Monday, February 26, 2024

Dead Girl by Kerrie Faye

Her coffin will have to wait.

      Dying has its perks…mostly. Bullied teen Ember ONeill goes from the weird girl to the tyrant of her school when she is resurrected after a deadly prank. Now secretly supernatural, she dethrones the school drama queen and snags the hot new guy, but her reign is at risk when the Order, a heretical sect, sends an assassin to eliminate her.

     Ember must expose her powers, potentially losing all she has gained, in order to save herself and her friends as her killer closes in.

 Wild Women Authors is delighted to feature debut author Kerrie Faye who celebrates TODAY’S release of Dead Girl, a contemporary YA paranormal out of the Wild Rose Press. With Kerrie is high school student Ember O’Neill who will go first.

Good morning, Ember. Thanks for joining us. Let’s start with you telling us a bit about yourself. Well, to begin, if I had my way, I’d never set foot in Wilson County High School again. But that was before I survived a stupid prank that involved a paint gun, a swimming pool and me drowning. Now, I can’t to prove all my bullies wrong. I’m not weird. I’m supernatural.

Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with high school or do something different? If I’d known my true heritage, I would have done everything differently. I would have never let Wayne taunt me. And I most certainly would have never cowered to the mean girls at my school.

What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear is that I won’t be able to stop the Order before someone else gets hurt because of me.

Who is your favorite fictional character? She-Ra. Me and my BFF, Erick, grew up loving He-Man and She-Ra. We pretended to be them, brandishing our pretend swords on the playground.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? My dad…before he died…always told me to be brave, virtus vincit—courage conquers. I am still trying to do that.

Thanks for this, Ember. We wish you and Erick the best of luck in your futures. Virtus Vincit!

Now, we switch to Kerrie Faye. Our first question is which writer or character[s], from either books or movies, [or both] have had a major impact on your writing? So many! It feels unfair to choose. I adore Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora.

With regard to research, where did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths, thereby changing the original concept? I am a sucker for a good conspiracy theory. Over the years, I think I have watched every episode of Ancient Aliens. One recurring theme over the seasons is that what history portrays as aliens could, in fact, be angels. Skeletal remains suggest giants lived on earth in ancient times. Combining that with accounts from the Book of Enoch that were omitted from the Bible, my fantasy brain enjoyed playing with “what ifs.”

Tell us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear about them; what influenced you to submit to them; how is the submission process; what is the turn-around time from date of query to date of release? Dead Girl found a home with The Wild Rose Press, and I couldn’t be happier! Submitting queries to literary agents is a long and arduous process. And since the pandemic with fewer agents, the wait time for query responses is taking six months or more. A small independent publisher seemed the best route for my story, anyway. I am pleased that the turnaround was just over a year.

What are you reading right now? Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya.

What's next for you? Love this question! I am revising Dead Girl Book Two! I am so excited about Ember’s journey and quest to get answers about her heritage. I think readers will be especially interested to learn that New Orleans is a haven for her kind, but not all are friendly. Ember has some serious navigating of allies and enemies to find the truth about her origins.

Here's an Excerpt from Dead Girl:

“I love that.” He reached up and pulled a piece of hair away from her cheek. “I love your innocence. I love your hair. And those eyes...don’t get me started.” He ran his thumb gently across her bottom lip. “And these, right here.” His voice dipped low. His tongue darted across his lips as he looked into her eyes.

“Can I kiss you, Ember O’Neill?”

Finally. Butterflies took flight in her stomach. Slowly, she nodded her head. She had been waiting for this moment. Ever since she let her guard down and began trusting him, she had imagined what it would be like to kiss his perfect lips.

Logan reached up, placing one hand under her hair at the base of her neck. Electricity buzzed throughout her body. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek, pulling her closer.

She held her breath as his lips parted and pressed against hers with the lightest touch. In an instant, their bodies became one. The world melted away. It was just Ember and Logan on the dance floor. Her greatest wish for the night was coming true. She was kissing Logan.

Too soon, he pulled away. Eyes sparkling in the disco light, his thumb dragged across her bottom lip. She wondered if he could feel her racing pulse.

The kiss was sweet. Perfect. Ember smiled, remembering to breathe.

Both dimples asserted themselves as his lips shifted into a devilish grin. “You taste better than I imagined.”

 To purchase Dead Girl, go to: 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dead-girl-kerrie-faye/1144483422?ean=9781509252480

 https://a.co/d/1PXfain

 

To learn more about Kerrie Faye and the stories she creates, go to:

https://kerriefayebooks.com

https://www.facebook.com/kerriefayeherron/

https://www.instagram.com/kerriefayebooks

https://www.tiktok.com/@kerriefaye

https://twitter.com/kerriefayebooks

 

 

  

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