Books,Chocolate and Lipgloss: ❤book blitz ❤ Dead Girl Walking by Ruth Silver @writeawaybliss

Release Date: 04/24/14

Patchwork Press

Summary from Goodreads:

Princess Ophelia Dacre sneaks out of the castle to visit her boyfriend in secret. A perfect night cut short when she’s brutally murdered.

Ophelia is given the rare chance to become a grim reaper. She must become Leila Bele, cut ties with her old life, and follow the rules of the reapers. Her greatest adventure begins with death.

“Listen, kid, I don’t care what you believe in. It’s not for me to say what’s true and untrue, real or unreal. My assignment was you. You get to be one of us, if you want it. Otherwise, you move on, life is over, kaput.”

Ophelia backed away from the stranger. For the first time, she realized she didn’t feel cold and wasn’t shivering. Is this what being dead was like? “One of you?”

“A grim reaper.” He held out his hand to properly introduce himself. “Edon Montgomery, head reaper and old soul.”

Five things I wish I would have known about publishing

Covers make or break a book. If you don’t like the cover, say something as early on as possible. You as an author, should have some type of say in what is on the cover of your novel.

Everything takes longer in the publishing world. Communication is slow. Publishing a book is slow. Getting a contract is slow. (I turned down an offer in 2013 because the publishing company was too slow to give me the final contract. I had another offer on the table and they had already provided me with a contract.)

Plan to give away a lot of eBooks; for book bloggers, giveaways, promotions. This works especially well for the first book in a series.

Get in writing what your publisher does in terms of marketing your novel. Have it spelled out in the contract.

Understand the wording in your contract and it’s best to consult a lawyer prior to signing any legal documents.

Author Interview

What inspired the story of Dead Girl Walking?

I’ve been itching to write about grim reapers for awhile. I miss the show Dead Like Me. I wanted my story to be completely different than anything we’ve seen or read about reapers. Imagine a story with grim reapers, dark angels, princesses, royalty, and the black plague! That’s just a taste of what Dead Girl Walking has to offer.

Can you give us a very brief idea of what your story is about?

A princess is murdered and becomes a grim reaper.

Can you offer some tips for new writers?

Sure! Write like there’s no tomorrow.

Find a beta reader you trust.

Don’t be afraid to share your story for feedback. I taught a writing class with teens and very few were willing to share if their name was attached to the story. However, they were more open to the idea when I mixed the stories up and chose my three favorites. Don’t be embarrassed! At least you’re writing!

To Outline or Not?

I like to jot down ideas but I don’t use a formal outline. Sometimes it ends up on my computer, other times it’s in my notebook.

What are some of your best bookselling practices?

Tweeting and using social media along with book touring has been a great help in selling books. Having a decent number of reviews (both positive and negative reviews) also is beneficial. Interacting with readers, attending book fairs, comic con, and library events has also helped.

Blogging Tips and Advice for Writers

Make friends with authors. When they share your books, share theirs in return. Every time.

Share indie and traditional published books.

Write reviews but be constructive. Never attack an author.

Share cover reveals, blog tours, and book blitzes. This way you’ll always have new content.

Join Triberr and connect your blog through Twitter or Facebook.

Always comment on people that leave a comment. If they’re taking the time to leave a message, thank them for stopping by.

Don’t always talk about your book on your blog. Talk about your favorite book growing up, why you hated reading as a teenager, why you shaved your head, what your favorite animal is, why you have a pet monkey. (No these topics don’t apply to me, but maybe they apply to you!)

Find what makes you unique and share your story.

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, "Deuces are Wild", which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.

Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook