Deborah Lytton

Book Title:  Jane in Bloom

Publication Date: March 19, 2009

Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books

ISBN: 978-0-525-42078-1

Author Website: www.deborahlytton.com

Description: In the shadow of loss, a wallflower blossoms

Jane’s big sister Lizzie has always been the center of attention. No one ever pays attention to boring, plain Jane. But when Jane’s twelfth birthday marks the beginning of Lizzie’s final descent into a fatal eating disorder, Jane discovers that the only thing harder than living in her big sister’s shadow, is living without her.
In the wake of tragedy, Jane learns to look through her camera lens and frame life differently, embracing her broken family and understanding that every girl has her season to blossom. Spare and vulnerable prose marks this beautiful debut that is at once heartbreaking and uplifting.
About the

Author: 
Deborah Lytton grew up in front of the camera as an actress and singer, beginning her career at the age of six. Her screen credits include five years on the hit daytime soap opera Days of our Lives, supporting roles in made for television movies Haywire, The Mae West Story, and The Man in the Santa Claus Suit and guest appearances on The Mod Squad, Family, The Waltons, and The Incredible Hulk. She has also sung on the soundtracks for numerous films, released a self-titled album, and sung background vocals for a number of artists, including Belinda Carlisle, Lou Rawls, and Frank Sinatra.
Deborah now works as a writer and attorney. Her articles have appeared in magazines including Fit Pregnancy, Pregnancy and Mothering online. And after a childhood in front of the camera, Deborah has become a photography buff herself, both as a hobbyist and as a freelancer.
She lives in Los Angeles, California with her daughters Ava and Caroline, and their miniature poodle, Tinkerbell. Jane in Bloom is her first novel.

Reviews:

“Jane in Bloom is a gentle novel about love and loss and that special connection you only share with a sister. This book will make you cry. It will also make you smile and root for Jane as she makes her way through the most difficult time of her life. Deborah’s prose is brilliant and honest.”
–Loretta Ellsworth, author of In Search of Mockingbird

Excerpt:

I open my eyes.
And I realize. Today is the day. Today is my twelfth birthday.
Today I am finally old enough to get my ears pierced.
I jump out of my soft lavender bed and stand in front of the mirror barefoot in my blue pajamas with little white puffy clouds all over the legs. I turn this way and that way. To be truthful, I’m a little disappointed. I don’t look older at all. I’m still the same me. The anomaly in an all blonde haired, blue eyed family with my red curly hair, army green eyes, and a freckle for every day of my life - which would be somewhere around 4,380.
“Jane, breakfast!” my mother calls from downstairs.
“Coming,” I call out.
“And get your sister,” my mother adds.
Just then I notice something different, and I peer closer to be sure. There it is. A new freckle, right on the bridge of my nose. Number 4,381. Not exactly what I had in mind. But by tonight I will look different, I remind myself. By tonight, I will have pierced ears.
I turn toward the bathroom door. We have one of those bathrooms that connects my sister’s room and my room, with a lilac colored door on my side and a rose colored door on Lizzie’s side.
My door is locked form the inside, and I can hear water running.
Lizzie,” I call. “Breakfast.”
I hear the toilet flush and then my sister’s muffled voice, “No thanks.”
I shrug and turn back toward the mirror. “Happy Birthday” I tell myself with a smile.

Ethel’s Famous Mac and Cheese

Author Photo: Dana Patrick