2nd Annual Diversity Month Day 7-Author Q&A with Brit Brinson! +Kindle Fire 6" and Book Giveaway!

So Im especially delighted to introduce our next guest. Twinja Book Reviews is the last stop on her tour, brought to you by Diverse Book Tours. Brit Brinson is a young author, who also has her very own press @ Big Moon Press! I recently read her book and loved it! So I had to have her on for our Diversity Month event.

I especially love to support my indies, especially when they edit their work so well, you can't tell it from a "Big Six" book. I honestly think, if the lack of diversity is what keeps you from reading zombie books, Brit Brinson has solved that problem for you!

Without further adieu....

 

Since this is your first trip to Twinja Book Reviews, you're subject to the going to the front of the class and awkwardly introduce yourself!

Hey everyone! I’m Brit, the author of Dia of the Dead and a 2^nd generation nerd (thanks, dad!). I enjoy all things paranormal, sci-fi and horror and have been writing in those genres since I was able to hold a pencil. In addition to writing, I’m the co-founder of Big Moon Press along with my homie/fellow young adult author Cara Davis. When I’m not writing or geeking out, you can find me hanging out with friends and/or fawning over Chris Evans.

An awesome tidbit. You're co-founder of Big Moon Press. What can you tell us about that? How does BMP differ from other presses? What can authors, or just anyone wanting to get involved do to catch your attention?

Big Moon Press was founded this past July. Cara and I really wanted to help fellow young adult authors who write about underrepresented groups get their name out there. As a Woman of Color who writes about People of Color, opportunities to have my stories told are unfortunately limited. People of Color and members of the LGBTQ community are sadly underrepresented in the YA world and we’d like to see more protagonists that identify as such. Especially in SF/F.

Big Moon Press is a small operation but we are looking for books with heart. We want to feature PoC/LGBTQ authors as well as characters. If you’re interested in submitting your work to Big Moon, you can find more information about how to do so on our submissions page. bigmoonpress.com/submissions.

So…"Dia of The Dead." What gave you the idea for the book?

Dia of the Dead began as my NaNovel for NaNoWriMo 2012. I didn’t have an idea and grew nervous by the second as the beginning of November approached. Then suddenly an idea struck that I just had to go with. Most zombie apocalypse narratives are about everyday people dealing with the walking dead. I began to wonder what would happen to the not-so-regular-Joes/Joans in a situation like this. And Dia of the Dead was born.

I just have to say how much I love that the titular character Dia Summers is Afro-Latina. Being Afro-Latina, outside of Veronica Chambers and Alisa Valdez, there weren't a ton of representation for us growing up in the media. In fact, there still isn't. Have you always pictured in your head that Dia was Afro-Latino?

Dia came to me as Afro-Latina. I thought it was pretty cool since there aren’t many Afro-Latino protagonists.

"Dia of The Dead" featured a bunch of diverse themes. Interracial attraction, People of Color main characters, did you always intend to pen a book that was diverse? Was it important for you to?

Diversity has been the driving force behind all of my writing. I’m tired of reading the same stories about the same characters. I’m also tired of being told that I’m “unrelatable” as an African-American. There are tons of kids, tweens and teens in the world that are interested in reading about characters that look like them. White shouldn’t always be the “default.”

What are three random words that describe your heroine "Dia Summers?"

I would describe Dia as plucky, caring and naïve.

Do you have any plans on expanding the "Dia of The Dead" universe, or should we expect something totally new from you in future?

I’m working on the second book now. It should be out in the spring. I’m also working on a few other projects along with a novel I’m co-authoring with Cara Davis.

Finally, where can fans go to get updates on future book releases, twitter updates, new blog posts, or anything and everything Brit Brinson/Big Moon Press?

I’m everywhere online. You can follow me on twitter @britbrinson or visit britbrinson.com for updates. I’m also on tumblr at thegirlwrites.tumblr.com. You can get the latest Big Moon Press news on our official site, bigmoonpress.com or follow BMP’s twitter account, @bigmoonpress. Big Moon is also on Tumblr, bigmoonpress.tumblr.com and Facebook, facebook.com/bigmoonpress.

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Title: Dia of The Dead

Publisher: Big Moon Press

ASIN: B00N37BCOK

Pages:202

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Plot Summary:

Protecting Romero High from all things supernaturally spooky as Dia Muerto is a tough gig for sixteen-year-old actress Dia Summers, but it's nothing compared to protecting the ones she loves from real, live--well, formerly alive--zombies. Unlike the zombies that shambled around on set, the real deal don't follow a script. 

At the majorly important birthday party of her boss’ daughter, Dia experiences a series of potentially career-ruining social disasters. Before the night is over, she soon discovers that the possible cancellation of her show isn’t her biggest worry. 

Armed with what they can find around Bixby Studios, Dia and her friends band together to find out why everyone they know has begun popping up as gray-skinned, black-eyed, limb-nomming zombies. With the ailment spreading, time is running out before Dia is swept up in Hollywood’s latest trend.

About The Author:

Brit Brinson was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. After time away to attend college and graduate school, she returned home.

When she's not writing, she enjoys doing nerdy stuff with her friends. She lives for all things horror, paranormal, and sci-fi.

Dia of The Dead is her first novel.

Check out her book!