My Books of Truth by Lisa Burstein

As part of the Entangled Embrace March Madness, their new adult authors are stopping by svarious blogs. Today I am hosting Lisa Burstein author of Sneaking Candy and young adult novels Pretty Amy and Dear Cassie. I am a huge fan of Lisa's writing and have reviewed a copy of her books here. As part of the March Madness, I've asked Lisa to share the books that made her fall in love with reading and writing.

Welcome Lisa!!!

My Books of Truth

I always knew I wanted to be a writer. Well not out of the womb, but ever since I was a little kid. Second grade little. But, I didn't know what kind of a writer I wanted to be until I read the books: Go Ask Alice & Lisa, Bright & Dark.

They were unlike books I'd ever read before. They seemed almost like I shouldn't be allowed to read them, like I was seeing the characters true, unedited, innermost usually scary thoughts. It felt incredible to know exactly how someone else felt—to know that people had those scary and sometimes uncomfortable feelings too.

I knew I wanted to be the kind of writer who wrote books like those. Who could give that feeling to readers.

I wanted to tell the truth.

Sometimes the truth can be beautiful, but a lot of times it can be ugly. My books have been called in positive reviews: raw, honest, sharp, and real. And, in negative reviews: depressing, angry, annoying, and too much.

I have been told my books have the ability to make you snot-laugh and snot-cry, but also have been told that some readers want to throw them across the room.

It's never easy to get negative reviews but what I've come to understand over time is that what people LOVE and HATE about my books are the exact same things. They are about real life and real problems and very real characters and for some people than can be: depressing, angry, annoying, and too much.

What attracted me to books of truth is the same thing that can repel some people. For some people books like the ones that inspired me can be UGLY. But for others, it can beautiful and exactly what they need.

Go Ask Alice and Lisa, Bright and Dark, books that ask tough questions that dare to discuss tough topics were what I needed when I was in high school. And that is why even with some negative reviews I will continue to write books that I hope can do the same for others.

Books with truth at their core made me feel normal when nothing else did. 

I know there are so many girls and women, who just want someone, anyone to understand them. Who try so hard to make sense of their lives that it hurts.

That is who I write for, why I write, because I know sometimes that just saying and reading the scary and hard things can make you feel better. I know that because it's what finally did it for me.

 

Author Bio:
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She is the author of the YA Novels: Pretty Amy and Dear Cassie and the NA Novella: The Next Forever. Sneaking Candy is her first full-length new adult novel.        

Links: Website Blog Facebook Twitter Author Goodreads SNEAKING CANDY Goodreads