Bookhounds YA

Books, Gardens, and Dogs

GIVEAWAY & Q+A with BC JOHNSON author of DEADGIRL @BobbyCJohnson @kidsbookfest

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Please Welcome B.C. JOHNSON to BookHounds!

B.C. Johnson will be at the OC Children’s Book Fest on 9.30.12!




Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2012
Dead is such a strong word… Fifteen-year old Lucy Day falls between the gears in the machinery of the afterlife. She is murdered while on her first date, but awakens a day later, completely solid and completely whole. She has no hunger for brains, blood, or haunting, so she crosses “zombie,” “vampire,” and “ghost” off her list of re-life possibilities. But figuring out what she is becomes the least of her worries when Abraham, Lucy’s personal Grim Reaper, begins dogging her, dead-set on righting the error that dropped her back into the spongy flesh of a living girl. Lucy must put her mangled life back together, escape re-death, and learn to control her burgeoning psychic powers while staying one step ahead of Abraham. But when she learns the devastating price of coming back from the dead, Lucy is forced to make the hardest decision of her re-life—a decision that could save her loved ones…or kill them.


About the Author

B.C. Johnson was born in 1985 in Southern California, and hasn’t relocated since. He discovered a love for telling stories at seven-years-old, though those consisted of either fabricating expansive lies, or writing mostly plagiarized stories. Between then and now, he’s worked a number of odd jobs, including machinist, lighting designer, demolitionist, sound mixer, receptionist, custodian, and museum events manager.

He currently works live theater, as the guy calling cues or making the lights flash. He lives in Anaheim with his awesome fiancée, Gina, who may or may not be some kind of angel, and his half-Corgi, half-Jindo dog, Luna, (or Luna-Tuna, to her friends.) When he’s not playing video games, drumming on every surface imaginable, or spending way too much time reading tvtropes.org, you may find him writing completely not-stolen (he promises) stories.



1.What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

I was a huge Goosebumps fan when I was a wee lad, but if I really dig around back in the old brain pan I’m going to say that “My Teacher Is an Alien” is probably the first standard prose fiction I read on my own.
It had the wacky supernatural-in-school plots that later got me hooked on Buffy, and the kind of stuff I’d later go on to write myself. It had a pretty believable, scary villain. The threat seemed real, and I wasn’t sure if Susan Simmons and her pals were going to make it out alive. For a book aimed at little kids, I’d say that’s a pretty big accomplishment.
Plus, who didn’t secretly wonder if their least-favorite teacher could peel off his face?

2.What are you reading right now?

I’m going back through Raymond Chandler’s “Marlowe” books. I just finished Lady in the Lake again. Chandler is a fantastic writer, the true master of the first-person smart ass viewpoint. His plots are really convoluted though, which actually makes it easier to reread them because apparently I can’t remember who the murderer is in any of them.
I recommend any aspiring writer read Chandler. The dude has a kung-fu grip on metaphors and similes – he never uses the same one twice, and he never uses one you’ve EVER heard before. You can tell he thinks sideways, which is a handy trick to learn.

3. How does your garden grow?

Poorly. No silver bells and cockle shells over here.
Unless you mean my mental garden. In which case, I’d say on too much caffeine and not enough sleep. My imagination is always running, which is probably why I have such a hard time sleeping. I just lie in bed, thinking silly things and how best to write them down.

4.What is the last thing you Googled?

In all honesty? Probably my book. I’m a sucker for reviews – it’s kind of a problem. I’m one of those needy types that drives people crazy, and I take every review with no grain of salt whatsoever. My fiance keeps telling me to stop it, because every bad review always knocks me on my butt and turns me into a ball of neurosis.
I’m hoping it’s just because Deadgirl is my first book. If I’m this way my entire career, I’m going to have to purchase some powerful horse tranquilizers or something. Put them in a little glass box on the wall of my office that says “Break In Case of One Star Review.”

5. What makes you cringe?

So many things. No. Kidding. I guess it’d be cliche to say “reality television?” Or maybe shows about cupcakes? Seriously, there are like nine shows about cupcakes. That’s not okay, people. Also, singing shows. I think we found all the singers. We can take a break. There’s no shortage.
Lately, I’d say terrible character names in popular fiction. I’m gonna do my best not to point fingers, but names like “Mordecai Entencity” or “Beatrix Blaze” sort of set my teeth on edge. Unless your character is a globe-trotting archaeologist from the thirties or a super-hero alter ego, try to keep that stuff locked down.
Here’s my rule. Picture your character’s name on a checkbook. If it makes you explode into laughter, it’s probably over the top.
Mina Morose. Grayve vonSteel. Amalthea Opal. Sorry, I had a few more. I’m done now.

You can purchase an ebook  of for only $3.99 right now!

 
WANT TO WIN A *SIGNED* COPY OF DEADGIRL? 



Complete the below form 
Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with US mailing address 
Void where prohibited. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
Contest ends on 9.26.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is sponsored by THE AUTHOR and ONE book is available.

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Comments

  8. What a great interview!! Ahh, I laughed so hard at the “things that make you cringe” comments!! 🙂 I’m *totally* with BC on the character names issue…and shows about cupcakes! hee hee

    Thanks for the laugh!

You'd have to have, like, a lentil for a soul to hate wiener dogs. ~Zuzana from The Daughter of Smoke & Bones by Laini Taylor