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by J.D. Myall
Karen McManus has taken the YA fiction world by storm with One of Us Is Lying. The novel, inspired by The Breakfast Club, is No. 4 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. It opens with a similar scene to its inspirational source: five teenagers indetention. But in this novel, only four come out alive. One of Us Is Lying is told from the perspectives of four teenagers who become suspects, with motives and secrets. In this riveting debut, McManus expertly twists a story about kids in detention into a must-read mystery.
J.D. Myall spoke with McManus to discuss writing, publishing, and the extraordinary success of One of Us Is Lying.
What was your life like, pre-book?
I was a parent and a marketer. I still do those things. The piece that wasn’t there before is supporting the book—touring, giving interviews, writing pieces related to the book—all of which I really enjoy doing, but that fills hours that previously were spent writing.
[Meet Nic Stone, Debut Author of Bestselling Novel ‘Dear Martin’]
What is something that people would be surprised to find out about you?
I am a solo parent. My husband passed away when my son was a toddler. So I am raising him on my own, working full time and writing my book. That is a lot, so people are often surprised that there is no supportive partner in the back making it all work.
Was there a book that inspired you to write novels?
The book that inspired me to write young adult fiction was The Hunger Games. I hadn’t written in a very long time. I tried it when I was younger in high school and college. I found it really hard to finish a book. So I set writing aside. I read The Hunger Games a few years back, and I was so inspired by the world and the voice. I couldn’t stop thinking about the book. That made me want to create my own world. I did write a really terrible dystopian knock-off as my first book ever. It got me into writing again. I loved it. I had a lot to learn, and I needed to grow. That book set me on that path.
How many books did you write before your professional debut?
I wrote two. The first bad book, then I wrote a couple of sequels. I thought it would be a trilogy. Why not? No one wanted the first book, so why not write three? I don’t know many authors who even find an agent with their first book. They certainly don’t usually get that first book published. If One of Us Is Lying had been my first book idea, I wouldn’t have been able to execute it correctly. My craft wasn’t there yet.
J.D. Myall is a self-proclaimed literary lunatic, crazy about reading and writing is like breathing to her. Myall earned her BS in criminal justice from West Chester University, and has worked as a counselor for crime victims, addicts and the mentally ill. She is currently co-writing Crimson Reign, an exploration of race and class tucked neatly inside a feminist fairy-tale for the modern age. For more info go to www.jdmyallbooks.com
The post One of Us Is Lying: Karen M. McManus on Her Gripping Bestseller appeared first on WritersDigest.com.
from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/interviews/one-of-us-is-lying-karen-m-mcmanus
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