The Dark Days of Supernatural: Desires of the Dead

We are really excited to be an official partner blog for HarperTeen’s Dark Days of Supernatural, and we’re especially excited to be the partner blog hosting goodies for Kimberly Derting’s Desires of the Dead, the sequel to her debut novel, The Body Finder. We’re huge fans of Kim’s work (in fact, we’re featuring her series as our March Book of the Month), so we’re thrilled to be working with Harper on this promotion.

And as you get ready for the release of Desires of the Dead, we have some GREAT goodies to share with you — starting with this Q&A:

What gets you through a dark day?

I wish my answer was deeper and more philosophic, but to be honest, some chocolate and a good chick flick are pretty good cure-alls for any dark day.  And when you live in the NW, trust me, there are plenty of dark days!  Does that make me shallow??? Fine, then how about if I throw in a little classical music too?

You’ve spoken in the past about all of the positive feedback you received after The Body Finder was released. What were some of the comments that stuck with you the most and did any influence your writing in Desires of the Dead?

For me, I absolutely love it when a reader tells me the book was hard to put down!  That’s probably one of the biggest compliments I’ve gotten.  For Desires, it wasn’t so much any specific comments that influenced my writing; it was more that I just wanted it live up to everyone’s expectations! No pressure or anything, right?

In Desires of the Dead, Violet’s powers draw the attention of the FBI. What was your motivation for having her be “found out” by such a powerful agency?

I really loved the idea of Violet being confronted by someone who could actually put her abilities to (and varied) use.  This put a lot of pressure on her to not only share her secret with someone new, but also to make a huge decision about how to use her gift.

The progression from best friends to boyfriend/girlfriend for Violet and Jay was such a crucial and compelling part of the plot in The Body Finder. How has their relationship changed in the second novel and what challenges/obstacles do you face as an author in keeping an established romance exciting?

Hmm…what to say, what to say? *grins evilly*

Violet and Jay’s relationship definitely develops in DOTD, but they also face some obstacles that I hope will keep the readers flipping the pages.  I’m sure it says something twisted about me that I enjoyed poking my characters and watching them squirm!

This book delves a little more in Violet’s power and those who had it before her. Can we expect to see more reveals about it in future novels?

I’m sure there will be more revelations about Violet’s grandmother, although it may not be a focal point in future storylines.  Or will it?  In the first two books, I didn’t feel it was necessary to bombard readers with tons of backstory, mostly because it’s not something that Violet gives a lot of thought to.  She just accepts that it’s a part of who she is

Kim also put together this very special Top Ten list:

TOP TEN PLACES VIOLET TRIES TO AVOID:

1. Morgues

2. Police Stations (too bad her uncle is the police chief!)

3. Graveyards (yet that’s exactly where she went in The Body Finder)

4. Hunting Stores

5. War Memorials (or other places where veterans would congregate)

6. Hospitals (places people die)

7. Battlefields (so far, so good!)

8. Slaughter Houses

9. Prisons

10. Any places where hunting is allowed

Want more? Check out the upcoming dates for The Dark Days of Supernatural author tour:

March 17 @ 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
2100 North Snelling Avenue
Roseville, MN
*w/ Claudia Gray (AFTERLIFE), Courtney Allison Moulton (ANGELFIRE) and Kimberly Derting (DESIRES OF THE DEAD)

March 18 @ 7:00 PM
Anderson’s
123 West Jefferson Avenue
Naperville, IL
* w/ Claudia Gray (AFTERLIFE), Courtney Allison Moulton (ANGELFIRE), Kimberly Derting (DESIRES OF THE DEAD) and Ellen Schreiber (ONCE IN A FULL MOON)

March 19 @ 7:00 PM
Books & Books
265 Aragon Avenue
Miami, FL
*w/ Claudia Gray (AFTERLIFE), Courtney Allison Moulton (ANGELFIRE) and Kimberly Derting (DESIRES OF THE DEAD)

Get lots more videos, polls, quizzes, blogs, sweepstakes and more at the Dark Days Facebook page and download goodies from the Dark Days fan kit! Plus, here’s the official Dark Days trailer to tantalize your taste buds:

Plus, here’s the book trailers for The Body Finder & Desires of the Dead: