Spotlight on CRACKED by K.M. Walton

Ever since I heard about this book from my editor (who also happens to have edited this book) I've wanted to read it.


Summary from GoodReads:

Sometimes there's no easy way out.

Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….


I LOVE the idea of two enemies trapped in a psych ward together! Can't you just feel the tension of it?

James Howe, bestselling author of THE MISFITS, says... "In this powerful debut novel, K.M. Walton takes an unrelenting look at the corrosive effects of bullying, sometimes coming from where one would least expect it. CRACKED crackles with emotional intensity from beginning to end."


K.M/ Walton stopped by for a short interview about her and her writing.


1. What inspired you to write CRACKED?
I was at an SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC when I heard one of the editors speak on books with alternating points of view. My writerly interest was piqued. Back in my hotel room, I toyed with what two characters would be interesting to alternating between. After some brainstorming, I decided a bully and his victim would make for a compelling story.
 
2. What did you write as a teen?

I was a big “Dear Diary” gal when I was a teenager, and I have them all. I don’t know if I’ve ever read anything more hilarious than my 8th grade diary. All I wrote about was how I wanted my boyfriend at the time to kiss me longer than one second—like the entire diary is filled with my wishing it would happen. It’s priceless.
 

3.  What's the last YA Contemporary novel that you read and loved?
I loved EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A. S. King. She is a fiercely talented writer.



 K.M. Walton writes contemporary YA, middle grade suspense, picture books and nonfiction. Her debut contemporary YA novel, CRACKED released out from Simon Pulse ~ Simon & Schuster January 3, 2012. She is fortunate to be represented by the lovely Sarah LaPolla from Curtis Brown Ltd.

K. M. had a gazillion dreams when she was a little girl. Her biggest dream was to be a teacher. Teaching became a reality for K. M. and she taught for twelve glorious years – some of it in Osteen, Florida and most of it in Springfield, Pennsylvania. But, it turns out writing is her favorite thing to do. Even the hard parts – and there are a lot of hard parts.

K.M. Walton also co-authored a book on the teaching of mathematics called TEACHING NUMERACY: 9 Critical Habits to Ignite Mathematical Thinking published by Corwin Press.


You can pick up your copy of CRACKED from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or from your favorite independent bookstore. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is on my 2012 tbr list. Thanks for the interview and LOL on the diary...sorta been kissed.

Melissa Walker said...

Sounds great--amazing cover!

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