First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day
by Dave Amaditz
and Marcy Collier
Welcome to July’s version of – First Friday – Five Favorite Things – Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author’s writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author’s answers in a follow-up post.
This post is a continuation of Marcy’s Friday, July 5th post where we are highlighting Bridget Zinn’s debut YA novel, Poison.
1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character’s development and/or growth?
Dave – Wow! I believe after reading the sample below, you’ll get a true sense of the descriptive nature of Bridget’s writing and the peril and dilemma faced by Main character, Kyra.
Just then, the sky turned black and the rain bloodred. Where it hit the ground, dark pools of coppery blood steadily rose until they filled Kyra’s vision. She coughed, choking on the bloody mist in the air. And then, in moments, the rain disappeared again. Just as all her other flashes of Sight had.
Kyra covered her eyes and slumped against the tree. The bloody scene revealed in her Sight hadn’t taken place yet – and she had to make sure it never did. That’s why she would do anything she had to – even abandoned a new friend, even kill an old friend – to stop her vision from coming true.
2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?
Dave – Kyra is being pursued for attempting to murder the Princess. She has met a handsome man, Fred, during her escape and has been unsuccessful at trying to ditch him and his dog, Langley. While she is hiding, this is what she sees and hears. It makes you wonder what is going to happen and makes it impossible to not turn the page.
What was he doing here?
Kyra held her breath. Langley pulled his head out of the bushes, and Kyra heard him shuffling off after Fred.
A few moments later she heard a loud shout, followed by a scream.
3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?
Dave – Nadya, a gypsy, witch and seer, who unfortunately has only a minor role in the novel, is my favorite secondary character.
With lines like… Nadya’s eyes twinkled. “It’s always fun to spend time with young people.” She shook her head. “Always think they know everything. There are more things in this world that you don’t know than you will ever imagine.” and “Of course I can. And so can you.” Nadya picked up another piece of cloth. “Just touch the spark inside of you for a moment, and you’ll know that what I say is true.”
She proves to be extremely intuitive and empathetic to Kyra’s problems. I think this is what Kyra would have been like as an adult.
4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?
Dave – I chose this particular passage because it gave me the creeps reading it. I wonder what it was like to write. Read the novel to find out what Kyra, the Main character, felt when she traveled there to meet Arlo.
At the end of the tunnel, a large sulfurous cavern bustled with activity. Hammers clanged, men grunted at their work, and wheelbarrows loaded with metal scrap went to a huge red glowing vat and came away empty. There were trolls lifting giant crates, and goblins sharpening weapons. At the center of it all, shouting at a group of oversized thugs and ratty-looking thieves, was the unmistakable hulking form of Arlo Abbaduto. His gigantic head was completely hairless, leaving nothing to distract from his misshapen nose and freakish protruding eyes.
Great. Yes, she wanted to meet with Arlo, King of Criminals, Master of Thieves, Ruler of Wrongdoers, and so forth – but not this way, not frog-marched in by two evil little munchkins, their tiny fingers clamped down so hard Kyra could feel her arms bruising.
5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?
Dave – This line proves what a true friend can and should be.
Arianna pulled her into a hug. “Kyra, I don’t know anything about witches, but if you’re one, it must be a good thing.”
To read more about Bridget’s debut novel Poison and her journey, please go to: