Interview with S.L Bynum

Hello to you all! Stopping by on the blog today is S.L Bynum, author of
Grim Crush. 

She has taken the time to answer a few questions about her debut novel.

Hello! Tell us a little bit about your novel 'Grim Crush'

Seventeen-year-old Xia is just like any teenager—she loves to break rules—only difference is, she’s a grim reaper (yes, with a scythe and all). And now she faces consequences when she does something forbidden: she falls in love with a human.

Grim Crush is your debut Novel. What made you want to become an author?

When I realized I loved to use my imagination by creating worlds and characters with their own personalities, I attempted to write my first novel at the age of thirteen (it was super short, and super horrible). And when I realized that some authors, like J. K. Rowling, could make millions, even a billion from writing books, I thought, “well, if they can do that, I should at least be able to make a decent living on my own writing books.” I used to think writing books could only be a part time thing or just a hobby for me, but now I saw it could be my career (although I’m not sure I’ll ever be rich).

 Why did you choose to write with a Young Adult audience in mind?

;I was a young adult when I started writing, so I wrote characters that were my age. Then I just stuck with it because I like that young adults are old enough to experience first love and a few life problems, yet young enough to have fun and go on adventures.

Where did you come up with the idea to write Grim Crush?

;From a Terry Pratchett novel featuring a grim reaper. I remember thinking, what if a grim reaper wasn’t the usual stereotype? What if it was female instead of male, and wore a dress instead of a black robe? And then I liked the idea of a female grim reaper falling in love with a human, because that was paranormal romance and that genre was getting popular at the time I wrote this.

Did you relate to any of your characters while writing the novel?

Yes, my main character, Xia. I got a late start in the romance department, I guess because I was busy writing books while in high school. So love and affection felt as strange and new to me as it does to Xia.

You started writing at quite a young age. Do you have any advice for young aspiring novelists?

If you want to do this for a living, you have to ignore the people who don’t think writing is a real job. As for writing advice, you’ll hear this a lot, and it helped make my writing loads better: show, don’t tell.

If you could choose to live in one fictional universe, where would it be?

The universe of the Harry Potter novels! I would love to perform magical spells with the flick of a wand.

What can readers expect to see from the second book in the series?

;Xia and Shilah’s relationship will be put to the test even more, especially with Xia’s new responsibilities that are put on her at the end of the first book.

I'd like to say a big thank you to S.L Bynum for stopping by!

Grim Crush is now available in both ebook and paperback formats from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Find out more at S.L Bynum's website at http://slbynum.wix.com/author

You can also follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/WriterSLBynum