Triple Threat Tour - An Interview with Megan Miranda

Welcome to Starting the Next Chapter's first post on the Triple Threat Blog Tour.  Today, I have the pleasure of hosting an interview with Megan Miranda, author of Hysteria and last year's Fracture.  Without further ado, I hope you all will join me in welcoming Megan to StNC.

Marla: Hi, Megan, and welcome to Starting the Next Chapter! For readers new to your books, how would you describe Hysteria in 140 words or less?

Megan: 16-year-old Mallory can’t be charged for the death of her boyfriend because it’s ruled self-defense. She can’t remember exactly what happened, but that doesn’t change the way people look at her. She’s sent away to her father’s old boarding school for the chance of a fresh start, but her past follows her—as does something else. Someone, or something—or both—is stalking her. There’s the voice she hears at night… and the mark on her body… and someone has definitely been in her room. The only person who seems to want to have anything to do with her is an old friend, Reid, and she’s not so sure that’s such a great idea. When another classmate turns up dead, Mallory has to figure out what happened both nights to prove her innocence. That is, if she is innocent.

Marla: What do you find to be the most compelling thing about Mallory?

Megan: The thing I admire most about her—and why I found her a compelling character to write—is that she doesn’t let the horrible things that have happened (and that she has been a part of), ruin her faith in people.

Marla: Where were your favorite writing spots while writing Hysteria?

Megan: Honestly, I wrote the majority of Hysteria from my bed J Occasional editing happened at the kitchen counter, but mostly it was written at night while my kids were sleeping. I’m partial to writing upstairs at night, because it’s warmer.

Marla: What is your most recent favorite read?

Megan: Gone Girl. After reading it, I didn’t want to read anything else because I felt like nothing would live up to it. It’s also the type of book that gives you writer envy. I know a lot of people either love or hate the book, and I am firmly in the LOVE category.

Marla: What authors have been your biggest inspirations in writing?

Megan: Michael Crichton, for the way he wove science and story together, Edgar Allan Poe, for the way he could evoke a mood, and John Green, for his characters.

Marla: Last question: If you were Mallory, how would you handle the predicament she is in?

Megan: At 16, I don’t think I was nearly as resilient as Mallory. I’d probably have been much more passive, hoping things would work out on their own (which they probably wouldn’t have), hoping time would provide some sort of clarity (except she’s definitely running out of time, so that would not have been a good move). Like Mallory, though, I probably would’ve kept the things that were happening—the things she wasn’t sure were real—to myself.

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.

About the Book

February 5, 2013 from Walker Children's
Add it on Goodreads

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others. In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

Fracture Blog Tour Stop and Review

Click the graphic for an excerpt!

Welcome to the January 13th stop of the Fracture blog tour!  In just 4 more days, Fracture will be hitting store shelves and making its way to numerous doorsteps.  Still unsure as to just what Fracture is about?  Take a gander at the official trailer!


One of the prevailing themes in Fracture is the question of what makes a life a life.  As Delaney clashes with Troy over the true meaning of the injuries they endured and the ability they now share, one question comes up again and again: "If you had one day left to live, what would you do?"  I decided to put that very question to some of my fellow bloggers.  Here is what they had to say.

"If I only had one day left to live, I would want to spend the day with my kids and husband on a beautiful beach, with white sand and crystal clear blue water. I would spend my last day relaxing, enjoying God's most beautiful creations." - Christy, The Reader Bee

"What would I do? I'd write or record something for my daughters. Tell them everything I want them to know: about me, about us, about life--things I would teach them if I were around. I would be sure they knew my silly side and my serious side. I would spend the remainder of the time chasing them around, tickling them, whatever I could do to get the most enjoyment out of the little bit of time I had left. To give them  as much love as possible." - Kyla, Kyla Novelista

"If I had just one more day to live, I would want to start off by horseback riding on one of the the beaches in Hawaii with my beau.  After that, we would both head to Kobe's, a Japanese hibachi for lunch and plum wine since it's my favorite food.  The rest of my day, I would love to spend reading on the couch with my beau while sharing a sundae from either Marble Slab Cremery or a gellato sundae from Piccomolo's."  - DJL, Denim-Jacket Librarian Dishes

"If I had one day left to live... I would have N*Sync get back together so minion 1 and I could see them in concert again, and we’d sing and dance along with the songs. I’d spend the day shopping with boy minion (minion 2), cracking jokes at each other, laughing and talking about all the random things that pop into our heads. I would ride the Barnstormer with Minion (minion 3) until we were both dizzy, then we’d have ice cream and snuggle while watching a High School Musical marathon. I’d have a party with all of my friends from everywhere and we’d spend the night talking and laughing and rocking our socks off.

If I had one day left to live, I would spend it with everyone I love, family and friends alike. And I would make sure that they all knew how much they matter to me." - Louise, Between the Covers

As for myself, I would want to spend the day in my favorite places with all of my friends and family, having fun and simply being together.  I would want to take Owlet to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. because she loves animals so much and I would want to see her little face lit up with excitement.  I would want to have dinner with Hubs and Owlet in the same restaurant we had dinner in when sparks started to fly.  Simply put, I would want to spend the time with the people who mean the most to me in all the places where the best memories were made.

Care to take on the challenge, yourself?  Let us know your own answers to this question in the comment section!

by Megan Miranda
publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
date of publication: January 17, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 272
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

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.

What I Thought

When I first read the description for Fracture, I expected an emotional book.  Just how emotional, however, I didn't find out until I began reading.  From the first chapter, Fracture is a poignant, though-provoking book that would bring even the most unflappable person to ponder the questions and ideas set forth throughout the book, if not an outright show of emotion.  Not only is Fracture a thought-provoking novel, it is also a beautifully written account of what is is that makes up a life.  I was completely enamored by every aspect of this book and I hope that I can do it justice with my review.

After her brush with death, Delaney seems to be a girl set adrift.  She no longer feels like herself and has more questions and doubts than relief.  It is through her questions and self-doubt that we get to know Delaney best.  She also learns more about herself as she forms her own opinions of the aftermath of her accident and mortality itself.  Though she struggles, Delaney is capable of far more compassion than she might give herself credit for, as evident in her clashes with Troy.  I found her to be a fascinating character and thoroughly enjoyed her growth.  I also felt for her as she struggled to come to terms with her new identity and her feelings for Decker.

The on-going themes of life and death are handled in such a thought-provoking way that one can't help but think about their own ideas with regard to them both.  Megan Miranda doesn't present us with a black-and-white account.  Instead, we are shown the gray area where the line is blurred and nothing is set in stone.  Through Delaney, we are provided with a character whose role is to explore this gray area, which is in direct opposition to Troy, who has his own ideas and is unwilling to consider the gray area that Delaney never stops questioning.  It is Delaney's exploration that provides such an outstanding examination of such a multi-faceted topic.

Not only did the story itself draw me in, I was also lead to ponder these same ideas on my own, which made for a riveting book that will stay with me for quite some time.  If you are looking for a though-provoking book, Fracture is an excellent one to pick up.  It really does make you think and is comprised of a great plot and complex characters.  If this is Megan Miranda's debut, I absolutely can not wait to see what she writes in the future.

Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.