, I admit that your book sounds like a novel that I want to read. This reminds me a little of when I was a student abroad in England. I was in an English village when a young mother asked me to watch her baby while she went into the shop for a minute. Maybe it was my face? I was surprised that she trusted a stranger - me - to watch her baby. Not only that but I was also Profoundly Deaf and she was NOT deaf. Somehow I could understand what she said - she spoke clearly.

    Looking outside the window as a child, I would imagine many stories. I remember seeing someone sitting outside in a car all night and I thought this person was a spy, after I was watching a spy movie that day. LOL

    My first thought when I was reading about your characters. I wonder if the young mother had postpartnum (sp?) depression? Was the father of the baby beating her up? Was she a witness to a violent crime? Well, I will find out when I read your novel, right? If she knew Morgan's name, perhaps they went to the same school and Morgan was one of the popular kids so everyone knew the names of the popular kids? Or she was one of the worker bees who worked for the company that Morgan worked for? Or with social media and if Morgan's photo was on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter, then anyone would know her name, right?

    Diana

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    1. Yes, it's a terrific name. Wish I had thought of it! I am in the throes of naming a main character or two right now, and it's always a journey to get to the right one.

      ANd yes, you will NEVER figure it out, so just get reading. :-) I almost said "clear your calendar," but, yeah.

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    2. Hank, I hope that I win a copy :-)

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    3. Ha ha, Diana, about my name! Aw, thank you! I'm a big rom com fan, too. Mine is quite edgy and irreverent, and it's called FINDING LUCAS. It's available on Amazon. I cannot imagine asking a stranger to watch my kids, even for a second! But times have changed so much since I was younger, and my parents would leave me in the car to run errands. I was the same as a little girl! Maybe that person was a spy? :) I can't give any spoilers, but those are all very interesting guesses!

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    4. Samantha, thanks. I wonder if the culture is different in England? The lady in England who asked me to watch her baby was very young. She did come back after a few minutes. Even when I was a young child growing up in America, my parents were worried about kidnappings. They had been kidnapped themselves as children., then returned to their families within a short time. Even if it was a short time, they do remember being kidnapped even if the kidnappers were nice and let them eat whatever they wanted. LOL My friends' parents Never were worried about their children being kidnapped. Look forward to reading your psychological thriller!

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  21. I'm very happy for you, Samantha! You worked hard to get that book out there! I looked out my front window about 2:30 this a.m. First thing I noticed was I need to hose down my windows. Filthy! It was absolutely still outside. No cars driving by. No people walking by. No barking dogs. No cats fighting. Porch lights on, as usual, for security and to discourage thieves. Potential thieves were not out, checking car doors for opportunities. So abnormally quiet for a city neighborhood.

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    1. Oh, very good setting! And hmm..everyone seems to be up very late... or early. xooxo

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    2. Thank you, Pat! It's unusually quiet around here, too. Eerie, to be honest. I hope you went back to sleep after that!

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  22. Congratulations, Samantha! I'm in awe of your hard work and perseverance. And envious of your "big concept" idea! What a hook!!! It's irresistible!

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    1. Isn't it? And we could all get an idea like that, too. Some..day.... What's out your window, Debs?

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    2. Thank you, Deborah! From such a prolific author, that means a lot to me.

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  23. Fantastic, Samantha! What a great story about getting published - I love the sheer determination. The past year has taught me the value in rewrites and stripping down a story to get it just right. It is invaluable. I can't wait to read Woman on the Edge.

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    1. Jenn, you will love it! And yes, the rewriting is the key. I love it!

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    2. Thank you, Jenn! I find the rewrites so much easier than the drafting!

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  24. This looks really good. And I loved hearing your story. Congrats, Samantha!

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  25. Abandoned baby and suicide, or was it suicide? This is definitely getting added to my bursting Kindle.

    I'm home from work and as I look out my primary window, I see a fence. Beyond the fence, I see softly moving limbs of coastal redwoods. The evening sun is fading in patches in the opposite building. The blossoms on the deciduous trees flew down a few days ago, leaving tender, soft green leaves in their wake. In the length of time it has taken to pen this, the sun has disappeared from opposite the building. Evening is blending into night in the west coast.

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    1. I want to read the book about this! Thank you, Deana! And YES to the bursting Kindle. Mine, too!

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  26. This sounds like a very compelling story--just what I need to throw myself into these days.

    It is completely dark outside of our windows, because we live out in the country. Still, I know the field behind our house isn't empty. Our dogs told me as much when we went out just now. Cora, especially, is alert to the presence of elk. So although I can't see them, I'm pretty sure we are surrounded by strong, silent elk.

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    1. Strong, silent elk sounds so beautiful. Thank you, Beth!

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  27. Earlier today I saw the neighbor's cat come to my screen door and my cat went to the screen door to see him. My cat is an indoor cat and they have never "met", but were they "talking" about something? lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I love this, Linda! I'm picturing the cats chatting.

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  28. This sounds amazing!! Would love to read/review. Thanks for the chance! bentleyboy22(at)comcast(dot)net

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