Poison? Um . . . Yes, Please.

Bridget Zinn and Poison, her first and last novel.

It is my great pleasure to take part in a blog tour today for Bridget Zinn and her debut novel, Poison.

 

First off, just look at that cover! It does everything a cover is supposed to do. Even if fantasy is not you genre, I'd bet my lunch that this cover would at the very least catch your eye, and probably get you to pick it up.

Before we talk about the book, let's talk about the author: Bridget Zinn.

Bridget grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the county fair where she met the love of her life, Barrett Dowell. They got married right before she went in for exploratory surgery which revealed she had colon cancer. They christened that summer the "summer of love" and the two celebrated with several more weddings. Bridget continued to read and write until the day she died. Her last tweet was "Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect."

Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers' copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads.

That's right--her first and last novel. In the spirit of this blog tour, we were asked to share a first of our own. I'm 40-years-old and I just published my first book, By Blood Bequeathed. But the real first I want to highlight was my first book launch/reading. I've been to countless author readings and for me to finally be the author was thrilling. There were about twenty five people there for no other reason than to support me and my first book. It's an experience I will never forget.

Much like Bridget, I espouse the idea of doing what you were meant to do.

Now, about this fantastic book:

Poison

 
Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend. But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king's army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she's not alone. She's armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can't stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she's certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Check out some of the reviews:

Don't let the title or cover fool you! No grim dark teen fantasy or angst-y heroines here; just a frothy confection of a fairy tale featuring poisoners, princesses, perfumers and pigs, none of whom are exactly what they appear (except maybe the pigs)…. Good silly fun—a refreshing antidote to a genre overflowing with grit and gloom.
—Kirkus Reviews

The late Zinn's debut novel unfolds as a romping, fairy-tale quest with more than one twist up its sleeve. The story is vivid, headlong, and occasionally tongue in cheek, and the narrative's dark moments never get too scary because everything else is so much fun. Ages 12–18. Agent: Michael Stearns, Upstart Crow Literary. —Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly Article

A wonderful article written by Alexis Burling in Publishers Weekly, Promoting a Late Author's Debut Novel: 'Poison' by Bridget Zinn

Recommended for anyone who loves fairy tales, memorized The Princess Bride, or has always dreamed of saving the kingdom (with a piglet).

Do yourself and your young teens a favor and purchase your copy today: 

Amazon
Barnes & Noble 
Indie Bound 
iTunes Bookstore
Powell's Books
Add Poison to your Goodreads Pile!