Blog Tour "Between These Lines" interview with Jennifer Murgia

Welcome to the very first day of the Blog Tour of 'Between These Lines', a book written by Jennifer Murgia. For the blog tour I got the chance to interview the wonderful Jennifer about this and her previous written books. Read on after the interview for a snippet out of the book and to enter the give-a-way! You can win the e-book of Between These Lines, the Sylvia Plath collected poems, an exclusive cover necklace and Evie's diary. Also, make sure to come back soon for my review of 'Between These Lines'.

Hi Jennifer. Thank you for being here today. The kick off of the ‘Between These Lines’ blog tour, great! For those who haven’t read the book yet, can you tell them a little about it?
BETWEEN THESE LINES is primarily about a class assignment that forces popular girl Evie Cunningham to befriend one of the school’s “invisible”, Chase Mitman, with deadly results. It’s an emotional story focusing on the social agenda of students at a preparatory high school and the impact it has on their lives. BETWEEN THESE LINES offers a haunting reminder that sometimes the person you think you know the most is the one you know the least—and sometimes, that person is yourself. 


Between the Lines isn’t your first book, but it is your first that isn’t connected to your book Angel Star. How did you come up with the idea for this book?
It’s a story that brewed in the back of my head for a long time. I wanted to write something more contemporary, edgier, grittier . . . but something with a profound twist to it (*coughs . . . the end*). It was inspired by the song DIARY OF JANE by Breaking Benjamin. And how different is it from your previous three books Angel Star, Lemniscate and The Bliss? I veered away from a more fantastical plot: the subject of angels. Ironically, there is an underlying theme of good vs bad in this book too. Good kids, bad kids, right group, wrong group . . . peer pressure . . .

Are any of the characters of Between These Lines more dear to you than others? Or do you value them all just as much?
I value all the characters I create, but I have to say my heart belongs to Chase Mitman. He’s such a tortured soul and yet so strong. He’s scarred in more ways than one, especially on the outside and finds a solid comfort in Evie Cunningham, who is beautiful but emotionally scarred on the inside.

When you write your books, whether it is Between These Lines or the books of Angel Star, are they full fiction or do you use things from your environment and/or yourself?
They’re mostly invented by me, but I do throw a few realistic elements into the mix. For example the deteriorated church in the woods in ANGEL STAR is based on a small chapel in a neighboring town. The prep school in BETWEEN THESE LINES is modeled after a private school in my area as well. Of course the layout, courses, names and whatnot are all fictitious.

The last, but definitely not least question, what is up next? What’s next?
Lots! I’m sitting on an announcement of sorts but waiting for the green light, and I’m writing two novels right now: a YA Horror that takes place in an insane asylum, and a Middle Grade fantasy.

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