Today's interview is with C.J. Lyons, a multi-bestselling author whose debut YA novel BROKEN is due out the week before YALLfest (November 5, 2013). Since she's new to YA and probably new to many of you, here's a little about CJ, her writing, and her soon-to-be-born book baby!
About C.J. Lyons (from her GoodReads profile):
Describe your book in 5 words:
CJ: Girl dying of broken heart (literally)
What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
CJ: The first. I’ll often return to it over and over again
until I’ve sliced and diced and fine-honed it to that perfect combination of
intrigue, visceral reaction, and emotional connection with the reader.
What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen?
Why?
CJ: Code Name Verity
because it is so emotionally honest and inspiring, empowering, not to mention
gut-wrenching. Really brings the era to life as well as the sacrifices made in
the name of freedom.
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
CJ: When I was a kid I worked summer stock theatre and was
actually a theatre major undergrad before switching to pre-med. I’ve had two
hard landings in helicopters while working as a flight doc. I survived
rampaging Cape Horn Buffalo and a pack of wild baboons, not to mention a
leopard (he’s already eaten) while hiking in Hells Gate Park in Kenya. I’m a
Capricorn. I diagnosed my niece with the heart condition that’s at the center
of my YA thriller, BROKEN.
What are you working on now?
CJ: DAMAGED, my next YA thriller, due out in 2014. It deals
with the really tough topic of abuse and coercion and is the most difficult
book I’ve ever tackled—there have been times while writing when I was literally
in tears as I typed.
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
CJ: I created my own genre of Thrillers with Heart—I love
writing fast paced stories with raising stakes but centered on the emotional
heart of an evolving relationship. As for reading, I read almost every genre
but especially love YA, magical realism, and thrillers. As long as a story
grabs me by the throat and won’t let me go because I’m too worried about what
the characters are going through, I’ll read it and love it.
About BROKEN (11.5.13)
Join CJ as she returns to her medical thriller roots with the debut of her first YA novel!
“Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak meets Kathy Reichs’ Virals.” ~bookseller Jill Moore, Square Books Jr.
“An intense page-turner” ~April Henry, New York Times bestselling author
WOULD YOU PUT YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE TO BE NORMAL?
Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, Scarlet has come to terms with the fact that she’s going to die. Literally of a broken heart. It could be tomorrow, or it could be next year. But the clock is ticking…
All Scarlet asks is for a chance to attend high school—even if just for a week-a chance to be just like everyone else. But Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with each slammed locker and vicious taunt. Is this normal? Really? Yet there’s more going on than she knows. And finding out the truth might just kill Scarlet before her heart does…
Preorder BROKEN and check out C.J.'s other titles via the links below.
Wow! This book sounds amazing! I look forward to reading.
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