Curling Up With A Good Book: Rockstar Book Tours, Interview, & Giveaway: Dig Too Deep (Amy Allgeyer)

Monday, March 21, 2016

Rockstar Book Tours, Interview, & Giveaway: Dig Too Deep (Amy Allgeyer)

Title: DIG TOO DEEP
Author: Amy Allgeyer
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Pages: 272
Publisher: AW Teen
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

With her mother facing prison time for a violent political protest, seventeen-year-old Liberty Briscoe has no choice but to leave her Washington, DC, apartment and take a bus to Ebbottsville, Kentucky, to live with her granny. There she can at least finish high school and put some distance between herself and her mother--or her former mother, as she calls her. But Ebbottsville isn't the same as Liberty remembers, and it's not just because the top of Tanner's Peak has been blown away to mine for coal. Half the county is out of work, an awful lot of people in town seem to be sick, and the tap water is bright orange--the same water that officials claim is safe. And when Granny's lingering cold turns out to be something much worse, Liberty wonders if somebody at the mine is hiding the truth about the water. She starts to investigate and is soon plunged into a world of secrets, lies, threats, and danger. Her searches for answers and justice lead to even tougher questions--should she turn to violence and end up like her mother? Give up her quest for the sake of keeping the peace? Or keep fighting until the mine is shut down for good?

Find it:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

The youngest of seven kids, Amy has been writing stories since she first learned to make her letters face the right way. Her work has appeared in Family Fun, A Fly in Amber and Stories for Children. As an architect, she spends her days restoring hundred-year-old homes in Boise where she lives with her son, a feral house cat, and a fake owl named Alan. She hates chocolate, but loves vegetables. She also loves travelling to foreign lands and the smell of honeysuckle on humid Southern nights.

Amy is represented by the lovely and amazing Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

That’s a good question, because it seems like I set out to write a book about mountaintop removal mining, right? But this novel actually started life as a short story about a girl taking care of her sick granny. My own mother died of cancer when I was twenty-eight, and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. I wanted – needed—to put that experience on paper. And after that short story won a publication contract, my critique group encouraged me to expand it into a novel.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

Oh, absolutely Granny. She reminds me so much of the strong, no-nonsense women I knew in the South. But I also have a huge soft-spot for Dobber.

Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel, by a loooong time. The first title was so crappy, I won’t even share it. When I went out on sub to agents, my crit partner K.C. Held suggested calling it WATER FOR STARFISH, which I loved. But after Albert Whitman bought the book, they decided to go with something else and came up with DIG TOO DEEP, which is great. It’s sort of literal and vague at the same time, and it sounds a just little creepy.

What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The starfish scene was incredibly difficult for me to write, so I’m pretty proud of that. I also love the scene where Liberty picks up Ashleigh in rain and gives her a ride home. I think it shows how desperate Lib is to get answers. In her mind, she’s basically consorting with the devil by being reaching out to Ashleigh. And I love the twist at the end of that scene.

Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

To trust “the process” that…Writing. Makes. A. Book. There are days when it feels like the words I’m putting down absolutely suck, and that I’m just wasting my time. But no matter how bad those words are, even on my very worst writing day, they still string together into a first draft. And a first draft is a thing that can be fixed.

What do you like most about the cover of the book?

The colors are really perfect! They’re beautiful but a little creepy…just like the title. I also love how, on the spine, DIG TOO DEEP is written horizontally, so you don’t have to tilt your head to read it.

What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2016?

As a Sweet Sixteen, I’ve had the pleasure of reading a bunch of ARCs of 2016 releases and OH MY GOSH there are so many amazing books coming out this year! Some of the ones I’m most looking forward to having on my shelf…HOLDING COURT by K.C. Held; THE ART OF NOT BREATHING, by Sarah Alexander; BLACKHEARTS, by Nicole Castroman; THE EYE OF MIDNIGHT, by Andrew Brumbach, THE SEASON, by Steve & Jonah Lisa Dyer, and THE SERPENT KING, by Jeff Zentner.

What was your favorite book in 2015?

Again…so many great books! VALIANT, by Sarah McGuire; INHERIT MIDNIGHT, by Kate Kae Myers; DEVIATE, by Tracy Clark; LOCK & MORI, by Heather Petty are several of my favorites.

What’s up next for you?

I’m currently working on a contemporary YA that’s really testing my faith in the “the process.” I remind myself daily that “Words make books” and I try to believe. ☺

Is there anything that you would like to add?

Just thanks so much for hosting me! It’s been great fun!!