Best I've Read 2011 Interview & Giveaway: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey


Wow, I can't believe that we've reached the end of the BIR2011 road. I have had so much fun this week sharing some of the favorite reads featured on the nest in 2011. We have loved seeing new faces and old friends stop by to check out the features and giveaways. I firmly believe that we have some of the best readers and followers out there. Thank you for making our blog a part of your time on the internet. We truly appreciate each one of you and hope to keep bringing you great features, giveaways, posts, and reviews in 2012. Enough with the mush - let's move on to today's book and author. I was ecstatic to have a chance to interview Amy Garvey about her book, Cold Kiss. I'd like to extend our thanks to Amy for her time and to HarperTeen for offering up a copy of the book for our readers.You will find the giveaway details at the end of this post.

Andrea @ Reading Lark: What led you to write a zombie book?

Amy: Writing a zombie book came out of curiosity, really. Someone in a casual conversation mentioned it, but I was fascinated. And I automatically thought about the kind of zombie Danny is, rather than the shuffling, brain-eating kind because, let's face it, that's not exactly romantic. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Did you do any research on zombie lore or did you just jump into the writing?

Amy:  I knew a little bit about the voodoo kind of zombie, but I didn't do a ton of research (hello, Wikipedia!). As with Wren's magic, I didn't want to pin anything down too specifically. The zombie isn't really the point, anyway -- the book is about how hard it is to let go. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: I loved Wren! What inspired her creation?

Amy: Wren just ... emerged, you know? I thought about who would raise someone from the dead in grief, and little by little she came to life. She's prickly and stubborn and impulsive but I love her. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: If you had to date one of the following, which would it be: zombie, vampire, werewolf, fallen angel?

Amy: Oh, definitely a werewolf, I think, if we're following old-school, only-on-the-full-moon rules. Willow and Oz seemed to get along just fine, after all. (Well, until he CHEATED, but that's another story.) 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Cold Kiss is your first YA book. What inspired you to try out this age group?

Amy: Cold Kiss is the first YA I've published under my own name, but it's not the first I've written. The first book I ever wrote start to finish was YA, actually, although that one will live forever in a box under the bed. And I created a YA series I sold to Penguin with a packager, which I also loved, but the publishing experience with that series wasn't an entirely happy one. Which is a long way of saying, I love YA -- it's what I've always wanted to write most. Many of my all-time favorite books are children's or YA. I think books for kids can be important, even life-changing, in a way adult books usually can't.

Andrea @ Reading Lark: What was the best part of writing Cold Kiss?

Amy: I loved exploring Wren's memories of Danny, and their relationship. Providing just enough to give the reader a sense of how different he is now and, I hope, making Wren's grief that much more sympathetic. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Can you tell us a little about to expect in the follow up novel to Cold Kiss?

Amy: The followup to Cold Kiss is going to answer a lot of questions that were left open at the end of the book. And a lot of conflict with some new characters I had so much fun writing. "Demented" is a good word for one of them, which delights me. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Wren is torn between Danny and Gabriel. Which one would you choose?

Amy: I don't think there's a choice, really. Danny deserves to rest, and once he realizes what's happened, there's no peace for him. I'm obviously partial to Gabriel, but I also don't think the book is specifically about Wren *choosing* -- what needs to be done about Danny is separate from her choice to be with Gabriel. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: If you could bring back one person from the dead, would you? If so, who would it be?

Amy:  I'd like to think that I know better than to bring someone back from the dead, but grief is a hard thing to handle. That said, I might bring back someone like Sylvia Plath or Heath Ledger, just to show them that it's not always hopeless, and because both of them had so much more good work left in them. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your favorite bird?

Amy: Favorite bird? A hawk, I think. Or an eagle! Definitely something powerful and majestic and a little bit dangerous, as well as beautiful. 

Thanks for asking such great questions! 



It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.
Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what she must do—is to bring Danny back.
But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.
Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.
But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.


Giveaway Time! One lucky Reading Lark reader will win a copy of Cold Kiss.

 * You must be a Reading Lark follower 
* You must be 13+ years old 
* You must be a US Resident - No PO Boxes 
* You must fill out the Cold Kiss Giveaway form! 
* Leaving a comment on this post will earn you +3 entries into the giveaway. 

 One winner will be chosen using random.org. The contest runs from December 17-20. 



Comments

  1. So glad you featured this! I've heard so many great things about it. You make me want to go pick the book up now.

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  2. Thanks for sharing your favorite 2011 reads this week! :D Loved the interview, I haven't read that many zombie books so I definitely need to fix that :)

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  3. I love the cover and I Heart zombies! Perfect book for me :)

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  4. @April X: This would be a great zombie book to start with since its main focus is on love and loss. The zombie is just an added bonus and he's not the gruesome, gory type that most zombie books feature.

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  5. I don't think zombies are romantic at all. I could never imagine dating one.

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  6. @Jessy - I don't know if dating the zombie is really the right way to describe what happens between Wren and Danny. They were dating before his death and Wren does bring him back because of her love for him, but she soon realizes its not the same Danny.

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  7. I want to read this book SO bad! I've heard awesome things about it, and after reading the interview, I can see why! Thanks for the awesome interview and the chance to win a copy of this great book:)

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  8. Loved this book! Thanks for the giveaway!

    minas_1989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  9. i loved this event learning about your BIR2011. So many great books that I still want to read. I haven't read too many zombie books but I like the sounds of this one. But I hope it's not too sad if it is I'll read it anyways. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  10. Gotta admit, I have not read any zombie stories but I have heard about some and I really would love to read Cold Kiss. The whole idea is fascinating. Thank you for this opportunity!

    Pam
    vanillaorchids69(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. Another amazing zombie story I can't wait to pick up! I am obsessed with zombies, so I've been devouring any zombie YA books I hear of!

    It was so cool to learn about your favorites of 2011; can't until next year!

    -Elisquared

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  12. Cold Kiss sounds like an intriguing book! A zombie story, interesting!

    -Sophia L.

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  13. Thanks for this amazing giveaway - I would love to win!

    susanw28 (at) mindspring (dot) com

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  14. Always love Best I've Read! Always leary to pick up zomie stories because of the blood and guts thing but I want to pick this one up now that I know the focus is different. Thanks for the recommend and the giveaway!

    britani_quigley(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  15. @Britani - I promise it's not a blood and guts sort of zombie tale.

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  16. Ahh! I've been dying to read Cold Kiss, but I've just realized it IS a zombie book. Can't believe that snook up on me.
    Yes, dating a werewolf would be pretty cool.
    Aw, hopefully I don't have too much trouble choosing which guy I love more. :)

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  17. I so want to read Cold Kiss. I like that it is a zombie book those are always very interesting to read. I would choose Gabriel and Wren should choose him too. He is alive and even though she loves Danny, he is dead and doesn't belong back with the living. Dating a werewolf would be fun but since you got to stay away from them for three days of the month I would choose to date a fallen angel instead, even though they can get into your minds. Either one I would be fine with lol. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  18. I've never read a zombie book before, but this one definitely sounds interesting. I'd like to read it to see. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  19. I'm not the biggest fan of zombies, but within the last year I've been reading a lot more zombie books or books featuring them and I've discovered that I really like them and Cold Kiss is a book that I've been DYING LIKE THE PLAGUE to read and would love to win a copy of this.

    Thank you, so much for the wonderfully generous giveaway and I hope you have a Happy Christmas.

    Suz @ A Soul Unsung
    susanhaugland@att.net

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