Fractured Memories (Jagged Scars #1)
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic
Release Date: May 20, 2015
Description:
Sixteen year old Wendy never knew the world before the Starvation.
She’s learned to put her trust in her knives, and her confidence in her
fighting ability. When the Skinnies attack her compound, she’s the lone
survivor.
Injured and near death, Wendy is rescued and nursed back to health by mysterious strangers. Her saviors offer her a place among them, but trust has never been one of Wendy’s strengths, and suspicion soon leads to evidence that these people might be the group who killed her family.
The decision to get her revenge, and take the settlement down from the inside out is easy. Keeping her distance from those she must befriend in order to make it happen proves to be much more difficult.
Injured and near death, Wendy is rescued and nursed back to health by mysterious strangers. Her saviors offer her a place among them, but trust has never been one of Wendy’s strengths, and suspicion soon leads to evidence that these people might be the group who killed her family.
The decision to get her revenge, and take the settlement down from the inside out is easy. Keeping her distance from those she must befriend in order to make it happen proves to be much more difficult.
What book do you wish you could have written?
Ender's Game. That book has captured so many people's imaginations, I would love to have been the person to have written it. Plus, Ender's Game sits somewhere in the middle of commercial fiction and literary fiction, a place I hope to venture someday.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
This one is easy, and maybe you're expecting me to say "Finishing my first manuscript!", but that's not it at all. While writing isn't easy, it's something that I can do. What I struggled for six years to get is my black belt in Shaolin Kempo. I'm a round girl--always have been--and I had to put some seriously hard, physical effort into every single thing I did at the dojo. I can write all day, but ask me to do a push up, and I still inwardly roll my eyes and do them from my knees. So yeah, black belt. I'm pretty proud of that.
What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Years ago, I was at a little, tiny writing/Sci-fi/Fantasy convention and I went to a class by a guy I'd never heard of. A guy named Brandon Sanderson. His first Librarians book was about to come out, and he was talking about magic systems. I don't really remember what he said about that. What I do remember is one simple statement he made, "Don't be afraid to suck."
I've lived by this creed ever since. Don't expect to be the best author in the room, don't expect to get everything right the first time, and don't expect to wow every reader you encounter. What all authors need to do is keep writing. Find some people who will help you get better and listen to them. It's okay to suck, as long as you're willing to try again.
What is your biggest fear?
The dark. No, wolves. No, the lack of toilet paper in the apocalypse.
What is one place you want to visit that you haven't been before?
I've had the opportunity to travel a lot, but I've never been to Antarctica. I know it sounds insane, but I totally want to go! Seriously, penguins and the driest place on earth. Plus ice. I'm so there.
If you could have an accent from anywhere in the world, which one would you choose?
Hello, 10th Doctor British please.
What is something you want to accomplish before you die?
Keeping my flower gardens weeded for more than two weeks of the summer. I abhor yard work (don't hate me) and at some point I'm going to simply pay someone to do it. Lazy? Yes. But it keeps me from wanting to punch more things than usual.
There are plenty of other serious goals, such as: running a 5k (I hate running almost as much as yard work), traveling to all 7 continents, getting a fan letter that tells me that my book/story helped them through a hard time, beating my husband at wrestling without having to resort to pressure points, surviving a 2nd degree black belt test, go into space...the list goes on and on.
Where do you get your ideas? Where did the idea for this book come from?
My brain is a bizarre place. I've gotten book ideas while driving on the freeway, while in church (and not light, fluffy ideas, which is strange), while at dinner, while trying to work on something else (that's just mean, by the way) and in dreams.
The very first shadow of Fractured Memories that I had was while I was in college. Too many years ago to count. I had this dream. In it I woke up and found myself on a round bed in a cave. I had no idea where I was or who I was. There was a man sitting at a desk trying to do some paperwork by candle light. He looked like the guy who plays Goose in Top Gun. I said something and scared him half to death. When he turned to look at me, he asked if I was okay.
And that's when I woke up.
The scene isn't in the book. As a matter of fact, the only thing left of the dream in the story is Wendy (who is not me--I'm not nearly that cool or traumatized) waking up and not knowing where she is. The part that remains is the feel of the dream. It was dark and cold and felt so alone. Wendy gets all of that. Poor kid.
Will you have a new book coming out soon?
Oh goodness, I hope so.
Right now I'm writing some short stories that go before my first novel, New Sight. (New Sight is not the same story as Fractured Memories.) Those should be out this summer. I'm pretty excited about these, they're origin stories for the characters of that series. Then New Sight 2--oh how I hate finding just the right title--will be out in the fall. Barring a disaster in my life, the second book of Fractured Memories should be out early next year.
Author of Babes in Spyland, New Sight - YA fantasy out April
2014, wearer of a black belt in Kempo and always in search of the next
cool place to visit!
Buy Links: Amazon
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