Please help me welcome today’s guest, Kerrie Faye…
Good morning, Kerrie. So happy to have you as my guest today. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
Thank you, Alicia, for having me on your blog! I am originally from Western Kentucky. I grew up in the small town of Cunningham where the livestock probably outnumbered the human population back then (maybe still does). After many moves around the country, my family and I now live in Colorado with our sweet Saint Bernard, Maggie, and my son’s newly adopted kitten, Shadow. I like to say that there is far less humidity here living in Colorful Colorado, but not nearly enough barbecue.
Tell us a little about how Dead Girl came about.
Dead Girl, in some ways, is an homage to my hometown in Kentucky. For the setting of the book, I drew heavily from the local high school I attended and my experiences growing up near the Mississippi river bottoms. I took those familiar memories and created an alternate Kentucky where Ember, the teen protagonist, could battle her demons, both literally and figuratively.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read your book?
“Courage Conquers” is a phrase Ember, the main character in Dead Girl, learns from her dad. I hope readers take that with them. Fear can be crippling, causing one to not live and experience this life to its fullest, but a little courage can conquer even the most challenging fear.
What do you want your tombstone to say?
“She took the road less traveled.”
If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please 🙂
If I could spend the day with anyone from Dead Girl, it would be with Erick. He is based off of someone I knew growing up, who sadly, is no longer with us. While I exaggerated and made up much about the Erick in the book, the essence of the real Eric is there. If we could hangout, I think I would want to just spend the day talking, reminiscing about our days in FBLA and the teachers and classmates we shared. In the end, I would just want to give him a hug and tell him I miss him.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
Does Oprah count? I was in the audience and made an ass of myself. Good times.
How did you come up with the title?
The title hints at a tragic event that the main character experiences. She becomes popular after surviving this horrible prank and is known as the “dead girl.”
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
When I set out writing Dead Girl, I didn’t necessarily have a theme or message in mind. It was only afterwards that I realized that God was using me to share a very important message. My main character is bullied to the point that she doesn’t want to live. But it is through her darkest moment that she finds her purpose. I hope that anyone who is struggling with this life will find hope through Ember’s journey and realize that they are a blessing and that their own life has merit.
How did your interest in writing originate?
I have always been an avid reader, but I never imagined myself as a writer. Then in 2018, God put it on my heart to give writing a try. I joined NANOWRIMO that fall and wrote my first manuscript. After that, I fell completely in love with the craft of writing.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Jay Kristoff is currently my favorite author. He writes adult fantasy. I adore his prose. You are dropped into these unique worlds that he has created, and you are completely immersed. Additionally, he writes with incredible voice.
Your favorite…
Movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Music: Country, Pop, K-Pop, R&B, Rap, 90’s & 80’s Oldies
Place you’ve visited: Italy
Place you’d like to visit: Hawaii
TV show from childhood: Facts of Life
TV show from adulthood: Game of Thrones
Food: Spaghetti
Sports team: Broncos/Titans, STL Cardinals
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? Reality TV
Dying has its perks…mostly.
Excerpt:
“Can I kiss you, Ember O’Neill?”
Butterflies took flight in Ember’s stomach. Slowly, she nodded her head. She had been waiting for this moment. Ever since she let her guard down and began trusting him, she had imagined what it would be like to kiss his perfect lips.
Logan reached up, placing one hand under her hair at the base of her neck. Electricity buzzed throughout her body. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek pulling her closer.
Ember held her breath as his lips parted and pressed against hers with the lightest touch. In an instant, their bodies became one. The world melted away. It was just Ember and Logan on the dance floor.
Too soon, he pulled away. Eyes sparkling in the disco light, his tongue darted across his bottom lip.
The kiss was sweet. Perfect. Ember smiled, remembering to breathe.
“You taste better than I imagined.” Both dimples asserted themselves as his lips shifted into a devilish grin.
Buy links:
About the Author:
Kerrie Faye is a Gen X wife and mom who found her passion to write later in life. A graduate of Murray State University, she has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Raised in Western Kentucky, where her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, takes place, the author currently resides near the Rocky Mountain Flatirons in Colorado where there is far less humidity, but not nearly enough BBQ. Her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, published on February 26, 2024 by The Wild Rose Press.
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Author Alicia Dean 