Friday, October 1, 2010

Sarah Skilton: BRUISED

After growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduating with a TV/Radio degree from Ithaca College in upstate New York, Sarah moved to sunny Los Angeles, where her blood promptly thinned out, preventing her from returning to either location. Kicking around Hollywood for ten years, Sarah worked as a movie-of-the-week production assistant, a TV extra, a freelance writer, a film reviewer, and a blogger at a Japanese marketing group. She currently reads TV and film scripts for a company that streamlines the casting process for agents and actors. She and her husband, a magician, live in Santa Clarita, CA. She's never been sawed in half, but there's still time. Sarah is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a fact that came in handy while writing her martial arts-themed debut YA novel, BRUISED.

Debut: BRUISED (Amulet, Fall 2012)
16-year-old Imogen Malley has spent most of her life in the shadow of her popular older brother, but there is one area in which she excels: martial arts.

As the youngest black belt at her dojang, Imogen loves assistant-teaching more than anything in the world, and she plans to open her own martial arts studio one day. Per the Tae Kwon Do student creed, she's come to think of herself as a potential hero, a defender of the weak, and a champion of justice.

Her confidence disappears when she freezes up at an armed robbery that leaves another person dead. Guilt-stricken and numb, Imogen is left to wonder if martial arts failed her, or she failed it. Estranged from her family and friends, who don't understand why she's still beating herself up for failing to act, she struggles to get by on her own, and decides to prove herself by teaching another student how to fight – no holds barred, no protective gear, no rules.

When the image you have of yourself is shattered, how do you make it whole again?



5 Characters I want on my side for the Apocalypse:

THE HUNGER GAMES Trilogy's Katniss Everdeen (for obvious reasons)
THE MAGICIANS' Quentin Coldwater (whiny, but can also fly, perform feats of magic, etc.)
A FAREWELL TO ARMS' Frederic Henry (some medical/ambulance-driving experience; always has booze on hand)
A FREE LIFE's Nan Wu (skilled at cooking; poet)
A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN's Francie Nolan (a natural survivor; makes the best of meager food/drink; knows how to "catch" a Christmas tree; great storyteller)



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