Meet Author Layne Deemer
Genre: Psychological Thrillers and Contemporary Romance
About Layne Deemer
Layne Deemer aims to push boundaries with her writing. Her stories deconstruct the ordinary until it becomes something else entirely.
She has a degree in Communications with a minor in English and has worked in the fields of public relations, marketing, and advertising, but writing has always been her true passion. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading. Her wish list of books will take her a lifetime to get through.
She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, Adam, their two kids, Stella and Jasper, and their bulldog, Archie. Frayed, a psychological thriller, is her first novel.
She writes the stories that move into her head and won’t leave until she gets them on paper. So far, she’s written two psychological thrillers and one contemporary romance.
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We asked Layne a quick round of questions, and here are her answers:
Q1: What is your writing Kryptonite?
A: Self-doubt! I’ve always struggled with doubting myself and even though I have more confidence now, I still can’t seem to let go of it completely. Both during and after the writing process, I will constantly flip back and forth between feeling good about what I’ve written and feeling awful about it.
Q2: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
A: I’ve always been a writer, but I allowed life to get in the way and for so many years, I ignored that part of myself. After attending Write or Die in 2017, I decided enough was enough. I was going to keep pushing ahead until I published my book. And once that happened, it was like I had started a fire that was impossible to extinguish. Now, I can’t imagine my life without writing. It’s a part of my daily routine.
Q3: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
A: In the Fields by Willow Aster. Honestly, I think Willow is under-appreciated. She’s a phenomenal author and a beautiful human. In the Fields is a masterpiece and in this climate, especially, I think it’s a book that EVERYONE should read.
Q4: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A: Wow, this is a tough one! I think it changes depending on the day and my mood. Sometimes I feel like a horse galloping along an open field, an entire world of possibilities around me. Other times I feel like a bug caught in a spider’s web.
Q5: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
A: Turning off the distractions around me. Lately, it’s become very apparent that I have an addiction to my phone and social media. If my phone is anywhere near me while I’m trying to write, I will keep taking breaks to look at Facebook or Instagram. I’ve discovered what works best for me is to have my phone in another room of my house, preferably on a whole other floor. If it’s not beside me, it can’t tempt me. I wish I had more self-control, but at least I’ve figured out a method that works!
Q6: Who is your favourite author and why?
A: I have SO many (Tarryn Fisher, Colleen Hoover, Willow Aster, Jewel E. Ann, Emma Scott, K.A. Tucker, the list goes on). But if I’m only allowed to choose one, I’m going to go with the one who wrote my favorite book, K.A. Tucker. I’ve always loved her, but after I read The Simple Wild, something fundamentally changed inside of me. It was a visceral experience. That book, those characters, they’re so real to me. I’ve read other books in which the characters felt real, but Calla and Jonah? Yeah, they’re definitely out there in the wilds of Alaska.
Q7: How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
A: I have dozens of Word documents with book ideas. Some have a few sentences and some have entire chapters. Because I’m a pantser, none of my ideas are complete. My stories reveal themselves to me as I write. But I have a rough idea floating in my head right now for a psychological thriller involving a YouTube-esque influencer.
Q8: What are you reading now?
A: I’m about to start an ARC of The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher and I’m ridiculously excited!
Q9: Is writing your full-time career? Or would you like it to be?
A: In a way, it kind of is. I’m lucky in the sense that my husband and I own our own business. It gives me very flexible hours and allows me to take the time I need to write. I’m not making a true living at the moment, but I’m happy. So there’s that. 🙂
Q10: Hot or cold?
A: Well, that all depends. I like my coffee hot. But weatherwise, I prefer a bit of a chilly bite.
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Layne agreed to participate in a little flash fiction.
This is the cover of your next book, write the opening paragraph…
“CREAK. The rusted hinges of the old arched door announce my arrival. I take a few tentative steps inside the cavernous foyer. My heel stabs a tile on the floor causing it to spider. I let out a quiet gasp. Nice work, Cassidy. You weren’t even invited inside and yet here you are destroying the place. It only takes a second for me to realize this was probably the last in-tact tile. The rest are chipped and splintered apart. Fractured pieces of black and white ceramic litter the room revealing the dingy cement foundation underneath. My eyes slide up the wall. Much like the floor, they’ve seen better days. They’re devoid of any decoration. The rustic red brick was once painted a creamy white, but time has abused the lacquered finish. It’s mostly restored to its original state and in any other setting, it would look edgy and modern. But in here, it only adds to the inherent creepiness. My gaze locks on the old spiral staircase in front of me. The marbled steps are crumbling around the edges and the iron railing looks worn and is missing a few rungs. This can’t be the right place. I look down at the little slip of paper in my hand. 331 Worthington Road. I’m sure I have the right address, but I can’t imagine Dr. Jacobson meant to send me here. “You need a place to rest and regroup, Cassidy.” That’s what he told me and of course, I believed him. Why wouldn’t I? But this doesn’t look like the sort of place someone goes to rest. It looks more like a place someone would try to escape.
“Ahh, you must be Miss Matthews.” A deep, gravelly voice startles me as it travels down the stairs toward me. “Come on in, my dear. We’ve been expecting you.”
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Books by Layne Deemer
Frayed: A Psychological Thriller:
Blurb:
Owen Hanson packs a bag and leaves his past where it belongs—dead and buried in his small Connecticut hometown. His new life as a clothing inspector is boring and predictable and the perfect escape. He’s finally in control.Lydia March is unexpected, but he can’t avoid her even if he tries. She makes him feel things and throws the delicate balance of his orderly life off its axis.When Owen begins receiving mysterious messages from an unknown admirer, it’s not long before his world begins to spiral and nothing is as it seems. Is Lydia writing the notes or is it someone else? Has his past finally caught up with him?When reality starts to fray at the edges, it’s impossible not to pick at the loose threads and watch as everything unravels. Can Owen hold onto the control he so desperately clings to or will his life be reduced to nothing more than a tangled mass of chaos?
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Life Forgotten: A Contemporary Romance:
Blurb:
When you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you’re bound to fall apart. Who will be there to help pick up the pieces?
Nellie Campbell is a fixer. She’s selfless in her need to solve the problems of the people she loves. When her mom is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, she puts her own life on hold and dives head first into caretaker mode. Her days are spent consumed with the troubles of others—her mom, her wayward sister, the neighborhood stray cat, the single mom next door. She tackles every issue as though it were her own, ignoring herself in the process.
Until she meets Jude Hargrove. After one brief encounter, he manages to awaken something inside of her that she had long left for dead. Herself.
But is it too late for Nellie? Can Jude help her see her own worth or will she be destined to see herself as a problem that just isn’t meant to be solved?
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Decompose: A Psychological Thriller:
Coming November 10, 2020
Blurb:
Welcome to the quiet neighborhood of Whispering Woods. It’s a lovely place to live…as long as you follow the rules.
Jeanette Singleton is a wife, mother, avid gardener, and also a bit of a serial killer. She doesn’t see it that way, though. For her, it’s a simple matter of following the rules. That isn’t hard for most people. But there are others who bend, twist, and sometimes break the rules in order to get what they want and she can’t have that. Not in her neighborhood.
Jeanette tends to Whispering Woods like she tends to her garden—nurturing it, feeding it, weeding out invasive pests, watching it thrive. It’s what makes her plan so perfect, so foolproof. You see, life requires structure and when it’s compromised, chaos ensues. But Jeanette has found the answer to that problem. A place where evil decomposes and transforms into something useful.
When new neighbors move in, she seizes the opportunity to welcome them. But as her life begins to intertwine with theirs, the lines of good and evil begin to blur. Blind trust is like a parasite and if Jeanette isn’t careful, everything she’s worked so hard to maintain will begin to rot.
GIVEAWAY, Readers choice, to win an eBook click here to enter.
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Layne, thank you so much for being a featured author in our spotlight blog. It was wonderful getting to know a little about you. And if like us, you want to find out more and what she’s up to next, you can follow her on the links below and visit her website HERE.
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Anyone else want that prompt in its entirety?! I loved this author spotlight.
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