welcome blog: Delightful Debutantes #17: Amy Plum & Die for Me.

Today's Delightful Debutante is Amy Plum, author of Die for Me. As you may have noticed if you read my review, I adored Die for Me - it's one of my favourite books of 2011 and I would highly recommend it to all fans of Paranormal Romance - you won't be disappointed!

Today, Amy tells us more about the book and explains all about those Revenants...

I first heard Die for Me described as ‘Twilight…in Paris…with zombies. I then heard it was about Revenants, and immediately thought ‘ghosts!’ For the record, I hate zombies, but heart Revenants, so for anyone who is confused as to what a Revenant actually is (zombie or ghost) can you explain it to them?

Sure! If you look up the word “revenant” on WordReference.com (the site I use for translating), the principle definition is “spirit of a dead person/ghost”. However, in my very first draft of Die for Me, I called my monsters “zombies” because they animated after death. In actual fact, my revenants are neither.

Let’s say you, Leanna, are a revenant in the Die for Me universe. You start out as a human, and you die sacrificing your life for someone else. But after three days you animate, coming back to life as an immortal.

From that point on, you live on a different cycle than humans. You don’t sleep, and for three days a month you are dormant, which is when you go back to a dead state. And as a revenant, you will spend the rest of eternity (unless you are destroyed...cough...) saving humans from premature death.

Sometimes saving lives necessitates your being killed. When this happens, you reanimate at the age you died the first time. But saving lives isn’t a choice for you. It’s a powerful compulsion that you cannot resist.

François Goeske - the perfect Vincent?

I read that you were inspired to write Die for Me after watching the movie version of Twilight. Since I always like to ask the movie cast question, if Die for Me ever does hit the big screen, who would you pick to play Vincent and Kate, the main characters in your book?

Actually, I watched the movie version of Twilight and was so mesmerized that I read the books. Twice. It was at that point that I was looking for a subject to write about, and decided to try to craft something in the same manner.

As for hypothetical film casting—that is such a hard question because I don’t know many teenage actors. But I loved Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. And in a couple of years she’ll be Kate’s age! As for boys, I think I would want a French actor. Like the French/German actor François Goeske. Although if Robert Pattinson had a younger, French, dark-haired brother I’d vote for him in a second!

Vincent is a scene stealer – funny, sexy, romantic and best of all, French, he is going to be on everyone’s book crush list! Who is on your book crush list?

I’m sure I’m leaving out some important crushes. But off the top of my head: Aragorn (from Tolkein’s Ring trilogy). Mr. Darcy (sigh). Edward Cullen (I can’t help it). Iorek Byrnison from Northern Lights (disturbingly enough, since he is a polar bear). Newland Archer (Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence). Eric Northman from Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series. Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary. And I know this is really weird, but I’ve always had a crush on Willy Wonka.

For me, the city of Paris is magical, and the perfect setting for a Paranormal Romance. How would you spend one perfect day in Paris?

I would get up early and take a walk along the river to watch the sunrise on the surface of the water. Then I’d head for a café and have a croissant and a grand crème (strong coffee with steamed milk, no foam). I would go to Deyrolle and look at the taxidermied animals. And then I would head to a museum. Probably the Musée Jacquemart André, which is located in a stunning 19^th century mansion.

Then I would head over to the Marché des Enfants-Rouges, the oldest market in Paris, and have lunch at one of the little cafés inside. After lunch I would wander down rue Vieille du Temple and down the rue des Francs Bourgeois to peek in the shops. Then through the Place des Vosges and down to the Village St. Paul to do more peeking (this time in antique and vintage shops).

I might go down to the quay of the Ile St. Louis and read a book for a couple of hours while listening to the water and watching the boats go by. Then I’d meet up with a friend (or perhaps my best friend, Laurent) and go to dinner somewhere wonderful. Like Chateaubriand, where the chef chooses the food for you. And then if we could somehow teleport to the steps in front of Sacre Coeur in time to watch the sunset, it would truly be the perfect end to the perfect Parisian day.

One thing that really impressed me about Die for Me was the depth of characterization and sense of history attached to the characters. We learnt a lot about Vincent’s background in the first book. Do you intend on telling us about other characters’ back stories in further books?

Yes, I do! I actually included Ambrose’s history in Book 1—along with Vincent’s and the twins’—but it was cut. Jules’s story is in the current draft of Book 2. (I hope it stays!) I would like to tell Ambrose’s in Book 3, but if it doesn’t work with the story at that point, I will find some other way of letting my readers know. Gaspard also has a fascinating background, as does Geneviève. (You get to know her better in Book 2).

Can you name three books that readers of your book might enjoy and let me know what you are reading at the moment?

I’ve just finished reading the books by my fellow Dark Days of Summer authors: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and Hereafter by Tara Hudson. Since I’m getting to know them, I find it hard not to be prejudiced towards their stories, which I really enjoyed. Luckily, they both stand on their own so I am even more happy to talk them up!

But if I had to give three non-DDoS books: two Paris-themed books I’ve enjoyed lately are Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. As well as a really fun YA romance that I read last month: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.

Finally, can you tell me anything about Until I Die (Die for Me book #2)? Any sneak peeks as to what happens next?

Well, as you know from the end of Book 1, a couple of the characters will be leaving, so there will be a slight change of cast. We will find out more about the revenants and what they are. Add to that a bit more magic than in Book 1, some great fights, and a make-out scene that one of my Beta readers claimed was Smoochie Award-worthy. (I had to look that up, never having heard of it!) My husband likes Die For Me 2 better than 1. And he likes action. So there you have it—I hope those clues are enough!

Thanks to Amy for the wonderful, wonderful interview and for being a truly delightful debutante! I think Die for Me is going to be a huge hit for Amy! I can't wait to read Until I Die - I'm counting down the days already!

Have you seen the Die for Me book trailer?