Lynessa Layne's Blog: The Dark Side of Light
April 19, 2023
TropiCon'24 Book Expo & Writing Convention
Are you ready for a major book-signing event in northeast Florida? Here it is!
TROPICON'24 BOOK EXPO & WRITING CONVENTION - 23-25 February 2024!
Renaissance Saint Augustine Historic Downtown Hotel - St. Augustine, Florida!
Hosted by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Lynessa Layne!
EVENT LINK: https://www.facebook.com/events/13336...
TICKETS ($30 VIP 'Flamingo' ALL-ACCESS, and FREE General Admission): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tropicon...
READERS/ATTENDEES GROUP PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tropi...
Schedule of Events:
* THURSDAY 22 FEB: Meet & Greet at Castillo Craft Bar & Kitchen (in the venue hotel) - 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. - enjoy a drink & tapas with your favorite authors!
* FRIDAY 23 FEB: Writing & Marketing Workshops, Author Panels, Fun Activities & Special Guest Speakers! Then...a tour of the town by Lynessa Layne with dozens of bestselling authors...and YOU! Learn and try your hand at writing alongside some of the most popular authors in the world!
* SATURDAY 24 FEB: DAY 1 of the Book Signing (75 Authors & Vendors)! Meet authors and pick up some signed books and swag!
* SUNDAY 25 FEB: DAY 2 of the Book Signing (75 Authors & Vendors)! Meet authors and pick up some signed books and swag!
ATTENDING AUTHORS & VENDORS:
Aliya DalRae
Amazeballs Book Addicts
Amy Marie
Andi Lawrencovna
Angela Rush
Angie K.
Ann Rudesill
Anytime Author Promotions
April Moran
Aurelia Yates
Austin Wilson (model)
Autumn Marie
B R Curry
Barb Jones
Bethany Loughlin-Frost
Bookish Delights
C.E. Johnson
C. Mo
Christine Roberts
CJ Warrant
Clair Brett
Creative Conspiracy Co.
Darlene Kuncytes
Deborah Alexander
Debra Parmley/Debra Bishop
Dee Stewart
Designed for Authors
Dr. DeLois Jackson
E. S. McMillan
Emily Gray
Emily Hummer
Everly Taylor
Gina Ferguson
Heidi Hess
Hope Daniels
J. Elliott
Jaime Lewis
Janet A. Mota
Jill Marie Denton
J M Madden
Judith Luke
Karen St. James
Kari LeMor
Kate Gable/Charlotte Byrd
Kathleen Lopez
Kevin Davis (model)
Killian Wolf
Kimberley O'Malley
Krys Fenner / Brigit rose
LaMonique Mac
Lexi Aidyn
Lizzie Strong
Lucia Franco
Lynn Garcia Carmer/
Veva Sol
Maggie Adams
Marj Ivancic
Mary Yungeberg
Melissa MacKinnon
Melody Calder
Michelle Iannarelli
Misty Simon/Gabby Allan
MK Mancos/Kate Davison
MK Moore
P.L. Porter
R. Sullins
R.S. Crawford
Renee Jean/Mackenzie Knight
Rochelle Bradley
Sheila Fowler
Shelley Justice
Shelly Cruz
Sherry A. Burton
Southern Women Publishing
Stormy & Jason McDonald
Teresa Keefer
The Bookish Boutique, LLC
The Story of My Life Bookstore
Theresa Sederholt
Theresa Sherron
Thia Mackin
TK Lawyer
Victoria Ellis
Victoria Saccenti
Virginia Johnson
SEE YOU THERE!!!
August 4, 2022
Romance In The Carolinas
Finally met cover model / actor DANIEL SOBIERAY in person - 8 years in the making! He was so gracious and engaging with readers as cover model at my table at Romance In The Carolinas ❤️
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oLzDSh1p2Yn...
Authors, Models & Vendors group photo from Romance In The Carolinas 2022 author signing event in Winston-Salem, NC. Can't wait to go back! Such a beautiful venue, and the rooms are famazing cozy!
July 7, 2022
Special Edition Covers
June 25, 2022
Cross-Country
I recently completed a 6,000+ mile adventure across America covering 15 states, 3 book signing events, and even the famed Route 66. Know what I discovered? Wonderful places. Wonderful people. People from the places I visited. People from overseas. People of all walks of life - including a British motorcycle club of about 30 members who flew into Chicago for the sole purpose of riding the entire Route 66 to L.A. to experience this great land and its people. What did they all have in common, regardless of where they’re from? They all love this country. It was refreshing to hear why they love the USA, which you won’t hear on the mainstream media that wants us to buy into believing our country is the worst place on the planet. We’re not. In fact, despite record fuel prices, an economy driven into the ditch and doom & gloom being shoved down our throats daily, I never once heard anyone along the way give even the slightest hint of giving up or giving in to the false narrative that the socialist/communist propagandists would have us suckered into.
From Tampa, Florida to Tombstone, Arizona to Sedona, Phoenix, Provo, Casper, Deadwood, Des Moines, Kansas City, Memphis, Birmingham and Montgomery, people were kind, polite (the vast majority), helpful, friendly, thoughtful, and fun. Conversations were plentiful and easygoing. The beds in most of the motels and hotels we stayed at and the miles we racked up in the car were the only uncomfortable things we encountered, but the people were WONDERFUL. It boggles my mind how out of touch and fear-mongering government and media elites really are. Imagine if we just stopped letting them tear us down for their power-greedy ulterior motives. Imagine if we simply tuned them out, turned them off, and ignored their avalanche of propaganda lies. What a fantastic place we could open our eyes and see that America actually is. This summer, try it. See for yourselves. Turn off the tv. Turn off the radio. Leave the devices in the console. Just go and enjoy this amazing country. Relax at the beach or lake. Go camping, hiking, visit friends and family. Put a check in the boxes of a few of those bucket list places and adventures. Talk to people. Put the doom & gloom on hold. Smile and see how many others you can make smile. Perform one random act of kindness a day and witness it paid forward. Yes, we are imperfect, but doing nothing to change the world one person at a time won’t yield different results, so get out there and interact (in person). Discover new places on a weekend getaway or a family vacation. Talk to people. Look for the beauty in life. It’s all around you.
August 26, 2021
The Price of Love
“But I don’t understand!”
I can’t tell you how many times that thought went through my head when I was sitting at the back of a classroom as a kid, and even now when I’m “adulting”. When you have Asperger’s Syndrome you can be brilliantly smart, yet also have a very hard time learning.
I didn’t know I was an Aspie back then. Heck, I didn’t even find out until a few years ago (I’m in my 30s now). I only knew I was different, and quickly realized that in order to mask the struggle, I’d have to figure out what worked for me.
School was a place with teachers supplying the material and the means for how most students went about solving a problem or structuring a sentence, blah, blah, blah. While that was happening, my mind was hard at work on the cluttered mass of puzzle pieces someone dumped on my desk. We all knew the teacher was likely to call on someone at some point. Putting those pieces together was like manic panic, a race to put the same picture together as the rest of the class so that I didn’t humiliate myself when, and if, she called on me. Sometimes, I nailed it; most times the latter was true.
I thought I was different and awkward and screwed up because of my home life. I was and wasn’t. There were a lot of factors against me and my perception of love and acceptance, failure and success. A life where love was freely given was my idea of success; where I could be accepted and loved for who I awkwardly was. I was always trying to pick apart and understand the minds of my peers, why they did things they did, and how they saw me. Could they see my effort to seem normal? I know they did. My insecurity made things worse. Could they see that I was hiding terrible secrets while pretending I had the luxury of growing up in a family that didn’t hurt each other with their friends who didn’t touch inappropriately?
They were normal to me because they didn’t have those things against them. Without realizing, I’d drawn a line between them and me, building walls.
The first time anything came naturally to me, was when I had kids of my own. Being a mother was a silent conversation between us I found fluency in. Each of my newborn babies loved and looked to me with unconditional love and trust; something I was determined they’d never have to feel the pain of losing or paying a price for. Love should be as freely given to them as they naturally gave the moment our eyes met.
As for me, I’ve found that love outside of my children (and my step daughter) isn’t so natural to accept at all. I have the best freak’n husband, and I don’t say that lightly. I’ve known bad relationships. Which is why when my fantastic, gentle, genuine man tells me he loves me, I think there must always be some sort of trick. We’ve been together for years, and he’s never given me reason to doubt him. The opposite, in fact.
A hurt person doesn’t accept love freely. No matter how positive I strive to be, I will always be a haunted and scarred version of who I was born to be. I’m skeptical when someone is kind. I have to find a quiet place to try and pick apart why he told me he loved me. Why he did this nice thing or bought me that. Couldn’t possibly be because he REALLY LOVES ME?! Because these doubts and fears keep me from receiving his love, does that make my husband’s love or words any less true? Hell no. However, my lack of self-esteem makes for a frustrating companionship, when in reality, I have love like you read about in novels and dream of. The hardest part is acceptance.
Here’s why.
According to victimsofcrime.org, 1 in every 5 girls, and 1 in every 20 boys are victims of childhood sexual abuse. Three quarters of those were victimized by someone they knew.
Thehotline.org states that on average 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. That’s 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 men in their lifetime who have had these experiences.
Naasca.org estimates that 1 in every 4 girls, and 1 in 6 boys, WILL BE sexually abused before the age of 18. That equates to one fifth of America’s youth and 20-25% of the population! Between two thirds and 90% (including me) never tell! Don’t even get me started on how 1 in every 3 is exposed to unwanted sexual material.
For more stats, you can visit any of these sites I’ve hyperlinked, but you can see the damage in person through the loss of connection and compassion in today’s youth and society. What this ultimately says to me is that millions of men, women, and children are paying a steep price for love, whether they are being compliant to the wishes of someone’s selfish, perverted desires, or some bully holding them hostage in their own lives. When you consider that around 30% of victims will go on to victimize others? Ugh.
We live in a society that once preached free love but went on to cross boundaries and love freely whomever they wanted, including children! Hypocrisy at the most dangerous and damaging, so should we be surprised when someone shares the sacrifice of Jesus, (yes, here’s the spiritual part) love without a hidden price to pay is almost absurd to imagine?
“Okay, but I don’t understand! What does he want from me? What’s the catch? How much money do I have to give? Will this require fellowship with people I feel out of place with? Will they single me out? Lay hands on me and say a bunch of words interrupted by a crap ton of ‘father Gods’ or ‘Lord Jesuses’ over and over? How many Hail Mary’s do I have to say to be accepted and loved? What’s in it for me? What does it cost???”
The answer is: nothing. Jesus’ love is free to you if you want love without penalty. The only requirement is for you to accept the only free love you can ever know. Christ won’t hurt you. People do. Ever read the passage in Corinthians on love? Yep. That’s for you. For free. Unlike anything humans produce. Look to anyone who ever a had a cult following in Jesus’ name, and you’ll find sociopaths who hopped on the back of a message they could use in order to trick the most vulnerable for their sick benefit. Jesus didn’t do that. The disgusting human did.
More on discerning between a predatory proselytizer and the true preachers of the Lord Yeshua needs to be discussed in a further blog post. I can say that Jesus said, “you will know them by their fruit.”
Proverbs straight up lists the detestable things God hates including a lying tongue and a heart that devises wicked schemes, both of which are necessary to trick people into following a wicked person.
That in mind, if someone hands me this beautiful present, and I have no idea who they are? Sorry, I’m gonna have to pass. That’s dangerous. Well played, Satan. I can’t accept candy or kindness from strangers these days, don’tcha know!
Why Jesus is a stranger to you or anyone else is another topic for another day, because I’ve gotten way longer than intended already. Sorry, not sorry, but if you’d like to know who offers the gift, or died in his love for you as if you were the only human ever made, click his name or watch here https://vimeo.com/404001307.
The gift is free and safe. There aren’t any rituals or gimmicks required to open the present. You can puzzle over the offering, ask questions, pick apart the reasons love like that doesn’t make sense the way I spoke of waaaay up there in the beginning of this. Caution is a good thing, and you have a right to be after what you’ve been through. You don’t have to understand why this is free or why a spiritual being would take on the form of a human, confining himself to Earthen weaknesses and limitations. You don’t have to understand why he would choose to walk among the living just to die an unspeakable death so you could be saved. I’ve been a Christian since childhood and I didn’t understand the sacrifice or depth until I was left with nothing of myself. My point, you aren’t required to understand, because that comes in time. You don’t have to believe you are loved to make love true. Truth is such whether you believe or not. Skepticism is okay.
You don’t even have to open the gift. You can leave the package on your doorstep, push the plain wrapping away with a stick to keep a safe distance. Watch the box to make sure there isn’t a bomb or some sort of chemical inside that’s gonna hurt you. Just realize the gift exists and is available when you’re ready to open and receive what’s inside. You may find some healing powers in there! =D
But wait! There’s more! Act in the next five minutes, and we’ll throw in as many additional gifts as you like for your friends and family! 
Couldn’t resist. If you’ve made it this far, you’re a trooper! Have a blessed day, this was for you.
August 17, 2021
BOOK TOUR '21-'23
In addition to signing books, I truly enjoy conversing with and getting to know book lovers on both sides of the tables. I'll have lots of swag in tote (already received and being organized), and I have a whole new table display set-up to debut on the tour!
I'm currently working diligently on DCYE book 5 (32,000 words so far) - 'Hostile Takeover' - to have published and ready for the shows starting in November, and book 6 to follow. I'm also working on a short story to submit to magazines, a paranormal 'based on a true story' piece, a cautionary tale. Also in the works is a romance short story for the 'Flirty In Kansas City' book signing event anthology. In addition, waiting in the wings is a standalone thriller based in New Orleans (one of my fave towns)...I expect to work on this one throughout 2022 and submit to agents upon completion.
To catch me on tour, check out my 'Don't Close Your Eyes' Book Signing Tour dates and locations at the top of my Goodreads author page. For tickets to the Ohio, Kansas City, Tampa, Estes Park and Salem events, just look up the titles of the events on Eventbrite (sponsored by Anytime Author Promotions). The Dothan, AL, Prattville, AL, and Montgomery, AL events are FREE to attend! See you all soon!
July 11, 2021
My FIRST book show!
As a person on the autism spectrum (Aspergers), I've always been petrified of crowds and debilitated by overstimulation. I cried ridiculously the first time hubs drove me through the French Quarter, okay? There. I admit it. When something is so beautiful it overwhelms me, or too much is going on at once for me to process my surroundings, I can't control my emotions. I had to run to our hotel room the first time we went to a casino. So many lights, sounds, bustle. On a second visit, once I'd had a chance to absorb everything before it was crowded, I was able to babystep through without melting down.
I may be painfully shy and quiet in public, looking for cues in facial expressions or tones of voice, but when I'm writing, at home, I have time and order conducive to expressing myself in written word. I have time to absorb and process the world around me. When life comes at me fast, I spiral into meltdown mode and want to crawl into a quiet place. That's why it's taken me so long to get to this place where I can do what I need to do to make this experience happen...why I've never done a big event as a writer.
After hubs took me to the T.I.A.B.C. book show in Tampa last month, many of my fears and trepidations melted away. I found myself accepting the possibility that I COULD do this. Even the relatively uncrowded Hollywood Studios theme park had me reaching for my inhaler ov vacation, so this is a big step. For those who don't understand or don't have to deal with autism, it's real, and it affects people in varying degrees. That's why it's called being "on the spectrum". It doesn't just happen out of the blue. It's lifelong. It's frustrating. It's disabling at times. The more I force myself out of my comfort zone, the more I chip away at it. Going to this event is a big step forward, though I try to push it to the back of my mind so it doesn't grow into a monster.
Regardless, I'll be there. I like small spaces, so having an author table in my own prison cell is a comforting thought, strange as that may sound. I'm excited to go and be there. I just hope it's a good experience to build on moving forward. So, if you attend, at least you know what a truly big deal it is, and even if nobody wants to buy my books, it's going to be a major victory for me as a person.
Looking forward to good conversations and seeing what it's like.
'LOCKED UP IN OHIO' author signing event
DATE: 20 Nov 2021
TIME: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
PLACE: Mansfield Reformatory
100 Reformatory Road
Mansfield, Ohio
COST: FREE for general admission; $20 for V.I.P.
TICKETS (Eventbrite.com):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/locked-u...
LLIL,
Lynessa
June 21, 2021
Vacation...
1. Book shows aren't as big and scary as I thought.
- I attended the Tampa Indie Author & Book Convention (T.I.A.B.C.) at the Double Tree on June 5th.
- I wanted to attend as a regular book lover and see what one was like before I committed to signing up for an author table at an event. Very glad I did.
- There are some amazing authors and book show table displays and swag. Gotta up my game!
- I loved seeing how different genre authors presented and spoke to potential fans of their books. I was very impressed, and not a single author left me feeling unimportant or iffy.
- Anyone who thinks authors don't buy other authors' books is mistaken...we ended up with a dozen books for the kids, me and hubs (this was an all-genre book show).
- Following such an enjoyable event, I'm confident I can overcome my Aspergers issues for an upcoming event hubs has been pitching to me to attend.
2. I miss Tampa, and I wanna go 'home'.
- We lived there a few years ago, and have been in Alabama ever since, but hubs, the kids and I decided on this trip that we really want to move back.
3. Universal Studios has lost its dang mind on food and beverage prices!
- A bottle of water was $4.00. Water. Really?
- Not one snack, much less meal, was under $10. I have 5 kids. Add that up for a two-day, two-park pass.
- We DID have a blast on the rides and at the shows.
- Freedom...nobody bothered us about masks...nobody. In fact, about 98% of people there were 'normal' (mask-less), and it was wonderful.
4. Orlando traffic SUCKS.
- If you're planning on going to any of the theme parks, leave your lodging no later than 7 a.m. Not even joking.
- Parks open at 9, but if you're not on the road by 7 a.m., you won't get through the ticket gates before 10:30 a.m. Ask me how I know. Smh.
5. Saint Augustine is like a magnet for happiness.
- The food. OMG. The food. Don't go if you're on a diet...unless it's a see-food diet! So many delicious dishes and atmospheres to consume!
- The history. So much history in America's oldest city (continuously inhabited anyway...Pensacola was actually founded a few years prior to St. A.). We loved the Pirate & Treasure Museum, The Colonial Experience, Ripley's Castle (original Ripley's odditorium)...even had a couple of paranormal experiences there! A phantom fire that 300 visitors SAW and SMELLED...evacuated with fire alarms, the fire dept. showed up and inspected. Nothing. This was not the first occurrence. Our tour guide had been a firefighter and responded to fires there that were raging, only to watch them vanish...no damage or anything wrong with the building. It actually did burn in 1944 when it was a hotel, killing a couple of people. Also, a rocking chair started rocking by itself, like full-on rocking, then stopped on a dime right next to my youngest daughter, freaking her out. Hubs said this is the 2nd time he's witnessed it in 2 separate visits. Staff said it's a regular occurrence.
- Saint Augustine Beach is one of the best in the nation. We loved it.
- You can walk just about everywhere you need to go. Street parking is a challenge, and meter / neighborhood parking attendants aren't shy about writing tickets, so walking is a better option anyway.
- Prices are very reasonable on most things, and sales tax is the lowest I've seen anywhere in years.
6. The vacation refreshed the whole family, and I gained a whole fresh big bag of inspirational fodder for upcoming books in the DCYE series.
- Captured as much in late-night / early morning notes as I could, as I was under orders to 'relax' and put writing on hold during vacation. How is that even possible for a writer?!
- As much as I love my home and town in Alabama, my heart felt like it was breaking as we left for home. Sorry Alabama (and my home state of Texas)...I was born to be a Florida girl.
7. We need to vacation more often.
- We saved up to take a big family vacation for the first time in 5 years, but came to the conclusion that we'd rather invest in memories than things.
8. We need to simplify our lives.
- Living with the simple necessities (on vacation) was so much less stressful than trying to manage 'stuff' around our own home.
- Work has already begun in our home to declutter, sell and donate 'stuff' we don't need. Already easing my mind with a few spaces converting to minimalist since our return. It really does liberate the mind. Reduces worry and feelings of being overwhelmed.
- Now, we just need hubs to get a good job back in Tampa so we can move. : )
9. I wasn't supposed to resume writing until July.
- Sorry, I couldn't resist the urge. I started on my first standalone novel (first two chapters are written, with several chapters fully populated with outline notes). This will be a dark mystery suspense thriller unlike any you've ever read. Hubs is salivating for more, it's his favorite genre combo, and he's not easily impressed, so...
- Also have written swaths of DCYE #5 when time allows, and expect to publish it no later than September, but more likely August. We'll see what the characters let me do.
Anyway, thankful for the vacation and quality time with family. Hoping you and yours get the chance for a getaway to refresh and rekindle soon.
LLIL,
Lynessa
May 8, 2021
What's She Been Up To?
I LOVE my new digs for writing! I am so happy with how it turned out! Motivation for sure. Since moving into the distraction-minimized office, I have been able to concentrate at a level I've never experienced, and productivity has exploded! I've published book 2 of DCYE in paperback, submitted book 3 for paperback, completed book 4 (150,900 words / about 475 pages in print) for paperback, and eBook, and it's gone through my amazing editor for final review. Book 4 is in formatting and prep phase for publishing, and should be released by late May. Book 3 paperback should be released mid-May. After all this, I'm taking a month off for summer vacation, but plan on diving into book 5 in July.
In addition to remodeling, yes, I'm a soccer and karate mom, so practices, games and matches are a regular part of real life. Three of our 4 girls, 8, 11, and 13, all earned orange belts last week! In addition, my 8 year old, playing on the 10 year old team, won 3rd place in the city soccer league today! They beat the team that knocked them out of the championship match, by a score of 9 - 2 today, so they get a team trophy! (No trophies for 4th place) Never give up was a tough lesson to learn, but the kids rose to the challenge, and learned perseverance in the process.
Additional projects on the docket include publishing a fellow author's books in paperback (my editor TK), working on a mustery-suspense crime novel with her, compiling short stories for a collection, gathering more fodder for DCYE series on-location in Florida, and revisiting a stand-alone noir mustery-suspense crime novel based in New Orleans I started a couple of years ago.
In addition to all this, another first...
DCYE has been submitted for Writer's Digest and Independent Author Network Book of the Year! This is the first time one of my novels has been up for an award, so I'm excited, nervous and a little overwhelmed at once. I want to thank everyone who's picked up one of my books and fallen in. Without you, I'd just be a frazzled homeschool mom babbling in the corner instead of writing books for you. Thank you for kind words of support and appreciation of the work I put into each and every sentence!
LLIL,
Lynessa
April 18, 2021
140,000 Word Novel?
I personally like a longer book, especially in a series. More read for the money, and more story for the mind. What are YOUR thoughts?
Replies welcome!
LLIL,
Lynessa
The Dark Side of Light
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