About Designs of Death
|
Welcome to Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 1990s are in full swing, coffeehouse culture is booming, and teenagers are dropping like flies.
As a 6’9” goth girl, it’s hard to imagine that Jasmine Trask could have bigger problems than her. But after she experiences a brutal act of violence, Jasmine’s trauma will haunt her through the halls of Rocky Mountain High School like an unwelcome ghost. Little did she know at the time, but she’s been manipulated by the Angel of Death from the moment she was born, and now the consequences of her past choices are catching up to her. Jasmine soon discovers that with Death at her side, love, friendship—and life itself—can get pretty damn dicey. |
MINI-INTERVIEW WITH MICAH C. BROWN ABOUT
Designs of Death
What inspired you to write this book?
Grief. When I was 7 years old, I lost a friend to leukemia, when I was 12 my older sister died of cancer, and when I was 18 a friend took his own life. Despite the horror aspect of this book, I wanted to show young people dealing with grief realistically, even if the events around them were supernatural. While everybody faces grief differently, children and teenagers express it in a far more raw and wounded fashion, where adults often have to work around their grief to continue meeting the demands of their life. As adults, we forget how immediate and painful a loss feels for a young person.
Who would you be if you were a character in your own book (and why)?
This is probably the toughest question to be asked. I’ve suffered quite a bit of death in my life, starting when I was 7 years old and my friend died of leukemia. Then my sister died of cancer when I was 12, and at 18 a friend committed suicide. Looking at what the characters of my book go through, it’s hard to pick which terrible things I want to suffer through as a teenager. The obvious choice would be Mike, as he was loosely modeled after my own appearance in high school, but I think I’d lean more toward Nichole. She may be very goth, but she is also exceptionally happy most of the time despite everything, and she is fiercely loyal.
What's next on the horizon?
So many things. The very first thing I’m working on are the final drafts for Destiny of Death, the follow-up to Designs of Death. After that, I’m working on Lucifer’s Daughter, and then I’ve got so many other ideas and projects, I’m not sure which one would make the most sense to button down on - but that’s for Future Micah to worry about.
Grief. When I was 7 years old, I lost a friend to leukemia, when I was 12 my older sister died of cancer, and when I was 18 a friend took his own life. Despite the horror aspect of this book, I wanted to show young people dealing with grief realistically, even if the events around them were supernatural. While everybody faces grief differently, children and teenagers express it in a far more raw and wounded fashion, where adults often have to work around their grief to continue meeting the demands of their life. As adults, we forget how immediate and painful a loss feels for a young person.
Who would you be if you were a character in your own book (and why)?
This is probably the toughest question to be asked. I’ve suffered quite a bit of death in my life, starting when I was 7 years old and my friend died of leukemia. Then my sister died of cancer when I was 12, and at 18 a friend committed suicide. Looking at what the characters of my book go through, it’s hard to pick which terrible things I want to suffer through as a teenager. The obvious choice would be Mike, as he was loosely modeled after my own appearance in high school, but I think I’d lean more toward Nichole. She may be very goth, but she is also exceptionally happy most of the time despite everything, and she is fiercely loyal.
What's next on the horizon?
So many things. The very first thing I’m working on are the final drafts for Destiny of Death, the follow-up to Designs of Death. After that, I’m working on Lucifer’s Daughter, and then I’ve got so many other ideas and projects, I’m not sure which one would make the most sense to button down on - but that’s for Future Micah to worry about.