Lisa McMann is the author of The Wake Trilogy and Cryer's Cross. Her most recent novel, Dead to You, is about a boy named Ethan who returns to his family after having been abducted nine years previously. The happy occasion is marred by the fact that Ethan can't remember anything about his family.

This tightly written novel pulls you through its story with sparse, yet elegant prose. It's also a wonderful example of how riveting contemporary YA can be.

Lisa was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about Dead to You.

Indigo Teen Blog: Did you know the ending of Dead to You before you wrote it or did you discover it as you wrote?
Lisa McMann: I knew the ending before I started, but early on I wasn’t sure how much Ethan knew or was able to admit to himself until I started writing, and then it became painfully clear.

ITB: Is there a difference for you in writing a first person female or a first person male voice?
LM: I was just about to type this answer when I paused and thought, “Have I ever written a first person female voice?” The answer is no, I haven’t – my previous books are third person. Isn’t that weird? (But you’ll see my attempt at 1st person from a female perspective next spring with my next teen paranormal, CRASH.)

ITB: Dead to You is your first novel with no fantasy elements, correct? Are there challenges to writing contemporary fiction that are different from fantasy fiction?
LM: Correct! I think there are challenges in all genres and styles of writing. In my paranormal and fantasy stuff, I try really hard not to use the fantasy elements as a crutch to make something happen. In realistic fiction there is no fantasy element to lean on, and I find that really satisfying as a writer not to have that temptation there. It does sometimes make things harder, but I love the challenge of that.

ITB: Will you tell us more about your involvement in The Dear Bully anthology?
LM: I was thrilled to be a participant in the Dear Bully anthology. I originally wanted to use a story from my past, but there was one story told to me by a fan at an event that wouldn’t leave me alone – a boy who was struggling with his sexuality told me that Cleverbot.com was his friend. I changed some of his story to protect him, but the gist of it is there. I couldn’t get his story out of my mind. I think offers a glimpse of current-day bullying.

ITB: Can you tell us about your next YA novel (set to come out in 2013)?
LM: It’s called CRASH. I really can’t wait for this book. It’s a paranormal, first in a new series about a girl named Jules who starts seeing a recurring vision of a truck crashing into a building, and she feels like she has to do something about it. Additionally there are two awesome siblings, a meatball food truck, hoarding, a boy, and nine body bags in the snow.

ITB: Sounds like one to watch for. Any update on the Wake movie?
LM: I wish I had news to share, but as far as I know, nothing is happening. They are still in the script-writing stages.

ITB: Last question. We've been talking about Book Boyfriends on the blog. Who is your current favourite?
LM: I really like the main character, Jazz, in Barry Lyga’s upcoming novel (first in a series!), I HUNT KILLERS – that character has a lot of layers. Watch for it! Pre-order it! Add it to your goodreads list!

ITB: Completely agree with you; Jazz is very layered. I read I HUNT KILLERS shortly after Dead to You, and if readers like one then they'll like the other. (Although I HUNT KILLERS is quite a bit more gruesome.)

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Dead to You is now available. Thanks to Lisa for answering our questions and Simon & Schuster Canada for arranging the interview.