Reaper Blog Tour

There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.
She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.
It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.
Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.
Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.
Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.
It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Interview with LS Murphy:

Q: What made you decide to become a writer?

I love telling stories. Even as a child, I would share my misadventures with my family and friends. If I was really bored, I’d often tell the stories to the cows. J

Q: Was there anyone in particular that reminds you of Quincy? or Was Quincy's character influence by anyone you know?

Quincy is an accumulation of the popular girl stereotype. She’s a mixture of attitudes I witnessed in high school and see now with my nieces and nephews, but she is not based upon anybody in particular.

Q: What inspired you to write about Reapers?

I chose reapers because of what they represent. Typical grim reaper images are gruesome and meant to terrify. It makes death scary, when it is simply a part of life.

Q: How long did it take for you to write and then publish Reaper?

From initial concept to actual publication… about six years. Take into consideration that I didn’t actual work on it for six years though. I’ll get an idea, throw it in the file, and come back to it when its ready. After I write it, I will put it away for a month or two. In the case of Reaper, I wrote the outline about two years after the initial concept. A year later I wrote the first draft longhand, etc. It took me another two years before I actually typed it out and started revising. By that time, I had wisely joined a critique group. Reaper wouldn’t have happened without them.

Q: Are there any plans for a sequel?

Hehehehe. No comment. J

Review:
Reaper and me got off on a rocky start at times I was a little bit confused about what was going on and I had a hard time relating to Quincy but as the novel progressed I really can to enjoy the story and am so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour.

Quincy Amarante is the quintessential mean popular girl she also happens to come from a long line of Reapers. At first I couldn’t stand Quincy she was rude, didn’t care about those around her, and only cared what the “it” crowd was doing. Luckily Quincy does a TON of growing throughout the novel. She practically becomes a completely different person as the novel unfolds. I loved the transition Quincy took from mean girl to willing to sacrifice everything for her friends.

I also really liked the relationship between Ben and Quincy. Ben was the sweet boy next door type and it was obvious how much he cared about Quincy even though she had really changed from the person he grew up with. I liked how constant he was throughout the story. With how much Quincy was changing it was great to have been there to keep the story steady.

Overall, Reaper started off a little bit slow but by the end I was totally rooting for the characters and really wanted them all to get a happy ending. I fully admit to having tears in my eyes as I finished this novel. The story became so much then what it started as and really surprised me in the best ways possible.

Author Bio:
L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for teens and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to The Bean (aka her daughter), her husband and a menagerie of pets.

She is a member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the St. Louis Writer’s Guild.

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Reaper Blog Tour