Interview: Cylin Busby

West is a high school senior who has everything going for him until an accident leaves him paralyzed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness, West is terrified and alone. Until he meets Olivia. She's the girl next door-sort of. A patient in the room next to his, only Olivia can tell what West is thinking, and only Olivia seems to know that the terrible dreams he's been having are not just a result of his medication. Yet as West comes to rely on Olivia-to love her, even-certain questions pull at him: Why has Olivia been in the hospital for so long? And what does it mean that she is at the center of his nightmares? But the biggest question of all comes when West begins to recover and learns that the mysterious girl he's fallen in love with has a secret he could never have seen coming.






1) How and why have you started to write? Were there something or someone that gave you an impulse?

I started working in book publishing after I graduated from college, and I loved working with books. One day, my boss asked me to write a book for the company I was working for (HarperCollins) and I said YES! That’s how my career was started.

 2) Tell me something about your book Blink Once.

BLINK ONCE is the story of a 17-year-boy who is in a terrible accident and wakes up in the hospital paralyzed from the chest down. He soon meets the girl in the room next door, named Olivia, and together they try to unravel a mystery at the hospital where they are both patients.

 3) While you’re writing, have you discovered a character that you where developing feelings of 

love for? And was there a character that gave you headaches?

In this book, my favorite character was Nurse Norris. I have to say, if I’m ever in a situation like West, I hope there is a Nurse Norris there to take care of me! She’s good at her job and has a sense of humor; I think those characteristics are essential in a good nurse.

 4) How have you done your research for this novel?

For this story, I had to research the type of accident and injury that happens to West. I talked to medical experts and patients to get a good idea of what that might be like and what the hospital treatment would be. I also talked to nurses and doctors who care for long-term patients, like West and Olivia, to get a deeper understanding of what their jobs are like.

 5) Is there a book that inspired your writings?

There are so many books that have inspired me, but this book was inspired by two in particular. WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte and an old science fiction book called THE KEEPER OF THE ISIS LIGHT.

 6) In the end, would you like to say some words to your fans from Romania? 

Yes, I would like to say THANK YOU to all of the readers in Romania who have read my books and written to me. The response for BLINK ONCE in Romania has been fantastic and I’m so happy to hear from readers there, keep the emails and letters coming!

               Thank you very much Ms. Busby because you granted me this interview!