Today, Olivia is bringing you the latest from author Lucy Christopher as she talks about THE KILLING WOODS!
Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd’s dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl’s broken body. “Gone,” he says, then retreats into silence.
What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent — isn’t he? Before he’s convicted, she’s got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee’s charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her — the kinds of games that can kill?
Olivia with YA-Mag: Lucy, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine!
YA: Tell us more about how you first met Emily? What made her the perfect protagonist for this story vs. any other character?
Lucy Christopher: It took me a while to get to know Emily. I was originally writing a novel set in the Central African Rainforest that had a main character called Ebony. When I changed settings and novel ideas from the African novel to The Killing Woods, Ebony very gradually merged into Emily. Emily became a character who was sensitive, thoughtful and emotional; a character who loved her father dearly and refused to ever think badly of him. She’s a good protagonist for this story as her gradual deepening of her own self-awareness mirrors the novel’s plot and theme revelations. Damon, with his focus on action and anger, provides a good counterbalance to Emily’s story, but I think it would be difficult for me to pull off the entire novel in Damon’s voice. Emily allows the thought and reflection that I think this dark novel needs.
YA: What sets Emily’s story apart?
LC: Emily’s story is a thoughtful, yet also risky, one. She allows herself to examine the darker aspects of both her own self, and the wider world around her. She experiences a dangerous thrill through her attraction to Damon Hilary, boyfriend of murdered Ashlee Parker. Ultimately, it is the psychological thrill that sets her story apart most. This novel is dark and claustrophobic, often hiding in shadows: Emily paves a brave path through.
YA: What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story?
LC: This novel had numerous influences during its creation: The Hunger Games, Carl Jung’s writings, a documentary about prisoners with life sentences, reports about recently deployed soldiers from Afghanistan and, most especially, music. When I write, I often listen to music: my previous novels, Stolen and Flyaway, each had their own soundtracks. The Killing Woods was different, however: I couldn’t find the right music to help me write the book! In desperation, I turned to my friend Simon, a musician, and asked if he could write me the kind of music I needed. I told him I wanted dark tunes, songs about teens in a wood at night … songs about something going terribly, deadly wrong. What he wrote for me was quite extraordinary. He’d not read my writing, and only knew as much as I told him about the story: somehow, however, the mood of the songs was the perfect mood to help me out of my writer’s block and onto the page! I was lucky enough to have his band, Quiet Marauder, play at my UK book launches. You can check out Quiet Marauder’s Killing Woods music here – www.quietmarauder.co.uk
YA: What’s the story on the title, THE KILLING WOODS?
LC: Well, as I mentioned above, this book was originally set in Africa and it was a gradual process of many drafts to move it from there to where it ended up. It had LOADS of titles along the way, ranging from Tribe to Darkwood to Dark Places to Kiss Me, Kill Me to The Killing Place. Eventually, I drew up a long list of every possible title imaginable and a discussion occurred between my publishers and I to determine the best! The Killing Woods was chosen because we felt it important to get the sense and importance of the setting into the title (throughout the book, I hope the woods almost acts as another character); we also wanted a sense of menace and danger.
YA: When you were a teen, what was your favorite book (YA or otherwise)? Now that you’re an author for teens, what is your favorite modern YA?
LC: When I was a teen, my favourite book was Tomorrow When the War Began by the wonderful Australian author, John Marsden. There was something about Ellie, the novel’s gutsy and resourceful heroine that I really connected with. The novel is set deep in the Australian bush, with the teenage protagonists hiding out in a remote gully to escape capture when Australia is invaded. As a newish Australian at the time I first read it, recently discovering the power and beauty of the Australian bush for myself, the book felt hugely formative, cementing my love of the Australian land.
The second part of that question is harder to answer! There are so many amazing modern YA books out there right now. I think the YA book that I have found the most extraordinary is Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (another wonderful Australian author!). This book goes where no other YA book (that I know of) has gone before. Set in a fantasy setting, Lanagan tackles fascinating subjects such as the influence and burden of parents’ own dreams on their children, and the different types of power within women. The other YA novel that always warms my heart, especially at this cold time of year is Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It’s just so sweet!
YA: Thank you very much, Lucy. And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on THE KILLING WOODS! We know our audience is going to love it!
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Readers, be sure to check out Lucy Christopher at her website www.LucyChristopher.com. Or follow her on Twitter @LucyCAuthor.
THE KILLING WOODS, published by Scholastic, is available starting January 7th at your favorite retailers and local independent bookstores!
Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey. For more info, follow her on Twitter.