Good morning/afternoon/evening, my Minions! And how’s the Minion Horde doing today? Your Auntie Heather is in a fabulous mood…mostly because she’s putting the finishing touches on TENTH GRADE BLEEDS, which fills her with great joy. (I know, I know–you all want hints as to what happens. Suffice it to say that Vlad’s life sucks. Big time. And I think TGB is even better than NGS. But…you’ll all have to be the judge and let me know…eventually…I don’t even know its publishing date yet.) But I’m also in a good mood because I keep getting emails from new Minions. It’s nice to see the Horde growing, y’know?

Okay, reminder time. Have you and everyone you know entered to have a character named after you in TGB?? I pick the name tomorrow, and I’m sooooo excited to finally put a name to one of the characters I’ve chosen. Don’t forget, I’ll also thank you in the Acknowledgments…because I’m cool like that. =

And now…why don’t we give away some ARCs of NINTH GRADE SLAYS? (be forewarned, these advanced copies will have errors and, just in case you don’t want to miss anything crucial, you should still pick up the actual book in April) It’ll be a contest quickie. Write a short tribute to Vlad–be it a poem, a haiku, a funny one-liner, or a really short scene–and submit it here as a comment. I’ll pick three winners a week from now on February 8th, and send those winners autographed advanced copies of NGS. Sound good? Get to work, Minions–Feb. 8th is coming up fast!!!

…and because you Minions are Auntie Heather’s absolutely favorite people in the world, I’ve decided to give you a sneak peek of the first chapter of NINTH GRADE SLAYS (which is due out on April 17th!). It’s a shortie, but then, I like beginning with just a small taste (remember Mr. Craig’s sprint through the woods?). This will (eventually) be posted on my website, the same way the first chapter of EIGHTH GRADE BITES is. Enjoy! (P.S. If you haven’t already pre-ordered it, you might wanna do that now)

CHAPTER ONE: HUNTER FOR HIRE

Jasik gripped the photograph in his hand and scanned the face of the boy. Except for his pale complexion and clever eyes, no one would suspect the teen was anything other than human. But Jasik knew differently.

“This is him, then?” He looked up to the man behind the desk, who nodded once.

“Vladimir Tod.” The man’s voice was hoarse and raspy.

Jasik slipped the photo into his shirt pocket and cleared his throat against his fist. “I will need provisions, of course.”

“I will provide whatever you need.” The man wore a bitter, pinched expression on his face.

Jasik crossed the room and looked out the window to the city streets outside. It was dark, despite the many streetlights. People moved like ants on the pavement below, avoiding the small pools of light. There was almost no telling which were human and which vampires. Jasik wondered briefly if the sun suddenly rose and bathed them all in light, whether they would scurry away and seek their darkness elsewhere. “Might I ask how you came to know of my services?”

The man behind the desk coughed into a handkerchief before answering. When he removed the cloth from his lips, it was stained with glistening red. “Let’s not play games, Jasik. I’ve known for many years that your…talents…can be bought. Will you hunt this boy, or not?”

Jasik glanced back at the man and smirked. “My talents are expensive.”

“I assure you, there is no price that I am unwilling to pay.”

The man behind the desk leaned forward and flipped open his checkbook. After scribbling for a moment, he paused and nodded to Jasik. “All you need to do is provide me with the number of zeros.”

Jasik faced the desk and glimpsed the check. The ink had not yet dried before he said, “Three more and you’ve got a deal.”

Minions, do you know Sherrie? Sherrie is also a Minion, and a librarian, and one of my favorite people in the world. She’s also the bringer of excellent news, as she let me know that the American Library Association finished counting up their votes and EIGHTH GRADE BITES made the final cut for the “Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers” list. Yeppers, Minion Horde…Vlad won!

This calls for a glass of AB Negative. =

Things have been weird here lately for Auntie Heather, my Minions. I think it’s just a combination of being overwhelmed by several things, most of all the manuscript for TENTH GRADE BLEEDS (which is going well, despite my insistence that everything I’ve written is BAD). But whatever it is, I hit the wall today. I got that urge to throw my hands up and say, “That’s IT! I can’t take any more CRAP!” Of course…I don’t have much choice, as the book needs to be written, bling needs to be mailed (still haven’t received my order for more, but no worries, loyal Minion Horde…it’s on the way), and all of my stress-induced whining will do little to accomplish either. So, I tell myself, “Self, ” I say (cuz that’s what I call me). “Self, we need to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and get back to work.” Then Self flips me off. And I pull her hair. But eventually, we’ll get it together and the crazies will go away…I hope.

Wow, I’m being mega-random today.

Minions, pass on some happy news to cheer me, or at least some bad news so we can empathize with one another. Because, much like Vlad, today kinda sucks.

Greetings, Minions! I thought I’d blog today, as I haven’t in a bit (and okay, I admit it…I’m procrastinating some this morning on continuing my work on TENTH GRADE BLEEDS). The writing goes well, I suppose. But some scenes just exhaust me to no end to write. There’s a lot of action in TGB, and a lot of stress for poor Vlad, which translates into a lot of work. But I’m not complaining–it’s just taking longer than I’d expected and my deadline of March 1st is looming dangerously close. (EEP!)

The only complaint I’ve heard about EIGHTH GRADE BITES (which really blows me away–how cool that you all love it so much!) was the length (many have said it was too short), so I’m happy to share that NINTH GRADE SLAYS (hitting stores April 17, 2008–”mark” those calendars!) is 278 pages long, a full 96 pages longer than EGB. And TGB is shaping up to be even longer. Good for the story (and for you Minions who want more Vlad), bad for poor Auntie Heather’s sore fingertips. But hey…anything for you, my Minion Horde!

If you’re anywhere near Flint, Michigan, you’ll have to come out to the Barnes & Noble on Miller Rd. for my in-store launch party on April 19, 2008–more details to come!

By the way, all hoodies have now been shipped…as well as all ARCs. If you’re a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian, and would like an ARC of NINTH GRADE SLAYS, drop me a line. I still have a dozen or so left.

Now, does anyone have some suggestions for kick-butt high-energy fight scene music?