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I once dreamed of becoming a screenwriter. It took writing four screenplays before I realized that unless a script becomes a movie or TV show it's hard to share it with others. That's why screenplay number five, Wild Animal School, about a sixteen-year-old girl who spends a magical summer at an exotic animal ranch, became a young-adult novel instead.
Wild Animal School was the product of a lifetime of research. As a child, I was surrounded by not-so-exotic animals, like dogs, cats, and a guinea pig. When I grew older, I had the privilege of spending time with tigers, lions, leopards, grizzly bears, monkeys, and elephants. Although Wild Animal School was set at a fictional ranch, where exotic animals are trained for movies and TV shows, the interactions between the main character and the animals were drawn from my own personal experiences. After months of writing, rewriting, and editing Wild Animal School, the book was published. And people started reading it! People all over the world!
And so I wrote another novel. This one was based on one of my already-written screenplays, Kid Docs, which imagines a world where children are trained to be doctors. The screenplay, and the book, were inspired by my experiences as a medical student, resident, and doctor. Readers of Kid Docs were intrigued. They described the novel as: "Ender's Game, only they're training the kids to be doctors instead of soldiers" and "Doogie Howser, M.D., but with multiple Doogies" and "Grey's Anatomy, but with kids."
My next novel was set in the city I call home: Los Angeles. Lost in Los Angeles tells the story of two emotionally wounded people who help heal each other; it's a love story, but with a shocking twist. Readers of Lost in Los Angeles said things like, "I have read many books and I don't think one has moved me as much as this one did ... My eyes are welling up and my heart aches. I absolutely love this book." (Elizabeth, The Bookish Way). I decided to continue the adventures of Lost in Los Angeles' protagonist, Erin, in a sequel to Lost in Los Angeles. In Lost in Tokyo, Erin travels to Japan with her best friend, Adam, and their experience changes Erin and Adam's friendship forever. I used my experiences during a recent trip to Japan with one of my best friends to shape Erin and Adam's adventures.
For my next novel, I wanted to try something different. I'd been reading a bunch of dystopian novels, including Divergent (by Veronica Roth), The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins), and The Giver (by Lois Lowry) and had an idea for a new take on the genre, so I wrote Above the Sky, a story of forbidden romance set in a dystopian future society founded on lies. Unlike my previous books, Above the Sky was based on my imagination rather than personal experiences. (Although, in addition to putting my medical knowledge to use, I consulted experts in a variety of fields, including a former Navy SEAL, an engineer, and a pilot.) When I started to hear back from those who read Above the Sky, it was clear that this book sparked people's imaginations the way writing the book sparked mine. And so I continued the story. Eventually, Above the Sky became a four-book series!
My newest book, The Unknown, is inspired by my love of dystopian novels, loosely combined with my obsession with the Netflix hit show Stranger Things.
I hope you enjoy reading the Above the Sky series, The Unknown, Lost in Los Angeles, Lost in Tokyo, Kid Docs, and Wild Animal School! I'd love to hear your questions or comments! You can contact me here.
~J.W. Lynne
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