I’ve just finished reading the amazing ARC Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey. Cold Kiss is a riveting story about a paranormally gifted teen, Wren, who brings her beloved boyfriend Danny back to life only to realize that he is forever changed and that she must keep him hidden from the rest of the world.
Cold Kiss will be available from Harper Teen on September 20th, but for the chance to win an autographed ARC, post a comment to this blog entry by Saturday at 10pm Eastern (U.S. residents only).
Here are ideas for your comments:
If you could bring anyone back to life, who would it be?
If you had to hide your boyfriend who was supposed to be dead, where would you hide him?
Or you can simply write: I’d love to read Cold Kiss!
Amy Garvey is a wife and mom who likes both cats and dogs. She’s worked as a book editor and has previously written in the romance and romance/mystery genres. You can learn more about her at http://amygarveywrites.blogspot.com/
Amy was gracious enough to answer some questions about her book and writing in general:
1) I love the title: Cold Kiss—it works perfect with both the essence of the book and the amazing cover! Was this the original title?
It actually was! I can’t start writing without a working title, and this was the one I finally settled on with the help of friends. I was amazed that it stayed, to be honest – I think it’s a good title, but having worked in publishing as an editor for years, I know how often titles get changed due to marketing or sales concerns. It was a thrill to get to keep it.
2) What inspired you to write this book?
I was taking part in an online writing chat and people were discussing where you go when vampires and werewolves are getting tired. Someone said something about zombies, and it hit me – what about non-brain-eating, non-Romero zombies? What about the kind of zombie found in voodoo, where the dead are brought back and then tied to the person who raised them, compelled to do their bidding? From there, I thought about what would happen to someone who raised a loved one from the dead. I knew it wasn’t going to be a happy story necessarily, but grief and loss is a huge part of life, and within a few days I had Wren’s voice in my head, and Danny’s death.
3) What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
There’s so much good advice out there (with a lot of bad, sadly). But I think the advice that has always kept me focused is a) to always keep reading as well as writing, and b) that you can’t revise a blank page. Even if you know you’re writing crap that day (or that week, or that month), if you get it on the page, you have a shot at making it better.
4) Could you tell us about your path to publication?
This isn’t actually my first published book. It’s my debut young adult novel, though (and my debut hardcover, which is a total dream). I used to write romance, and I was an editor as well, focusing mostly on romance, so I definitely had connections when it came to finding an agent. That said, writing a young adult novel was something I hadn’t done before, and despite the romances I’d written, my agent wasn’t convinced I could sell a YA on proposal. I wanted to take the chance, though, and it certainly paid off. It really was an amazing feeling to put something out there to a whole new group of editors and publishers I had no history with, in a genre I had no experience in, and get such a great reaction.
5) Do you have any promotional or marketing tips for other writers?
That’s something I’m still learning! The romances I wrote came out a couple of years before Twitter and Facebook really hit, and I didn’t have much time or budget for anything else. That said, I think the best thing to do is to be creative and involve your readers or fans. I love to see author blogs where actual conversations are taking place, and contests that ask the participants to be creative and really engage with the book. It’s more fun, for one, and it’s something fresh.
6) What can you tell us about the sequel to Cold Kiss?
I’m not sure! My editor is reading the first draft as I write this, so a lot of things could change. I will say this – some questions that were left unanswered in Cold Kiss will be addressed, and Wren will face a new challenge in terms of using her power. She and Gabriel also emerge from that first glowy blush of a new relationship and really face what they mean to each other.
