1. Check out the nifty new Soundtrack for NINTH GRADE SLAYS on my MySpace profile.

2. Enter to win cool stuff.

3. Maher, Brian and Jon in Mr. Bush’s Video Production class at Saline High School in Saline, Michigan are enormously cool. Look what they did! (And Staci Nazareth is cool for encouraging them and for sharing it with me)

4. Auntie Heather has some appearances coming up–I expect you to be there and on your absolute worst behavior.

I know. Believe me, I know. I hear it a lot.

I’ve written before about how to become a published author, but as it’s a very popular subject, I thought I’d touch on it again today and point you to a positively brilliant blog entry by Cassie Claire. (Go read it!)

There is a recipe for getting published, my Minions. And here it is: 2 cups of hard work, 1 cup of talent, 1/2 cup of luck, and three Tablespoons of Ingredient X. Stir, bake at 350 degrees for six years, and let cool. Serve with a side of french vanilla ice cream (or at least A LOT of chocolate).

Notice that it’s mostly comprised of hard work, followed by talent, and then luck. But the thing about that Ingredient X is that no one really has any idea what it is. Agents, editors, nobody. But when they find it, they know it’s what they’ve been looking for. All you can do, as a writer, is to keep going, keep learning, keep writing, and hope that you got the recipe right.

It also doesn’t hurt to have an original idea. Take something that’s out there and make it your own. For example, James Patterson took a story about a group of runaways (basically) in his Maximum Ride books and made them freaks in every sense of the word by giving them wings (and don’t even get me started on Angel…). Holly Black brought fairies into the modern age. Scott Westerfeld made being pretty something to run away from. All of these authors took something fairly normal and made it into their own vision. That’s what you have to do–you have to be original. So…do that.

FYI, check out this awesome pic of one of my fave booksellers! Her name is Heather too (and yes, that makes her even cooler).If you want a hoodie, you should head over here and enter. Before it’s too late!

We have winners! From MySpace, blue man! And from my blog, Ayanaru! Now, just so you all know, I popped the number of entrants into a random number generator and let the winners be picked that way, just to be fair (and because I am incapable of choosing between my Minions).

Also, you should all go read my interview with Crystal, as I’m also giving away a hoodie over there. =

But first: happy Vlad news! It seems that the paperback of EGB is doing so well that a reprint is on the horizon AND the preorders for NGS have been so high that NGS is going into a second printing…with three weeks left to go before it debuts! This is due in no small way to my wonderful, amazing, loyal Minions. Keep up the good work, guys! You are the only ones who can ensure Vlad’s success. Auntie Heather loves you!

I’ll make this easy. All you have to do is comment here…about anything at all. And I’ll pick the winner of a brand new paperback of EIGHTH GRADE BITES next Tuesday, the 25th. In fact…I’ll pick two: one on MySpace and one on my blog. AND each winner will get a hoodie. = Get to it, Minions!

Yay! It’s here! As of today, you can expect to start seeing the paperback of EIGHTH GRADE BITES in stores. And, sometime today, I’m supposed to expect a package from my publisher, containing my author copies. You know what that means…MORE CONTESTS! In a bit. Be patient. (Also, the current contest ended today–I’ll contact the winners throughout the afternoon)

But for now….oooooooh….aahhhhhhh….pics of NGS!The black parts are once again made of that cool, shiny black ink. Only this time, there’s so much black the cover looks wet! It’s just gorgeous. the picture doesn’t do it justice, really. But…you’ll see for yourselves in about a month. =

The paperback of EIGHTH GRADE BITES hits stores tomorrow!!! Which means that all sorts of people who haven’t met Vlad yet are about to. So…if you know of anyone who balked at the price of the hardcover or just couldn’t afford it, take them to the store tomorrow, because this sucker’s only eight bucks (and, imho, worthy every bloody penny).

As far as what the paperback looks like, I have no idea, as I haven’t received my author copies just yet (it’s supposed to have the same cover…I’m just wondering if they’ll use that awesome shiny ink again). HOWEVER…I’m waiting on FedEx today, because my wonderful editor said she shipped me a copy of NINTH GRADE SLAYS and it gets here TODAY!!! EEEE!!!! I’ll post pics tomorrow. Stay tuned!

What do Boba Fett, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kevin Sorbo, and me now have in common? That’s right, Minions, we’re all going to be at Dragon*Con!!!
My little geek heart just can’t take much more of this–not only will I be surrounded by wicked cool peeps in costume…but I may get to meet Boba Fett, dude. BOBA FETT!!! That may not mean a lot to you, but he was one of my favorite action figures as a kid. Okay, okay, okay…deep breaths…must reserve fangirlishness for Labor Day weekend…

FYI, I’ll be speaking on some panels there and signing books. Yay!

That’s right–you can get a sneak peek of NGS here! Just zoom in and you can read the entire first chapter and a bit of the second chapter. Enjoy!

Also, Vlad was mentioned in this article. Yay, vampires!

(STILL sick! Blaaaargh…by the way, I don’t believe that I’ve yet mentioned the current contest. So, there ya have it.)

This idea was brought up a few blogs ago by a Minion, and I swore I would do it, so here we are (ta-daaaaa!!): it’s Question Day. You ask it, and I’ll do my best to answer it. What’s Vlad’s middle name? How do I feel about the zombie apocalypse? What’s 1,658 divided by purple monkey? You won’t know unless you ask…

So…ask. =

EDITED TO ADD: I’m feeling much better! Also, because I’m having a lot of fun with this (and I assume you are too), let’s turn Question Day into Question Few Days, shall we? Keep ‘em coming!

One of the problems that readers seem to be running into with Vlad is that Vlad is not your typical vampire, and that his story is not a typical vampire read. So, I thought I’d compare and contrast the Vlad series with what seems to be the norm out there right now with vampire fiction. Note: I adore vampire fiction, but there seems to be a disturbing trend of “this is the only vampire story I want to hear” out there, and Vlad is very different than your usual vampire stuff. As an example, the TWILIGHT series has already been written…and Vlad is nothing at all like Edward. This comparison is just something that popped into my head, (and it’s my blog, so nanny-nanny-boo-boo) and I’d appreciate your thoughts.

Typical male vampire: sexy, aloof, dangerous, extremely intelligent, well-read, snappy dresser, always knows the right thing to do or say.

Vlad: awkward, troubled, only somewhat dangerous, frequently fails math tests, fairly well-read, too-fond of the hole in his Converse sneakers, frequently stumbles over his words…especially in the presence of Meredith Brookstone.

Typical vampire story: Human girl falls for vampire boy, whacky hijinks ensue, often featuring instances where boy nearly bites girl.

Vlad: Apart from that whole thirst for blood thing, leads a relatively normal life full of crushes, hanging out with his best friend, and dealing with the horrors of school.

In short, Vlad is a normal kid, just like you. He hates math class, gets snarled at by his principal, can’t wait for the weekend, wishes his Aunt would get him a cell phone, you know…the usual. But he’s dealing with all of the normal crap you’re dealing with AND he’s a vampire. So the books are very much about being an outcast in every sense of the word. Vlad only fits in half way with humans, and half way with vampires. There’s a little romance, sure. But not a lot. There are several one-liners, and a lot of nifty scenes with blood. You’ll find adventure, thrills, laughs, and reflection–but you won’t find TWLIGHT within this series’ pages.

Edward (and many other typical vampires) is perfect. Vlad is very much flawed. Because I’m flawed. Because we’re all flawed.

Someone once described Vlad as a “poor little emo geek vampire”. I think that sums him up rather succinctly. What do you think?

P.S. Still sick. Blaaaargh…