"You look stunning, babe."

According to a lip reader, that's what Prince William said to Kate Middleton when she reached him at the end of the aisle in Westminster Abbey. It was quite a sweet moment.

That's my way of telling you that, yes, I've been up since 3 AM. I didn't intend to, but one of the cats woke me up at 2:58 and I decided to pop the TV (telly?) on to see what was happening. Five and a half hours later, I'm still watching. (I'd like to add I've worked out, showered and had breakfast during that time too.)

It's only fitting I watched since I got up to see Diana get married. Kate and Will's day was no disappointment. It was sweet and solemn with some spiritual overtones not always seen in modern weddings. Her dress was beautiful, his uniform resplendent, their love obvious in the most touching way.

One of the nicest touches was the English maple trees lining the aisle. It gave the austere gothic beauty of Westminster Abbey a shot of freshness. Those trees brought down the towering arches without diminishing them. They made the whole ceremony somehow more accessible.

Did you get up? Did you see any of it? What did you think? Personally, I thought it was a romance writer's dream. All in all, I'm glad the cat woke me up.

So...whatcha reading?

I've been in a book-buying frenzy lately, haha. Not only have I been buying print books, but I've been stockpiling ebooks like the apocalypse is just around the corner.

Right now I'm in the middle of two books (I'm on an historical kick at the moment): Mistress Shakespeare, and The Boleyn Inheritance.

So, what are you digging into right now? Dish it up!

oops

My bad. I was supposed to blog yesterday. Then life happenend...

Then last night, death and destruction happened in my little state. A tornado tore through Arkansas, cut a path a half mile wide while staying on the ground for more than an hour, destroying everythin in its way.

A friend of mine's parents lost their house last night, but thankfully they're ok. Sadly, we are expecting Same Song; Second Verse tonight. But at least I won't be driving in it this time.

Do me a favor, and send some good thoughts toward the good folks of Arkansas this week. It's no fun living in tornado alley sometimes...especially in the spring...

Expectations

“The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations.” ~ Eli Khamarov

One of the things I loved the most about writing Falling Under was that is was such an organic process to me. The story was there, I just had to write it. I didn't know what happened next, and it didn't really matter because whatever was coming was how it was supposed to be. 

Book two is a little different.

The sequel for Falling Under has been a struggle for me because the story wasn't just waiting for me to write it--I am having to go in and FIND it. Some days, I totally don't feel up for the task. One of the things that is getting in the way....wait for it....are you sure you're ready....praise for Falling Under. Yes, praise. 

I have been blessed with some fantastic readers who give me such joy when they write to me or write reviews about Haden and Theia. But the flip side of that joy is that I am now terrified of letting them down. I keep trying to recreate the magic, and we all know from disasters like Speed 2 and Jar Jar Binks that some things are better left alone. 

But then I remember that one of my favorite scenes in a move EVER came from a sequel. And I cling to it and hope that I can find that sweet spot in Dreaming Awake and that fans of Haden and Theia will still be fans by the time I am done.

So...how about you? Do expectations help you raise the bar or do they paralyze you instead?

And that scene I love?

CODENAME: DANCER is live!

My official launch date isn't until Thursday, but I guess I should start promoting, because Codename: Dancer went live on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords this weekend!



Here's the blurb:

Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak is thrilled when hit TV show Teen Celebrity Dance Off comes to the campus of her performing arts boarding school. She trades the barre for the ballroom and gets set to cha-cha-cha to stardom with Hollywood wonderboy Nick Galliano.

At first their partnership is awkward, because Dani is in awe of her longtime teen idol crush. But soon their chemistry is heating up the dance floor and the attraction moves into real life.

Her excitement is short-lived, because someone wants her off the show. Bombs, poisoning, arson… Will Dani’s 15 minutes of fame be over before she reaches age 15? Dani and her friends are suddenly at the center of some serious sabotage. And if she doesn’t find out who is behind it, her next pirouette could be her last.

It’s like Nancy Drew in toe shoes in this light-hearted tween mystery, a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Award for Best Young Adult Romance.

And here's what people are saying:

"Fans of Pretty Little Liars and Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls will love Codename: Dancer. Sparks fly, tutus twirl, and a clever mystery unravels in what is sure to become a favorite among teens and tweens everywhere. Amanda Brice’s debut is a must read for every girl who ever danced – or ever wanted to!"
~ Gemma Halliday, award-winning author of Deadly Cool and Spying in High Heels

"Amanda Brice's debut novel Codename: Dancer has something that will appeal to everyone, especially ballet enthusiasts, mystery lovers and fans of reality TV competitions. Even if you don't know a thing about dance, you'll be easily drawn into this quick-paced story with authentic characters and big stakes. I adored Dani and found myself rooting for this spunky heroine. Can't wait for the sequel!"
~ Rhonda Stapleton, author of the Stupid Cupid trilogy

You can read the first chapter here:
http://amandabrice.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/CODENAME-DANCER-EXCERPT.pdf

And check out my BRAND NEW website, that just went live this weekend:
http://www.amandabrice.net

Buy links:

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WPOK7S/ref=tag_dpp_yt_edpp_rt?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&redirect=true&redirect=true&s=books%23tags

B&N:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Codename/Amanda-Brice/e/2940012333575/?itm=1&USRI=amanda+brice

Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/53892

To celebrate, I'll give away an e-book copy (in the format of your choice) to one lucky commenter.

A Mini Writing Lesson

Today I want to talk a little bit about deep POV (point of view) because a lot of times when I mention it, I get a blank stare. Here's my take on that topic.

DEEP POV

I love Deep POV. I strive for it in everything I write. (Doesn’t mean I always achieve it, but I try.) Is it right for everything? No, but when it’s properly utilized it will help you write tighter. What is it? Deep POV is showing the scene through the character’s eyes, not watching it as it happens to the characters. Let me show you what I mean.

Shallow POV: Betty watched Bob carry the groceries into the house, listening to his grunting and mumbling with a wry smile on her face.

Deep POV: She shook her head. Bob might be carrying the groceries in, but his muttering said it all. His unhappiness gave her a perverse tingle that went all the way to her grin.

Can you see the difference? The first snippet is like you’re watching Betty in this scene. In the second snippet, you are Betty. You’re experiencing the scene right along with her.

*Filtering or distancing words will take your writing out of Deep POV, words like watched, heard, noticed, saw, felt, thought, decided, etc. I’m sure there are a few more you can think of. Do a search for them in your work and see how many you find. How can you rewrite the sentence to take them out?

*Having your characters refer to themselves by name over and over diminishes Deep POV. Do you refer to yourself by name when you’re thinking?

*Lastly, make each character’s descriptions distinct to their personality. Would a military man describe something as a gentle shade of mauve or pink? Would a female kindergarten teacher see a weapon as a Smith and Wesson 9 mil or a gun? Sure, there are exceptions in every case, but make the descriptions ring true. If those characters above answer with the first option, there had better be a reason why.

Make sense?

Do you like superheroes?

It's been a while since I've had any story news to post on here. But I'm pleased to announce I've decided to publish Super Zero, my superhero romantic comedy. Whoop whoop! It should be out end of April/early May, on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

I've always had a fondness for this novel, and I hope you guys like it too!

Here's the cover:

And here's what this story is about:

When Jenna Peterson signs on as personal shopper-slash-assistant for top superhero The Machine, she's disgusted to learn of his philandering ways against his wife Rapido, the second most powerful superhero in the area—and he's cheating with Jenna's cousin, to boot! But when The Machine gives Jenna the opportunity to safeguard the changing crystal, a jewel that grants or changes superpowers, Jenna jumps on the opportunity, eager to do this so-called "cake" job that will help her earn more street cred with the Midwest League of Superheroes. 

The League pairs Jenna up with a bodyguard, the dark, mysterious and thoroughly grumpy Vigilante. Their personalities are like oil and water but a deep attraction pulls them together, even if they don't fully trust one another. 

Soon Jenna learns the threat to the changing crystal is all too real, and the list of people she can trust grows shorter by the minute. But when she discovers something even more sinister afoot, involving Vigilante's sexy arch nemesis Dementrix, it'll take all her skills to keep the mad villainess from executing her plan to unmask the world's superheroes...especially when Jenna accidentally becomes one herself. 

ch-ch-ch-changes

The Fictionistas are very sad to announce that Chrissy has left the building. We all love and miss her terribly. There is no replacement for someone as awesome as Chrissy and so in hopes that she will be able to return when her schedule and life settles down, we've decided to offer guest posts every other Monday. If you're interested in doing a guest blog for us, please feel free to email me at tellmel @ melissafrancis [dot] net or leave us a comment with your email address and one of us will contact you. Chrissy, we are gonna miss you, Max, and Jeeves! Be happy, healthy, and come back to us when you can!

College trip

I'm on the road today with my daughter checking out her new campus for the next four years. It's a long drive, but I'm looking forward to some mom/daughter time.

I never went to a university and I know I missed out on a lot, so I'm really happy for her. It got me to thinking that there are not a lot of books that take place during the college years. Can you think of any? Favorites? And why do you think there is such a gap between YA and Adult? Should we write more? I mean, come on...double secret probation is awesome, right?

A Blast from the Past

As you may or may not know, my debut YA, Codename: Dancer, will be released 2 weeks from today. (Gulp)

In preparation for the launch, I'm in the process of getting my website completely redesigned. (Yeah, I know, nothing like procrastination...)

Since the book features a teen ballerina, I decided maybe I should show the evidence that I did in fact dance when I was growing up. Of course, all those pics are at my parents' house more than 250 miles away, and not easily accessible.

So I asked my dad to scan some old family photos for me. I received the results yesterday by email. Some of them are quite hilarious. Dad went overboard and scanned more than I asked for. I don't have room to include them all on my new website, but I can include them here, right?

For some reason, he didn't include any dance pics of me as an older teen. Not sure why. They seem to run through my early-to-mid-teens. Maybe 15 towards the end. (And sadly, you can see that I remained rather flat-chested for quite a long time. Something I share in common with Codename's heroine, Dani.)

I'm going to try to ask some friends on Facebook if they have any old dance pics of me, particularly from my ballroom dance team days in college.

Alas, no prom pic (a Fictionistas fave!) but we've got a nice representation of stellar 70s, 80s, and 90s hair for your Wednesday entertainment.

Look for her!

Our own Kitteh, er I mean, Kristen Painter will be at the Romantic Times Convention this week! Check out all the panels she's going to be on.

Wednesday, April 6th:

BUSINESS: Plotting Your Career
Time: 03:30 pm - 04:30 pm

Thursday, April 7th:

E-BOOK: Wooing the Masses
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”(Dead Poets Society, 1989)

You can’t sell e-books without getting the reader’s attention. Learn marketing tips for promoting yourself and your digital works online to reach your full potential audience. More to come.

STEAMPUNK: Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?: Gadgets, Gizmos and Automatons
Time: 02:45 pm - 03:45 pm

Rumor has it, she's also going to be involved in a steampunk fashion show while there. All I have to say is there better be pictures!

Big News!

My cat Scooter is running for President! Yes, I know it might be a little early to announce, but clearly he's going to need all the support he can get.

Fortunately, he's got the feline vote locked up thanks to a resounding endorsement by my other cat, Sam, who posed for this campaign poster.
Scooter's campaign promises include:

* Naps in the sun for everyone
* Free Fish Fridays
* Less reliance on foreign catnip
* Unrestricted trade on fuzzy mice
* Mandatory scratching posts in every workplace

Campaign contributions can be made here.

End of march--evaluating life

Is it just me, or is this year TOTALLY flying by? I mean, last I checked, 2011 just started. Now we're entering the second quarter. The time period provides me a good opportunity to evaluate where I am.

I've officially been self-employed for 6 months now. Crazy. Six months of no longer working for "the man." Six months of flexible scheduling, working in my jammie pants, wearing house slippers outside way more than a normal person would. Also, six months of sweating and stressing over income, health insurance, balancing work and life and things.

Overall? It's been awesome. I work more now than I did back when I had a day job. I also was a lot less happy because I hated the work, I hated "the man," I hated the corporate philosophy and lack of caring/respect for the workers. Now I get to read manuscripts for Carina Press, acquiring and editing ones I fall in love with. I get to teach English composition to college students. I get to write (though honestly I haven't made as much time for it as I should). I also get to freelance edit manuscripts and help authors whip their stories into shape. Things aren't perfect of course, but I have to say, I totally dig my life.

What decisions have you made lately? How's it working for you--are you happy you took the chance?

calling in sick

There once was a girl named Mel

And today she doesn't feel so swell

It was her turn to blog

and to avoid being flogged

She posted quickly then bailed.

Sorry gang. Will try to be better next time.

Princess for a month

So, I know that it's technically the Month of Mel, but I have to tell you...I've been a bit of a princess this month.

My debut novel, Falling Under, released on March 1st and I was so busy, I almost didn't celebrate...but my family had other ideas....

And then we had my official book launch party two weeks later. 

And I had a lovely time. Really. It was awesome. And then, I had a signing in Seattle. Except it wasn't a signing. It was a READING. Like out loud. In front of people. With a microphone. 

I didn't pass out, but it was a close thing. And I know now what to say when people ask me what's the best and worst thing about writing. 

Best= red velvet cupcakes with black roses and balloons and flowers and unexpected out of town guests who flew in just for your party (I'm looking at you Jeannie Lin).

Worst= reading out loud with a microphone.

Thankfully, I had two writing veterans in attendance that night, Courtney Milan and Richelle Mead, giving me advice and telling me I'd be fine. But still. Eep.

So, as my Princess status winds down, I just wanted to thank all my friends, family, and readers for making this such a special release for me. All of you make me happy. 

Oh! And I'm supposed to pick a winner from yesterday's blog:

drumroll.....................

Amanda Brice! Wait...that won't work....picking again.................

Alexis Salcido! Congrats! Please email Amanda at AmandaBrice at romancedivas dot com with you contact information. 

Special Guest C.C. Hunter!

Today we welcome author C.C. Hunter to the Fictionistas blog. C.C. is the author of the upcoming YA paranormal Shadow Falls series that releases next week from St. Martin's. The first book in the series is "Born at Midnight." Some of you may know her by her real name, Christie Craig. As Christie, she writes humorous romantic suspense novels for Grand Central.

CC is here today to celebrate her YA debut and tell us a little bit about the series. Take it away, CC!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why Ghosts?



In my book Born At Midnight, Kylie Galen has a problem. Well, actually she has a lot of problems. None of them are her fault, either. We writers do that to our characters sometimes . . .We overload them with issues. It’s not easy being a fictional character. On the other hand, it’s not easy coming up with all those issues for our characters to overcome, either.

But let’s face it, issues and problems are what make books and characters special. And Kylie is special and, like I said, she’s got her share of problems. As the book opens, one problem sticks out more than the others--she’s acquired a stalker.

Not just any stalker, either. He’s a very odd man wearing army garb. He just stands there and stares at her, all spooky like.

She didn’t think things could get any crazier, but she’s wrong. When she finally points out this freaky stalker to her mom, Kylie’s life goes to hell in a handbasket. You see, her mom can’t see the stalker. Kylie is certain her mom has lost it. Ahh, but Kylie’s wrong again.

Kylie doesn’t know it yet, but she’s seeing ghosts. When I first started plotting Born At Midnight, I knew I’d have vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, witches, and faes, but I wasn’t about to let an opportunity go by without adding ghosts.

Why ghosts? Basically, I’m a big fan of ghosts and ghost stories. I like the stories that make my skin turn ultra sensitive--stories that when I’m reading them and hear a creaky floorboard or a whisper, I practically jump out of that ultra sensitive skin. You see, to me, ghosts are scarier than vampires and werewolves. My reasoning is simple. I believe in ghosts. Seen one actually, but I’ve yet to run across a vampire or bump elbows with a werewolf.

Now about that ghost. I was young and my mom and dad assured me I’d been dreaming, but I didn’t buy it then, and I’m not completely buying it now.

I’d just turned ten, and I woke up one night to find my great grandmother hovering over me—again. At eighty plus years, she was hunched over a bit and therefore she always gave off the impression of hovering over you. Granted, she was the hovering type, and never seemed to mind telling you what she liked or didn’t like about how the world had come to be. But that night, the experience was different.

You see, she’d been dead for about a week. And when I say hovering, I mean floating. She was wearing a long white gossamer gown, lots of fabric that almost appeared to be several layers of wraithlike material, and it flowed around her so much it looked as if she didn’t have any feet. She said she just wanted to let me know she was okay. And yeah, being young, I had been a bit worried about the whole death thing. Then she told me that someday I’d have to give up the rags I called clothes (she hated the new fashions we young girls wore) and I’d be wearing a gown just like hers.

Yes, it scared me. Mainly because I really didn’t want to give up my clothes, and as pretty as her gown was, I didn’t think it was all that cool. Then there was the other fear. Granny was dead, so how could she be hovering over my bed? But in spite of the fear, seeing her also fascinated me. And ever since, I’ve longed to write a ghost story. Born at Midnight just seemed like my opportunity.

So what about you guys? Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever felt that eerie feeling that someone from the other side is close by? Today, I’ll be giving away a copy of Born at Midnight to one lucky commenter, so make sure you leave a comment about your ghostly experiences.

Also make sure you snag my free short story, Turned At Dark. It’s Della’s story and it introduces the Shadow Falls series. You can read the first three chapters of Born at Midnight, too. All you have to do is visit my Born at Midnight page at Macmillan. Or you can download a free eBook copy of Turned at Dark at all major online retailers. The download also has the first three chapters of Born at Midnight on there as well. How cool is that?



Oh, and one final thing. To celebrate the release of Born at Midnight, I’m running a "Tweet my Book and Win a Kindle" contest through March 29th. The grand prize will be the Kindle but I’m also giving away copies of Born at Midnight, some Shadow Falls swag and ARCs of Awake at Dawn, which is scheduled to release in October. All the details are at my blog. So, please drop by and help me tweet my book and you could win a Kindle!

C.C.

Help support the relief effort in Japan!

Jeannie Lin, author of "Butterfly Swords," just released a short story set in Japan. Not only is she enormously talented, but she's also incredibly generous, and she's donating her author proceeds from sales of the story to the Red Cross to aid in the relief effort after the recent earthquakes and tsunami.

Here's the blurb:

"A chance encounter brings a hint of romance to a young woman’s journey through the streets of Tokyo. This semi-autobiographical short story explores questions of identity and connectedness in the digital age."

Jeannie was able to release this short story in a timely manner with a little help from her friends. Author Jax Cassidy, founder of the award-winning Romance Divas forum and owner of Jaxadora Designs, did the absoulutely stunning cover art. And our very own Rhonda Stapleton edited.

You can get your own copy for just 99 cents on Kindle or Smashwords. Please consider supporting this worthy cause.

http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Paper-short-story-ebook/dp/B004SY5SY2/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1300804448&sr=8-9

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48332

What’s Your Process?

I was at a get-together this past week and was introduced as “an author.”  This would normally be cool, but… well… it was one of THOSE gatherings. 

You know… pretentious, awful, snooty people who will show up to the opening of an envelope if there are free drinks.

A woman who had “I read the arts section of the Globe and take notes for just such occasions” written all over her looked along her nose, got me in her sights, and fired.

“Oh? What’s your process?  I find it all so fa-ha-scin-ating.”

“Erm,” I replied, in a dazzling display of wit.  Stay with me, I followed up. “I basically just stare at the screen until something happens.  With fantasy, which I’ll be working on after a current project, I do a bit of outlining and world-building. But basically, just the staring thing.”

Dude, it was like I farted and blamed her mum.

But it was the truth.  One of the reasons I put my coming-soon-I-swear YA fantasy aside more than once?  I can’t stop world-building once I start.  I have several years of procrastination racked up in what was largely  loads and loads of hours creating the world for that book.  I know it like my home town.

Contrarily, when I write something in a world already built by the forces in the sky, I am almost a total pantster.  I talk about it a little, jot down scraps of things I want to remember, but just sit at my computer and write.  I brainstorm before starting—but once I start, I don’t want to stop.  I even ignore anyone who wants to talk about it.  Writers often assume fellow writers want advice… I ask for advice when I want it, and then run away from any opinions.  Because once I start, the brainstorm is already in progress, and nothing is going to stop it. Stories happen as I type, wads of paper, or weenie notebooks with snippets scattered around me.  Also candy wrappers.

What?  It’s my process.  Isn’t that fa-ha-scin-ating?

Yeah, yeah, everyone’s a critic.  BTW, was that YOU?  You gotta get that checked.  And pass the Glade.

I'm chicken

I have a hair appointment today - just having the usual done, trim and highlights touched up. But therein lies the "problem" as it were. It's more of the same old, same old. Yes, I've done some out of the box stuff like red and purple streaks, but the hair I think about all the time, the cut that I just can't bring myself to get, is this:

Two things always stop me.

1. It would be the shortest cut I've ever had.
2. What if it looks ridiculous on me?

I know it's hair and hair grows back, but I've got a bunch of conferences coming up and I don't want to go to them looking like a giant mistake from the neck up. (Or looking so different from my author photo - see below - that no one knows it's me.)

Still, I think about how much easier/faster this hair would be than the amount currently on my head. I've ever begun growing out my bangs...just in case.

What do you think? Would you do it? Do you think that cut would look okay on me?

Authors for Japan auction

I'm sure you've heard by now of the disaster that's hit Japan. It's a tragedy--not only are they dealing with the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami, but their nuclear reactors are breaking down.

One of the thing I love about being a writer is the sense of community, the way writers come together to help those in need. And this tragedy in Japan is no exception. Authors are offering signed books, manuscript critiques, mentorship, workshops and more to aid the effort in helping Japan get back on its feet.

Please consider bidding on auction items. You can read details here: http://authorsforjapan.wordpress.com/. Anything you can do to help will be gratefully appreciated, I'm sure!