Review & Interview: What Kills Me by Wynne Channing

We are so excited to have Wynne Channing on the blog today!!  She was awesome enough to answer some of our questions, so read on below to see what she had to say...

1. When did you first realize that you wanted to write?

I’m pretty sure I wanted to write before I could form words. My grandfather was part of a committee building a community centre. The house was filled with construction plans. So I drew stories all over them. That book was not a hit with my grandfather.

2. Do you have a writing ritual?

Because I work at a daily newspaper, I write all the time and on tight deadlines. I wish i had a writing ritual — that sounds relaxing. I’ve written stories sitting on the sidewalk, on the back of napkins, posters, maps (hey, just like when I was a girl!). When I wrote my novel though, my favourite days were spent sitting in a cafe with a cup of almond milk latte. No deadlines!

3. How did you come up with the idea for What Kills Me?

I fantasize a lot at night because I suffer from insomnia. I was living in Taiwan for a few months and I was rooming with cockroaches. Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep, afraid they’d rent out my mouth for a party. So one night,  I lay there, asking myself all sorts of questions: “What would happen if I suddenly disappeared?” “What if I fell into a hole? What if that hole was filled with blood?” That image, of a young woman climbing out of a well, soaked in blood, was what started it all. Thank you cockroaches!

4. Which character in the book are you closest to?

Zee, my heroine, and I are very alike. We’re both fiercely loyal and considerate. We both ramble and say the wrong things. We both want to do right by everyone. But she’s a lot braver than I will ever be. When a nation of vampires hunts me to the death, you’ll find me hiding in the closet.

5. If you were stuck in a blizzard what 3 books would you like to have with you to pass the time?

I would re-read The Kite Runner, Life of Pi and maybe a survival guide to blizzards.

6. If you could pick three fictional characters to have dinner with who would they be?

This is tough because I love horror and some of my favourite characters are villains. But that would be the worst dinner party in the universe. We’d all be dead, or eaten by Hannibal Lector before the appetizers came. So I’ll go with Harry Potter who would bring the magic, Willy Wonka who would bring dessert and Aladdin’s Genie so he could make all of our dreams come true.

7. What is next up for you?

I’m hard at work on the sequel to What Kills Me. I should meet with my cockroach friends for some inspiration.

Isn't she just beyond amazing!!  Thank you so much Wynne for stopping by and letting us peek into your world and mind.  We are forever grateful =)

Now for a little bit about her book What Kills Me!


Publisher: Jet & Jack Press
Release Date: June 6, 2012
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race. So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive. How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

My thoughts:

What Kills Me is a heart pounding story about a girl named Axelia (Zee) who is studying in Rome and meets a kind boy who helps her find her way home. Charmed by his good manners and good looks, Axelia agrees to go out with him, but soon learns that he's not what he seems. Paolo is a Vampire. Running from her life, Axelia falls into a sacred well only to wake up dead and the girl who has been fated to end all vampires.

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this book at first, it was a little to fast in the beginning and I had a hard time connecting with Axelia, but as the story moves on and she meets Noel, Jerome and Lucas I started to get more invested and by the time the book was done I can honestly say that I ended up enjoying this more then I thought I would.

I love my vampire books, always was one of my favorite genres, so it's nice to still be able to sink into this story and be surprised. This was a fresh take on this lore, giving the readers something different then other vampire stories. I have to hand it to Wynne Channing, she really knows how to write a helluva kick-ass fighting scenes. It's heart pounding crazy and a complete rush every time Zee or Lucas would fight to survive. But what impressed me the most was the clever way Channing twisted-up this prophecy. Did not see that coming. At all, and I absolutely loved it. Smart smart cookie!

I really loved Lucas and Zee. Although these two characters had a shaky start, they have some really great chemistry. I loved being on the run with them and watching there connection grow from annoyance to devotion. Lucas comes off harsh and rude and even a jerk, but he's loyal and protective and a fighter. Zee was easy to love the minute we meet her. Human or vampire, she has such a sweet and kind nature. So it was pretty comical to think of her as the one to kill the existence of vampires. She feels guilty when ever they stole a car and is even afraid of bugs for crying out loud. While there is very little romance in this story, what we did get was some really adorable banter, moments that made me smile and sparks of affection, which pleased the sap in me.

Bottom line, What Kills Me turned out to be a really great read. The plot is exciting and fascinating, the characters were well written and brave and the story line was unique and fun.

Well done!

Special thanks to Wynne Channing for providing us a copy in exchange for a honest review.
                                                            4 Snowflakes

                                            
Wynne has graciously given us the opportunity to announce an awesome giveaway for her book!  Giveaway starts today and ends today!  Here is what you have to do to enter:
Wynne Channing is giving away five copies of her ebook, What Kills Me, today. For your chance to win one, follow her on Twitter or like her at Facebook, or add What Kills Me to your Goodreads shelf. THEN send her this message: “Dying to read @WynneChanning’s book What Kills Me!”  

About the Author:

Wynne Channing is a national newspaper reporter and young adult novelist. Wynne loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson. The closest she has come to interviewing a vampire is sitting down with True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel “Well” so then everyone would say: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”

Find her:
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