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All Our Broken Pieces
by L.D. Crichton
"You can’t keep two people who are meant to be together apart for long..."
Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again. Ten more flicks of the switch and maybe her new step family will accept her. Twenty-five more flicks and maybe she won’t cause any more of her loved ones to die. Fifty times more and then she can finally go to sleep.
Kyler Benton witnesses this pattern of lights from the safety of his treehouse in the yard next door. It is only there, hidden from the unwanted stares of his peers, that Kyler can fill his notebooks with lyrics that reveal the true scars of the boy behind the oversized hoodies and caustic humor. But Kyler finds that descriptions of blonde hair, sad eyes, and tapping fingers are beginning to fill the pages of his notebooks. Lennon, the lonely girl next door his father has warned him about, infiltrates his mind. Even though he has enough to deal with without Lennon’s rumored tragic past in his life, Kyler can’t help but want to know the truth about his new muse.
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• Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance• Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
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LM: What inspired you to write All Our Broken
Pieces?
L.D.: I do not have OCD and I’m not an expert but the
reason I wanted to write the book to begin with—aside from the fact that it’s
important to talk about mental health, was because of my own struggle with
mental health. I thought it would a safe place for me to explore my own
diagnosed anxieties which for a long time, was mostly me catastrophizing every
possible thing. Then in my 20’s my mom passed away which took that overall
sense of worry and morphed it into more off a morbid fixation on death, either
mine or loved ones. I wrote from
personal experience of being in the throes of panic chasing an illogical belief
your brain is trying to tell you is true. Lennon and I have that in common so I
gave her some of my thoughts.
However…
When I started writing, I felt that giving her
OCD, something that was NOT my own experience, something I would have to
research and look at from the perspective of someone trying to educate
themselves with facts, would somehow remove me enough emotionally to write her
story.
She ended up being a total inspiration to me
despite the fact that we aren’t exactly the same.
LM: Which character from All Our Broken Pieces do
you relate to the most and why?
L.D.: Gah! Immediately, it’s easy to assume Lennon
after reading my answer above. And if I HAD to pick just one, it’s her because girl,
I get it. I do.
But I can also relate to Kyler. I am an avid
devourer of music. Any and all kinds of music. I know what it’s like to spill
your heart onto paper, and constantly doubt yourself like he does.
I can relate to Claire and her loving mama vibes,
or Josh and his sometimes abrasive protectiveness over his child. I understand
Macy’s challenge of having an over-protective brother!
I guess the best way to put it is so many of my
pieces are in All Our Broken Pieces.
LM: Give us a glimpse into your book—share one of
your favorite quotes or scenes from the story!
L.D.: I love this question! Some
backstory: Silas, Kyler’s band mate says, “She’s just a girl, bro” in reference
to Lennon. Kyler repeats this in his narrative, when he is afraid he’s catching
feelings. This scene is immediately after he shows Lennon his face, and she in
turn reveals her OCD and what happened to her mother. I’ve always loved Kyler
here.
SHE’S JUST A GIRL, BRO.
I came up here to do a school project, and now we’re
in the midst of an emotional hurricane filled with all the issues Lennon from
Maine with Serious Issues Who Sews has. The storm of feelings I’m immersed in
is maximum-force, category-five brand of bullshit.
Bullshit because we’re sharing.
Not my strongest point.
I showed her my scars.
She showed me hers.
And now we’re connected on some weird level that
part of me wanted to avoid while another part of me wanted so see bloom. She’s
shaking in my arms like crazy, sobbing, falling apart at the seams, and I’m
just trying to keep all the broken pieces of her together. She smells like
rain. I love when it rains.
LM: In one sentence only, tell us why we should
read All Our Broken Pieces.
L.D.: Self-acceptance, because are any of us every
okay, really?
LM: Do you listen to music while you write? Any
particular song/artist that inspired you while writing All Our Broken Pieces?
L.D.: YES! I listen to music ALL THE TIME. From the
moment I wake until I sleep! I’m not sure you want me to answer this question
because I have thousands of songs on playlists that rotate a lot based
on my mood.
As a writer, in general, the band Marianas Trench
never fails to inspire me. Canada’s greatest export—they are heavy features on
every single playlist I have.
All Our Broken Pieces has a massive playlist of
over 100 songs. Here’s a “few” LOL. If you’re not a music enthusiast, maybe
keep scrolling. I’ll start with my beloved Marianas Trench and go from there.
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Ever After -
Marianas Trench
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Masterpiece
Theatre Pt 1 - Marianas Trench
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Toy Soldiers -
Marianas Trench
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Porcelain -
Marianas Trench
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Good To You -
Marianas Trench
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All To Myself -
Marianas Trench
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Cross My Heart -
Marianas Trench
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Who Do You Love? -
Marianas Trench
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Lullaby - Young
Guns
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Last to Fall -
Starset
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Follow You - Bring
Me The Horizon
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Bleeding Out -
Imagine Dragons
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Take My Pain Away
- Anarbor
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Monster - Skillet
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Something More -
Adelitas Way
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Pieces - RED
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Shadows - RED
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No One Looks As
Good As You In That - Parabelle
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A Life Less
Ordinary - Motion City Soundtrack
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Anywhere but Here
- Mayday Parade
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Be My Escape -
Relliant K
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Wait For You -
Atreyu
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Far From Perfect -
Rise Against (Ghost Note Symphonies) <— If I had to pick ONE song for
Lennon and Kyler, this is it!
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And of course
ANYTHING NIRVANA (Kyler!)
Phew. And that’s not even the whole thing.
Shameless, passionate love for music!
LM: Which author(s) are you most inspired by?
L.D.:That’s hard. So many. I adore Colleen Hoover. I
love that she’s so approachable. I was fortunate enough to meet her an at event
and she’s a very funny lady. But there’s so many trailblazers I’m inspired by:
Sarah Dessen, Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, Tamara Ireland Stone, Rainbow
Rowell, Nicola Yoon, Jennifer Niven, Jenny Hahn, Angie Thomas, Stefanie
Perkins, Jandy Nelson — there are so many!
LM: Tell us what you enjoy doing when you aren't
writing!
L.D.: Curating ridiculous music playlists! :)
I love to travel! I just returned from two
amazing weeks in Bali on my first ever solo trip! I also enjoy making graphics
(for fun), reading, cuddling with my dog, and spending time with my
mini-humans. I love to meditate and take a lot of time to do that— pretty
simple.
LM: Thank you so much for answering my questions
today! Is there anything you'd like to add; anything you'd like to say to your
readers?
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L.D. Crichton is the author of THE ENCHANTMENT OF EMMA FLETCHER, which received a starred review from School Library Journal. She’s a coffee devotee and lip gloss enthusiast whose infatuation with music is truly astonishing. If she’s not reading, writing, or checking her horoscope for signs from the Universe, you can find her by the water in search of mermaids because they're real. ALL OUR BROKEN PIECES is her first young adult novel. Represented by John Silbersack @ The Bent Agency.
She is one of 6 hosts for a weekly Twitter chat about writing. Search the hashtag #Wattpad4 Monday nights at 8:00 PM EST on Twitter to join in!
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Huge thanks to L.D. Crichton for answering my questions so thoughtfully today! ♥
Readers, please continue on for giveaway details! ~
Readers, please continue on for giveaway details! ~
Thanks so much for stopping by! ♥ Happy Reading!
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