SPOTLIGHT: C. Desir's Bleed Like Me
By C. Desir
Published on October 7th 2014
Published by Simon Pulse
Published by Simon Pulse
From the author of Fault Line comes an edgy and heartbreaking novel about two self-destructive teens in a Sid and Nancy-like romance full of passion, chaos, and dyed hair.
Seventeen-year-old Amelia Gannon (just "Gannon" to her friends) is invisible to almost everyone in her life. To her parents, to her teachers-even her best friend, who is more interested in bumming cigarettes than bonding. Some days the only way Gannon knows she is real is by carving bloody lines into the flesh of her stomach.
Then she meets Michael Brooks, and for the first time, she feels like she is being seen to the core of her being. Obnoxious, controlling, damaged, and addictive, he inserts himself into her life until all her scars are exposed. Each moment together is a passionate, painful relief.
But as the relationship deepens, Gannon starts to feel as if she's standing at the foot of a dam about to burst. She's given up everything and everyone in her life for him, but somehow nothing is enough for Brooks-until he poses the ultimate test.
Bleed Like Me is a piercing, intimate portrayal of the danger of a love so obsessive it becomes its own biggest threat.
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Q&A with C. Desir!
How did you come up with the idea for this
story?
Well, first, my agent at the time asked
Twitter if someone would write a YA Sid & Nancy and I thought I was
probably the right person for that. J And second, I happened to be reading a lot of romance novels
when I first conceived of the idea (hazard of the day job) and kept seeing all
these stories where messed-up guys and messed-up girls got together and their
love made them so much better. And I thought, “Gosh, that never worked that way
for me.” So I wanted to tell a more honesty story about how we sometimes need
to figure out how to love ourselves and be worthy of that before we can start
messing with loving other people.
Does music play any type of role in your
writing?
When I’m walking my dog and trying to
figure out something in my plot, I often listen to music and it ends up being
really important because I think music can capture really raw emotions in a way
that almost no other medium can. With BLEED, I listened to Sia’s “Breathe Me”
and Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” a lot.
What books have influenced your life most?
Sylvia Plath’s THE BELL JAR, Joan Didion’s
PLAY IT AS IT LAYS, Margaret Atwood’s THE BLIND ASSASSIN, Camus’s THE STRANGER,
the complete works of Shakespeare, and there are too many YA titles to list. J
Are there any new authors that have grasp
your interest?
Yes, I love Carrie Mesrobian’s writing (SEX
& VIOLENCE, PERFECTLY GOOD WHITE BOY). It is fierce and fearless. I also
adore Sarah McCarry and think everyone should read her books, they are lyrical
and super smart and dig deep (ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS, DIRTY WINGS). Both Steph
Kuehn and Brandy Colbert wrote astounding debut novels (CHARM & STRANGE,
POINTE). And Stephanie Oakes’ forthcoming THE SACRED LIES OF MINNOW BLY is
unforgettable.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
When I started to do it every day, when I
couldn’t stop, when I ignored my friends and family because I had to get
something down, then I felt like a real writer. So basically, when I became sort
of sub-human. LOL.
List three books you have recently read and
would recommend.
Carrie Mesrobian’s PERFECTLY GOOD WHITE BOY
Andrew Smiths’ 100 SIDEWAYS MILES
Benjamin Alire Saenz’s ARISTOTLE AND DANTE
DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
Tell us something that people would be
surprised you know how to do.
I skate roller derby. I love it, even
though I end up really bruised quite often.
About the author...
I’m Christa Desir and I write young adult novels. I am an avid reader and have been in love with YA books ever since reading Judy Blume’s FOREVER (while hiding between the stacks in the library).
My first success with writing came at the age of five when I wrote a story about my sister and our neighbor Andy “kissing in the dushes.” My parents were so proud of this work, they framed it and showed it to every visitor who came to our house. My sister still has not forgiven me.
I live outside of Chicago with my awesome husband, Julio, and our three children. When I'm not writing, I am an editor of romance novels. I am also a feminist, former rape victim advocate, lover of coffee and chocolate, and head of the PTA. It is a rare day when I don’t humiliate myself somehow, and I frequently blog about my embarrassing life moments.
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