by
Dave Amaditz
and
Marcy Collier
Welcome to July’s version of - First Friday
- Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask
five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone
reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them
at a glance some insight into the author's writing style and voice as well as
how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first,
answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author's
answers in a follow-up post.
This post is a continuation of Marcy’s Friday, July
5th post where we are highlighting Bridget Zinn’s debut YA
novel, Poison.
1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel
as it relates to the main character's development and/or growth?
Dave - Wow! I believe after reading the sample below, you'll
get a true sense of the descriptive nature of Bridget's writing and the peril
and dilemma faced by Main character, Kyra.
Just then, the sky turned black and the rain
bloodred. Where it hit the ground, dark pools of coppery blood steadily rose until
they filled Kyra's vision. She coughed, choking on the bloody mist in the air.
And then, in moments, the rain disappeared again. Just as all her other flashes
of Sight had.
Kyra covered her eyes and slumped against the
tree. The bloody scene revealed in her Sight hadn't taken place yet - and she
had to make sure it never did. That's why she would do anything she had to -
even abandoned a new friend, even kill an old friend - to stop her vision from
coming true.
2) What is your favorite chapter ending or
cliffhanger?
Dave - Kyra is being pursued for attempting to murder the
Princess. She has met a handsome man, Fred, during her escape and has been
unsuccessful at trying to ditch him and his dog, Langley. While she is hiding,
this is what she sees and hears. It makes you wonder what is going to happen
and makes it impossible to not turn the page.
What was he doing here?
Kyra held her breath. Langley pulled his head
out of the bushes, and Kyra heard him shuffling off after Fred.
A few moments later she heard a loud shout,
followed by a scream.
3) Who is your favorite secondary character
and why?
Dave - Nadya, a gypsy, witch and seer, who unfortunately has
only a minor role in the novel, is my favorite secondary character.
With lines like... Nadya's eyes
twinkled. "It's always fun to spend time with young people." She
shook her head. "Always think they know everything. There are more things
in this world that you don't know than you will ever imagine." and
"Of course I can. And so can you." Nadya picked up another piece
of cloth. "Just touch the spark inside of you for a moment, and you'll
know that what I say is true."
She proves to be extremely intuitive and
empathetic to Kyra's problems. I think this is what Kyra would have been like
as an adult.
4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of
description?
Dave - I chose this particular passage because it gave me the
creeps reading it. I wonder what it was like to write. Read the novel to
find out what Kyra, the Main character, felt when she traveled there to meet
Arlo.
At the end of the tunnel, a large sulfurous
cavern bustled with activity. Hammers clanged, men grunted at their work, and
wheelbarrows loaded with metal scrap went to a huge red glowing vat and came
away empty. There were trolls lifting giant crates, and goblins sharpening
weapons. At the center of it all, shouting at a group of oversized thugs and
ratty-looking thieves, was the unmistakable hulking form of Arlo Abbaduto. His
gigantic head was completely hairless, leaving nothing to distract from his
misshapen nose and freakish protruding eyes.
Great. Yes, she wanted to meet with Arlo, King
of Criminals, Master of Thieves, Ruler of Wrongdoers, and so forth - but not
this way, not frog-marched in by two evil little munchkins, their tiny fingers
clamped down so hard Kyra could feel her arms bruising.
5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?
Dave - This line proves what a true friend can and should be.
Arianna pulled her into a hug. "Kyra, I
don't know anything about witches, but if you're one, it must be a good
thing."
To read more about
Bridget’s debut novel Poison and her journey, please go to:
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