THE BROKEN
Book
#1, Apostle Series
Grand Central Forever
He
took her life, but left her alive.
Three
years ago, reporter Kate Johnson was the first victim-and only survivor-of the
Broadcast Butcher. Scarred both physically and psychologically by the brutal
serial killer, Kate lives life on the run, knowing that one day, he will find
her and finish what he started.
In
the pursuit of justice, you sometimes have to step outside the law.
Agent
Hayden Reed spends his life chasing monsters. The only way to stay sane is to
detach, but the second the Broadcast Butcher case crosses his desk, Hayden
knows this is the case that might just cost him his soul. To catch this vicious
murderer before he strikes again, Hayden must find Kate and earn her trust. For
it’s her darkest secrets that hold the key to stopping this madman once and for
all . . .
“TOP
PICK, 4.5 Stars. Coriell’s latest grips the reader from the first page. A
definite must-read.” ~ Romantic Times Book Reviews
SHELLEY
CORIELL is an
award-winning author of romantic suspense and novels for teens. Her debut YA, Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe, was a
2012 Indie Next Pick and Publishers Weekly praised her for her “sparkling wit and great skill in
creating complex characters with memorable personalities.” A six-time Romance
Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist, Shelley’s new romantic thriller
series, The Apostles, will debut in April, 2014 from Grand Central Forever.
Shelley lives in Arizona with her family and the world’s neediest rescue
weimaraner.
THE Q&A
ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
SHELLEY: Every morning when I sit down at my computer and go to work. Every word
I write, every character I create, every twist and turn I pull off, is all
about whisking readers into a story. And I am first a reader.
ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?
SHELLEY: Beloved. There’s something so intimate and intensely passionate about
calling someone your beloved. It’s a word that connects forevers.
ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?
SHELLEY: Hayden Reed is a world-renown criminal profiler who “sees everything
but feels nothing.” I was intrigued with the concept of exploring a character
who spent so much time in his head that he wasn’t in touch with his heart.
Early in the book, one of the minor characters likens Hayden to peanut brittle,
“all shiny and polished, hard as hell, too. In order to get to that stage, you
got to boil the shit out of it. So I figure you’ve done some boiling in your
life.” It was fascinating to see Hayden’s pains and past, and eventually his
heart, revealed.
ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
SHELLEY:
* Just Give Me a Reason by Pink. The line, “We’re not broken just bent,
and we can learn to love again,” speaks so much to the theme of Hayden and
Kate's journey.
* The Broken by Bebo Norman. The acoustic version is absolutely
haunting and addresses healing the hurts of the broken.
* Let Me Into You by Secondhand Serenade. This is my hero's song.
Hayden, despite spending time in the criminal mind, is a man of hope. He lives
the lyrics, "I’m looking hard for hope...Even though we’re miles and miles
apart...I know it will get better."
* Scar Tissue by Kerli. For my heroine Kate's darker side.
* Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. This is a song
about the broken, the beaten, and decimated dreams, but underneath it all, this
song is about fighting the good fight and carrying on.
* All My Days by Alexi Murdoch. A great buddy love song for Kate and
Smokey Joe, my heroine's blind, cantankerous Vietnam vet sidekick.
* Once In a Lifetime by Keith Urban. Kate and Hayden's love song - a
tale of letting go of fears and learning to love.
SHELLEY: Voldemort from Harry Potter, not because he’s pure evil, but because he lives in Harry and Harry lives in him. The evil within is so much more difficult to defeat than forces outside our heads and hearts.
ANGI: Where do you read and how often?
SHELLEY: Every night before bed. I’m a huge fan of narrative non-fiction, and I
read at least one biography a month. These real-life stories are so rich in people
and place and passions.
ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?
SHELLEY: Like most little girls, I used reams of paper writing stories about
dogs and horses. But somewhere around the third or fourth grade, about the time
I started reading Encyclopedia Brown,
I fell in love with mysteries. I clearly remember my first murder mystery
involved a school secretary putting poison on the glued strip of an envelope.
ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: What's your favorite scene in THE BROKEN? And can you tell us a little
about it?
SHELLEY'S GOTTA ANSWER:
The Broken is very
much a book about surviving, and midway through the story, Kate’s best friend,
Smokey Joe who served in the Vietnam War, goes missing and is believed
dead. To her shock, Kate’s estranged
grandfather turns up to search and brings with him friends who served in the
military, one in Vietnam, another from Korea, and one from Desert Storm. Kate
sees the intensity and will to survive in each of these men’s eyes. As her
grandfather takes off to hunt for a fellow soldier, Kate asks, “What about you?
Where did you serve?” The grandfather answers with a single word,
“Bataan.” When I wrote this scene I
cried, and I still get misty-eyed. History buffs or those familiar with the
Pacific theater in World War II will know that her grandfather survived the
Bataan Death March.
revious GLIAS
interviews
UP NEXT for SHELLEY:
THE BURIED
The Apostles #2
Grand
Central Forever
October
28th, 2014
THE BLIND
The Apostles #3
Grand
Central Forever
PREVIOUS RELEASES by SHELLEY:
Amulet
Books/Abrams
WELCOME, CALLER, THIS
IS CHLOE
Amulet
Books/Abrams
SHELLEY is
giving away ten signed books from her
favorite thriller/romantic suspense authors, including New York Times
bestsellers Allison Brennan, Sandra Brown, Lisa Gardner, Laura Griffin, and CJ
Lyons. North America Readers
Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.
ANGI'S back next Wednesday with Tracy Brogan
UP NEXT ON GLIAS: GINA CONKLE
or @GetLostInAStory #GetLostStories
SHELLEY WANTS TO KNOW: What
is the last book or movie that made you cry? (For me, it’s the animated
Pixar/Disney movie, Up. Those first
ten minutes of love and loss are heartbreaking and beautiful, and I cry every time I see them.)