I was reminded of something today, something that I try hard to remember every day, and work very hard never to forget. I was reminded that self-esteem is a very fragile thing. Especially when you’re a teenager.
A Minion had written to me the other day (she knows who she is – but I won’t name names) and told me about an instance of bullying on her Facebook. A bully had insulted her appearance, and she asked my advice before blocking him. He’d called her fat, and it hurt her, so naturally, my protective Auntie Heather feathers got quite ruffled.
You see, I wasn’t always the confident person you see before you, Minions. If we were to rewind time back to my middle and high school years, the person standing before you would probably not be able to make eye contact with you. She’d be relatively quiet, for fear that anything she said would just be mocked. She’d have circles under her eyes from lack of sleep – her eyes red from crying on a daily basis. She would be sad and alone and hated by many of her peers.
I was bullied. Oh yes. Terribly. Physically assaulted, teased, tormented on a daily basis. And due to that, I was driven to a very dark place on more than one occasion. I thought of suicide – I can admit that now. But I can also say that I’m so relieved I didn’t go there. Because no matter how dark life becomes, no matter how lost or alone you feel, no matter how convinced you are that there is no way out of your pain and anguish, I can honestly say that there is a bright spot at the end of that tunnel. Things get better. Bullies go away. You can surround yourself with love and light and awesome people who really get you, who really adore your quirks. But you have to hold on.
I think the reason that the Facebook bully irked me so much (apart from my fierce love of the Minion Horde) is that I was, at one time, overweight, and know how stressful it can be when people wear their insensitivity on their sleeve. Growing up, I was a thin girl. But after years of low self-esteem, I ate my way into a size 24. I’m now a size 4 due to both a healthy approach to weight loss and, largely, due to learning to love myself – all my flaws included. But the stress of that time came flooding back to me the moment that Minion confided in me, and I don’t want her to feel bad just because some jerk on Facebook doesn’t have the sense to leave well enough alone. Yes, people snickered about my weight when I was bigger. Just like the bullies who shoved me into lockers in high school. But I’ve learned, over time, that their opinion of me doesn’t have to be my opinion of me.
My ridiculously tiny pinky toes bend absurdly toward my other toes. I’m incredibly anal about the spines of books lining up just so on a bookcase. I often drift off into my own world during conversations. My desk is always a huge mess (I call it “creative chaos”). I have a really difficult time maintaining friendships with girls. I’m clumsy, can’t sing (but do), and I’m an absurdly careful driver. Sometimes I get sad for no reason and bawl my eyes out. I’m short, my thighs are kinda chunky, and I really, really suck at math.
But I love me.
Because those things make me who I am. Those things are all things that shape the person you know as Auntie Heather. And I wouldn’t want to be anybody else.
You have flaws too, I’m sure. But y’know what? Your flaws, your imperfections, are actually tiny little quirks that make you stand out from the crowd, and that, my Minions, my friends, is something really special, something to be proud of.
Now…who wants a cookie???
Guess where I’m blogging from, Minions??
January 17th, 2011After about five months of waiting on contractors, waiting on a painter guy, waiting on a wallpaper dude, waiting on furniture deliverers, I am proud to announce that I am FINALLY blogging from my new office in completion! It is so gothtastic! I’m planning to snap some pics this week and do a big blog on how cool it looks, but for now, just know that I am surrounded by lovely, lovely black, and happy as can be. I got a new desk – and I like it – it’s just not my old desk. My old desk felt a certain way, and everything had its place. The new desk…well…we’re still getting to know one another. 
As for what I’m accomplishing with this new desk, I’m well into the second round of revisions for the first book in THE SLAYER CHRONICLES. I say “first book” because I’m not loving the title BEGINNING. (What am I gonna call the third book in the series? MIDDLE? Ugh…) But I haven’t come up with anything new yet that reflects what this book is all about. I have had peeks at what the cover will be though, and it looks awesome! I can hardly wait to see the final cover (and share it with you, my faithful Minion Horde, of course).
My editor is reading BLOODBOUND (or will be soon), so those edits will likely come fast on the heals of TSC1 (THE SLAYER CHRONICLES #1). So the desk will definitely be seeing a lot of work. But that’s okay, because I have discovered something about myself, Minions. Something I never realized.
I like work. I like being busy. As long as I’m busy with the stuff I want to be busy with. I love writing, even like editing, so that stuff I can do a million times over. But man, do I need my no-people-around-me downtime. I like to refer to myself as an extroverted introvert: I can be outgoing and social when life calls for it, but unless it does…STICK ME BACK IN MY CAVE!
My wallpapered, lovely black cave.
Anyhoo, I was thinking about a few hints I could give you all about what to expect on September 20, 2011 (!!!) when TSC1 debuts, and here’s what I’ve come up with:
1. You will see two characters from CoVT beyond Joss and his family in this first book.
2. TSC is much darker than CoVT.
3. In this book, you will learn more about bugs than you ever really wanted to know.
4. TSC1 has a higher deathcount than the first four CoVT books combined.
5. You will meet Cecile.
Any questions?
Okay, so Auntie is a few days late on this one, but I have what I like to call a Suitable Excuse. See, I was finishing up a little project I like to call BLOODBOUND, and I just turned it in to my editor. Go ahead, applaud. I’ll wait.
I’m totally geeked out about this book, and the fact that I finished and turned in two books within the same two weeks blows my mind (the other book is BEGINNING, the first of THE SLAYER CHRONICLES). It turns out, in 2010, I wrote THREE books (BLOODBOUND, BEGINNING, and TWELFTH GRADE KILLS)! That’s insane! But in a happy, trapped in my black straight jacket, being spoonfed AB Negative kinda way.
And now, I’m trying to get organized for all of the projects I have lined up for 2011. One way I’m doing this is outsourcing. And the coolest thing I’ve done recently is to hire a personal assistant! Her name is Kate Tilton and you can totally stalk her on Twitter by following @Froze8. Kate will be handling my email (though I’ll still see all the fangtastic fan mail you guys send in – Kate will be making certain that those that warrant replies get them in a timely manner) and stepping in to help out on the forums. Kate is AMAZING and I ADORE her. Plus, it’s unbelievably cool to have hired a Minion. I know she’ll do a great job!
Speaking of 2011…many people have asked me what my new years resolutions are. But the thing is…I never make resolutions. I get so tired of watching people create goals and then give up on them before the ball has even dropped that I just don’t participate. True change doesn’t require January 1st as a jump-off date. That being said, I have been doing what I can to bring about positive change in my life lately. Doing a lot of charitable donations, removing negative people from my life, spending more quality time with family…y’know, the good stuff. Oh! And world domination with my Minions. Can’t forget that. 
Anyway, I hope that this will be our best year yet, Minion Horde! May your blood bags always be full. Maybe your life be free of Eddie Poe encounters. And may all your spooky, sharp teeth fluffy bunnies of doom nightmares come true!
Okay…maybe not that last one.
MERRY VLADMAS, MINIONS!
Well, not yet, but it’s so close I can almost taste it. (Incidentally, it tastes a bit like Cheetos.)
I’ve been getting a ton of emails, comments and messages lately that all seem to be asking the same three questions, so I decided to answer those questions here on the blog (yes, I do read the comments here – even if I don’t often get a chance to respond – so please keep commenting!).
1. “Will your Vlad books be made into a movie or television series? AND CAN I BE IN IT???”
First off, the likelihood that ANY book gets made into a movie or television series is incredibly low. There is so much business and money involved that it can be quite difficult for all of the stars to align. That being said, my answer is maybe – mostly because I am the eternal optimist. There is currently nothing at all official to announce as far as film/tv stuff associated with CoVT, and though I’d love for Minions to play the roles, I doubt Auntie Heather would have any say in it at all. So…no movie, no tv…yet. Maybe if we all keep our fingers crossed, it’ll happen, but as for now, NO. Trust me – as soon as there is something interesting to announce concerning a possible movie or tv series, Auntie Heather will tell you! And if I’m told where tryouts would be held for those parts, I’ll put it on my blog. But there’s nothing to talk about YET.
2. “Will you PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE write another book about Vlad?”
I adore you, Minions. I really, really do. And you have no idea how much your deep love of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod means to me. Seriously – it makes me tear up just thinking about how loyal you all are to those characters. However…as I’ve stated many times, Vlad’s story was five books long, and with TWELFTH GRADE KILLS, it is complete. Finito. El-finished-o. But don’t despair! I am writing a spin-off series that I’m sure you’ll love, and hints of Vlad will be all through that series (including a few secrets that you didn’t learn in Vlad’s series). This series (a bit more on this in the next question) is called THE SLAYER CHRONICLES, and will be from Joss’s point of view.
The fact is that an author cannot continue to write about the same characters for the duration of their career – at least, I can’t. I love Vlad as much as you do, but as of right now, I can’t see myself continuing his story past his seior year. But that’s okay! Because…
3. “Are you writing any more books?”
YES! I’m actually working on two books (both the beginnings to two new series). The first book, tentatively titled BEGINNING (which may change) is the first book in my spin-off series, THE SLAYER CHRONICLES.
Y’know how the Vlad books take place during the school years? Well, THE SLAYER CHRONICLES will take place during the summers between those school years, and will be from Joss’s point of view. We’ll experience what it’s like to become a Slayer, and all of the horrible things that we didn’t realize were happening to Joss as we were following Vlad’s life. And the cool thing (for those of you who’ve asked “WHAT ABOUT SNOW’S EYES??? WHAT DID THAT MEAN???”) is that THE SLAYER CHRONICLES will end with one book beyond TWELFTH GRADE KILLS. So…you will get to see Vlad again, as that book will pick up right where TWELFTH GRADE KILLS left off. BEGINNING hits stores Fall 2011.
The other series/book I’m working on is called BLOODBOUND. Now, right away, the title screams “VAMPIRES!!!”, but it’s actually not about vampires at all. BLOODBOUND is this romantic fantasy epic about a girl named Kaya in a world called Tril. In Tril, there are three kinds of people: Barrons (a naturally-skilled warrior race), Healers (people born with the natural ability to heal), and the Unskilled (just normal folks, who are totally unaware that Barrons and Healers even exist). Now, whenever a Barron is born, at the exact same moment, their Healer is born. Together, they are Bloodbound. This basically means that the Healer can heal them from any wound (even if their head was hanging on by a thread, they could touch them and PRESTO! All better). Kaya is a Healer, but she was raised amongst the Unskilled. So imagine her surprise when she gets a letter from the headmaster of Shadow Academy (a school for the training of Barrons and Healers) that basically says that the boy that she was Bloodbound to has died, but that she can be Bound to another Barron (which isn’t as strong as being Bloodbound, but close enough). He also tells her that if she doesn’t come to the school, her parents’ lives are forfeit.
Sucks, huh? “Do our bidding or your parents get it!” Not exactly a happy situation to be in. PLUS, once at the school, Kaya is told that, as a Healer, she’s not allowed to learn how to fight or defend herself on the battlefield. She’s expected to wait for her Barron to rescue her.
“Rescue her from what?” you say…? Ahh, this is where it gets really fun. See, the Barrons and Healers are at war with King Darrek, who happens to have horrible beasts called Graplars at his command. Graplars are dog-like, but stand seven feet tall. They have blue scaly skin, and rows and rows of razor sharp teeth like sharks. Oh, and their drool is POISON! Not to mention that Graplars are hunting and killing Healers. And…what’s that? Oh yeah – Kaya is a Healer!
So basically, Kaya decides that there is NO WAY she’s going to stand around and wait to be eaten by a Graplar. So she decides to train in the art of fighting. SECRETLY. The weapon of choice in Tril is, of course, a katana. So…think of Tril like this: a fantasy world with a Japanese medieval feel…overrun by horrible monsters and people who think that just because you’re a Healer, you can’t take care of yourself.
And don’t even get me started on the cute boy/tangled hearts theme.
So there’s something for everyone – guys and girls! BLOODBOUND will begin Spring 2012.
And…that’s about it, for now. So, what do you think, Minions? Can I be trusted to write something that’s NOT about vampires, but is full of awesome?
And how are we all feeling this bright, shiny, happy, rainbow-infested day?
Blech. Me too. *whips out black gauze and spiderwebs, redecorates while blaring some MCR* That’s better.
I know my blog has been pretty stale lately, but I’m happy to report that my travel is finally done for the year, so things can start getting back to normal around here. Well…normal….for us, that is.
As you may recall from last year, I have tons of fabulous gothtastic ornaments for my XMas tree, and this year, we found the perfect tree, decked it out, and went about our business, as usual. Then, last night, my son Jacob was sitting in a living room chair. My daughter was doing her homework in the dining room. Uncle Paul was upstairs and the kitties (Fang and Amenti) were nowhere to be seen. BUT THEN THE TREE CAME CRASHING DOWN. It only could have been cooler if several ornaments would have EXPLODED. But alas, it crashed, two ornaments broke (one my limited edition Jack Skellington *has a sad*), and we ran off to the store to get a new tree stand, as the old tree stand perished in the Great Tree Crash of XMas 2010. But the tree is up again now, and tonight, we’ll decorate it AGAIN. Or as I like to call it…YAYXMASTREEPART2!
By the way, Minions, if you haven’t noticed yet, I do have a new contest up. And this time, you can win ME! Kinda. Check it out.
So…who’s done with their shopping? I am! It’s proof that miracles do exist, I tell ya. If you’re looking to hook a Minion up with a great gift, I really suggest you check out the Vlad journal. It’s super sweet – and I hid Elysian Code messages inside! (SQUEE!) Now that all of my shopping is done, all that’s left is work and waiting. Work is focusing on my edits for BEGINNING (SLAYER CHRONICLES #1 – which is due December 20th) and writing BLOODBOUND (which is due January 3rd). So I’m keeping busy. How about you guys? You must be DYING for winter break! Heck, I’M dying for winter break, and I don’t even get one!
Anyhoo, happy holidays, Minions. I’m going to see how many times I can watch Nightmare Before Christmas this year. Race ya!
Greetings, Minions! Turkey Day is at last upon us, and you know what that means – soon we’ll all be singing Vlad carols and wishing one another a merry Vladmas! The biggest shopping day of the year (Black Friday – no wonder my spooky lil soul loves that day so much) is fast approaching, and I wanted to tell you all about some fangtastic promos that are coming up on www.highschoolbites.com. (Feel free to pass this info on to your parents with lots of “HINT HINT”s muttered afterwards, because dude, we all wants lots of Vlad goodies!)
First off, coupon codes! You can save some cash and get your fang on by using this code (for a limited time!):
- Perfect Gear for Minions: 20% off this weekend makes shopping for any Minion easy. Create custom hoodies, t-shirts, iPhone skins and more! Code: VTBF20
“Custom?!”, you say….why, yes, my Minions! YOU can now design fangtastic Vlad apparel for yourself!!! Stand out in the crowd – even amongst your fellow Minionkind. It’s a really exciting new addition to the Vlad store, and I can’t wait to see what you all come up with! You’ll get the ability to write your very own fangtastic sayings to personalize your Vlad gear. Plus, Momions & Dadions…it’s the perfect gift!
Also, every day for the next two weeks, the fabulous Rachel Caine and I will be participating in Babel Clash – where will will debate Serious Issues, such as “Which mythological creature could beat up Chuck Norris?” Check it out!
As or me, I’m off to dream of pumpkin pie, turkey, family togetherness…..and world domination.
Happy Turkey Day!
…Rave14! Please send your mailing address to heather@heatherbrewer.com with a note reminding me that you won the Five Flavors of Dumb contest! CONGRATS!
For those that didn’t win, take heed – Auntie is working on a pretty major contest for the Win Stuff page. Just be patient and trust that it’ll be worth it. *rubs hands together all evil-like*
Today I’m off to Old Greenwich, CT for the Penguin sales conference. Yay Penguins!
Once Upon a Time, There Was an Auntie Heather…
November 13th, 2010…and she had a crazy week. First off, her awesome mother-in-law visited and they had a blast hanging out. Then she got sick with what she thought was a cold, but now suspects that might be a sinus infection. Shortly after this terrible cold/infection began (which may or may not have been part of a dastardly plot to destroy her plans for world domination), the new french doors to Auntie Heather’s office were installed, and Auntie was sooooo happy she almost cried. BUT THEN…she had a coffin couch delivered! And the Minions rejoiced…
Ahh, yes…what you had thought was merely a tale of woe was actually MY WEEK!!! MY RUSE WORKED! And that is REALLY my own, personal coffin couch, made for me by the wonderful folks at www.coffincouches.com! HOW COOL IS THAT?! I’m stoked. And just a bit of paint, a new desk, and some black damask velvet flock wallpaper away from my new office being complete.
The rest of my week has been good and I hope yours has too, Minions. I’ve been writing BLOODBOUND and mulling over my editorial letter for BEGINNING, just trying to wrap my head around a few things. Oh, and I got to hang out with an amazing friend at his second book’s launch party! His name is Antony John and he’s BRILLIANT and FUNNY and I adore him. So…I snagged a copy of his new book, FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB and forced him to sign it for a lucky winner here on my blog! So…if you want a copy of Antony’s new book, just comment. I’ll draw a random winner on Tuesday. Just look at this cover (and Antony, looking all smart and awesome and stuff)!
And if you’re in the area, tonight Antony and I will be signing from 6-8PM at the Middendorf Kredell Branch of the St. Charles Library, 2750 Highway K, O’ Fallon. Here’s the library’s link: http://www.youranswerplace.org Hope to see a few of you there!
A.S. King’s Pizza Delivery Blog Tour for PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ!!!
November 11th, 2010
Ding dong. Pizza delivery. I’ve got one bacon, pineapple and ham here for Heather Brewer…
We’re coming to the end of this tour and I admit I am totally lax about being all professional-pizza-delivery-technician now. In fact, I am going to ask for a piece of this pizza because this is one of my favorite kinds. Sorry. But I feel at home and Auntie Heather and I are informal types. Pizza is on me, K? So… Last month, my book Please Ignore Vera Dietz came out. I’ve been delivering cyber pizza (doing interviews–call it brain-pizza or answer-pizza) ever since and here I am, finally at your place where I can kick back for a minute. First: Thank you for having me! Second: Thank you being an amazing friend. Third: this couch is really comfy. Dude. I am never getting up off your couch.
HEATHER: Which of your characters has been the biggest struggle to write about and why?
ASK: The hardest character I’ve had to write was Charlie Kahn in PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. See, I was a little in love with Charlie, the same as Vera was, so when he acted like an ass or thought he was real tough, I was as disappointed as she was. I knew he was dead from the minute I started writing, so while I built the character up and loved him more and more, it just broke my heart that he was dead. I think we all know someone like Charlie—someone who is a good person but who gets involved with the wrong people and makes big mistakes. I think we all know people who are complete winners who are convinced, no matter what we tell them, that they are complete losers. And that’s just so sad.
HEATHER: [Amy thinks: Mushrooms AGAIN. Uncanny.] OMG, gimme gimme gimme an embarrassing picture and description!!!
ASK: Okay. This is me in sixth grade. It is 1982. I am growing out my only ever perm. And yes, I am wearing a cotton shirt. Get it? COTTON SHIRT? The wallpaper you see there is the wallpaper that was in my bedroom in the house I grew up in. It was very flowery. The glasses I got at a yard sale. The cotton shirt is courtesy of my sister’s clever art project. I was her model. I call this the flailing-my-arms look. Very modelish, don’t you think?
HEATHER: Where do you find to be the best place to write, the easiest place to get into the zone of the creative process?
ASK: Heather, I think you can totally relate to this, but this year has been so filled with the business of it all, I could probably write ANYWHERE right now! But my favorite place is my office, in my basement—or, temporarily in my bedroom so I have some natural light while I write about a girl who looks at the sky a lot. I feel rusty at the moment–a little like I forget how to write, man. I can’t wait to take this winter and push out this next book because book #5 is on its heels, too, and needs to get out!
AMY: Truth or dare time!
HEATHER:
- TRUTH: What’s the grossest thing you have ever done?
- DARE: Write an entire chapter with Cheetos stuck up your nose.
ASK: See—I love Cheetos so much, I was considering the dare because heck yes, I would eat them even if they’d been up my nose. But then I realized that because of my time raising chickens, I have done some really really gross things. And so. Without going into much detail, I have cured an egg-bound hen. Meaning…the egg gets stuck, and one must use Vaseline to—uh—you know…move it along. And a close second: Dusting chickens for mites. Bleh.
Thank you so much for having me drop by. Now if you’ll kindly roll me off your couch, I’d better get to my next destination…only two more stops to go! Tomorrow, come by The Story Siren and find out more about the pagoda who talks in PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ.
Oh. Hold up. I should tell you a little something about the book before I go, right?
18-year-old Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything. So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone. Will she emerge and clear his name? Does she even want to?
“Brilliant. Funny. Really special.” –Ellen Hopkins, author of NYT bestselling Crank, Glass and Tricks
Seriously? *raises a sharp eyebrow at self*
October 20th, 2010I haven’t blogged in WEEKS?? As Nelly would say, “OH MY GLOB!” That is inexcusable, Minions. Bad Auntie Heather. BAD!
Okay, so let’s catch you all up on my life. Touring was amazing. So many Minions! And so many more emails, requesting (and at times, demanding) that I visit your fair city. And I wish I could! But if I traveled all the time…when would I write books? So believe me, Minions, I would visit you all if I could, but for now we’ll just have to hope your hometown (or a town near it) ends up on my touring schedule.
The last few weeks have been devoured by an insane writing schedule for….(drum roll, please)…BEGINNING, the first book in The Slayer Chronicles! I finished the book and turned it in to my editor, and I’m now once again hard at work on the first BLOODBOUND book. So my days have been full of writing and traveling…and not much sleeping.
Recently, we had a tragedy in our family. One of the two kittens we adopted passed away, and I just wanted to thank you Minions who sent messages on Facebook and Twitter and such. it means a lot to me to know you care. Spike was a sweet kitty and I miss him still. I think I always will. But his brother, Fang, is doing very well. He spends his time stomping on Amenti’s tail and purring so loudly, you have to turn the volume up on the TV. He misses his brother, but at least he’s in a family that loves him very much.
I’m mulling over an idea for a contest right now. Any thoughts? The prize I have is EPIC and one of a kind. Also, I’m thinking of creating a few short stories about the Goths to share with you on my blog. We shall see.
Also, I seem to be obsessed with peanut brittle lately.
So…catch me up! What have I missed, Minions?
By the way…if you haven’t seen THIS yet, I suggest you rectify that immediately. (Yes! It’s true! We have a Vlad STORE!!!)
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