Tell us about In Death There Is Life

In Death There is Life is about a young woman, Alex Smith, living in New York City who unintentionally caught the attention of a vampire, Ash. This is not a story about being a vampire as much as it is about her transition into this new world. Her unforeseen friendship with her creator introduces a twisted idea of using their “skills” to do some good after a mutual friend is murdered during a robbery. However, their vigilante work catches the attention of a detective who embarks upon a case that will forever change his views of the world around him.

What genre is it?

Young adult/fiction

What kind of readers will it appeal to?

I geared the book to an audience of 14-21 year olds, however, I have had readers much older than this that have enjoyed it as well. In Death There is Life would probably appeal to Twilight and Vampirates fans. However, readers who have never read a vampire book liked it and are asking for another.

How long did it take to write?

The initial story was written as part of NaNoWriMo some seven years ago so it only took me 30 days to write it. However, it took me seven years to complete the editing process (mainly due to my lack of discipline and life issues in general).

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?

I think the most challenging part for me was the editing process. I had to be very careful to only work on the story when I was in a positive mood or the entire story would be scrapped. Even after the initial publication came about, I was editing. This being my first book the entire publication process has been a learn-as-you-go event. I am ever so thankful for Lulu for having such wonderful support staff to answer my questions and guide me through it all. I am also thankful to my mom for being those second set of eyes because you see the story and hear it in your head but that’s not always how it translates to the reader.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

When I initially wrote the story I was a stay-at-home mother of three young children and happily married. At the time when it was published I was a new, working single mom and part-time student. Writing and creating stories has always been a hobby of mine. In Death There is Life is probably the first complete story I have created, however, since leaving high school. I also published a non-fiction children’s picture book titled A Visit to the Fire Department. This started as a project for one of my classes but I published it so that my son could have a book to share with his friends. It is about one of our local fire departments, includes a glossary, and colorful photos of trucks and equipment, many of which I took myself. Other than writing, I also enjoy geocaching, reading, and spending time with my kids. We share our home with three dogs and three cats in the wild and wonderful mountains of West Virginia. It was my kids that prompted me to push through and publish the book because I wanted to show them that if you have a dream, no matter how long it takes, it can be accomplished if you work at it. The excitement they shared with me upon it’s completion was priceless. They understood the accomplishement and shared the news of their mommy being an author with everyone which helped me sell more books and even spurred on a few speaking engagements at their schools.

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?

I have several places where I try to keep interested readers informed of my work and hopefully new readers will stumble across it and become interested: Lulu.com and Livejournal.com. And there is a Facebook page that deals specifically with In Death There Is Life.

Where can people buy your book?

In Death There Is Life by Laura Lin is available in papeback, hard back, and ebook editions and are sold in several places online. Lulu.com of course sells the book as it is the site I published through. It is also available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

What’s next?
My goal is to continue promoting In Death There is Life while writing a second book about Alex Smith. There’s also another story I am wanting to pursue that deals with a time traveling cowgirl but it is a rather complex story and a very much loved character of mine so the project is a little daunting.

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Already read In Death There is Life? Then check out our interview with Wynne Channing, author of What Kills Me.