Guest post: Author Robin Patchen: From Small Seeds, Magic Grows - Giveaway
A guest post by Author Robin Patchen
From Small Seeds, Magic Grows
About this time last year, I had decided the Hidden Truth series would have three books. Convenient Lies, Twisted Lies, and Generous Lies felt like enough lies in the series, so to speak. I was telling my friends that I was ready to start working on something new when one of them said, “But you should write one and title it Innocent Lies.” I loved the title but had no idea what the story should be about.
My writers’ mind got to brainstorming that title, and by the end of the day, I had an image. A little boy alone in the snowy woods. I had no idea why the boy was all alone or what had happened to his parents, but it was the seed. And from that seed grew a story.
I added a mother on the run from her former captor, a hero who’d been waiting a decade for the love of his life to return. I added a villain who was also a victim and another who deserved much worse than I gave him. I researched human trafficking and foster kids in New Hampshire and missing persons and a lot of other weird and random facts that, coupled with all the other weird and random research I’ve done over the years, has probably landed me on a few law enforcement watch lists. A few months and a few hundred pages later, Innocent Lies was born.
Isn’t it funny how that can happen? How one tiny idea can lead to novels, or businesses, or non-profits, or any number of things? How our minds can fill in such huge blanks based on nothing but one compelling image?
I’ve had it happen before. The first book in the series, Convenient Lies, was inspired by a similar picture—a woman in her hometown with an infant. I knew the woman was alone and hiding, but I knew nothing else. Where did the rest of the details come from? The arms dealer, the ex-boyfriend, the former best friend? I don’t know, and I doubt I ever will. Creativity is a mystery I’ll never solve. (If you’d like to sample my writing, you can download Convenient Lies for free here.)
Maybe it’s good I’ll never solve the mystery of creativity. Because there’s nothing like that moment when all the gaps are filled in, when suddenly symbolic elements wave at you from the pages, elements you hadn’t even realized you’d put there. When plotlines come together in ways you never saw coming. Writing, and maybe all creativity, is magic. Sometimes, I like to pretend I’m like Harry Pottery, wielding my wand and controlling all that power. Most of the time I admit I’m just a powerless muggle benefitting from the magic all around.
I’m inspired by the magic in the world, by the amazing Creator who spins it into being, who creates the writers and the readers and all the rest of us so we can enjoy that creation. So that someone like me can take one tiny seed of a suggestion and grow it into a story readers will love.
Scroll down for excerpts from the Hidden Truth Series
Convenient Lies
Hidden Truth Book 1
by Robin Patchen
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
420 pages
Hidden Truth Book 1
by Robin Patchen
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
420 pages
“Of course, no matter where in the world she was, she could never have stayed hidden, not as long as he was willing to kill innocent people until he found her. The question was, had he stopped killing people, or was she next on his list?”
She married her enemy…
When investigative journalist Reagan McAdams discovers her new husband is part of an international crime family, she flees Paris with their newborn and returns to her childhood home in New Hampshire, where she’ll gather her inheritance before she disappears forever. She’ll do whatever it takes to protect her son from his criminal father.
He never quit loving her.
Detective Brady Thomas discovers Rae is back and in trouble, and he plans to protect her and her son, whether she wants his help or not.
The death toll rises.
But when Rae's husband starts killing people to smoke her out, she has to decide what—and who—she’ll have to sacrifice to save her son.
Twisted Lies
Hidden Truth Book 2
398 pages
“Marisa peered down the stairs, toward the street, at the sidewalk. Her sister and her daughter had been there just a moment before. They should have been staring back up at her, waving, smiling. But they were gone.”
She thought they’d never find her…
Marisa Vega’s life as an adoptive mom in a tiny Mexican village isn’t what she’d dreamed while growing up in New York, but as the target of a man who’s convinced she stole millions from him, Marisa believes hiding is her only way to stay alive. When her daughter is snatched and held for ransom, Marisa must discover who really stole the money in order to rescue her.
He swore he’d never play the hero again.
Months after being kidnapped, tortured, and left with PTSD, Nate Boyle is ready to live a quiet life in rural New Hampshire. When the source of his breakout newspaper article—and the woman who haunts his dreams—begs for help, he gets pulled into a riddle that’s proved unsolvable for nearly a decade.
Can Nate and Marisa unravel the years-old mystery and bring her daughter home?
Romance, suspense, and a darling four-year-old girl you’ll fall in love with.
“A pistol pressed against his son’s temple. A dark hand came into view, then an arm. Then a man came from behind the door and lifted his finger to his lips.”
He had no idea it was so bad.
Former FBI agent Garrison Kopp suspected his teenage son was in trouble, but a midnight summons to the ER reveals the drug problem is more serious than he thought. Desperate to get his son away from negative influences, he asks a beautiful and kind new friend who owns rental properties for a place to stay.
She’ll help, as long as she doesn’t have to risk anything.
Vacation homeowner Samantha Messenger is happy to provide Garrison and his son a lake cabin where they can regroup. She helps him search for a good rehab facility and tries not to hope for more than friendship. After what she’s been through, more isn’t an option, no matter what her heart wants.
Big trouble comes in tiny packages.
Sparks fly between them as Sam and Garrison work together to help the resistant teen.
But that becomes the least of their problems when a package planted in Garrison’s car lures enemies to the idyllic cabin on the lake. With their lives—and love—on the line, can they protect all they hold dear?
"Kelsey didn’t want to reach for Carlos. Didn’t want to willingly walk to him. But she had to do what she could for Eric. Maybe Carlos would let her see him one last time. She took Carlos’s hand, swallowed a sob, and stepped into the house."
A lost little boy steals his heart.
When Eric finds eight-year-old Daniel alone in the woods, he has no idea where the boy came from or how he's survived the wintery New Hampshire weather. He figures once he hands the boy off to child services, his part in Daniel's drama will be over. He couldn't be more wrong.
She’ll do anything to keep her son safe.
Kelsey sneaks into Nutfield with a goal and a secret, but when she's arrested and sees Eric, her first and only love, all her plans to expose her enemy fall apart.
The past catches up with them.
Together, Eric and Kelsey fight to protect Daniel, an innocent child caught in a dangerous game. Can Eric help Kelsey bring down her enemies without risking his heart...again? Will Kelsey have to walk away from the only man she's ever loved...again?
Romance, suspense, and a darling four-year-old girl you’ll fall in love with.
Generous Lies
Hidden Truth Book 3
390 pages
He had no idea it was so bad.
Former FBI agent Garrison Kopp suspected his teenage son was in trouble, but a midnight summons to the ER reveals the drug problem is more serious than he thought. Desperate to get his son away from negative influences, he asks a beautiful and kind new friend who owns rental properties for a place to stay.
She’ll help, as long as she doesn’t have to risk anything.
Vacation homeowner Samantha Messenger is happy to provide Garrison and his son a lake cabin where they can regroup. She helps him search for a good rehab facility and tries not to hope for more than friendship. After what she’s been through, more isn’t an option, no matter what her heart wants.
Big trouble comes in tiny packages.
Sparks fly between them as Sam and Garrison work together to help the resistant teen.
But that becomes the least of their problems when a package planted in Garrison’s car lures enemies to the idyllic cabin on the lake. With their lives—and love—on the line, can they protect all they hold dear?
Innocent Lies
Hidden Truth Book 4
"Kelsey didn’t want to reach for Carlos. Didn’t want to willingly walk to him. But she had to do what she could for Eric. Maybe Carlos would let her see him one last time. She took Carlos’s hand, swallowed a sob, and stepped into the house."
A lost little boy steals his heart.
When Eric finds eight-year-old Daniel alone in the woods, he has no idea where the boy came from or how he's survived the wintery New Hampshire weather. He figures once he hands the boy off to child services, his part in Daniel's drama will be over. He couldn't be more wrong.
She’ll do anything to keep her son safe.
Kelsey sneaks into Nutfield with a goal and a secret, but when she's arrested and sees Eric, her first and only love, all her plans to expose her enemy fall apart.
The past catches up with them.
Together, Eric and Kelsey fight to protect Daniel, an innocent child caught in a dangerous game. Can Eric help Kelsey bring down her enemies without risking his heart...again? Will Kelsey have to walk away from the only man she's ever loved...again?
Hidden Truth Series Excerpts
Convenient Lies
Rae was turning the page when a creak startled her. She set the album on the bed beside her, then listened.
A whispered word. “Hurry.”
Rae’s pulse raced. Had Julien found her? Had she waited a day too long?
She slid off the bed and tiptoed down the hall and into the bedroom where her phone was charging. She closed the door behind her, then grabbed the cell and dialed 9-1-1.
“What’s your emergen—”
“There someone in my house,” she whispered. “At least two people.” She stepped in front of the cradle, stared at the door, and recited her address.
After the operator had asked all the required questions, Rae dropped the phone on the bed. She flipped on the closet light. The baby snored gently while Rae searched her old closet for something, anything... She grabbed an award she’d won for an article in the local paper—an oversize brass pen on a stone stand. That might do some damage. She returned to her place between the door and her child, lifted the award in her right hand, and prepared to swing it.
Seconds ticked by. She heard nothing. No voices. No footsteps. No doors opening or closing. Minutes passed. Years. She pleaded with the silence. Protect Johnny, please. Just keep him safe.
Rae was turning the page when a creak startled her. She set the album on the bed beside her, then listened.
A whispered word. “Hurry.”
Rae’s pulse raced. Had Julien found her? Had she waited a day too long?
She slid off the bed and tiptoed down the hall and into the bedroom where her phone was charging. She closed the door behind her, then grabbed the cell and dialed 9-1-1.
“What’s your emergen—”
“There someone in my house,” she whispered. “At least two people.” She stepped in front of the cradle, stared at the door, and recited her address.
After the operator had asked all the required questions, Rae dropped the phone on the bed. She flipped on the closet light. The baby snored gently while Rae searched her old closet for something, anything... She grabbed an award she’d won for an article in the local paper—an oversize brass pen on a stone stand. That might do some damage. She returned to her place between the door and her child, lifted the award in her right hand, and prepared to swing it.
Seconds ticked by. She heard nothing. No voices. No footsteps. No doors opening or closing. Minutes passed. Years. She pleaded with the silence. Protect Johnny, please. Just keep him safe.
Twisted Lies
She thought they’d never find her, and then her daughter vanished…
Someone grabbed Marisa from behind. She turned to look, but a man pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her, and covered her head with a heavy coat. He yanked her toward him, and she lost her footing and crashed against his chest. Her nose filled with the scent of body odor and raw power.
She fought to get away, but his arms squeezed her like a vice. He pulled her with him, and she stumbled along, trying to fight, unable to do anything.
She screamed. The sound was muffled inside his heavy coat. They’d gone just a few feet when she heard Nate’s voice. “Let her go!”
The man did, yanking his heavy coat with him.
Marisa gasped in fresh air, stumbled, and banged her shoulder into the stone face of the market. She turned just as Nate reached her.
The pounding of the man’s footsteps faded as he rounded a corner in the market and disappeared.
Nate gripped her arms and looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Marisa nodded and turned to check if Ana had seen. She hoped she hadn’t. How it would scare her to watch her mother accosted.
But her daughter wasn’t there.
“Leslie and Ana.” Marisa peered down the stairs, across the street, at the sidewalk. Her sister and her daughter had been there just a moment before. They should have been staring back up at her, waving, smiling.
But they were gone.
Generous Lies
A single father determined to save his son. A teenage boy who doesn’t think he needs saving. A damaged woman afraid to risk her heart. And a tiny package that could destroy them all.
Aiden pushed the door open and froze.
The place had been tossed.
Garrison grabbed his son’s arm to pull him back out, but it was too late.
A pistol pressed against Aiden’s temple. A dark hand, an arm. A man came from behind the door and lifted his finger to his lips.
Garrison wanted to shout, to warn Sam. But he didn’t dare.
The man yanked Aiden, who stumbled into the room and nearly tripped over a lamp lying broken on the hardwood. The man gestured for Garrison to follow.
He took in the space. A huge bald man stood beside the television set, a pistol aimed at Garrison.
There were two figures on the couch, their backs to him so he only saw the tops of their heads. By the way they were sitting, still and facing forward, Garrison assumed they, too, were captives.
Captives. Garrison and Aiden had, somehow, in the time it takes to unlock the door and step inside, become captives.
Innocent Lies
A little boy alone in the wintery woods. A detective determined to find the child's mother. A woman who'll sacrifice everything to protect the ones she loves.
The sound of a car door outside slamming woke Kelsey from her nap.
She hobbled to the window, saw the police car in the driveway, another car behind it.
No, no, no!
She dropped to the floor, crawled to the sofa, and pulled the blankets off. She hooked her arm through the backpack straps and backed herself and all the stuff against the wall, out of view of the front windows and the back door.
With her eyes squeezed shut, she prayed to the God who’d only ever let her down that this time, this time he would help her.
The banging on the front door sent jolts of fear down her spine.
Anything but this. Please.
A moment later, she heard more banging, this time from the back. Not that she could have made a run for it, but the cops had cut off the possibility.
The question was, would they enter? Would they give up and leave? Surely, they didn’t have keys to the cabin.
Her gun! She yanked it out of her bag, scooted to the sofa, and shoved it beneath the cushions. As she scooted back to the corner, she cursed her stupidity.
A muffled voice, a shout, and the pounding of footsteps on the porch.
Then, the unmistakable jingle of keys. The sound had her blood running cold.
The lock turned.
The door opened.
And her last chance for escape melted like snow.
She thought they’d never find her, and then her daughter vanished…
Someone grabbed Marisa from behind. She turned to look, but a man pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her, and covered her head with a heavy coat. He yanked her toward him, and she lost her footing and crashed against his chest. Her nose filled with the scent of body odor and raw power.
She fought to get away, but his arms squeezed her like a vice. He pulled her with him, and she stumbled along, trying to fight, unable to do anything.
She screamed. The sound was muffled inside his heavy coat. They’d gone just a few feet when she heard Nate’s voice. “Let her go!”
The man did, yanking his heavy coat with him.
Marisa gasped in fresh air, stumbled, and banged her shoulder into the stone face of the market. She turned just as Nate reached her.
The pounding of the man’s footsteps faded as he rounded a corner in the market and disappeared.
Nate gripped her arms and looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Marisa nodded and turned to check if Ana had seen. She hoped she hadn’t. How it would scare her to watch her mother accosted.
But her daughter wasn’t there.
“Leslie and Ana.” Marisa peered down the stairs, across the street, at the sidewalk. Her sister and her daughter had been there just a moment before. They should have been staring back up at her, waving, smiling.
But they were gone.
Generous Lies
A single father determined to save his son. A teenage boy who doesn’t think he needs saving. A damaged woman afraid to risk her heart. And a tiny package that could destroy them all.
Aiden pushed the door open and froze.
The place had been tossed.
Garrison grabbed his son’s arm to pull him back out, but it was too late.
A pistol pressed against Aiden’s temple. A dark hand, an arm. A man came from behind the door and lifted his finger to his lips.
Garrison wanted to shout, to warn Sam. But he didn’t dare.
The man yanked Aiden, who stumbled into the room and nearly tripped over a lamp lying broken on the hardwood. The man gestured for Garrison to follow.
He took in the space. A huge bald man stood beside the television set, a pistol aimed at Garrison.
There were two figures on the couch, their backs to him so he only saw the tops of their heads. By the way they were sitting, still and facing forward, Garrison assumed they, too, were captives.
Captives. Garrison and Aiden had, somehow, in the time it takes to unlock the door and step inside, become captives.
Innocent Lies
A little boy alone in the wintery woods. A detective determined to find the child's mother. A woman who'll sacrifice everything to protect the ones she loves.
The sound of a car door outside slamming woke Kelsey from her nap.
She hobbled to the window, saw the police car in the driveway, another car behind it.
No, no, no!
She dropped to the floor, crawled to the sofa, and pulled the blankets off. She hooked her arm through the backpack straps and backed herself and all the stuff against the wall, out of view of the front windows and the back door.
With her eyes squeezed shut, she prayed to the God who’d only ever let her down that this time, this time he would help her.
The banging on the front door sent jolts of fear down her spine.
Anything but this. Please.
A moment later, she heard more banging, this time from the back. Not that she could have made a run for it, but the cops had cut off the possibility.
The question was, would they enter? Would they give up and leave? Surely, they didn’t have keys to the cabin.
Her gun! She yanked it out of her bag, scooted to the sofa, and shoved it beneath the cushions. As she scooted back to the corner, she cursed her stupidity.
A muffled voice, a shout, and the pounding of footsteps on the porch.
Then, the unmistakable jingle of keys. The sound had her blood running cold.
The lock turned.
The door opened.
And her last chance for escape melted like snow.
About the Author
Robin Patchen writes contemporary Christian suspense, romance, and romantic suspense. Her books are often set in New England, where she grew up. She creates strong, protective heroes and intelligent, courageous heroines. 
Aside from her family and her Savior, Robin Patchen has two loves—writing and traveling. If she could combine them, she’d spend a lot of time sitting in front of her laptop at sidewalk cafes and ski lodges and beachside burger joints. She’d visit every place in the entire world—twice, if possible—and craft stories and tell people about her Savior. Alas, time is too short and money is too scarce for Robin to traipse all over the globe, even if her husband and kids wanted to go with her. So she stays in Oklahoma, shares the Good News when she can, and writes to illustrate the unending grace of God through the power and magic of story.
Giveaway
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