Lisa was kind enough to answer some questions for us :) Take it away Lisa!
OA: Give us the Twitter pitch :) What’s your book about in 140 characters or less?
LA: Yikes that was hard!
The night his secret crush disappears, Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a devastating injury and begins to receive messages from her from beyond the grave.
OA: What inspired the story?
LA: It’s hard to say, but most like it was the location. The fictional town in the book, Riverton, is based on the very real town of Croton-on-Hudson, a quasi suburban town forty-five minutes north of the New York City border. It’s an upscale town with winding rural roads, rivers and gorges, reservoirs and lots of history. It’s got that spooky Sleepy Hollow kind of vibe. I’ve spent a lot of time there visiting good friends, and this story, I guess just came to be. I’d had this germ of a story festering for years about a boy who conjures the ghost of his crush, someone whom he could never have in real life. And, in a huge irony, the person who helped me figure out Jeremy and all his complicated psychological issues, is my therapist friend who lives there. I want to add, that the evil therapist in this book, Dr, Kopeck is by no means based on my wonderful and brilliant friend.
OA: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
LA: Probably revising it to smooth out the crazy wild plot twists. Writing the first draft was remarkably easy. Jeremy basically narrated the whole thing to me. I’ve never felt the presence of a character so deeply, and worry I never will again. Strangely, Jeremy is not based on any living person I know. He just is.
OA: Do you have a favorite quote from the book?
LA: History is only a crutch that won’t support me any longer.
But history, because of my love of it and her, is why Susannah is entrusting her secrets to me.
OA: What books have influenced you the most in your life and writing?
LA: John Green PAPERTOWNS, Markus Zusak, THE BOOK THIEF, Maggie Stiefvater, THE RAVEN BOYS. These three books pretty much encompass everything I hope my writing can be. There are many, many, books I’ve enjoyed, but these three are the books I’d like to have written.
OA: What is next for you? Can you share a bit about current and/or future projects?
LA: I recently finished a YA psychological thriller about a boy with a psychic connection to murders called DARK SIGHT. I am currently re-writing a book I’d shelved in the past, called LIFE AND BETH. It’s nothing like BREAKING GLASS at all. It’s pretty much a rip-roaring adventure packed YA urban fantasy with a kick-ass girl mc who can kill with her mind. It just wouldn’t leave me in peace, and to be honest, I have no idea if there is a place for this book.
I am also working on a book that’s kind of in the BREAKING GLASS mode. It’s the semi-autobiographical tale of a moody art geek who is dealing with the trials and tribulations of high school and first love while trying to solve the mystery of the ghost that may or may not be haunting her art class. It’s called EXCEPTIONAL. I have a long way to go on both of these and am only in the first draft mode.
Additionally, I have been doing a lot of book cover design. I teach graphic design at a community college, and was a designer long before I became a writer. My amazing publisher, Spencer Hill Press, not only let me design my own cover but has given me numerous commissions, none of which have been revealed yet. I’d love to share, but just let’s say that so far I’ve done two YAs, one middle grade and will be designing the first adult series in their new Imprint, Spence City. Exciting stuff to be involved with!
OA: Fast Fun Five:
Wow—I realized I like my cake and to eat it, too, don’t I?
LOL that makes two of us ;D
Thanks so much for joining us, Lisa!
For more info on Lisa and her works, check out her blog, where you can find an excerpt for Breaking Glass, along with the amazing trailer and some Breaking Glass themed art. You can also find her on FB and over at Goodreads.
LA: Yikes that was hard!
The night his secret crush disappears, Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a devastating injury and begins to receive messages from her from beyond the grave.
OA: What inspired the story?
LA: It’s hard to say, but most like it was the location. The fictional town in the book, Riverton, is based on the very real town of Croton-on-Hudson, a quasi suburban town forty-five minutes north of the New York City border. It’s an upscale town with winding rural roads, rivers and gorges, reservoirs and lots of history. It’s got that spooky Sleepy Hollow kind of vibe. I’ve spent a lot of time there visiting good friends, and this story, I guess just came to be. I’d had this germ of a story festering for years about a boy who conjures the ghost of his crush, someone whom he could never have in real life. And, in a huge irony, the person who helped me figure out Jeremy and all his complicated psychological issues, is my therapist friend who lives there. I want to add, that the evil therapist in this book, Dr, Kopeck is by no means based on my wonderful and brilliant friend.
OA: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
LA: Probably revising it to smooth out the crazy wild plot twists. Writing the first draft was remarkably easy. Jeremy basically narrated the whole thing to me. I’ve never felt the presence of a character so deeply, and worry I never will again. Strangely, Jeremy is not based on any living person I know. He just is.
OA: Do you have a favorite quote from the book?
LA: History is only a crutch that won’t support me any longer.
But history, because of my love of it and her, is why Susannah is entrusting her secrets to me.
OA: What books have influenced you the most in your life and writing?
LA: John Green PAPERTOWNS, Markus Zusak, THE BOOK THIEF, Maggie Stiefvater, THE RAVEN BOYS. These three books pretty much encompass everything I hope my writing can be. There are many, many, books I’ve enjoyed, but these three are the books I’d like to have written.
OA: What is next for you? Can you share a bit about current and/or future projects?
LA: I recently finished a YA psychological thriller about a boy with a psychic connection to murders called DARK SIGHT. I am currently re-writing a book I’d shelved in the past, called LIFE AND BETH. It’s nothing like BREAKING GLASS at all. It’s pretty much a rip-roaring adventure packed YA urban fantasy with a kick-ass girl mc who can kill with her mind. It just wouldn’t leave me in peace, and to be honest, I have no idea if there is a place for this book.
I am also working on a book that’s kind of in the BREAKING GLASS mode. It’s the semi-autobiographical tale of a moody art geek who is dealing with the trials and tribulations of high school and first love while trying to solve the mystery of the ghost that may or may not be haunting her art class. It’s called EXCEPTIONAL. I have a long way to go on both of these and am only in the first draft mode.
Additionally, I have been doing a lot of book cover design. I teach graphic design at a community college, and was a designer long before I became a writer. My amazing publisher, Spencer Hill Press, not only let me design my own cover but has given me numerous commissions, none of which have been revealed yet. I’d love to share, but just let’s say that so far I’ve done two YAs, one middle grade and will be designing the first adult series in their new Imprint, Spence City. Exciting stuff to be involved with!
OA: Fast Fun Five:
- Sweet or salty? Salty.
- Panster or plotter? Both, I guess. First I plot an outline, and then I just kind of wing it.
- Ocean or mountains? Mountains.
- Morning person or night owl? Both. I hate sleeping!
- Shoes or bare feet? I also like this both ways---sandals!!! Until it’s just too cold.
Wow—I realized I like my cake and to eat it, too, don’t I?
LOL that makes two of us ;D
Thanks so much for joining us, Lisa!
For more info on Lisa and her works, check out her blog, where you can find an excerpt for Breaking Glass, along with the amazing trailer and some Breaking Glass themed art. You can also find her on FB and over at Goodreads.
Woo hoo! I really can't wait until i'll be able to read this!
ReplyDeleteAnd also, how can Lisa hate sleep??! Sleep is AWESOME!
I don't hate sleep--I hate GOING to sleep. I also hate waking up, lol, but prefer getting up early. Like I said--I want to have it both ways!
ReplyDeleteWonderful cover, Lisa! It sounds like an intriguing story. Enjoyed the interview!
ReplyDelete