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Happy New Year, Minion Horde!
2008 has been a fangtastic year! NINTH GRADE SLAYS debuted, EIGHTH GRADE BITES was nominated for a Truman Readers Award, Scholastic Book Fairs not only started selling EIGHTH GRADE BITES, but also came out to film me for an author video, not to mention how many Minions I've had the pleasure of meeting and all the other amazing stuff that's happened to me this year. Oh yeah, 2008 was a goodie, for sure. But I must say...I'm looking forward to 2009. We have TENTH GRADE BLEEDS to look forward to, the paperback of NINTH GRADE SLAYS, 24 million of you will see my Scholastic author video, and countless more Minions will be added to the Horde. Not to mention the INCREDIBLE contests I have planned for the new year. And the fangtastic TENTH GRADE BLEEDS launch party. 2009 is looking like a good year. So, my Minions, what happened in 2008 that you are grateful for? What do you hope will happen in 2009? Auntie Heather doesn't make resolutions. Do you? What are they? Happy New Year, Minion Horde!
Happy Holidays, Minion Horde!
 Have you all started winter break yet? Or as I often liked to refer to it, sanity break? If not, hang in there - soon you'll be staying up late and sleeping in, sipping hot cocoa and ripping paper off of gifts! Auntie Heather will be (as usual) working through the holidays, but don't worry...she'll make sure to stop writing long enough to celebrate with her family. As you might have noticed, Auntie Heather has been rather quiet lately. Well, that's because I have a lot going on right now. I'm busy, busy, busy with work, work, work. I'm writing ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS, tweaking the Super Secret Project, reading a fabulous manuscript with an eye towards blurbing it (oh yeah, so giving this a blurb - I'm addicted), and tweaking this short story for an anthology that'll benefit RIF (comes out Fall 2010). Most of which is due in January...which has Auntie Heather a little crazy, but happy. Being incredibly busy is far better than having too much time on my hands. I've received several requests for various items that can be used as holiday gifts: Minion Bling, autographs, ARCs, books, hoodies. And while I absolutely sympathize that you Minions know someone who ONLY wants whatever item you asked me for, the fact is that Auntie Heather can't fill every wish. Right now my schedule is so intensely tight that I just can't make any extra trips to the post office to ship things. Not to mention that if I fulfill one wish, I have to fulfill them all...and I can't hand out hoodies and ARCs to everyone...though I wish I could. I'm currently waiting on another order of Bling and that won't get here until after the holidays...and won't get shipped out to you Minions until after winter break. So bear with me, Minions. Auntie Heather feels enormously guilty for not helping you all with your holiday wishes, but...she is Auntie Heather, not Santa Heather, after all. (Though she really, really wishes she were!) I've also received (as usual, yay!) many messages asking if I'll visit this place or that place. The short answer? Yes! The long answer? Please contact Uncle Paul for more info on how to make that happen: paul @ heatherbrewer dot com That's all for now! HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MINIONS!
Hoodies on Zazzle!
Nope, none with the vampire smiley (I do have my reasons, so just stay tuned for more on that), but these are kinda awesome. Thought you Minions might be interested. Check out Top Picks for the hoodies.
145 Comments?!
Wow, check out that last post - you Minions are so chatty! Sorry I haven't blooged in forever. I've been battling a headache, working on ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS (as well as the SSP) and trying to keep a secret...and blogging doesn't make it easy to keep secrets. Have you entered the contest yet?
Crazy Stupid Happy
Minions, I am in a phenomenal mood today - was yesterday too, for some reason. Just sitting here at my desk, grinning my fool head off for no apparent reason. :) *gasp* Maybe I've gone crazy. *shifty eyes* So, of course, being in the good mood that I am, I feel the need to give an advanced copy of TENTH GRADE BLEEDS away! Just post a comment here to enter (and if you know any Minions who want to win an ARC, you should let them know). I'll pick the winner Monday morning. Have a fangtastic day! EDITED TO ADD THIS: It turns out, my Minions, that EIGHTH GRADE BITES has been nominated for the Truman Reader Award here in Missouri!!! Needless to say, I am so friggin' excited that I'm jumping up and down in my stompy boots. So...if you are a student in the state of Missouri...it's up to you to help me win. Very soon, EIGHTH GRADE BITES will be made available to schools and students across the state of Missouri and it's up to you to vote by March 1, 2010. (I'm sure your teachers and librarians will know how) Please, please, please vote for Vlad. It would mean the world to me! Fangs a lot! Oh and also, just a few days left for you to win an ARC of DUST OF 100 DOGS by A.S. King!
Ice, Laughter, and Working While I Wait
I woke up this morning to the world covered in glare ice. Particularly the roads and sidewalks. And Auntie Heather has approximately zero balance, so walking my daughter to the bus stop was just dandy. But when I got back to the house, I had a negative review waiting, and that lifted my spirits. What's that? Has Auntie Heather lost her ever-lovin' mind? Well, yes, but this isn't why. See, the reviewer absolutely didn't get EIGHTH GRADE BITES. They had several facts wrong and rambled on in such a ridiculous, venomous manner that I couldn't help but laugh. But what really made me lose it was that at the end - after all the negative things the reviewer had to say (which is totally fine; to each their own) - they said that they'd be reading the rest of the series. Huh? Okaaaayy... Why you would want to waste your time with a series you clearly despise is beyond me, but...whatever floats your boat, dude. And hey, I'm glad you'll be reading the rest of my series. New readers are always welcome. So now Auntie Heather is sitting down with the Muse and working out a few minor details (okay, and a few major) for ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS. This book is proving to be the most complicated Vlad book yet. There's just so much going on. It's a challenge to fit all of the details in. But it's fun to write, so that makes the work go relatively smoothly. I'm also waiting on my fabulous agent, who's reading what I like to call the Super Secret Project. SSP is near and dear to me and hopefully I'll be able to talk about it soon. But I'm waiting to give up details on that. Auntie Heather is superstitious, oh yes. About some things anyway...
What I Did This Weekend
Besides stuffing myself with turkey and all the trimmings, besides writing until my eyeballs bled, besides doing all my shopping on Black Friday...this weekend, I did the bird tree. What the heck is a bird tree? And how does one do it, exactly? Well, Minions, the fam and I decided we wanted some family time together and we also completely adore the birds and squirrels that frequent our back patio. So we put up a tree back there with pretty lights and then commenced to stringing popcorn and cranberries, and pasting pinecones with peanut butter and rolling them in birdseed. The cranberries and popcorn became garland, and the pinecones became ornaments. And now...one particularly chunky lil squirrel is pigging out. The birds are sure to follow. We had a blast. But today...today it's back to writing, and the ever looming deadlines. What did you do this weekend, Minions?
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What People Are Saying About 'Eighth Grade Bites'
"A spooky mystery that's funny, gruesome, heartwarming, spellbinding,
sad, joyous, surprising and topped off with a tasty blend of blood and
chocolate. Yum. What more could you ask for?" ~D.J. MacHale,
New York Times-bestselling author of PENDRAGON: JOURNAL OF AN ADVENTURE
THROUGH TIME AND SPACE
"'Eighth grade Bites' had me on the edge of my seat. It's a
great piece of fiction. It drops you right into the action, grabs
you by the throat (pun intended), and won't let go. Vladimir Tod
is a truly sympathetic character cursed with an existence not of
his own doing, but doing his best to do the right thing. It's part
'Goosebumps' mixed with 'Harry Potter' and a dash – no, a heaping
tablespoon – of Stephen King. If you're in eighth grade, or
a vampire, or an eighth grade vampire, 'Eighth Grade Bites' is a
definite must read!"~Butch Hartman, creator of Nickelodeon's
THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS and DANNY PHANTOM
"Eighth Grade Bites is a terrific vampire tale told with a
sharp, middle-school grin. It definitely does not bite!" ~Christopher
Moore, author of BLOODSUCKING FIENDS and A DIRTY JOB
"Eighth Grade Bites is a delightful novel filled with dark,
biting humor that will appeal to everyone who ever felt they were
different. A deft hand at depicting the angst of teen years, Heather
Brewer does a wonderful job blending vampire legend with the modern
day horror that strikes fear in the heart of so many: the eighth
grade."~Katie MacAlister, New York Times-bestselling author
of EVEN VAMPIRES GET THE BLUES
"Heather Brewer has invented the most endearing of vampires
in Vlad, an eighth grader juggling the woes of adolescence with the
decidedly unique difficulties of being a vampire. She perfectly captures
the humor and angst of eighth grade, mixed with a nail-biting adventure.
Utterly charming and irresistible!" ~Liza Conrad, author of
HIGH SCHOOL BITES: THE LUCY CHRONICLES
"This book will fool you. Just when you think you've identified
it as a story lit by the cheery glow of a slightly scary jack-o-lantern,
it becomes something else -- a tale told by the flickering light
of a dying campfire late at night. And the shadows are very dark
indeed. A surprising mix of humor and horror." ~Douglas
Rees, author of VAMPIRE HIGH
"Fresh and fast-paced, with just the right brew of chills and
laughs. I’m looking forward to finding out what happens when
Vlad hits Grade Nine." ~Nancy Baker, author of KISS OF THE
VAMPIRE
"A fabulous book from a gifted storyteller! I never wanted
it to end." ~Gena Showalter, author of OH MY GOTH |
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