Blog Tour: Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

Readers

Today I would like to welcome Amy Talkington to the site.

Here are a few questions that I got to ask her.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading the story I highly recommend it. It's an adorable story.

My review will be up soon.

QUESTIONS

1. I know this is a question always asked by bloggers, but how did you come up with the story to Liv, Forever?

First, I just had this character I wanted to write: Liv, an artist who has a lot of deep emotion but is pretty hardened on the outside. She wears emotional armor. Then, I thought it might be interesting if that girl actually had to die in order to learn how to love (and live). The story kind of evolved from there.

2. Out of all the back stories for the ghosts whose did you enjoy writing the most?

Great question! I call them the “Ghost Death Statements.” For those who haven’t read LIv yet, let me explain. Throughout the book, in between chapters, there’s a series of first-person statements in which each of the ghosts tells the story of her death. I loved writing them all—assuming these different voices, researching the time period, layering in clues to the mystery—but I can pinpoint two favorites. Lydia is the first one I wrote. She died in 1985 and so I got to use some of my own late ‘80s high school references (hello, Echo and the Bunnyman on the Walkman!). And the other statement I loved writing was Dawn. That was the last one I wrote and I just went full tilt with her passionate, environmentalist voice.

3.Seeing as how you wrote a ghost story do you believe in ghosts and the afterlife?

Yes! I don’t necessarily imagine they’re fully formed like Liv but I really do feel that a spirit might sometimes linger if he/she/it feels the need to. Obviously this is not based on any scientific fact.

4. Do you watch ghost shows like Ghost Adventures or Ghosthunters?

No. I don’t want to give spoilers but I can say I’m less into the idea of scary ghosts (and that will make sense once you’ve read the book, I think).  The ghosts that I “believe in” are mostly kind spirits that need some kind of closure. Not haunting so much. My favorite show that had “ghosts” (at least one, sort of) was Six Feet Under.

5. What would you do if you could see and hear ghosts like Gabe?

Well, as much as I’m going on about how I believe in ghosts, I think I’d completely lose it if I heard one or  felt one. Like Gabe, I’d probably feel very isolated and freaked out. Unless, of course, it was someone I loved. I experienced a ghosty moment related to my grandmother and I found it very comforting, actually.

If you want to know all the latest on Liv, Forever

Twitter @amytalkington 

Tumblr http://amytalkington.tumblr.com

SoHo Press: Liv, Forever

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want. 

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride. 

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.