AND I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT MY TOUR.

Yeah. I’m ~that~ brain dead lately. I went on a two and a half week tour of AWESOME, came home, and didn’t even mention it in my last blog! Where is my head??? (Oh right…it’s a pile of goo on the floor…)

The tour was…in a word…nommy. So nommy that I nommed on its amazingness and it nommed right back. It was so much fun! So many of you came out to see me (many of whom were Master Minions), and I loved each and every hug, treasured each and every gift, and I just want to thank you, Minion Horde, for being there for me, and for giving me some love, when I very much needed it. You guys all rock my world, and it’s my pleasure and honor to rule over you.

Things here are good. I’m busy working on the second round of edits for The Slayer Chronicles #2 (due October 25th), and working on an outline for the second Legacy of Tril book (after Bloodbound). Plus, we’re getting ready for some pretty major website/forum changes soon. Speaking of the forum…if you’re new, and need a friend, I urge you to reach out to Mina, Tod, Pravus, and K8. They’re there to be your friends. Trust me.

Are you still reeling over the graphic novel news?? I am! I’ve known for some time, but when Penguins say “SHHH!!!! Don’t tell a soul!!!” I’m forced to super glue my lips together and hold on to all that awesomeness until I might burst. But I’m so relieved/thrilled that we can talk about it now! Are you geeked? I can hardly wait to see more artwork and share it with you. It’s going to have an effect on fan art, I imagine. But we shall see.

Ooooh! I can has great news! Who wants to see the family trees of both Vlad and Joss? You can! Head on over to Hastings’ website and click View the Family Tree off to the right side of the page. It ROCKS! And so does Hastings for helping make it happen.

Speaking of Joss…what are you guys thinking of FIRST KILL so far? Spoilers welcome in the comments – just be careful reading them if you don’t want secrets spilled!

I’m off to do that whole typey-typey thing I do. And, of course, to relish in the hoodie weather we finally have.

Hugs and lil skull cookies for all!

A few quick things before I leave on tour:

1. You must, if you are able, come see me in the next two weeks.

2. You must immediately go check out the new website for The Slayer Chronicles series.

3. You must, if you want an XBox360 wrapped in the cover of FIRST KILL, go enter this contest.

That, apart from staying FANGtastic, is all.

#domybidding

See you on tour, Minion Horde!!!

So…have you pre-ordered your copy of FIRST KILL yet? Are you planning to come see me on tour? Have you seen the new trailer??

Oh, and a little surprise for those Minions who can’t come see me on tour…I spent a day in Alabama at the Books-A-Million warehouse, signing over 3000 books, just for you! They’ll be in BAM stores across the country, so grab yours fast!

A few days ago I was fortunate enough to stop by Mrs. Nelson’s in La Verne, California, where I was greeted by an amazing staff, a fangtastic crowd, and….I came THIS CLOSE to a big goal of mine: signing a baby!!! I signed a toddler!

(with permission, of course)

We had an excellent crowd…

And I attribute the success of this tour to a SillyBand given to me early on by a Minion named Sinead. It’s my lucky dinosaur!

After Mrs. Nelson’s, I whisked off to Watermark Books in Wichita, Kansas! It was incredible. A HUGE crowd (probably over 200 Minions) and lots and lots of love, plus a great staff (Mark, if you’re reading this….Gargy has finally forgiven you for calling him a hippo). Check out these pics!

For some reason, when I speak at events, I become an evil dictator.

After having a blast at Watermark, I headed to Harleysville Books in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, where we had a pizza party! No pics yet, because like a doof, I forgot my camera, but it was a ton of fun – and we had a nice group, despite the terrible storms all through PA. People came from as far away as three and a half hours! Now that’s loyalty. And it was a blessing to meet each and every one. My favorite part of the night was when I settled into a cozy chair and Minions sat on the floor all around me. We discussed what is and what isn’t working for anti-bullying efforts in their schools. It was very enlightening…and troubling.

Tonight I’m headed to Barnes and Noble in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Sadly, I’ve had to cease hugging all of you, as I have the plague and don’t want to be the cause of The Stand. But I love you all, Minions! Come see me – we only have a few more stops on this tour!

And now onto our world domination news! We just hit the New York Times again, Minions! This time at #4. We’ve also hit several indie bestseller lists, Wall Street Journal (#10), and USA Today (#34). In other words, Auntie is feeling very, very popular and blessed and loved. Thank you. Thank you all so much!!

First off, I’ve gone through the comments of the last few blog entries and deleted as many spoilers as I could – please, please, please don’t post any more. We want to keep all those juicy secrets in TWELFTH GRADE KILLS a total secret for the Minions who’ve not yet had a chance to read the book. I’m counting on you guys to help me out, so ixnay on the eathday!

Next, I am currently blogging from lovely Pasadena, California – my publisher was cool enough to give me a few days to hang out in the middle of my tour. It’s beautiful out here. Palm trees and mountains. What more could I ask for? On Tuesday, I’ll be at Mrs. Nelson’s in LaVerne, CA, so I hope you’ll join me!

I had to share this picture from my appearance at Borders in Dallas, TX. One of my great pleasures is being asked to sign unusual items. I’ve signed shoes, phones, foreheads, wash cloths, Sharpies, and now…foreign currency!

Also, I just had to show you a few pics from my event at Davis-Kidd in Memphis, TN!

The tour has been an absolute blast so far, Minions, and I really hope to meet more of you as we continue our quest for world domination!

Don’t forget, Cali Minions….Mrs. Nelson’s on Tuesday!

Also…many of you have been asking for a CoVT soundtrack. Here’s a start. Add and change as you see fit! (band first, song second)

Three Days Grace – Animal I Have Become
Sick Puppies – Odd One
My Chemical Romance – I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
All Time Low – Weightless
Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Mindless Self Indulgence – Shut Me Up
Story of the Year – Until the Day I Die
Flyleaf – I’m So Sick
Bullet For My Valentine – Tears Don’t Fall
30 Seconds to Mars – The Kill
My Chemical Romance – Blood

Look at this crowd!

I’m still flabbergasted – AND I was visited by the amazing Rachel Caine of Morganville Vampires fame! An incredible night. I think I’ve earned a nap.

I’ll see more of you Minions tomorrow at 3pm at David-Kidd in Memphis, TN!

The Book Smith staff knows how to party. had a buffet waiting for me, and this amazing set up wth a gothic desk, where I autographed. I am in awe!

I don’t understand why more authors don’t come here. It was such a fun, talkative, happy, supportive crowd, and everyone had multiple books and stuff for me to sign – well worth my time. I met so many of you, but I just have to give a shout-out to these four, who became besties while in line.

Thanks so much to Tricia Lightweis and the fangtastic staff at The Booksmith! I hope to be back soon!

Tonight I’ll be at Borders on Preston Road in Dallas, TX – see you there, Minion Horde!

Oh, and I have to share with you my fave pic of the tour so far. I was trying to get a pic of the display,when these Minions rushed in to look at the book. It made the picture even better!

Tonight I’ll be at The Booksmith in Seneca, SC starting at 7pm. Get on your Vlad gear and come meet me in person!

P.S I love hugs. So bring some.

As I write this, we have just eight days left til the book’s release. In case you didn’t know, it’s called TWELFTH GRADE KILLS, and maaaaaaan….does it live up to its name! There is so much to look forward to, but here are a few little hints at what you’ll see:
1. This story’s chock full of vengeance and betrayal.
2. As the cover hints at, Vlad will be exposed.
3. Three major characters will die.
4. Even Vlad won’t see what’s coming in the end.

And I can’t wait for you to read it!

But I haven’t just been sitting around on my butt, awaiting the release of 12th lately. I’ve also been working on THE SLAYER CHRONICLES: BEGINNING and traveling quite a bit. I recently returned from the awesomeness that is Dragon*Con (where I appeared on many amazing panels, but the absolute best was Zombies vs. Unicorns) and most recently, I was asked to head down to a place called Florence, Alabama.

“Florence, Alabama??” I hear you all say. YES! It’s the location of the Books-a-Million warehouse, and the good folks there had me come in and sign a ridiculous amount of books! I think they said that I signed enough for each BAM store to carry a dozen autographed copies of TWELFTH GRADE KILLS. So on September 21st, get to your local Book-a-Million to grab one. If you can’t, get to your local indie, to Borders, to Barnes and Noble and get a copy. Even an unsigned copy is better than none. Now…check out these great pics!

It was crazy and busy and my thumb almost fell off, but WOW…what an opportunity! And what amazing peeps. (Thanks, Frank & Tiffany!!!)

So…how will YOU celebrate Vlad’s senior year, Minions? Are any of you coming to see me on tour?

By the way, FINALLY saw the trailer for Deathly Hallows. Freaked out. So excited I can’t even breathe.