The time it was about Dead Girls Society

When I got the invite from the publisher to be part of the blog tour for Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys, I was in the middle of reading it and really enjoying it. I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended, so I signed up right away.

Before we get to Michelle’s interview, let’s check out the book!

Title: Dead Girls Society
Author: Michelle Krys
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 292
Pub Date: 11/8/2016
Find it: Random House | Indiebound | B&N | Amazon | Goodreads

A slick thriller from the author of HEXED, perfect for fans of THE CELLAR by Natasha Preston and PANIC by Lauren Oliver.

You are cordially invited to participate in a game of thrills and dares. Tell no one, and come alone. If you dare.

Hope is sick of everyone treating her like she’s breakable. Sure, she has cystic fibrosis (basically really bad lungs), but she’s tired of being babied by her mom and her overprotective best friend, Ethan, not to mention worrying about paying for her expensive medication and how she’s going to afford college.And she’s bored with life in her run-down New Orleans suburb.

When an invitation arrives from a mysterious group that calls itself the Society, Hope jumps at the chance for some excitement. This could be her ticket out. All she has to do is complete a few dares and she just might win some real money.
But the Society isn’t all that it seems . . . and soon Hope finds that playing the game isn’t a choice—it’s a requirement.

Sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for Dead Girls Society.

A girl accepts a mysterious invitation to play a high stakes game of dares, but soon the promise of a prize is replaced by a fight to stay alive.

2. Where did the idea come from?

I was sitting in a bar in the French Quarter in New Orleans with some author friends, talking about the book I was struggling to write, when I suddenly realized a way that I could combine a few of the different elements I’d been trying to work into novels over the years into one great book (competition, anonymous invitations a la Pretty Little Liars, and a secret society like the one in the movie The Skulls). So I scrapped my in-progress novel and started over writing DEAD GIRLS SOCIETY.

3. Why do you love Hope and why should we root for her?

Hope is smart and strong and resilient, but when the book opens, she’s feeling pretty defeated. Not only is she struggling with a chronic, fatal illness, but her mother and best friend, Ethan, are too concerned about her health to give her any space to be a normal teenager. I hope that readers will empathize with her feelings of isolation and helplessness and root for her to break free when a mysterious invitation shows up promising adventure.

4. What makes a good villain and how did you incorporate that in DGS?

The best, most compelling villains are the heroes of their own stories. They weren’t born evil—they have an entire history that shaped them into the person they are now, and real motivations that a reader can empathize, if not agree with. You will definitely see that touch of humanity in the villain(s) in DGS.

5. Without spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write?

I had a lot of fun writing the scene where Hope attends a prestigious charity event. As a former poor kid (like Hope), it was really fun to imagine being whisked away to a grand ball unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Of course I couldn’t just let her have a good time. Dun dun dunn.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes. 

I was at work (I’m a nurse in a NICU). I’d stepped out to take a call from my agent and got the news that Wendy Loggia at Random House wanted to buy my book. I. Freaked. Out. But I knew I couldn’t cry because I had to go back into the unit and be Professional, so I went to the bathroom and did some deep breathing exercises. When I felt ready, I went back inside the NICU. A coworker casually asked me, “So what was that call about?” and I broke down ugly crying. No one had any idea what was going on so they awkwardly patted my back and exchanged nervous glances until I could finally stutter out that I got a book deal. It wasn’t my finest hour.

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

My iPhone, a book, and a box of wine. (Sign me up!)

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. (Or Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.) I love an epic, sweeping tale with loads of romance.

4. What book character would you want to date and who would you want to be your BFF?

St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss and Reagan from Open Road Summer. In any order.

5. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

Most things get easier with practice, but not writing. As your skills improve, banging out a first draft becomes more challenging than ever. Because now you know how awful your first draft is, and you still have to finish it anyway (You can’t edit a blank page!). Pushing past that stage of “this is gross, it will need so much editing” is very difficult.

6. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently? {Huge thanks to Bookish Broads for letting me use this question}

I would not name my baby Renesme.

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Hi there! I’m the author of the YA novels HEXED and CHARMED, both out now from Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books, as well as the upcoming standalone contemporary thriller DEAD GIRLS SOCIETY, which releases in November 2016.

I live in Northwestern Ontario with my husband and two kids and work part-time as a NICU nurse. I’m repped by Adriann Ranta of Foundry Literary + Media.

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Huge thanks to Random House for the invite and to Michelle for taking the time! Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding all of her books to your Goodreads page.

And definitely check out the rest of the tour for all sorts of goodies!