Broken Blog Tour {Interview with C.J.Lyons}

I'm thrilled to have the Broken Blog Tour stopping by today with my interview with author C.J. Lyons...

Broken

by C.J. Lyons

11/5/13

Sourcebooks Fire

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.

Find the book: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

What three words best describe Broken?

CJ: Medicine. Intrigue. High school. (okay, that’s four—I don’t play well with rules!)

Grab a copy of Broken and answer the following:

Favorite Chapter?

CJ: Chapter 60 where Scarlet gets her first kiss—quite possibly the worst first kiss in recorded history…

Favorite Page?

CJ: P. 89 where Scarlet describes her room and we realize how much love her dad has put into it.

Hardest chapter to write?

CJ: The last chapter. The mystery is solved but Scarlet’s real journey of discovery has just begun. It was hard to show how each of her new friends was instrumental in helping her face the challenges before her while also keeping things moving so readers wouldn’t get bored. But I wanted to leave the reader with a feeling of hope and the impression that despite everything she’d been through, Scarlet was not only going to be okay but was now empowered to take control of her life.

Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser:

CJ: p.53: The guys at the next table laugh. They’re jocks, wearing Wildcats letterman jackets—the fluorescent orange snarling outline of the wildcat lunging off the white wool like a hyena stalking its prey. No matter where I move, those hyena eyes follow me.

Who is your favorite character in Broken and why? What do you love most about them? Did they turn out exactly how you planned or did they surprise you in any way?

CJ: I know I should say Scarlet because she achieves such huge emotional growth over the course of the novel, going from victim to an empowered young lady able to stand up for herself, but actually, I kind of fell in love with Tony. He’s such a geek, totally oblivious to his own hotness, and he’s brave and smart and such a gentleman, ready to give Scarlet whatever she needs to heal her pain. How can you not love a guy like that?

My characters always surprise me—there’s a point in every story when I’m just a stenographer and they’ve taken over…love it when that happens!

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at brainstorming

I’m really embarrassed to admit that I’ve never played a video game.

The last great book I read was Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name: Verity.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Broken what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

CJ: Dark chocolate cake with a dark chocolate truffle at the center, dark chocolate ganache icing with cherries mixed in, and I’d call it: Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Thank you SO much C.J. for stopping by and telling us a bit more about you and Broken!

You can download or read the first 7 chapters of Broken here

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

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

Broken Blog Tour: Guest Post by A.E. Rought

I'm excited to have the Broken Blog Tour stopping by today with a fab guest post. Author A.E. Rought talks about the five YA retellings that she wants to read...

Broken

A.E. Rought

1/8/13

Strange Chemistry

add on goodreads

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.
A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.
When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.
The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

Top 5 Retellings I Want To Read 

by A.E. Rought

This was supposed to be a post of my top 10, or 5 favorite YA retellings. Well, I will admit right now, I’m a sinner. So far I’ve sucked at reading retellings. Heck, when I’m drafting or editing I suck at reading, so I would like to thank WordSpelunking for allowing me to talk about the top YA retellings I WANT to read...

Cinder  by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

I’ve heard so much about this one that I’m kind of kicking myself for not buying it already. It sounds like a wicked good blend of dystopian and sci-fi—two of my favorite genres to read. And the modern spin on a fairytale? Yep, definitely near the top of my TBR list.

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Everything is in ruins.
A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them.
So what does Araby Worth have to live for?
Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.
But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.
And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

I LOVE Poe. Talk about Gothic! And I’ve been drooling over the cover for a while now. This sounds like such a serious twist on the classic, and I like seeing old elements used in a really new way. 

Another Pan  by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling and her insecure freshman brother, John, are hitting the books at the Marlowe School. But one tome consumes their attention: THE BOOK OF GATES, a coveted Egyptian artifact that their professor father believes has magical powers. Soon Wendy and John discover that the legend is real—when they recite from its pages and descend into a snaking realm beneath the Manhattan school. As the hallways darken, and dead moths cake the floor, a charismatic new R.A. named Peter reveals that their actions have unleashed a terrible consequence: the underworld and all its evil is now seeping into Marlowe. Daniel Nayeri and Dina Nayeri return to reimagine Peter Pan as a twisty, atmospheric, and fast-paced fantasy about the perils of immortality.

As a kid, I loved Peter Pan, and this one promises to be darker? I am SO there!

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.
Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Definitely a little closer to the classic than the others on my list, but still sounds like fun. I really enjoyed the Red Riding Hood movie of 2011. (Not the best flick I know, but I loved Van Helsing, too…) Girls and werewolves, one of my favorites!

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepard

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

Okay. I’m chomping at the bit for this one! And I’m not even sure I can fully express why. I’m not the hugest .G. Wells fan, per say, but I am all about concepts and themes, and this looks like a brilliant take on Doctor Moreau.

And, apparently, I really tend toward darker stories. Anyone have any suggestions for more dark retellings? I would love suggestions!

Watch book trailer

Purchase Broken

UK Print & Ebook

Amazon.co.uk | Book Depository | Waterstones | WHSmith

US Print & Ebook

Amazon.com | BarnesandNoble.com | IndieBound.org

DRM-Free Epub Ebook

On-sale 8th January from the Robot Trading Company

A.E. Rought: Site I Goodreads I Twitter I Facebook

Funny: A known introvert and mild megalomaniac — handy because writing indulges both. When not writing, A.E. can be found slaving under the cat’s demands, chasing the laundry, or whipping up really good bad food in the kitchen.

Somewhat serious: Self-proclaimed nerd, A.E. Rought has spent most of her early life in libraries and bookstores. It’s no surprise that she turned to writing shortly after creative arts college. She has novels of varying genres, and different pennames, published since 2006.

Serious-er: A student of language arts, A.E. Rought studied creative writing while attending Grand Valley State University with a focus on languages; French, Russian, and English. Now, married and a mother, A.E. writes from the comfort of home.