As we continue to celebrate the release of Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz, we are featuring Part II of our interview with the author below.

Get your copy of Fractured Tide HERE.

What makes this book special/unique, and why should readers be sure to place it on their TBR (To Be Read) list?

There aren’t a lot of young adult scuba adventures out there, so anyone who wonders what it’s like to dive in a beautiful reef or explore a sunken wreck will love reading this story. Also, Fractured Tide is told as a letter from the main character to her incarcerated father, and that unusual form let me tell two stories in one—first, the story of the main character’s survival against all odds, and second, the story of a fractured family that desperately wants to stay together. 

What kind of impact did writing Fractured Tide have on you personally?

Despite the chills and the heart-break, this book is also filled with a lot of hope. Watching Sia navigate through her emotional wounds and find forgiveness helped me remember how important it is to let go of whatever holds us back from attaining the peace we’re all searching for.  

How are you reflected in Fractured Tide?

My love of the outdoors absolutely permeates this book. Whether it’s camping in a state park and waking to bird song, or sneaking off to catch a morning dive when I’m on vacation with my family, I adore being in out in the wilds with a forest or a reef around me.

What is your favorite thing to do to promote your book?

I love being on Podcasts, which is great, since my awesome publicist has ten of them lined up for me! It’s a chance to connect with readers in a more personal way. Even though Twitter and Instagram are valuable and popular, I don’t like that extra layer of distance that the carefully edited post puts between me and a reader. In a podcast, I’m just myself, talking with someone who loves storytelling as much as I do, and when someone listens, they get the real me, not the carefully edited me.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned while being a writer?

Learn how to cut, and I mean cut massively. Sometimes a chapter just doesn’t work, so instead of nitpicking it to death with line edits, just press that delete key. It’s actually pretty freeing. I try not to see my writing as too precious to erase, as all artists—whether their painters or novelists—create work that’s just not awesome. Scrap it, write it over, and you’ll be surprised by what you’ll create tomorrow.