Top 10 List with Sarah J. Schmitt + Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on It's a Wonderful Death blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours.

It's a Wonderful Death by Sarah J. Schmitt
Release Date: 10/2015
Sky Pony Press
320 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old RJ always gets what she wants. So when her soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll. But in her quest for mortality, she becomes a pawn in a power struggle between an overzealous archangel and Death Himself. The tribunal presents her with two options: she can remain in the lobby, where souls wait to be processed, until her original lifeline expires, or she can replay three moments in her life in an effort to make choices that will result in a future deemed worthy of being saved. It sounds like a no-brainer. She’ll take a walk down memory lane. How hard can changing her future be?


But with each changing moment, RJ’s life begins to unravel, until this self-proclaimed queen bee is a social pariah. She begins to wonder if walking among the living is worth it if she has to spend the next sixty years as an outcast. Too quickly, RJ finds herself back in limbo, her time on Earth once again up for debate.

RJ is a snarky, unapologetic, almost unredeemable, very real girl. Her story is funny and moving, and teens will easily connect with her plight. Prepare to meet the Grim Reaper, who’s cuter than you’d expect; Hawaiian shirt–wearing Death Himself; Saint Peter (who likes to play Cornhole); and Al, the handler for the three-headed hound that guards the gates of Hell. This cast of characters accompanies RJ through her time in the afterlife and will do their best to gently shove her in the right direction.

Buy Online:

| Amazon

Early Praise for It's A Wonderful Death

"Fun, Funny and Full of Life" - Kirkus Review

"A snarky joyride of a book with a deep moral core; long after you've finished laughing, you'll still be thinking about RJ's journey and perhaps asking yourself: What defines a life well lived?" - Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall

"It's a Wonderful Death is a wonderful gem.  Both snarky and uplifting, it sneaks inside you and makes you smile and cry at the same time."
-Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of Vessel and Drink, Slay, Love  

"It's A Wonderful Death is a great mix of mirth, myth and metaphysics; I enjoyed it greatly and I'm certain that YA readers will as well."
 - Daniel Waters, author of Generation Dead

"Mean Girls meets A Christmas Carol! Smart, sassy, and humorously original with clever world-building and a host of interesting characters, It's a Wonderful Death will have you laughing out loud and rooting for RJ from the first page!"
- Amalie Howard, best-selling author of Bloodspell

"Just the kind of story I love -- full of snark, heart, and contemplation about the meaning of life! It's a Wonderful Death will get you thinking about what you want to leave behind and how you want to live until then."

- Kristen Lippert-Martin, author of Tabula Rasa

"RJ's witty narrative had me both laughing out loud and weeping into the pages. It's a Wonderful Death is a delightful read that questions the butterfly effect of choices made...and unmade."

- Danielle L. Jensen, author of Stolen Songbird

“You know a story’s going to be good when Death shows up as a surfer! I loved every bit of this funny and heartwarming tale of second chances.”

-Lisa Maxwell, author of Sweet Unrest

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Sarah J. Schmitt

1. When she went to college, Sarah planned to be a political campaign professional. She ran one Indiana statewide campaign and added psychology as her major before going into Education.

2. Her favorite color is green and she’s been known to randomly start humming “It’s Not Easy Being Green” when she thinks no one is listening.

3. She once accidently ended up in Hillary Clinton’s office when Bill was in the White House and was allowed to sit in the First Lady’s conference room chair. On that same day she and several other college students ended up at the back entrance of the White House during Nelson Mandela’s visit and had security escort them out. Sarah might be a little bit directionally challenged. Or stealth.

4. On cool fall evenings, Sarah will take a book, a flashlight, and afghan out to the hammock and read for hours.

5. All of her pets (sans her current cat) have been named after species of trees. (Her current pet, Agent C, is suspected of being a super-secret ninja agent so she has resisted the temptation to change the cat’s name for fear of her safety.)

6. Sarah has visited 27 of the 50 U.S. States. By the end of November 2015, that number will rise to 36. She hopes to hit all 50 by the end of 2017. Aloha, Hawaii!

7. Sarah wrote 2.5 books before It’s A Wonderful Death caught the attention of her agent.

8. If she could be anything other than an author/librarian, she would be an underwater archeologist.

9. In high school, Sarah was voted “Most Outgoing” by the senior class of Port St. Lucie High School in Florida.

10. Given the choice between dressing up to the nines at a killer party and putting on comfy pjs and having a Wii U dance party with her kidlets and hubby, Sarah would hunker down for the night.

 About the Author

Sarah J. Schmitt is a K-8 school librarian and Youth Service Professional for Teens at a public library who, in addition to planning a variety of events, enjoys opening up the world of books to reluctant readers. She runs a teen writing program that combines Skype visits from well-known authors and screenwriters and critique group style feedback.

Prior to immersing herself in the world of the written word, Sarah earned her Masters of Science in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs from Indiana University where she worked with first year college students as they acclimated to college life. Sarah lives outside of Indianapolis with her husband, two kidlets and a cat who might actually be a secret agent. She is an active member of SCBWI, ALA and the Indiana Library Federation and is a regular participant at the Midwest Writer's Workshop. Her debut novel, IT'S A WONDERFUL DEATH, comes out Fall 2015 from Sky Pony Press.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY TIME!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
**You may want to read the giveaway Terms and Conditions before entering the giveaway as Queekie Girl Reads is not responsible for the prize.

Follow the Tour

Check out the full schedule of the blog tour on the tour page - Click HERE

Event organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours
You guys have been awesome joining me here at my stop! Thank you and have a great day reading everyone! :)