Gina Damico Author Interview

Photo Content from Gina Damico

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York, and have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker and breadmonger. I am the author of the grim-reapers-gone-wild books of the Croak trilogy (Croak, Scorch, and Rogue), Hellhole, Wax, and Waste of Space, all published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I live in California with my husband, two cats, one dog, and an obscene amount of weird things purchased at yard sales.

For more detailed info, check out the FAQATLWA page.

        

Tell us your latest news.

Reaper Madness is happening right now over on my Blog. All throughout March I'll be doing fun Croak-related stuff, plus interviews and giveaways and other such hijinks, all leading up to the big release date. OH, and I just bought a new office chair, so that's exciting too.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

So much hair.

What fiction most influenced your childhood, and what effect did those stories have on your writing?

I guess looking back it must have been books that were really creative but also kind of dark - like Dr. Seuss and Where the Wild Things are - and then later, the funny stuff like Bunnicula and anything Beverly Cleary, and I also really loved Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side. And I read all the Babysitter's Club books, but they don't really seem to apply to death...so much...

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?

I did a highly uncoordinated dance when I got the news about the deal. When the finished copies arrived and I got to see the shiny pretty cover, I did the same dance, but this time with more flailing, and a bit of cat-like screeching. It wasn't pretty.

For those who are unfamiliar with your novel; Croak, how would you introduce it?

It's the story of a teenage girl named Lex who's recently turned into a terrible brat, so her parents send her to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer. Turns out, he' a grim reaper. And he lives in a town full of other Grims, some of whom are teenagers just like Lex. Adventure, mystery, and MURDER ensue.

What’s one thing that readers would be surprised to find out about Lex?

Lex comes off as a pretty big jerk at first, but deep down she's a good kid who likes to question authority. She has her own sense of what's wrong and what's right, and isn't always sure that what she's told to do is what she really should do. Also, she secretly loves musical theater, but she will never admit to it.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

The second book in Croak series, Scorch, will be coming out in the fall. After that, I hope to do one more to make it a trilogy. And after that, who knows? I have a few ideas for other books floating around, although some of those may be fruit flies.

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite YA book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of the YA genre?

All-time...that's too hard. I can say that my favorites in the last six months were The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Outside of YA, I absolutely loved Room by Emma Donoghue. Oh, and everything by Kurt Vonnegut.

What is the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?

Back when I was working on the first draft, I had just moved to a new city and didn't have a job. So technically there were very few distractions, but on the other hand I was constantly looking for work and worrying about money, so that's not exactly the best mindset for writing funny stuff for teenagers.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
My editor forwards me all the big industry ones, but other than that I try to stay away. Reviews are for readers, not writers. Most that I have read have been good, but of course no book is for everyone, and I've found it's generally better not to worry about it. If we writers read all of our reviews, we'd all be playing in traffic together.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?
"Can you share a little of your current work with us?"

Any recent appearances that you would like to share with us about/any upcoming ones?
I will be appearing at NYC Teen Author Week, as well as the Houston Teen Book Conference in April, the New England SCBWI Conference, and the Muse and the Marketplace in Boston. April is insanely busy!

If you could be any mythology creature, what would you be?
A dragon, because I'd like to be able to warm up my food without worrying about whether it'll explode in the microwave.

If you were deserted on an island, who are 3 famous people you would want with you?
Any combination of three cast members of Lost would work. If they can escape from that island, they can probably escape from any island. Plus I could ask them lots of questions and share my theories and ask for a million autographs and tell them exactly what I thought about the whole statue thing. I'm sure they'd just love me.

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
Not cream cheese, I can tell you that. I just threw out three opened packages that were really old. Why did we keep buying them if we already had them in there?? Life is a mystery.

Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure.
He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach Lex the family business.
She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can’t stop her desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills?

The plot of Croak by Gina Damico follows troublesome Lexington Bartle. Better known as Lex, her out-of-control and wild behavior at school led to her parents sending her off to Upstate New York in a town called Croak to stay with her mysterious Uncle Mort. After moving in with her uncle, she quickly realizes why she is so wearisome: she is an idyllic candidate to be a Grim Reaper-in-training.

Damico gives us a fascinating story of how the world of Grims works. There are a lot of questions that arise about their world but I felt that the book had answers for all of them. From death detection to how Grims carry out their job, the details were vivid and it’s evident that Damico put in a lot of thought and research into creating this remarkable world.

Although there is a dark theme that surrounds this book with the whole Grim Reaper thing and the mysterious town of Croak, I found this book to have an incredible sense of humor. I always find death and comedy a difficult task to put together. However, this combination in Croak worked well and Damico knew where to draw the lines.

Croak is a dark comedy with a very original plot. You will encounter many twists throughout and the one that is so wild that it’s almost unbelievable. Since a second book will continue the story of Lex, the ending does not bid for a happy ending and the lead into book 2 is revealed. I was certainly entertained throughout even though it had to deal about death. An easy and enjoyable read that is a change of pace with all the other paranormal books.

You can purchase Croak at these following Retailers:  

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you GINA DAMICO for making this giveaway possible.

I Winner will receive one copy of Croak, Bookmark, Bookplate & scythe pendant by Gina Damico.

2 Winners will receive one Bookmark by Gina Damico.

1 Winner will one Signed Bookmark by Gina Damico.

jbnpastinterviews