Author Interview: Gina Damico

Please Welcome Gina Damico!

Gina Damico debuted yesterday (!) with Croak, a book about a girl who finds out she's a grim reaper! Maybe it's my extreme terror at the idea of dying, or maybe it's because I've watched too many episodes of Supernatural, but I have a certain fascination with grim reapers. So the idea of a girl discovering she IS a grim reaper? Totally cool!

Gina was kind enough to stop by today and share some tantalizing bits about Croak. 

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Q: If you were transported into your book, which scene would you most want to reenact?

A: Any scene involving the ether, which is a big, swooshy, wormhole-type break in the space-time continuum that allows the Grims to travel to and from their targets almost instantly, and where one can experience all the sights, sounds, and exhilarations of life all at the same time. I could easily hang out in there for a few hours, though it would probably end up driving me to the brink of sanity.

Q: Which one of your character’s brains would you want to pick the most?

A: I'd love to find out what Uncle Mort has rattling around in that noggin of his, because half the time even I don't know until it spills out onto the page. He keeps surprising me, that one. I should probably keep him on a tighter leash, but he's kind of scary. I mean, he has tattoos. And a scar.

Q: Which scene do you think will surprise readers the most?

A: I think readers will be surprised by the town of Croak, much like Lex is. It's not the sort of gloomy, scary place you might expect a bunch of Grim reapers to inhabit. It has bright green grass and rolling hills. It has a diner with a jukebox. It has nightlife. It also just so happens to have a portal to the Afterlife.

Readers should add CROAK to their To Be Read list if they like...

Books about:
Finding humor in death, witty banter, kickass teenagers, quirky settings, fantasy, and discussions on the cinematic merit of Titanic.

Books/movies like:
Anything Tim Burton-ish, TV series Dead Like Me, Six Feet Under, Pushing Daisies. It doesn't matter, however, whether you like or hate Titanic. Croak's characters fall into both camps, so there's something for everyone.

About Croak:

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

Author bio:

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked my interest in wildly improbably bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker, and breadmonger. I live outside Boston with my husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Gina!

Huh, that ether place sounds awesome! I'm also loving the idea of being instantly transported somewhere (oooh to be able to avoid traffic!). Uncle Mort sounds pretty cool. I mean, I seriously doubt MY uncle is hiding a secret grim reaping profession. 

Plus, I'm all about the witty banter and kickass teens. But, honestly, it's the discussions on the cinematic merit of Titanic that is calling my name. I am firmly on the side of BEST MOVIE EVER, or, at least, one of the best. And when it comes to that standpoint, I will never let go.

Have you read Croak?
How would you answer these questions?
 (Remember, no spoilers please!)
Will you add it to your TBR?
(and YAY for no more waiting! Croak is out now!)

Who is your favorite fictional grim reaper?
(Mine is, hands down, this guy).
Where do you fall in the Titanic debate?

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