-Read Liar in one 3.5 hour sitting

I think there are some other theories but I can’t remember them right now. You can find more theories about the book in general over at the spoiler thread.

Victoria: Thanks for the kind words! Did you buy it at Kinokuniya? I’m so pleased you were happy that I scribbled my signature on Liar. (I’m always faintly worried people will think I’ve vandalised their book.)

Yes, Liar is a book that’s very open to interpretation. Though I must say I hadn’t thought of that possibility. And I certainly wasn’t thinking of it when I was writing the book. I do think Micah is trying very hard to tell the truth and that there’s a lot of truth in the book.

I think the clue to Jordan’s existence or not is in the ways he is doubled by Peter. Or maybe Jordan is doubling Peter? Put this way, I’m pretty sure only one of the two exists.

Megan: I’ve seen people talking about Micah’s struggles without mentioning the wolf. Some have talked about werewolfism as “the family illness” which I think works quite well. It allows you to talk about whether the mysterious family illness is real or not without going into too many details.

Good luck with your report!

I’m really not sure how I would read the book if I hadn’t written it. I guess I’d hope that things worked out for Micah because I like her and worry about her. But I’d also be afraid that things weren’t so great as she says they are.

The hardest part was writing a book with all New Yorker and USian characters when I’m Australian.

Don’t you think I spent the whole book describing Micah? How would you describe her? That’s much more interesting.

Patrice: Thank you for letting me know you liked it. I really appreciate it.

I don’t write for a target audience. When I write I’m not thinking about audience, but about writing the best books I can. I write about adolescence, absolutely. But I think that’s a subject of interest for those who are about to be adolescents, for those who are adolescents, and for those, like you and me, who were adolescents. From the fan mail I see that my books are read by all three of those groups. Makes me very happy.

Happy holidays. Liar was suspenseful, stunning, and, in a way, sad. What was the most difficult part of the writing process? How would you describe Micah (other than complex or complicated)?

I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

You know even if I did know I would not tell you because admitting that I do know is just an invitation for people to bug me to tell them the truth. Thus I will tell you that I have no idea. Which I don’t. Trust me!

Jaya: So pleased you love Micah. Me too!

ClareSnow: Are the [section breaks] the same in the US version? I wanted them to be a part of the story, but I’m guessing they were the work of the book designer and Justine, you didn’t have input in them?

You mean the vein-y things? No, the design is different in the US version. They were, indeed, the work of the designer Bruno Herfst. I was shown them pretty early on and loved them. But, no, they weren’t my idea.

Jen: Micah’s name is pronounced “Mike-ah”.

Cassie: 1) Are there any books that you feel are similar to your AMAZING and pretty shocking novel?

2) Did you base any of your characters off of real people you know?

1) Thank you! Since I am the author I think Liar is a precious snowflake and like no other books. So this is a question you should be asking other readers. In fact, I may will blog your question and ask them. However, many people have mentioned that Liar reminds them of Jacqueline Woodson’s brilliant If You Come Softly. Here are my thoughts on that.

2) No. I never do that.

1)Are there any books that you feel are similar to your AMAZING and pretty shocking novel?

2)Did you base any of your characters off of real people you know?

Some fellow librarians and I were debating as to how to pronounce Micah’s name. Is it pronounced “Mike-ah” or “Mah-kai.” Thanks!

I don’t care if other people hate Micah; I love her, lies and all. Maybe it was sleep deprivation or the creative writing hobbies, but the fact that she lied about her brother and Zach didn’t bother me. And I feel she was telling the truth about the wolf part because:

1) She puts in so many details (which we just learned in Creative Writing is a powerful tool when you’re writing)

2) It makes sense within the context of the story, if you think about it.

I hope your 1930s novel is coming along well, and keep on writing these great novels.

My question is this: how much do you know that the reader doesn’t? I mean, I know you’re not going to tell us whether Jordan was real, or whether Micah is really a wolf, or where she ends up at the end — but are all the answers clear to you?

It’s very hard for me to answer your question. But I can say that probably the hardest part for me to write was Micah’s reaction to finding out that her parents had abandoned her and left her behind with the Greats.

I’ll be writing on my blog about what I’m working on fairly soon.

I just wanted to add this question, which I forgot to add to my last comment. I love your writing style, and am looking forward to your next novel: Could you possibly give us (your faithful readers) a hint about your next book? You can trust me when I say I’ll be rushing to the bookstores to buy it when it comes out, and a small hint would probably flare my imagination.

Thanks,

Cassie.

I love your other books. How To Ditch Your Fairy is very amusing and creative, and the Magic or Madness trilogy was an enjoyable read. But my first words after finishing Liar were: Oh My God. It has such incredible aspects. 1) Micah is a liar, and you don’t know whether her words are lies or truths. 2) The whole werewolf thing. It is hard to believe Micah, but she is so convincing. 3) The fact that Micah’s parents lost their love for her I just find that whole loss so sad, that Micah’s condition would change her life like that. 4) Her obvious deep emotion and love for Zach, and the whole mystery of his death. I just wanted to say that Liar has been an emotional journey for me, but I imagine it must have been a rollercoaster for you, being the writer. I find it amazing that you had the nerve to take on a project so difficult and bone-chilling, and your writing in Liar is very inspirational to me, a hopeful future writer myself. I have a lot of feelings on each of your characters, so much that it couldn’t possibly fit in this comment, but I just wanted to say that Liar was a stunning read that will probably stick in my mind until I read it again and again, hunting for clues and hints about Micah’s lies. I also just thought it would be fair to ask this question: Which part in Liar do you consider to be the most emotional/revealing/incredible? I only hope you can answer it before I start reading your wonderful novel again.

Your Avid Reader,

Cassie