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About J.W. Lynne Works include: Above the Sky, The Unknown, The Darkness Outside, If I Tell, Lost in Los Angeles, Lost in Tokyo, Kid Docs, and Wild Animal School |
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I once dreamed of becoming a screenwriter. It took writing four screenplays before I realized that it's hard to share a screenplay with other people (unless it becomes a movie or TV show, which is very rare). 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 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 working hands-on with tigers, lions, leopards, grizzly bears, monkeys, and elephants. Wild Animal School takes place at a fictional ranch, where exotic animals are trained for movies and TV shows, but the interactions between the main character and the animals were drawn from my real-life 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 book was inspired by one of my completed screenplays, Kid Docs, which imagines a special program that trains children to become doctors. The boys and girls begin their training at three years old and, by the time they are fourteen years old, they are full-fledged doctors. Readers of Kid Docs were intrigued, and I was hooked on novel writing. 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 and a mystery that ends 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 I had an idea for a new take on the genre, so I wrote Above the Sky, a thriller about teens who live in a future society founded on lies. Unlike my previous books, Above the Sky was based mostly on my imagination rather than personal experiences. (Although I consulted experts in a variety of fields, including a former Navy SEAL, an engineer, medical professionals, and a pilot.) When I started to hear back from those who read Above the Sky, it was clear that this book really sparked people's imaginations. And so I continued the story. Eventually, Above the Sky became a four-book series! My newest books are The Unknown (and its sequel, The Haven) and a standalone, The Darkness Outside, and If I Tell. I hope you enjoy reading the Above the Sky series, the Unknown duology, The Darkness Outside, If I Tell, Lost in Los Angeles, Lost in Tokyo, Kid Docs, and Wild Animal School! I'd love to hear your questions or comments! You can connect with me on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter! If you loved one of my books, please take a few moments to write a quick review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Your review will help more people discover the book! ~J.W. Lynne Check out J.W. Lynne's biography and Q and A here! Are you planning to read Above the Sky or The Unknown with your book club? Check out the guides and discussion questions for book clubs here: Above the Sky discussion questions and book club guide The Unknown discussion questions and book club guide |
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Books by J.W. Lynne |
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HER FIRST EIGHTEEN YEARS WERE FILLED WITH LIES. SHE IS ABOUT TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH. Eighteen-year-old Seven and her best friend, Ten, live where all is peaceful ... except for the violent war raging above the sky. Lifelike humanoid robots and self-operated drones tend to everyone's needs, leaving people free to spend their time stimulating their minds and enjoying life's pleasures. But there are strict rules and few choices. There are also secrets. Seven is about to discover how dangerous secrets can be. What readers are saying about ABOVE THE SKY: "5 Stars!!!!!! Unputdownable!! My new favorite book. If YOU love a good dystopian + romance, then you need this book in your life." -- Megan, i fall in love book blog |
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EIGHT CHILDREN WERE
KIDNAPPED. BUT WHY? Eight kids, ages nine to seventeen, awaken to find that almost everything they have ever known has been stolen from them. They were ripped from their beds in the middle of the night and transported to an unfamiliar and unforgiving new world where there are strict rules, and they are punished if they refuse to obey. As the kids grapple with their mysterious new reality, they struggle with disconcerting questions. Where in the world are they? Why were they taken away from their families? Will they ever get to go back home? And the most frightening question: Will this be where they die? What readers are saying about THE UNKNOWN: "It is extremely rare for me to be surprised or give 5 stars. I almost always anticipate the plot twists. I thought I had this one all figured out from the very beginning. I couldn't have been more wrong! An exhilarating read that I couldn't put down." -- Justine, Book Catharsis |
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THEIR LIVES ARE ABOUT TO
CHANGE FOREVER. Sixteen-year-old Lois and her mom, dad, and thirteen-year-old sister have signed up to spend the next thirty days locked up in a state-of-the-art bunker with nine other families. Once inside, they will embark on a virtual trip to the moon. During their "journey," their every move will be judged by anonymous evaluators. Families that don't have what it takes will be promptly eliminated. Those who succeed will win a chance at a life-changing prize. Lois thought that being eliminated from the competition was the worst thing that could happen to her. She was dead wrong. What readers are saying about THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE: "One of the best books I have read. Great story, characters, terrific balance between narrative and dialogue and an ending that you will never see coming." - Christine, Goodreads |
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My name is Jenna. I'm sixteen years old. And I think my dad is a serial killer. On a muggy summer afternoon in Upstate New York, sixteen-year-old Jenna Cooper is swimming in a lake when a murdered girl is found nearby, pulled from that very same lake. The next day, the body of another girl is discovered a couple of miles away. Soon, more bodies are found. All are girls in their teens or early twenties, and they were all killed in the same distinctive manner. As police race to solve these horrible crimes, Jenna finds clues that make her wonder if her father might be the killer. Although she is terrified to believe her dad could be a murderer, she is determined to find out the truth, no matter what it is. But her quest for the truth is about to land her in a makeshift prison, at the mercy of a serial killer. Will she find a way to escape or will she be the next to die? |
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SOMETIMES YOU FIND HOPE WHERE YOU
LEAST EXPECT IT. Just weeks after eighteen-year-old Erin tragically loses her best friend, she is brutally betrayed by her high school crush. Plagued by crippling panic attacks and disconcerting visions of her dead friend, Erin travels to Los Angeles, searching for a sign that life is still worth living. Shortly after she arrives, she meets Ben, a mysterious man who captures both her curiosity and her heart. As they explore Los Angeles together, Ben reveals shocking secrets of his tragic childhood and helps Erin believe that she can heal from the wounds of her traumatic past. But Ben is hiding one horrible secret. A secret that could destroy her. What readers are saying about LOST IN LOS ANGELES: "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 |
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SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO ABANDON
YOUR COMFORT ZONE TO FIND THE PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG.
Nineteen-year-old Erin is hoping that her visit to Japan with her best friend, Adam, will be life-changing. Fifteen years ago, Erin's mother mysteriously vanished. The only clue she left behind is a handwritten itinerary for a dream trip to Japan, a trip that Erin doesn't know if her mother ever had the chance to take. Erin has decided to carry out this itinerary, believing that it might help her find her mother. But her trip won't be going according to plan. What readers are saying about LOST IN TOKYO: "Full of heartbreak, loss and finding yourself while falling in love with your best friend. I would absolutely recommend this book." -- Amy, Goodreads |
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BEING A DOCTOR ISN'T EASY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE FOURTEEN
YEARS OLD. Connor became a doctor just two days ago--along with all of his friends. They are child prodigies who were hand-selected at just three years old to undergo intensive medical training as part of a controversial experiment called Kid Docs. KID DOCS tells the story of fourteen-year-old Connor Hansen's first days as an ER doctor. Connor learns to save lives and discovers that some lives cannot be saved. What readers are saying about KID DOCS: "Plenty of plot points kept me reading: finding out how the kid docs will react to the pressure, the fate of the patients who come into the hospital, and even the fate of one of their own." -- Jennifer Donovan, 5 Minutes for Books |
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AT THIS SCHOOL, EVERY LESSON IS
AN ADVENTURE. Sixteen-year-old Jessica Rainville's dream of working with exotic animals is about to come true. She's signed up to spend a summer learning to train and care for tigers, lions, leopards, bears, and elephants at an exotic animal ranch. She will pet tigers, train grizzly bears, ride bareback on elephants, and, despite her best efforts, she will fall in love. But Jessica's summer at the exotic animal ranch will test her in ways that she never imagined. And just one mistake can mean the difference between life and death. What readers are saying about WILD ANIMAL SCHOOL: "Loved this book! Had me hooked all the way to the end! Animal lovers delight!" -- Pepper, Goodreads |
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J.W. Lynne is the author of
eleven
novels popular among teen, YA (young adult), and adult readers.
Lynne's works of fiction feature preteen and teenage main
characters. Books best for kids in middle school through adults: The Unknown, The Darkness Outside, Kid Docs, and Wild Animal School Books best for teenagers in high school through adults: Above the Sky, If I Tell, Lost in Los Angeles, and Lost in Tokyo. (Last updated December 2022) |
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Discover more about J.W. Lynne: Read a sample of Above the Sky Read a sample of The Darkness Outside Read a sample of Lost in Los Angeles |
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J.W. LYNNE AUTHOR OF UNIQUE STORIES WITH TWISTS, TURNS, AND SURPRISES |
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