Eden Maguire is the first-time author of Beautiful Dead (Book 1 - Jonas)(Sourcebooks, 2010). From the promotional copy:Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead.
Something strange is happening at Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street-fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer, and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumors of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss.
Darina, Phoenix’s grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can’t escape her intense heartache or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echos inside her head...
And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina. He tells her that she must help Jonas—the first of the four to die—right the wrong linked to his death. Only with her help can Jonas finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?
How did you discover and get to know your protagonists?
I created Darina as my first-person narrator because I wanted my reader to share her point of view and totally identify with her. She's pretty close to my own persona at 16--sensitive, a little angry at the world, rebellious, insecure but also determined and brave.
Are you a plotter or a plunger?
I outline my books in some detail. But the actual writing of the book always takes me to places I don't expect--characters come alive and make their own decisions!
As a fantasy and paranormal romance writer, what attracted you to these literary tradition?
This has to be Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (1847)! It's an amazing book which expresses wild, romantic passion. It takes readers beyond the real world into territory where fierce, unbridled passion defied even death.How have you approached the task of promoting your debut book?
I'm doing much more online promotion than I expected--a blog tour for Sourcebooks, plus multiple online interviews. This has been set up by both U.K. and U.S. publishers.
It feels positive to have this level of interaction with my readers, but it is time consuming and needs to be worked in around my next delivery deadline!
Beautiful Dead Book 1: Jonas - Chapter 1 Excerpt
