Wynne Channing, YA author of What Kills Me granted us an exclusive interview with her! Here’s the whole interview. Happy Reading! Read my review here: Read: What Kills Me by Wynne Channing.
ME: Hi Wynne! Thank you for giving me a chance to do an interview with you here at Ramblings of a YA Reader. Your debut novel, What Kills Me, is really really really good! I loved it. Can you tell our readers – who haven’t read it yet – a short description?
WC: Hi Lexie! Thank you so much for the opportunity to chat with you about What Kills Me! Of course, What Kills Me is a paranormal adventure novel about bravery and survival. It begins with an ancient prophecy warning of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race. So when 17-year-old Axelia (Zee) falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer.
ME: Why Vampires?
WC: I’ve always been fascinated by these lonely monsters. I think you can’t live hundreds of years without being seriously messed up — which makes for interesting stories. As a reporter, I interviewed Neil Jordan who directed Interview With A Vampire and he said that vampire stories are often emblematic of a number of themes: sexuality, death, etc. There’s so much you can say through these pale creatures.
ME: What was your favorite part of the book to write and why?
WC: Every time Axelia and her ally, Lucas, fight, it makes me laugh. Their banter is the highlight of my days. I laugh even harder when he’s mean to her. (What is wrong with me?!?)
ME: Describe What Kills Me in three (3) Words… GO!
WC: Can’t put down.
ME: I noticed that What Kills Me was a fast paced book. Correct me if I’m wrong but why did you make it like that? I first thought that it was just a stand-alone book since there’s no title name for the series.
WC: Yes, I wanted it to be a non-stop ride. I planned it so that every chapter ended with a relative cliffhanger. I wrote What Kills Me as the first in a three-part series (things I mention are fleshed out in later books, ie. the rebellion, Lucas’s brother, Zee’s family) but I wanted to gauge fan reaction before I devoted my time to a sequel. Now that readers are asking for the sequel, it encourages me to keep going with Zee and Lucas’s story.
ME: What was the hardest part to write in the book?
WC: Whenever my favorite characters die, it sucks to write.
ME: I think most of us who already read the book would want to know… When will the second book comes out? Or if it already has some tentative title?
WC: The second book is slated to come out in the summer 2013. I don’t have a tentative title as yet. Do you have any suggestions?
ME: What would YOU like your readers to know about this book or you in general?
WC: I want readers to know that I wrote this book for them — to take them away on a roller coaster and give them characters that they recognize and that would inspire them.
ME: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
WC: I am so grateful for everyone’s support. I never imagined that What Kills Me would get this kind of response and I’ve never done more happy dances in my life. (Thanks for your fan letters!)
ME: What is your greatest fear as a writer?
I don’t have any writer fears. I have normal people fears: zombies, serial killers, Japanese ghost girls, etc.
ME: When you are not reading or writing, what can you be found doing?
WC: I’m running around the city reporting or I’m teaching and performing Latin dance.
ME: I saw in your blog that you are a national newspaper reporter. How did you managed to manage your time between being a reporter and a young adult novelist?
WC: I have no clue. Seriously. I did not sleep for six months. I basically became a zombie reporter in the day.
ME: What type of music do you like to listen to?
WC: Right now, I’m listening to Adele as I do this interview :-)
ME: What is a day in the life of Wynne Channing like?
WC: Every day is different which is awesome. Let’s use yesterday as an example. In the morning, I wrote a newspaper article. In the afternoon, I shot a video for the newspaper’s website. Then I answered reader emails and publicized my novel. I went straight to a dance performance in the evening. Had a late dinner with friends. Came home and worked on the What Kills Me sequel until the wee hours. I think I had time to pee and breathe in between but I can’t remember…
ME: Can you tell us about the sequel?
WC: At the end of What Kills Me, Zee finds herself in a very unique position. How will the Monarchy handle the startling development? Will they take her in and worship her? Or will they imprison her forever? I’m busy pinning inspiration for Book Two on Pinterest and storyboarding the plot. Zee’s powers will continue to grow. Her relationship with Lucas will evolve. You’ll meet a new cast of characters including members of the rebellion, Lucas’s brother, etc. Maybe you’ll get to meet Zee’s family and her best friend. But for sure, there will be more twists, more deceit, lots of action, and well, blood.
ME: Finish this sentence “I can’t live without…”
WC: Hope.
Random Questions:
Day or Night?
Night.
Paranormal or Dystopian?
Ooh, tough because my current project is paranormal but my next book is dystopian.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs.
Coffee or Tea?
Tea. Love loose leaf tea.
Physical books or Ebooks?
Ebooks. Less to carry.
Tips on Zombie Invasion? LOL.
First of all don’t go running around the city because that is just stupid. You’re going to get killed immediately. Find a weapon, maybe a baseball bat (axes seem like a good idea but they get stuck in skulls and you have to pull them out — by then, a zombie is taking a bite out of your face) and run to the nearest grocery store. Stock up on food. Then find a secure place to hole up for a while. What would you do? I love advice, write me and give me some.
Buy What Kills Me
Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
About the top-rated, best-selling book (#1 in occult, October 2012): An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race. So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive. How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?
Wynne Channing, author of What Kills Me
Wynne Channing is an award-winning national newspaper reporter and best-selling young adult novelist. Wynne loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson. The closest she has come to interviewing a vampire is sitting down with True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel “Well” so then everyone would say: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”
Connect with Wynne
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