Author Interview: Caroline Bock

Caroline Bock

Books:

• Lie

Website / Blog / Buy the Book

Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .

Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up?

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .

When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .

Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.

Describe your book in five words or less.

Teens. Hate. Race. Love. Lies.


Its said that Lie is inspired by true events. Is your writing based on personal experiences?

I live on Long Island where LIE takes place, but I often feel like an outsider looking in at life around me. But to your question: LiE was inspired by the murder of Marcelo Lucero in a town on Long Island, but not my town, as well as other murders of Hispanics in Brooklyn and rural Pennsylvania around the same time. All of these attacks on Hispanics made me think, "how could this happen here?" I think that question starts a lot of books.


If Lie had a theme song, what would it be?

"Stop Children What's That Sound?"


What's the best piece of advice you ever received about your writing?

Read aloud what you write. Specifically, read it aloud to yourself. Hear the voices you're writing. LIE has ten distinct characters -- all written in first person -- so there was a lot of reading aloud in my house.


Quick! Can you share 5 random things about yourself?

I am not that quick or random:)


If you could be any character in a book for a day, who would you be? Why?

Whatever I'm writing, I feel like I'm that character.


If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what book would you choose and why?

Shakespeare's Sonnets. They are beautiful when read aloud. I memorize them. They stay in your soul forever.


What are some of you goals as a writer?

To write every day. To have another book published (and I'm working on both!).


Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Read LIE and think of what you would have done in that situation -- would you tell the truth -- or lie? As on of the characters in the novel, Lisa Marie, says repeatedly, "Everybody knows, nobody's talking." What would you do? Say nothing? Lie? Or be the only one to come forward and tell the truth?


Thanks so much Caroline for stopping by!!