QoTD Week: Getting to know THE Alona Dare, teaser + giveaway!

This girl needs to introduction. Let's welcome the prettiest and most popular cheerleader of them all ... Miss Alona Dare, also known as Queen of the Dead.


Hi Alona! So let's start with this - What was a typical day like for (a living) Alona Dare?

Get up super early, track down my mother in the house--hopefully she's in the house and not passed out in the garage. Clean up whatever mess she's made and make sure her head is tilted to the side so she won't choke if she gets sick again. Get showered and dressed in the outfit I picked out the night before (possibly switching to my back up outfit, depending on how I feel). Arrive at school in time for zero hour and then meet up with Misty and Chris and keep them from fighting with one another (oh, if I'd only known then what I know now...).


Go to classes, dispense helpful fashion advice here and there, ignore the weirdos and losers (do not want contamination by association), field several calls from my dad about whatever he wants my mom to do.


After cheerleading practice, go to Misty's house to hang out until I have to go home. At home, check to make sure my mom is alive and breathing (usually obnoxiously drunk again by that point) and then retreat to my room and lock the door to do homework and prep for the next day.


Lather, rinse, repeat.

You have to be completely honest about this, Alona - what do you think is Will's best asset?
And his worse?

He really does try to see the best in people. To understand and sympathize with them. Which can also be completely frustrating, I might add.


He doesn't stand up for himself. Getting him to believe he's worth something and therefore has a right not to be pummeled by the undead has just about killed me...again.

Is undead life more difficult to live than living life?


It depends. Undead life never really changes, you know? It's like there's a giant reset button every morning. And there's something kind of reassuring about that. Makes it very easy to plan. But that also means there's never any really new experiences to be gained. And that kind of sucks.

What do you miss most about living?

The food! Not just the choices, but the actual act of eating and tasting...you don't think about it that much until it's gone.

What do you like best about your new job?

I do like helping people. Contrary to what Will and some others might think, I was always trying to be helpful. Some people just don't know how to appreciate me and my particular brand of helpfulness, I guess.

If you can change one thing about your undead life as a spirit guide what will it be?

Being dragged to wherever Will is at 7:03 every morning. Oh, yeah, it was fine and good during the school year. But after graduation and with him working, yeah...there were a few "shower" incidents. I mean, how hard is it to remember: don't be naked at 7:03 a.m. Seriously.


Not that I'm complaining exactly...the boy has abs. ;)

You've obviously hated how quickly your "friends" moved on after your death. How long do you suppose is a respectable mourning period?

Duh. Forever. I should have been such a loss to them that they'd never properly recover. Isn't that how we all want it to be when we die?

Are there any secrets of Will you can share with us now that you're tied to him at the hip?

Oh! I know so many, many things. :) But not anything I'm willing to share here. Information is currency, you know, especially for people in my condition.


But I will say this, which might be something even Will doesn't know about himself. He talks in his sleep, occasionally.  :)

What quote do you abide by?


Pretty is as pretty does...and pretty does a lot. :)

(Note from Stacey: I'm not sure Alona's interpretation of this saying exactly matches the traditional understanding of the quote...)

Any advice for the newly dead?


If you need us, try to find us. We'll do our best to help you. Or, Will will do his best, and I'll provide helpful commentary. But don't lie to us. It's really annoying.

What is Alona Dare's pet peeve?

People who won't fight for themselves and expect others to do it for them. And black licorice. Gross.

I see you've met Mina Blackwell, though not in the best of circumstance.Of course, as the Queen of the Dead, any fashion advice to this girl?

Please. Where do I begin? Honestly, she should burn her wardrobe--if one could even call it that--and start fresh. It's not hard to find cute clothes at a good price. There are lots of resale shops around, if she could be bothered with it, which I doubt. She also needs a major hair intervention.

Oh I adore you Alona!

She's super awesome - and more so after Queen of the Dead, I assure you! And speaking of Queen of the Dead, I'm sure you'd like to read the excerpt now, so here it is. Enjoy!

Will: I just looked at her. Since [Alona] hadn't had anything to eat or drink in well over enough, I seriously doubted that was a concern. Besides which, I hadn't ever heard of any ghosts visiting a bathroom, unless, of course, they'd died there. (No, I've never met Elvis, but it's an educated guess.) 

Check back in tomorrow for more teasers, plus a rare interview with Will Killian with a special participation of ... Alona Dare. Again.

Giveaway, Day 1.

We have several copies of Queen of the Dead and The Ghost and the Goth up for grabs this week, so if you want your hands on this awesome series, post a comment below and check back in tomorrow for more! For more information on how the giveaway runs, check it out HERE.

RULES.

• Open worldwide.
• You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
• You DO have to comment on this post - because the giveaway is comment-based, use the same username to comment throughout the week.
• Extra entries welcome!
• Deadline for entries will be on 1st June 2011, 12MN BST.
• Winners will be drawn through random.org.
• Winners will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to respond. Otherwise a new name will be drawn.
• Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party.
• Fill out the form below!