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<\/a><\/p>\nI am excited to introduce you to a new YA novel, The Color of Lies<\/em>, that will have you racing through the pages. In this book, high school senior Ella Cleary\u2019s world is tipped sideways when a young man named Alec shows up on her birthday, claiming he not only once met her, he knows her parents\u2019 deaths over a decade ago were no accident. What is even more disconcerting is that Ella can\u2019t read him: her synesthesia usually gives her insight into the emotions of those around her, but Alec\u2019s aura is completely clear. As Ella and Alec dig into the past, and explore the growing feelings between them, Ella must decide what shades of truth she can really believe.<\/p>\n Intrigued? For more information on the story, and exactly what synesthesia is, I spoke with the author, CJ Lyons<\/a>.<\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>CJ, nice to see you! I can\u2019t wait to hear more about this book. What inspired you to write The Color of Lies<\/em>?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>I start all of my books with character. What do they want and why? Then I dig deeper \u2026 what do they need<\/em> most in their lives, something they aren\u2019t even aware of? And of course, being a thriller writer, I focus a lot on what will totally disrupt their life, force them to choose between their greatest desire and what they really need but never even knew.<\/p>\n For The Color of Lies<\/em>, my first inspiration was the idea of a girl who saw everyone else\u2019s truth \u2026 but was blind to her own.<\/p>\n I loved that conflict, the paradox of what we see and believe versus what is real. And how we deny reality, sacrifice it to our dreams by what we choose<\/em> to believe \u2026 It happens every day in the real world. Just look at the epidemic of fake news posing as reality.<\/p>\n What if someone\u2019s entire life was colored by what they wanted to believe instead of what was real? Answering that question led to The Color of Lies.<\/em><\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>Ella\u2019s synesthesia plays a huge role in the plot. What is this rare medical condition, and what led you to include it as part of Ella\u2019s character?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>As a physician, I\u2019ve long been fascinated by unique medical oddities such as synesthesia. It\u2019s not a disease, but rather the way the brain processes information is mistranslated into other senses. You may see letters as colors or smell words you read.<\/p>\n I have friends who have it\u2014one is a musician who sees the notes she plays as color and light, another hears colors \u2026 I myself have what may be a mild form (or maybe it\u2019s just a symptom of my overactive imagination!). I can taste recipes for food I\u2019ve never eaten before just by reading them.<\/p>\n People with synesthesia experience the world differently, which is not only fascinating, it makes for an intriguing character\u2014especially since we all base our idea of reality on what we see, hear, feel. For people with synesthesia, their reality is already very different than people who don\u2019t have synesthesia, so if we upset that reliance on what is seen, felt, or heard, how do we know what\u2019s real and what isn\u2019t?<\/p>\n Start playing with people\u2019s perception of reality, of their basic, essential truth, and you open up a world of possibilities for a story.<\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>While Ella literally sees the world through a colorful lens of shifting hues and truths, Alec is much more straight-forward and black and white in how he approaches the mystery of what really happened to Ella\u2019s parents. What was it like to create such different characters? And which point of view did you find easier to write?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>Alec was definitely easier to write as he\u2019s a stand-in for the reader\u2014always questioning, observing, wondering why things happened and what might happen next.<\/p>\n But in many ways Ella\u2019s point of view was a lot more fun (despite also being a lot of work). Not only her synesthesia but also the fact she\u2019s simply a basically good, normal, even na\u00efve kid. Her wants are simple: to keep her family safe. But her dreams go so far past that, to the point where she denies them even to herself.<\/p>\n Upsetting her warm, safe world was a bit cruel (thank goodness she\u2019s only fictional!) but also a ton of fun, because once you begin to doubt reality, the path back to the truth is a twisted corkscrew that leads to chaos and suffering.<\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>Ella\u2019s synesthesia also comes through in her artwork\u2014she\u2019s a gifted painter and artist in general. How artistic do you consider yourself? And if you could \u201cborrow\u201d any artist\u2019s skills, which one would you choose?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>My best friend is a talented painter and photographer. While I have no skills myself, I am entranced by light and rich, vivid color, and love to explore her artistic process. I\u2019m honored that she\u2019ll show me works in progress and ask my take on them\u2014and even use my feedback when it resonates with her vision.<\/p>\n I love so many artists\u2019 works that it\u2019s hard to answer who I would choose to emulate. Among my favorites are Chagall, Van Gogh, Cassatt, Hopper, Monet, the list goes on \u2026 Really, anyone who uses color to create a deeper understanding of the world and uses art to forge an intimate connection with the viewer.<\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>I\u2019m always curious when I talk to authors: What is your favorite part of this story?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>My favorite is a scene that is almost exactly in the middle of the story and really reveals both Ella\u2019s essential nature as portrayed by her art and Alec\u2019s deeper understanding of her truth\u2014in some ways he knows more about her than she does.<\/p>\n To me, that scene says everything about an artist\u2019s struggle to reveal the truth as well as how we each must define our own sacred truth: who we really are and the kind of person we want to be\u2014no matter the sacrifice.<\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>I was drawn to that scene too! And let\u2019s talk about the beautiful cover as well. What did you think when you first saw it?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>I loved it! The painterly drips and vivid colors! I adore rich, vibrant, pure colors, and to see them pop in the title like that was so much fun.<\/p>\n JA: <\/strong>Finally, I know you are a HUGE reader. If you could only choose five books to last you the rest of your life, which five would you pick?<\/p>\n CJ: <\/strong>Argh! I can give you five, but to be honest whenever I\u2019m asked questions like this my answer is always different.<\/p>\n In no particular order, I\u2019d pick that big fat high school textbook that had all of Shakespeare\u2019s plays and sonnets\u2014something in there for every mood, right?<\/p>\n I\u2019d also choose a Ray Bradbury book, probably one of my childhood favs like Something Wicked This Way Comes<\/em> or Dandelion Wine<\/em>. He was the first author who showed me that you can create entire worlds with words.<\/p>\n Next, I\u2019d take Mark Helprin\u2019s Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em>. I\u2019ve read that book at least twenty times, always finding something new each time since it first grabbed me when I was in college. And I\u2019d be sure to take another childhood favorite, Madeleine L\u2019Engle\u2019s Wrinkle in Time<\/em> as well as a copy of Perrault\u2019s Fairy Tales. <\/em>My aunt and uncle gave me a copy of Perrault\u2019s when I was eleven and I still have it\u2014it\u2019s one of my most precious treasures.<\/p>\n If I had space to sneak in one more, it\u2019d be JK Rowling\u2019s Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone.<\/em><\/p>\n And if that combination isn\u2019t enough to transport me and keep me entertained, I don\u2019t know what would!<\/p>\n Thanks so much, CJ! Readers, stay tuned for more on CJ and The Color of Lies, <\/em>including a quiz and more information on CJ herself. And be sure to preorder the book using one of the links below!<\/p>\n Preorder here:<\/p>\n Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n Barnes & Noble<\/a><\/p>\n