In honor of my Touch series, also known as the "Deadly Little..." series, I asked fellow young adult author Lucienne Diver (author of Vamped, Revamped, and Fangtastic) to fill in the following blank and explain: I have a deadly little______ .
Here’s Lucienne’s response: “I have a deadly little disease. Okay, not so much anymore. I’ve largely grown out of my asthma. But when I was a kid, I was constantly in and out of the hospital. My allergies were so bad that I didn’t even know it was possible to breathe out of my nose, and I had to wear a mask to go outside in the cold, because my lungs couldn’t take it. Which in New York meant I spent a lot of time inside reading rather than outside running around. I’m not complaining, mind you. I’m pretty certain I would have been a huge reader with or without this, but it certainly helped convince my parents to let me be. I devoured on average about three books a day, and that was just how I liked it. I don’t know if this had anything to do with me becoming a writer, or whether I can lay that at the door of my inspirational fifth grade teacher like a cat proud to greet him with a mousey surprise. Or whether it had more to do with how absolutely stubborn I was, and the fact that my father’s favorite punishment was to make my sister and I sit on chairs and stare at walls until we apologized, no matter who started things. (If I didn’t feel I was in the wrong, I would stare at those walls all night long rather than give in, especially after my sister said her conciliatory ‘sorry’ and flounced off sticking her tongue out at me over her shoulder.) Man, those walls were boring. I had to develop an imagination just to cope! Whatever it was, I’m so glad it happened. Reading and writing are still my life and my passion.”
The Book:
Gina Covello would rather be working on her manicure than missions for the Feds’ paranormal unit to which she’s been recruited. That changes when a group of killer kids takes out a family in the sunshine state and disappearances begin to plague the lifestylers who only play at the kind of existence our fanged fashionista leads. She and her crew are sent undercover into the vampire clubs…which turn out to be run by real vampires. While Gina’s BFF Marcy hangs with the steampunk-styled Burgess Brigade that spawned the killer kids, Gina herself is supposed to get in good with the fanged fiends behind the scenes, even to the point of playing double-agent, offering to hand over her powerful boyfriend Bobby. Her playacting threatens to become a bit too real when she discovers things about her spy handlers that make her wonder whether she’s truly on the right side of the battle between Feds and fangs.
The Buzz:
“As ever, Gina's feisty, funny narration carries the day. Gina never fails to please, as she strides down the runway of afterlife with just the right mix of humor, make-up advice, youthful lust that never crosses the line and a kung-fu style all her own. This one doesn’t miss a beat.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Perfect for teens and adults, this is a book to share, savor and revisit. ReVamped is full of smart, spot-on dialogue, engaging, authentic characters and a plot that’s so much fun it’s impossible not get swept up.” —Examiner.com
"VAMPED is a total delight! Diver delivers a delightful cast of undead characters and a fresh, fast take on the vampire mythos. Next installment, please!" — Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series
“Diver uses wit and adventure to hook readers with this teen vampire story.” —VOYA
“Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Cordelia Chase got turned into a vampire? If you have, look no further than Vamped for the answer. It's like Mean Girls with fangs, with witty dialogue and more pop culture references than you can keep up with.” – Wondrous Reads
“Diver takes vampires to a whole new level.” —I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
The Author:
Lucienne Diver is the author of the popular Vamped series of young adult novels (think Clueless meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer). School Library Journal calls the first book, “a lighthearted, action-packed, vampire romance story following in the vein of Julie Kenner’s “Good Ghouls” (Berkley), Marlene Perez’s “Dead” (Harcourt), and Rachel Caine’s “The Morganville Vampires” (Signet) series.” VOYA has suggested that the books “will attract even reluctant readers.” Her short stories have been included in the Strip-Mauled and Fangs for the Mammaries anthologies edited by Esther Friesner (Baen Books), and one of her essays appears in the anthology Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperTeen).
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
