(guest) Welcome, Kim Richards!

Welcome to Kim Richards, author of the thriller Death Masks, which was just released from Eternal Press in April 2008! The book is super creepy - I'm about 1/2 through it and will be posting a review when I finish it, so Kim decided to stop by and answer some questions about it and any other questions you may have.

Why yes, I'm on a slight horror kick lately, why do you ask?

What is a death mask?
Throughout the ages, man often made masks of the deceased faces. It is a way of honoring the dead and, before photographs became available, to preserve the visage of the deceased person for the living to view. There are many in museums around the world including some famous people such as Agamemnon, Cromwell, Edison, Newton and Volaire. During my recent trip to Germany I discovered several in museums including the last Teutonic Knight Hochmeister, Archduke Eugen, and two rulers: Frederic II and Frederic Wilhelm IV. .

I made a plaster cast of my own face to use for promoting Death Masks and the detail of the features surprised me. The death masks I had the opportunity to see also had great detail. FYI: the one I did of myself is technically called a Life Mask since I am still living.

What does a death mask have to do with the book?
One thing many serial murderers have in common is collecting something from their victims. In this story the killer makes a death mask of each victim. It’s also intended to be a play on the words since there is something unexpected about the murderer revealed at the very end so the fact that the identity remained hidden is a kind of mask.

( Some spoilers with some of the answers, so I'll put it behind the cut so folks have a choice... )

Again, the book is called Death Masks, and it's out right now from Eternal Press. If you have any questions for Kim, ask them in the comments! I know she's giving away prizes for the blog tour too, so stop by her blog (kim_richards) or comment here and you're in the running!

We leave you with the book trailer for Death Masks:

Thanks so much for stopping by, Kim!

(seasons) Metrics for 6/27/08

starting count: 77886
ending count: 78421
change: +535

starting line:
Madness sat back, running a finger over her lips as she thought. “We can use that,” she said, and Lucifer smiled triumphantly.

ending line:
But her attention was elsewhere; he sank into her memories without alerting her to his presence, and what he found there made him want to crow in triumph.

darling:
The thread led him to a small shrine, deep within a sheltered valley community that nestled behind walls of rock and religion, shutting out the outside world. The statue of a female saint huddled within a small rock garden, evergreens hiding her from prying eyes, and Lucifer paused within the World Walls, listening to the prayers of the tortured soul he sought.

**

More tomorrow. Going to be smart (hah!) and actually sleep tonight.