{Guest Post} Megan Miranda on Writing Decker's Story in Vengeance

I recently read and reviewed Vengeance by Megan Miranda, the sequel/companion novel to her 2012 debut Fracture. When I read and first interviewed Megan about Fracture, she had no plans to continue Delaney's story after the events of the first book. But she never said anything about Decker's story. :) Below, Megan explains how Vengeance came to be and why she felt this story needed to be told. And I wholeheartedly agree -- I wasn't ready for Delaney and Decker's story to be over, and I'm so glad she got the opportunity to expand upon what happened to them following the ending of Fracture. So many unanswered questions that deserved to be examined, as Megan describes for us below.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog again!

In a previous interview we did when Fracture was first published, I spoke about how I didn’t set out to write a paranormal story, though that’s the direction Fracture ended up taking (kind of). I also mentioned why I thought Fracture would be a stand-alone--I felt Delaney had ended in a good place finally. Her journey had come full-circle, as she had come to terms with what she could and could not do, and what made life worth living--for herself, and maybe others as well. I also liked to imagine Decker and Delaney happy for a time.

When I wrote Eleven Minutes, which is a short story told from Decker’s POV about the time Delaney was trapped under the ice and the 6 days she was in a coma, I got the first sense of a story just beginning for him. Here’s a guy who saved his best friend, who people see as a hero, but who’s also overcome with guilt that he left her out on the ice in the first place. He believes he's ultimately responsible for everything that happened to Delaney in Fracture. He also wonders if he’s to blame for some of the tragedy that follows because of a bargain he made in the hospital when Delaney was in a coma: anyone but her, everyone but her.

So eventually I got to thinking: what if that had real consequence? What happens next, not in terms of just Delaney, but to a town that suffered through the events in Fracture? What happens in a place where there was a miracle, but also several deaths in place of that miracle? What happens to the guy who believes he's at the center of all this? What makes people believe - or want to believe - in a curse? What happens after people fall in love? Even though this story is about both Delaney and Decker, it felt right that this should primarily be Decker's story. It is a sequel, in that it follows the events in Fracture, but this is Decker's story. He has his own demons, his own guilt, his own journey to take. It felt new. It felt like it needed to be told. And I'm so thankful I got the opportunity to do so.

As for what's next--I'm currently revising my next book, called Soulprint. In this story, science can screen for the soul (much like we can now do with DNA-fingerprinting), revealing who a soul had belonged to in past lives. And it's about a girl who has been contained for her entire life for her own protection who chooses to escape, discovering clues left behind for her from the past life, unraveling the mystery of who she was and who she is, and whether she's fated to repeat the past. I'm really excited for this book, and hope others will be as well!

After reading Vengeance and seeing all the questions Megan asked herself prior to writing it, I think she did a solid job of completing the story. Of course, I'll always want to read more of these characters and see where their paths have taken them, but I am completely satisfied with where their stories ended in Vengeance. But now I'm dying to get my hands on Soulprint. It sounds phenomenal.

About the author:

Megan is a scientist - turned - teacher - turned - stay-at-home-mom - turned - writer. She is not nearly as indecisive as she sounds. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, where she volunteers as an MIT Educational Counselor, does the mom thing by day, and writes by night.

Her first novel, FRACTURE, was published in January 2012 by Walker/Bloomsbury. HYSTERIA, a YA psychological thriller, will be published in February 2013. VENGEANCE, a companion/sequel to FRACTURE, will follow in 2014.

Find Megan:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Title: Vengeance
Author: Megan Miranda
Series: Fracture, book #2
Publisher: Walker Children's
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nobody really believes in a curse. Until you know the people who disappear. Too much coincidence, you look for reason. Too much death, you grasp for something to blame. Carson pulled Delaney out and he died on the side of the road with her mouth pressed to his. Her air in his body. Troy. She told the cops it was suicide. Didn't matter. The lake released her and grabbed another. But when Decker's father dies in a pool of spilled water on their kitchen floor, all Decker can feel is a slow burning rage. Because he knows that Delaney knew that his dad was going to die. She knew and backed out of his house and never said a word. Falcon Lake still has a hold on them both, and Decker can't forgive Delaney until he knows why.

Books by Megan Miranda:

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Labels: author interviews, bloomsbury, favorites, fracture, guest post, megan miranda, psychological thriller

Interview with Fracture Author Megan Miranda + Giveaway

Megan Miranda was a scientist and high school teacher before writing Fracture, which came out of her fascination with scientific mysteries—especially those associated with the brain. Megan has a BS in biology from MIT and spent her post-college years either rocking a lab coat or reading books. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, where she volunteers as an MIT Educational Counselor. Fracture is her first novel.

Megan is represented by  Sarah Davies at The Greenhouse Literary Agency.

Photo:  Christine Watley Photography

It's no secret that I loved Fracture.  (Here's my review if you need proof.)  But I wanted to get to know this 2012 debut author a little better and see what else she has in store for us.  Megan was kind enough to stop by the blog this week to answer some of my most burning questions:


SEJ:  Fracture is very relatable and realistic, aside from the fact that two teenagers quite possibly act as death's heralds. Were any of the characters or situations in the book based on your own experiences?

MM:  Thank you! No, not the situations or the characters, exactly… though, in hindsight, there are definitely pieces of me in each of the characters. Usually, in their flaws. :) I guess I can relate to those. For me, I think there’s something really universal about the emotional experience of that time in our lives, so, sure, I think there’s truth in the emotion. But not in the specific situation, if that makes sense.



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads



SEJ:  Fracture works well as a stand-alone novel, but I have to admit, I wouldn't mind seeing how Delaney handles her new ability after the events of this book. Do you have any plans to continue her story?

MM:  I’m honestly not planning on it. I love the way you phrased this question, because this is actually why I’m not planning on it. The story in my head and in my heart was about an ordinary girl who survives something in an extraordinary way…and how that would affect her and everyone around her (and, of course, the journey of discovering what, exactly, is happening). Truthfully, it didn’t really occur to me that I was writing a paranormal story until I went to query it. To write a story about how Delaney handles her ability going forward… would be a different type of story altogether. I’m actually pretty happy with leaving the story where it is….I think it’s complete, in a way.

SEJ:  You've also written a short story told from Decker's point-of-view, entitled Eleven Minutes. I found Troy to be just as fascinating, though. Would you ever consider writing his side of the story?

MM:  I would….. Haha, I guess I should expand on that. The amount of Troy that made it on the page is just a sliver of the story of Troy in my head. But, of course, Fracture wasn’t his story. I’d be open to it, but at the moment I’m getting lost in a few new projects.

SEJ:  Fracture is your first novel. Are there any other 2012 debut novels you're particularly looking forward to?

MM:  There are so many 2012 debuts I can’t wait to get my hands on! I’ve loved the ones I’ve read so far (Ditched, Under the Never Sky, Tempest, Slide, The Mapmaker and The Ghost). I’m going to make a plan for the summer to try and read as many of the early 2012 releases as possible.

SEJ:  I loved Fracture and can't wait to read more from you. Do you currently have any other books in the works?

MM:  Yes! I have another standalone set to come out in early 2013. It’s a psychological thriller in the same vein as Fracture, in that it walks the line between science and paranormal. But it’s also pretty different. It’s about memories, friendship, and the thin line between the real and the imagined. That book is done, so I’ve been toying with a new project (another thriller) that I’m really excited about.

SEJ:  And, of course, I have to ask: If you had one day left to live, what would you do?

MM:  Since Delaney has to think about this, I definitely did as well. Truthfully, there’s not any one Big Thing I’d do. I’d spend it how I spend most days: with my 2 kids, doing something they absolutely love.

SEJ:  Congrats on your debut novel, Megan, and I look forward to reading more from you.  Thanks so much for stopping by to answer a few questions!

MM:  Thanks for having me!

Here's the trailer for Fracture:






Up for grabs, I have an ARC of Fracture and a signed bookplate.  Just follow the blog via GFC or via email to enter on the Rafflecopter form below.  Extra entries for following on Twitter, tweeting, etc.  US only, sorry.

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Labels: author interviews, fracture, giveaways, megan miranda

TGIF #23 - Recommend It

TGIF is hosted by Ginger at GReads!  In this weekly feature, Ginger poses a question to her followers and then asks everyone to link up at the end of the post, sharing their responses.

This Friday's Question:

Recommend It: Which book from the last 10 you've read would you recommend to a friend?

Um, all of them???  Just kidding...sort of.  There were a couple that weren't as good as I'd hoped, but for the most part, I'd still recommend them because what might not be my cup of tea might just be someone else's.

That said, of the last ten books I've read, I'd most heartily recommend the following:






Those three were all reads for me.  However, I'm behind on my reviews -- shocking, I know -- so I've only posted the review for Fracture to date.  But let me just say that it completely surpassed my expectations, and that alone should make you run out and add it to your TBR list because it doesn't happen often.  The other two I whole-heartedly expected to love, but you should still read them, too.  :D

Do you agree that these are all awesome books?  If not, what would you pick in their place?


Week in Review:

In My Mailbox #14
Review:  Fracture by Megan Miranda
Review:  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Uncovered - 1/19/12

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Labels: fracture, goddess test, must-read, recommended reads, tgif, under the never sky, week in review

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title:  Fracture
Author:  Megan Miranda
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  Walker & Company
Publication Date:  January 17, 2012
Source:  Netgalley
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine--despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Review:

This story was so unexpected and surprising. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I almost didn’t even give it a try. I passed it up several times on Netgalley because I was afraid it would be too contemporary for my taste. I’m glad I did eventually read it, though, because it’s now going on my favorites shelf. Seriously…it’s not very often that I’m left completely satisfied at the end of a novel. And it appears that this is a stand-alone…bonus points for that.

The entire time I was reading this story, I kept thinking to myself, she could be writing about me. The mistakes, the heartbreak, even the academic aspect felt all-too familiar to me. At least, the teenage version of me. And yet, the story was unpredictable. It doesn’t skip a beat getting right to the action, and though it’s not explosive action, there’s never a lull in the storyline. When I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it, and I stayed up way past my bedtime trying to find a good place to stop for the night. (There’s not one…I suggest you read it straight through if you can.)

Fracture is reminiscent of Kimberly Derting’s The Body Finder series, except instead of being lured by the imprints of dead bodies as Violet is, Delaney seems to be drawn to those who are on the brink of death. Even the best friend/potential boyfriend angle is similar, but it’s handled so differently in Fracture that that’s where the similarity ends.

The characters were very realistic, as were the character interactions. I never once thought, A real teenager wouldn’t say that. Delaney was impulsive and stubborn and afraid of being hurt, just like any other girl. Her relationship with her best friend Decker was strained after the accident because everything had changed, and he was harboring some serious guilt. Her parents treated her like she was someone else, someone they didn’t know. And yet Delaney persevered, threw herself into her studies to try to get back to normal. Enter Troy. Like matters weren’t complicated enough.

If the story itself wasn’t perfectly orchestrated, that ending sure was. Wow. I’m not one to be easily surprised either. I’ve been reading for a long time, and I’ve come to expect certain things from the writing in this genre, and most of the time, those expectations are met, be that good or bad. But with this novel, I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming. Actually, I didn’t see a lot of what was coming in this story. I know many are raving about this book, and I have to agree…this is definitely one book not to miss!

After reading Fracture, check it out on Facebook to read a short story told from Decker's POV from the eleven minutes Delaney was under the ice to when she wakes up, six days later.  Your only payment is a tweet or a Facebook share.  Enjoy!

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Labels: fracture, reviews, surprises, the body finder