I’m very excited to welcome the fabulous Lucienne Diver to the blog to find out about her new release, Disappeared. In addition to Disappeared, Lucienne Diver is the author of two other YA thrillers, Faultlines and The Countdown Club, as well as the Vamped YA series and the Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series. More information can be found on her website www.luciennediver.com.
Welcome, Lucienne! Please tell us about your inspiration behind your new release, Disappeared.
The jumping off point for DISAPPEARED was a Forensic Files episode that really caught my imagination. It told of a boy who heard something the night his mother went missing and pretended to be asleep when his father came to check on him. That much stayed the same in my novel. Almost everything else changed, but that stuck with me.
All I could think about was what it must be like to be that boy living in that house with his father, who he couldn’t trust, who he feared had done something to his mother, but who was the only parent he had left. And how much worse if he’d left things unsaid, maybe angry at his mother because she’d tried to get out, even while he understood that she absolutely needed to go, even if it meant leaving them behind, at least until she could come back for him and his sister. Because he had a sister. I knew that. Younger. Someone he had to protect, and that brought all the weight down on his shoulders when he was already struggling so hard with everything he knew or thought he did, and everything he had to discover.
At first I made the sister too young to have enough agency. Because she’s got a journey of her own. While Jared lashes out, much like his father (and fears becoming him), Emily turns her pain inward, sometimes even cutting to relieve it. It’s something she has to hide. Like her mother hid her bruises and covered for the abuse. Emily can’t believe her mother would truly leave them. Not for good. No matter what their father says.
The actual mystery of what happened to Jared and Emily’s mother was as important to me to develop as the dynamics of an abusive household, and the rippling repercussions. But it’s about more than that too, relationships that go beyond Jared and Emily and their father. Others who are involved for better or for worse.
And then the discovery of their mother’s car at the train station in what would look like a clean getaway…except for the blood.
There are layers to be peeled back. Layers of mystery. Of discovery.
DISAPPEARED was one of the most difficult books I’ve ever written, and, I hope, one of the most powerful. It’s a young adult suspense novel, because the characters are teenagers and struggling with their own issues, but I think anyone can identify.
If you think you might like to try, here’s a bit about the book:
Quotes:
“A fast-paced murder-mystery with relatable characters and a shocking twist.”—School Library Journal
“DISAPPEARED is a wonderfully creepy read! Full of devious twists and filled with characters who are so real you genuinely care about them. Highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of ROT & RUIN and V-WARS
DISAPPEARED by Lucienne Diver is a gripping YA suspense with a twist that readers won’t see coming.
The story their father tells about their mother’s disappearance doesn’t add up for Jared and Emily Graham.
Foul play is suspected, intensifying their fears.
Their mom’s car is discovered, abandoned and covered in blood. No one will tell them what’s going on, so they’re going to find out for themselves. Their investigations into what really happened to their mother may have killer consequences for them both, especially if the truth hits close to home.
You can buy a copy by clicking on the links below:
Alli Sinclair 