Yay! Hey book lovelies today is my tour stop on the Out of Reach blog tour! Check out Carrie's guest post she put together for today's stop AND don't forget to check out, Out of Reach which is now available AND check out the rest of the tour! You can check out all the tour dates and links to past/future stops HERE! (:

click read more to read guest post! :D



      I’m not sure that there’s a specific formula for storytelling, but if you analyze stories long enough, you do see certain patterns emerging. There is always a protagonist and some kind of conflict that is faced. The main ingredient above everything else is conflict. Conflict keeps everything moving. This can be physical conflict, such as fighting the elements or internal conflict, such as overcoming fear. But without conflict, there’s no story. So every line connected to a character should in some way be connected to the conflict.

       Stories usually have some type of hook early on. This is where the story should really take off, set the characters and/or plot in motion. After this a story can go anywhere, but it should lead to some kind of climax. Every story has a destination and think of the climax as arriving to that place. Other than those basic structuring devices, how one tells a story is open to the author. This is the exciting part. I know some stories start right in the action, some take a slow build, some inside one character’s head, some in multiple.

       Now maybe there’s more of a formula in certain types of fiction, but I guess I’d call them tropes. For example in fantasy/adventure there may be an old wizened character that is going to take a younger one under his wing. He is like an Obi Wan to Luke Skywalker. Or in mysteries/thrillers you may see the intrepid reporter character, the one who goes out looking for stories and stumbles upon something major, pop up quite a bit. These are familiar structures or character types that lets the reader know what kind of story he/she is in for. And the good writer will go beyond two-dimensional stereotypes and make them his own. 

       One of the exciting things in writing for YA right now is seeing how many unique ways people are telling stories, how authors are taking risks and moving beyond a traditional narrative. I love being part of such a wonderfully diverse and talented bunch.

How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.

Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.

Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.

With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

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