Interview with L.S. Murphy, author of Reaper

Congratulations to L.S. Murphy on the release of her debut novel, REAPER! And I'm very excited to have her on my blog today.

REAPER
by LS Murphy
Publisher: J. Taylor Publisher

Synopsis:
There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Please help me welcome Linda!

Cherie: Tell us about your novel, Reaper, in your own words.

Linda: Reaper is about sixteen-year-old Quincy Amarante who learns her destiny is to become a grim reaper.

She doesn’t take the news well.

Cherie:  I can imagine that discovering you’re destiny is to become a grim reaper would put a damper on ones plans for the future. What is your writing process like?

Linda: My writing is sporadic because of the demands of a family and a full-time job. I make time to write whenever I can, often stealing moments for word sprints or getting up at four in the morning for an hour or two of quiet.

Cherie: Where did you get the idea for your novel?

Linda: The idea for Reaper came from the a what if question. What if the popular mean girl found out she was going to become a grim reaper?

Cherie: I love playing the What if game. The best ideas can come from it. Which chapter did you find to be the most difficult to write?

Linda: The first chapter was very difficult simply because of the time it took to get it just right. There are a few chapters that were incredibly difficult to write emotionally. I’ll let you figure those out on your own. J

Cherie: Can you share with us something about Quincy that we don’t learn about them from reading the book?

Linda: Quincy Amarante means Fifth Unfading.

Cherie: What are you working on now?

Linda: I’m currently working on a YA contemporary novel about a city girl who is forced to move to a small Iowa town. She meets a hot cowboy who has a dark secret.

Cherie: You can’t go wrong with a hot cowboy! Now that we know about your book and you as a writer, I have some fun questions for you. Try to answer in five words or less: 

Favorite color?

Black

Secret crush? (It can be anyone real or fictional.)

My crushes aren’t secret. I let my hubby know all about them. J So my current not-so-secret crush is Daemon Black from the Lux series.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I want to believe in love at first sight, but I don’t know if that’s really possible

Have you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone feeling yourself?

Yep, I married him.

Who are you drawn to the good guy or the bad guy?

Good guy with a bad streak.

What’s the first thing you notice about a guy?

His eyes.

If you had all the money and time in the world, where would your dream vacation be?

London.

Are you a morning person or an evening person?

Morning.

Favorite author?

Kurt Vonnegut.

Favorite place to write?

My office in the basement.

What book are you the most excited to read?

Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Senshi by Cole Gibsen

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

(I have a lot more!)

Are there any types of books you don’t read?

I rarely read non-fiction.

Thanks, Linda, for being here today, and I wish you much success on your novel!

Bio: L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for teens and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to The Bean (aka her daughter), her husband and a menagerie of pets. “A Reason to Stay”, a contemporary romance novella, is available as of November 2, 2012. Reaper is her debut young adult novel and will be released on January 7th, 2013.

She is a co-rep for the Southern Illinois region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild.

Find L.S. Murphy

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