Where did Auntie Heather go? Why, nowhere at all. I’ve been here at my desk this whole time. Writing. A lot. And stressing over this manuscript (11TH GRADE BURNS, of course). But now all is well. My critique partner and fabulous agent are on the case and, for now, I can relax a little.

Or…I can work on something else, which is what I’m planning to do.

But no worries, my Minion Horde! Auntie Heather is well and good. How are you all?

Just FYI: a few Minions have shared with me now that Amazon has changed the listing of TENTH GRADE BLEEDS to reflect a June 25th release, instead of a July 9th release. I’m posting this here, so you’ll all know. While Amazon does at times ship early, the release date for TENTH GRADE BLEEDS has not changed. It’s still coming out on July 9th.

And also, you don’t want to miss the fangtastic release party (see Appearances for details)!

Greetings, Minions! It’s yet again one of my favorite days of the year – how are you all celebrating? Me, I’m going to work…mostly on tweaking Chapter 13 of ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS. *cheeky grin*

Last night was awesome! I was on a fangtastic YA panel with two amazing authors, met sooooo many Minions, and then! Afterwards, some Minions, Uncle Paul and I took over a local coffee shop! Too, too much fun. I had a blast.

But today…it’s back to work with me.

Have a fangtastic day, Minion Horde!

Then you want to get your butt to the Saint Charles City-County Library (McClay Branch) tonight at 7pm!

(And no, I’m not above bribing…why do you ask?)

I’ll be there with the fabulous Antony John and Susan McBride. We’ll be talking about writing, publishing, and anything else you’re lil black, evil hearts desire. So…come hang out with us! Bribe your parents, your neighbors, your friends! GET THERE however you can!

Because I have purple Bling…and it’s awesome.

PLUS! Main Street Books will be there selling books! So, y’know…be there.

Okay, so it’s totally not styled today, but dude, it matches TENTH GRADE BLEEDS!

Congrats to the latest fangtastic contest winners!

Grand Prize (a Vlad hoodie and ARC of either NINTH GRADE SLAYS or TENTH GRADE BLEEDS) – Dawn Wells

First Prize (a Vlad clip-on watch and ARC of either NINTH GRADE SLAYS or TENTH GRADE BLEEDS) – Kristen Carter

Second Prize (and ARC of either NINTH GRADE SLAYS or TENTH GRADE BLEEDS) – Mason Brady

Watch for a new contest to be posted soon!

So, so, so cool – this ad just appeared in the April 2009 issue of Nintendo Power. (click on pic for more detail)Go, Vlad! (and thank you, Dutton, for the great exposure!)

Many, many fangs to SpaceKing800, Minion Extraordinaire for passing this on!

I thought that title might grab your attention. =

Lately, my Minions, I’ve been bombarded by all sorts of messages, emails, and letters, asking me if and when there will be a movie. The short answer is: maybe someday. The long answer is a bit more complicated.

Money, unfortunately, is what does the talking in business. When the people in charge (henceforth referred to as TPIC) see that a book or series is selling like crazy (like enough to hit bestseller lists), then it makes them open their minds a bit more on whether or not they should purchase the rights and turn a book into a movie. Right now, my sales are fangtastic…but not quite fangtastic enough to hit a bestseller list, not quite good enough to make TPIC really pay me some serious attention.

So what do we do? What can we do?

To be blunt, I need every one of you to do one of two things. Either: A) pre-order TENTH GRADE BLEEDS right now or B) walk into a bookstore the week of July 9, 2009 and buy the book. There’s something else you can do: wrangle all of your friends, teachers, neighbors, family, and have them pre-order the book or buy the book in person that first week. If we can boost my numbers enough, we might just be able to make this happen. But if you want it, Minions, you’ve gotta work for it. And don’t worry! Auntie Heather is doing her part too. Together, we can move mountains (and yes, even attract the attention of TPIC).

So, rally together, Minion Horde! We only have four months until TENTH GRADE BLEEDS debuts!

It’s happy mini-contest winner day! It’s also Dr. Seuss’s birthday. My fave Dr. Seuss quote: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Okay, first, my Minion Horde, let’s talk about the Bling. As you know (or should by now, if you read my blog), several Minions weren’t receiving their Minion Bling because the envelopes were getting torn up in the machines at the post office. Machines that the postal folks repeatedly ensured me the envelopes would never be in. They SWORE to me again and again that due to the contents’ size, all envelopes with Bling would be hand cancelled. In short, they lied. And ticked Auntie Heather off, because DUDE…nobody messes with my Minions. So, after much thought and agonizing over the idea of making it more expensive on your part to collect your free Bling, I’ve decided that I really have no choice but to change the way Bling is shipped. From now on, if you want Bling, you have two ways to get it:

1) (the best way) See Auntie Heather in person. It’s very rare for me not to have Bling at my events, so have at it! 2) Mail a Self-Addressed Stamped bubble Envelope (no bigger than 6″x9″) with at least $1.60 postage attached (address is on my Minion Bling page).

As you can imagine, my Minions, there are thousands of you, so Auntie Heather can’t afford to mail Bling on her own. If you send a letter (yay, letters!) with no envelope, I can’t send you Bling. If you send stamps with no bubble envelope, I can’t send you Bling. If you don’t send a SASbE, I can’t send you Bling. If your SASbE is larger than 6″x9″, I can’t send you Bling. So work with me on this, okay? I realize that tons of Bling has been lost in the mail and I am just heartsick over it. I want you each to have your own Bling and wear it with pride. So…this is the only way I can see to make that happen. Eventually, I’ll have these instructions up on my Miion Bling page, but for now, spread the word, ‘kay?

And by the way…new purple Bling is on its way! Oh, and I added some appearances to my Appearances page.

Okay, something else. I’ve decided to give the winners of the mini-contest each an ARC of NINTH GRADE SLAYS and their choice of paperbacks: EIGHTH GRADE BITES or NINTH GRADE SLAYS. Cuz I’m cool like that. So without further ado…

Tabitha, you win! Drop me an email with your mailing address and which paperback you want along with your ARC – all will be autographed by yours truly. Congrats!

P.S. SpaceKing800, I was deeply touched too. No worries – I’m surprising kellie4inchey’s son with a birthday gift. =