Interview: Cori McCarthy, 'Breaking Sky'
Cori McCarthy joins HEA to talk about her new release, Breaking Sky, which has been hailed as "quite possibly the next Big Thing." No pressure, Cori! Cori chats with us about the book, casting the movie adaptation and a dystopian world.
Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Cori! Please tell us a little about Breaking Sky.
Cori: Thank you! It's a pleasure to be here.
Breaking Sky is about Chase, an elite teen pilot tasked with flying a fighter jet prototype at a fictional Air Force academy. The year is 2048, and America has been brought to Great Depression lows. Chase's jet might be able to beat the enemy drones and change the fate of the Second Cold War, but first she must learn to trust her wingmen, her superior officers, her country, and her own maverick impulses.
That's the official summary, but I like to add that Breaking Sky is my baby. It's a mash-up of the thrill of flying, the torn-in-two feeling of being stuck between childhood and adulthood, and the harsh coming-of-age realization that the world is bleaker, grander and scarier than you ever imagined.
Joyce: From the blurb, it sounds a bit like Top Gun meets Divergent meets Battlestar Galactica (the 2004-2009 version) meets The Hunger Games. How would you describe it?
Cori: Is it silly to say all of those titles and more? Breaking Sky treats the campy, cult classic movie Top Gun as an American fairy tale. I adapted certain elements — like the playfulness! — while also extrapolating current geopolitics and international tensions to create a worst-case scenario for the U.S. Because of this near-futuristic setting and the element of militarized youth, I often describe the story as a cross between Ender's Game and Code Name Verity.
On a side note, you're right about Battlestar Galactica! I was inspired by the updated series, and I'll add a dark secret: I have not yet read Divergent, although I do admire The Hunger Games for its scope and profound bleakness.
Joyce: When Kirkus Reviews called Breaking Sky "quite possibly the next Big Thing," what was your reaction? Goose bumps or run for cover? Perhaps both?
Cori: Complete disbelief. My editor called to tell me about the great news, and I couldn't quite process it. I had talked myself into assuming that the trade reviews might chalk up Breaking Sky in the "here's another dystopian" category, even though, technically, my book isn't dystopian. Well, it is if you think America is a dystopia. I was recently struck by a quote from Printz award winner M.T. Anderson on this subject: "People ask me whether I think we'll ever live in a 'dystopian world.' We already do. It's just that we happen to live in the shining Capital, so we export the suffering elsewhere."
Joyce: Chills!
You've had lots of exciting news recently, but Sony optioning the film rights to Breaking Sky must be a highlight. I'm sure you've given a ton of thought to who would you like to see cast as your lead characters. Care to share?
Cori: Oh, I have such dreams! The film project is being produced by Barry Josephson, who also produced the TV show Bones (which I love!), and being a Buffy/Angel fan, I have a secret hope of seeing David Boreanaz as Brigadier General Kale. As for Chase, I would love Hailee Steinfeld in the role because of her tenacity in True Grit. I'd also love, love, love to have Asa Butterfield as Pippin; I've been struck by his acting since he appeared as a child on Merlin.
Joyce: Will there be a sequel to Breaking Sky?
Cori: As of right now, I'm not planning a sequel. My publisher and I might consider it, especially since Chase's story is only one battle in what may very well turn into a war.
Joyce: We can't help but notice how similar your name is to another dystopian author, Cormac McCarthy. Is there a connection or is that nothing more than coincidence?
Cori: It's just a coincidence; Cori McCarthy is my birth name. But here's a funny piece of history I picked up when I was living in Ireland: Cormac McCarthy is not only a pen name — the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist's real name is Charles — but it's also the name of a famous High King of Ireland from sometime between the second and fourth centuries. I'm not related to either of them, nor am I related to Jenny or Joseph McCarthy. Come to think of it, there certainly have been quite a few McCarthys stomping around this planet.
Joyce: Your bio says your favorite city is Washington, D.C. What is it about D.C. that you love so much?
Cori: Washington, D.C., brings out the Walt Whitman poet in my soul. I visit as often as I can, and although I've never lived there, the city feels like home. When I'm in D.C., I never stop moving. I walk ceaselessly, over bridges and hiking trails, through monuments and museums. I have struggled with my patriotism my whole life, and it's only in D.C. that I truly feel like a bold, proud American. And I like that feeling very much.
Joyce: Is there anything you'd like to add?
Cori: Just a thank you! To you, Joyce, for thinking of me, and to all the first-round readers and reviewers of Breaking Sky!
Joyce: Thanks, Cori! And congrats on all the great news!
Find out more about Cori and her books at www.corimccarthy.com.
HEA curator and contributor Joyce Lamb is a Paste BN best-selling author of romantic suspense and three-time RITA finalist and has been a professional journalist for 25 years. You can reach her at jlamb@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter (@JoyceLamb). You can also follow HEA on Twitter (@HEAusatoday).