Could you do something sweet for Poison?

Bridget Zinn's first YA novel, Poison, is being released by Hyperion on March 12, 2013. Unfortunately, Bridget died from cancer in May 2011 at the age of 33. Being published was Bridget's dream. Now, nearly four years to the day from her diagnosis, her novel is at last reaching readers. On her behalf, her friends and family want to celebrate her accomplishment and help get her book into the hands of readers.

Poison's first review just came in, a near-rave from Kirkus Reviews, who write, "Don't let the title or cover fool you! No grimdark 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." We're sure this is the first of many happy reviews to come for Bridget's debut.

Since Bridget isn't here to share her novel, people are pulling together to help get the word out about this former librarian's sweet, hilarious debut.

How you can help

If you're a blogger

Blog about the release of your first novel (if you're an author) or any other momentous first.

In the second half of the blog, use some or all of the information below about Bridget and Poison and link to her web site for readers interested in learning more.

Here, writers share their personal poison to celebrate the launch of beloved young adult author Bridget Zinn's debut release, POISON.



Are you a YA author interested in participating? Drop us a line.

If you have a Twitter account

Tweet about #Poison.

Tweet a photo of you holding the book. You could also tweet a link to this web page, part of a review, or a link to your blog post. Just use the hashtag #Poison.

If you're on Facebook

Post a picture of you holding Poison, and/or a link to her web page.

If you knew Bridget, write about her. If you didn't, write about how a librarian helped kindle your love of reading. Or how your favorite young fantasy lit a fire in you as a reader that opened up the full world of literature.

If you're an author

You'll remember how exciting it was to have your first book published. If you're doing an event, or talking to librarians, consider giving a piece of your time to the story of Bridget and Poison. If you use social media, anything you can do during that week to help get the word out would be welcome.

If you're a librarian

Bridget was a YA librarian, first in Wisconsin, then in Oregon. Spread the word about Poison on any listservs you're on. Post a review on Goodreads or LibraryThing. Help raise awareness and get the book into the hands of readers.

If you're a reader who loves Poison

Please post a review—if not during the week of March 11, then as soon as you can.

And consider reposting your review from Goodreads on Powells.com, Amazon.com, BN.com, and wherever readers look for ideas about what books to read next.

If you're the parent of a teen who might like Poison

Take them to the library to check it out/put it hold, or buy them a copy. On Facebook, share a photo of your teen holding the book or ask them to put in on their own Facebook page.

If you'd like to support the book and your local school or library

Purchase a copy and donate it to a library's shelves.

We will be setting up a tumblr of donations and photos of readers with the book.

Thank you so much! We all loved Bridget and her novel, and since she cannot be here to promote it, we are trying to do that for her. We, her family and friends, are so grateful for the kindness of readers to help share her work with the world. She was a writer and a reader but above all a true friend of good books and readers everywhere.

About the novel

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.

About 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.

Links about Bridget

(If you post something, don't forget to post a link to this page: http://bridgetzinn.com/help/index.php)

Everything you need to know about helping spread the word (with lots of info and links)

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

"'Can she save the kingdom with a piglet?' reads the cover tagline of Poison, the YA debut from the late Bridget Zinn. Ridiculous? Yes. Still, there's something refreshing about its silliness amidst the interchangeable do-or-die taglines that seem to have become a staple for YA books these days." —Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life