Welcome to FIVE QUESTIONS. In this feature on my blog, you'll learn about new and exciting books from the author's themselves. You'll hear about the book, their characters, the inspiration behind the book, and other insider details. All through five simple questions.
Today, we are hearing from Taylor Munsell about her new novel TOUCH OF DEATH, available starting today.
What is your new book about?
TOUCH OF DEATH follows George.
With just a touch, George experiences a person's future death. High school is hard enough, but sixteen-year-old death witch Georgiana “George” Colburn can’t seem to catch a break. Even Jen’s ghost, the recently deceased popular girl who ignored George in life, won’t leave her alone. George is convinced her life can’t get any worse. That is until she bumps into the new student and experiences his death at her hand.
When a coven mate, Trixie, offers to help her with her magic, George finds herself with a new friend and crush, but she knows even if she found the courage to ask her out, a relationship is impossible: she’d never be able to touch her. With the help of her friends, George must face her fears and learn to embrace her powers to unlock the secrets of her magic before blood stains her hands.
What was the inspiration behind the book?
I was a funeral director for the first five years of my career, so I think my time there really influences most of my stories. This one in particular was spawned after a rewatch of Pushing Daisies (I am still salty it was cancelled). In that show, the main character brings the dead back to life for one minute to ask about their death with just a touch. I began to wonder what it would be like if a girl had the opposite power, that she could see how someone would die and not be able to do anything about it.
From there, I really started to develop George's character. I looked at what I saw a lot of my then high school students experiencing along with my experience in a small high school setting. That all combined into the small town of Windrop, where the town takes place.
Which is your favorite minor character and why?
Hands down my favorite minor character is Jen. I don't even know if I could categorize her as a minor character since she weasled her way into the main plot of the book. When I originally wrote her, I only meant for her ghost to appear in chapter one. Maybe we would see her occasionally on the sidelines, but she wasn't meant to be a recurring character. She had other ideas and I actually really love the parallels between Jen and George.
Of all the characters in your book, which one to do you relate to the most, and why?
While I love Jen, I relate to George. She has this feeling of other that I think is so common amongst teenagers. I certainly felt that way growing up. I see a lot of myself in her, which made writing her a little difficult at times. It's not always easy to look at yourself under a lense like that.
George is often salty and frequently avoidant. While I was writing her, I really leaned into the idea of questioning whether her isolation was self-inflicted or not. It made me question the way I view some of my high school experiences as well.
What do you hope the reader takes away from your book?
George, in the end, just wants to be seen and accepted for who she is, even if she ends up as a murderer. I think we all can relate to that. It's not until much later in the book that she realizes what that really means for her though. So, I hope readers take away a better sense of themselves. If not that, at least more confidence in exploring what they need.
TOUCH OF DEATH is available now, and can be purchased at the following retailers.
Bookshop.org - Supporting Local Bookstores
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