The Paris Secret Playlist

Interview & Giveaway: Amy Plum

Click here to Purchase Die For Me!

I'm so thrilled to welcome author Amy Plum today! I met Amy on twitter and she graciously agreed to an interview about her first YA novel, Die For Me. The book is set in Paris and releases in the UK on May 5th and here in the states on May 10th. And check out that gorgeous cover!

About the book: 

“In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.”

“When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life—and memories—behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant—an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

1. Welcome, Amy! Tell us a little about yourself and your new book.

Hi Angela! Well, I’m an American living in France with my handsome French husband and two young children. We moved from NYC to the Loire Valley to live near my husband’s father when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. It’s great having the grandparents around, but I sure miss the big city!

DIE FOR ME is actually my second book. The first, a memoir about living in the French countryside, is unpublished. So I got a bit of practice with that one before throwing myself into a YA paranormal novel. I set the book in Paris, where I lived for 5 years when I was in my twenties. Maybe it was my isolation here in the countryside that made me want to visit Paris every day in my mind!

2. Describe Kate Mercier, the heroine of Die For Me.

Kate is sixteen when the book starts, and for her age she is pretty strong and mature. But she starts out at a disadvantage: her parents have just died, and she is suffering. She and her sister Georgia move to Paris to live with their grandparents and that is where the story begins.

3. How much research was involved in writing the book? 

Most of the book was written from my own memories of Paris. But for some of the older characters, I did a bit of research to make sure their names were appropriate for the period they came from.

4. You used to live in Paris. What was that like? 

 
I lived in Paris for five years. And even though I was working, commuting, and living a normal life, every day that I stepped outside my front door into the street I looked around myself in wonder and couldn’t believe how lucky I was. Paris is a magical place.

5. How much of the book is based on your own experiences in Paris?

Many of the locations are taken from places I know or lived in in Paris. And a lot of the activities that Kate and the others take part in are from my own experiences.

6.  Can you tell us what you're working on now? 

I am in the editing process for Book 2 at the moment, and am working on an idea for a completely different YA series!

7. Do you have a website or blog?

My website (and blog) are at http://www.amyplumbooks.com

Thanks for stopping by, Amy!

Amy sent me some autographed bookmarks for Die For Me! Just leave a comment below before April 30th for your chance to win one.