BROKEN Blog Tour
"For Scarlet Jillian, every day is a game of Russian roulette - she has a 1 in 5 chance of dying..."
Interview
With Author CJ Lyons
Today I am super-excited to have New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons here on Mina's Bookshelf! CJ is the author of a fast-paced YA thriller, BROKEN (published by Sourcebooks Fire on November 5th) and
she has graciously agreed to answer a few questions about her book. Stay tuned on Mina's Bookshelf for my 5 star review. Coming up in a bit!
Q.
Welcome to my book den, CJ. Please, tell us something about the genesis
of your new thriller BROKEN. What is the story behind the story, the
inspiration for the plot and the protagonist of the book?
A. Scarlet’s
character is loosely based on my own experiences as a pediatrician. I diagnosed
my niece, Abby, with the same congenital heart condition, Long QT, when Abby
was only twenty minutes old and BROKEN is dedicated to her.
Watching my niece refuse to
allow her disease to define her was such a contrast to some other patients’
parents who would insist on making their child’s disease (most not
life-threatening) the center of the child’s world that I couldn’t help but
wonder what would it be like to grow up being treated as a “patient” all your
life, or worse as the “dying girl,” rather than ever having the chance to
figure out who you really were, dying or not.
What better disease to give a
character like that than something rare and hard to diagnose and treat like
Long QT? Of course, Scarlet is nothing at all like my niece (the best adjective
to describe my niece would be “fierce” whereas Scarlet is very naïve and used
to being controlled by the adults in her life) but by having Scarlet start the
story as someone unsure of who she really is as a person, it makes her struggle
and transformation as she faces the truth behind her illness all the more
powerful.
After all, it’s easy for
someone strong to stand up to bullies or uncertainty or injustice…but how does
a kid who has lived all her life in a hospital, basically just waiting to die,
learn how to be a hero and find her destiny?
Q.
Is
your professional background the reason why you started to write or becoming an
author has always been in your bucket list?
A.
Actually
I was a storyteller and writer long before I even dreamed of becoming a doctor.
I wrote my first novel in high school and two more SF/F novels in med school.
But I never seriously considered writing as a career until I made my first sale
to a publisher. Then when I realized I had a chance to make a new dream come
true, I took the leap of faith and left medicine to write full time. It was
scary (terrifying, actually!) but so far, so good!
Thank you, CJ! BROKEN was my
first CJ Lyons’ book and what a pleasant experience :)
*****
About CJ Lyons
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of
twenty-one novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she
writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.
Winner of the International Thriller Writers’ coveted
Thriller Award, CJ has been called a "master within the genre"
(Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly
fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with
"characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday).
Learn more about CJ's Thrillers with Heart at
www.CJLyons.net
*****
About BROKEN
Sourcebooks Fire, November 5 2013
Hardcover, 336 pages
Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons
makes her YA debut with a fast-paced thriller sure to keep readers guessing to
the very last page
The only thing fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has ever
wanted is a chance at a normal life. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable
heart condition, she has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends
during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. So when her
parents offer her three days to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet
knows her time is now... or never. Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of
control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But
this high school is far from normal. And finding out the truth might just kill
Scarlet before her heart does.
Stay tuned on Mina's Bookshelf for a review. Coming up in a bit!
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