Interview with Jessica Warman, author of Breathless and Where the Truth Lies!

Jessica Warman is the author of one of my favorite books of the fall- Where The Truth Lies (Now out!)- and today, she's here on Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf to answer a few of my questions. So without a further ado...

In your opinion, what are the top three reasons why teens, or even adults, should consider picking up Where the Truth Lies the next time they see it online or in stores?

First of all, I think my publisher did a fantastic job with the cover, so I hope it will draw people in and spark an interest in the story by itself. Beyond that, the story deals with a couple of themes that I think are somewhat universal, one of which is the idea of first love. Emily's relationship with Del is certainly a bit more dramatic than most people's first loves, but it's something that we all experience at one point or another - most of us when we're teenagers - and I hope people will find a thread within Emily and Del's story that they can relate to. The second theme deals with the realization that we all have, at some point or another, that our families are not perfect. When we're young kids, most of us tend to see our parents or guardians as pretty infallible, I think. But as we grow older, we begin to recognize them as flawed human beings who struggle with their own issues, just like everyone else. Again, the way Emily experiences this revelation is somewhat extreme, but I do think the general idea is something that plenty of people will be able to relate to.

Where the Truth Lies is told from Emily Meckler view point, so would you mind sharing a little bit about her? Also, if you could over her any type of advice, what would you say?

One thing I like quite a bit about Emily is the fact that, when the story begins, she is very innocent and somewhat naive, and all of that changes once Del Sugar comes into her life. Basically, she grows quite a bit throughout the story. As a writer, it was a lot of fun to bring so much growth to a character. By the end of the story, she's a very different girl.

I read on your website that like Emily you attended a boarding school. So in what ways are the boarding school you attended and the boarding school Emily attended similar? Different?

My boarding school was actually pretty similar. Like Emily's, it was coed. There was a very strong sense of community, as well as one of great isolation... it was like being in a little microcosm of the real world. And like Emily, I actually enjoyed boarding school a lot. It was sort of like having a hundred brothers and sisters, or getting to have a slumber party with your best friends every night. As far as differences... my school was much more strict! I don't think someone like Del Sugar would have lasted at my school nearly as long as he did at Stonybrook.

In my opinion, one of the most fascinating characters in Where the Truth Lies is Del Sugar, so can you share a bit about the inspiration behind his character? Also, how did you come up with his name?

Well, his name just sort of came to me one day about ten years ago. And I definitely hope that people will be interested in him, because he's probably my favorite character of all time (who I've come up with). I've been writing about him for years; I have tons of short stories, and even another novel, that deals with him as the main character. He has become very real to me. I guess you could say I have a crush on him. I definitely don't think readers have seen the last of him...

What’s up next for you book wise?

I have a thriller coming out next year, called "Between," that I'm SO excited about!

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Thanks so much, Jessica! I can't wait to read Between, and I'm so happy to hear that there's a possibility of more novels dealing with Del Sugar on the horizon.

To find out more about Jessica and her books, head on over to her website. To see what I had to say about Where the Truth Lies, head on over here, and to enter my contest for Where the Truth Lies (along with two other fabulous books!), head on over here.