Excerpts:
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EXCERPT 1
If Julian notices my confusion, he doesn’t let on. In fact, he swiftly switches topic. “Did you really see the Earth?”
“Yes.” The word flies free from my lips. The outburst between Julian and Slate disappears from my mind. I’m light-headed, filled with a giddy happiness, at the thought of having another person to trust, despite the tendrils of warning fear.
“What’s it like?” For a moment, I think he's asking about trust. But when I meet his eyes, I know. Only one thing in our dwindling world can lighten and brighten a person's eyes to full awe.
“Earth?” I ask anyway. He nods and excitement builds in my chest. I've never spoken to anyone about Earth. It’s a secret that could take me straight to the gallows. But right now, I don’t care. “It really is green and blue and white, but different. Alive, almost.”
His eyes light up and I want to grab his hand and push away the sun, entice the moon into the sky so I can show him Earth. But I don’t have a scope. I don't have the courage to reach for his hand.
“It’s a perfect round thing floating in a universe of darkness. When you've heard all your life that it doesn't exist, that it isn't real, seeing it for the first time shatters everything else. Everything you thought you knew is a lie.”
“Seeing it in the sky for barely a heartbeat is all you need. Nothing else matters, you know?”
My question echoes in awkward silence. I finger the hem of my shirt and when I meet his eyes, he's staring at me with an expression I can't place. His eyes are a mixture of dark and light and I can't bring myself to look away.
Heat creeps up my cheeks. With a jolt, I realize I'm sitting alone in a room, too close to a boy.
“What?” My voice is barely a whisper.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. His voice is even softer, close to my whisper. Despite his answer, I can see the words waiting to be said.
“It’s so many millions of miles away”—he pauses and searches my face—“and look what it’s done to you.”
He's right. I can feel it, like a beacon of light inside me, spreading all the way to the tips of my fingers. Even before I saw the Earth, I felt it.
Only Earth could do that to me. At least, that’s what I thought when I saw it that night. But when he looks at me, I think… I think I feel it too. When he speaks, he seems to understand. I’ve been isolated for seventeen years, knowing no one but Father, who knew me all my life, who never truly understood me. Julian has known me for less than a day and he knows. I'm a person in his eyes. Not a shadow who became a criminal’s daughter.
EXCERPT 2
I’m drenched in sweat and embarrassment. Julian doesn't seem to notice when he guides my arm back behind my neck.
My hand trembles beneath his touch. My heart races so fast, I’m afraid it will explode from overheating like the motors I’ve read about. Julian notices. My breath catches at the intensity in his gaze.
“Clear your head, Lissa,” he says softly. I swallow. His hand closes around mine again and my whole body pulses with my heart.
“Pull your hand back, like this.” He pulls my hand back toward my shoulder.
“Focus on the target and nothing else. Then throw.” His voice is lulling. I can't focus on anything but my thrumming heart, my hand pulsing beneath his, and my body, slick with sweat. How can I focus when he is so close?
But when my breathing synchronizes with his, my pulse slows. My mind clears. Julian releases my arm.
And the faded red and white target is all I see. I think of all the physics Gage taught me. The rules of trajectory paths. I close my eyes for a brief heartbeat, expecting to hear his voice and see his face, but all I see is the target. I open my eyes and throw. My arm swings forward and my fingers release the knife. I hold my breath.
And watch as it sticks into the cushioned wall between two targets.
Just as the door opens. And Dena laughs.
I think I might die from humiliation.
“You did good for your first try,” Julian says, but his voice is tight. I could have done better. Especially because she was here to see it.
Dena pulls the dagger from the wall and twirls it her hand.
“I bet you need a break, Jules.” Her voice is suggestive.
Julian's eyes dart to me. “No, I don't. Just leave, Dena.”
She scoffs. “Can't you see how pathetic she is? Why bother? Let the Jute do whatever they want with her. At least they’re good-looking. Better than good, I should say.”
Julian clenches his jaw. His voice drops. “Dena. Leave.”
Dena looks at me for the first time. She opens her mouth.
And I can’t take it anymore. Because anger is stronger than fear. Because I finally snap. “Did anyone ever tell you to take a hike? On Earth, that meant shut up and leave, no one wants your condescension.”
I clamp my mouth shut, heat exploding across my face. Julian snorts and barely covers it with a cough. Dena turns bright red and glares at him.
“You don't want to die anymore, do you, Julian?” She takes in his stricken face before she storms out, slamming the door behind her.
My hands shake when I retrieve the dagger from the floor.
“I'm sorry,” I can barely say.
He scoffs. “Sorry? That was—I didn't think you had it in you. And besides, Dena deserved it.”
I struggle to change the subject. “Can I keep this with me?”
He doesn't answer right away. Finally, he blinks. “Oh yeah, sure. Tomorrow then?”
“Tomorrow,” I say.
He hurries out, leaving me surrounded by a multitude of weapons I can't even use. I stare at the knife in my hand.
We learn as fast as they heal, Julian said.
Pathetic, Dena said.
I'm not. I step back and angle my arm. I'll show her I'm not. I throw the knife. It lands an embarrassing length away from target, worse than before. I pull it free and release a shuddering breath. Anger still pulses through my veins. It is new to me, this anger.
I let it stay, fuel me. And I throw the knife again.
And again and again.
Interview:
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If you had to describe yourself using three words, they would be…
Ambitious, self-conscious, shy
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. *it happens* Which literary characters would you want by your side?
Can I choose a character from my own book? Julian. Or Rowan. Not both, though. Eesh.
I am a slogan and it says…
Hafsah - Blogger, Designer, Author
What about writing captivates you the most?
More than an incredible plot (though it depends on the book), a beautiful writing style. Poetic prose - though not to the extent where I start yawning.
Unbreathable is your upcoming release. How would you describe it in one sentence?
Unbreathable is a tale of love, redemption, and sacrifice, and one girl's struggle to find her place in a world where she doesn't belong.
What was the hardest part of writing Unbreathable?
Figuring out the conflict. I’m the girl who can’t plot, so when Unbreathable was sparked by the line mentioned above, I had no idea how to continue the story. When I was halfway through, there were so many possibilities and directions the story could take. I loved that, but it was terrifying as well.
What’s one thing that readers would be surprised to find out about you?
Hmm, I’m not sure! That everything about Unbreathable - the cover, the trailer, the marketing - was done by me.
What book are you currently reading?
Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
Can you share anything about what you’re working on at this time or what’s next?
I’m just getting started on the sequel to Unbreathable, though I’ll probably alternate between that and a new YA fantasy that I am so excited to share with you all.
If Lissa and Julian were superheroes, what would their names be?
Oh. Julian is a little like Captain America, I guess, serious, quiet, and always thinking. Lissa… I’m not sure! You can decide for me ;)
About the author:
