Amanda Hocking

Yes, it’s true. Lullaby – the second book in the Watersong series – is available now. The first print run is signed (as I mentioned in this post: here), so that’s pretty cool, too.

My life-size cardboard cutout of Bane is showing off the fact that his bicep is as large as my book.

I’m also going to be doing some giveaways and other fun things over the next couple weeks, so keep an eye out. Right now I’m doing a giveaway on a Twitter, so be sure to enter if you’re following me there. If you don’t have Twitter, fret not, I’ll be doing more things on my blog and on Facebook.  

If you’re interested in getting Lullaby, go: here for all the links and places to get in ebook or hardcover.

The first chapter of Lullaby is available to read: here, (and here’s the first chapter for Wake if you haven’t read that yet). You can also check out the soundtrack for Lullaby: here.

And if you’ve already Lullaby and are chomping at the bit for the next book, Tidal (which I know some of you speed-readers are), don’t forget to check out Forgotten Lyrics – the short story prequel to the Watersong series. It actually hints at a few things that are going to happen to in Tidal, but if you haven’t read Lullaby or Wake, the story still works as a stand-alone.

So that’s all my stuff for today. But I’ll be working on a vlog, some more giveaways, and a few other things over the next few weeks.

As always, thanks to everyone for checking out my books and making Lullaby‘s birthday such a splash! (Get it? That was a pun.) 

Also, don’t forget to check out Lawless, starring Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, and Gary Oldman, out on DVD, Bluray, and Vudu.

Lullaby is coming out tomorrow in the US (and I believe it will be out December 6th in the UK). The contest for copies of Wake and Lullaby has ended, and the winners are being notified (so watch your email if you entered). Thanks to everyone who entered!

So, since Lullaby is officially going to be born, I thought I’d do some fun facts and little known secrets behind the Watersong series. But first here is the brand-new trailer for Lullaby:

*Alex’s character was almost named Fitzwilliam. It was REALLY close. I’ve always wanted to name a character Fitzwilliam, and Alex seemed the right balance of awkward and sweet to carry a name like that. But in the end, I thought it would it would be too distracting and pull people out of the story every time they read, so I went with the more basic Alex.

*The Watersong series is a quartet, and there is emphasis on the number 4 throughout the books. Some are more obvious than others. Like how there’s four sisters, and Penn, Thea, and Lexi all have four letters in their name.  But there’s other more hidden ones in there, too.

*The girl on the cover of Lullaby is supposed to be Harper.  (The girl on the cover of Wake is supposed to be Gemma, and Daniel and Penn are on the cover of Tidal).

*I listened to TONS of Florence + the Machine (mostly “Ceremonials”) while writing Lullaby.

*Lullaby and the third book in the series, Tidal, were written back-to-back. It’s the first time I’ve written books in a series right after each other. I usually take a break between books.

*A main character in each of my books shares a birth date with my friend Valerie (January 9th). Harper shares a birthday with Wendy from Trylle, Remy from Hollows, and Alice from MBA. Many of my characters share birthdays with my friends or my favorite celebrities.

*The town of Capri was partially inspired by Amity in Jaws. There are is actually a reference or allusion to Jaws in all of my series, because it’s one of my all-time favorite movies/books.

*Sawyer’s house in Lullaby was inspired by a documentary I saw about film sets. They used a lot of white in movies and TV shows to represent optimism, especially in the 80s. They talked particular about 1974’s film version of The Great Gatsby and how the sets were all white around Mia Farrow to really represent her innocenance and the optimism, so the viewer was looking at her through Gatsby and Tom’s eyes. Anyway, that really stuck with me, and I liked the idea of Sawyer’s house being this white stark place, so it was like this pure limbo, almost like a blank slate for the characters to reveal their true colors.

*Whenever I finish writing a Watersong book, I have to do a “find and replace” to get rid of all the uses of the word “pop” and replace it with soda or Coke.

Elroy & Sophie

*My dog Elroy is always in my office with me when I’m writing. He used to lay by my feet, but since I got him a dog bed, he just lays on that. I got a new cat Sophie in July, and she’s usually in the office when I write too. My other two cats are not allowed in the office because they just knock things off the shelves and cause trouble.

*On two separate occasions, a spider has fallen on my laptop while I’ve been writing in my office. I didn’t enjoy it either time.

*I was obsessed with Greek mythology as a kid, but my favorite story wasn’t about sirens – it was about Icarus. While Icarus doesn’t make an appearance in the Watersong series, some of my other favorite Grecian characters do pop up in the series.

*I originally intended the short story Forgotten Lyrics to be published between the release of Lullaby and Tidal, so some of the things and characters that come up in it are hints toward what happens in Tidal.

I’m always looking for ways to make each new release fun and a little bit different. The second book in the Watersong series, Lullaby,will be out November 27, 2012, and I wracked my brain for a way to say thank you to fans and make the release special.Here’s what I’ve come up with.

The first is a special short story Forgotten Lyrics set in the Watersong world. Forgotten Lyrics is $1.99 wherever eBooks are sold, but as a special treat for my fans you can read it HERE free of charge for a very limited time. It’s already been free for a few days, and I think it only has a couple days left, so check it out free while you can.

And now to the NEW exciting news. The entire first printing of the new Lullaby hardcover will feature a special collector’s signature. As a reader I love adding signed books to my collection and wanted to do that for people who buy my book.

But signing thousands of books would be tough, especially when I am working on Elegy, the final book in the series. Plus I would feel bad for the person who received the 50,000th signature – it probably wouldn’t be readable. (If I’m being honest, everything after the 50th signature would be pretty lame).

So my publisher and I found a cool way to do it. I signed a few sheets of paper, each one with a different signature and then an actual pen traced my signature into all of the books. I don’t completely understand how they did it, but it looks really awesome. They completely duplicated the way the ink looks from the pen I used and everything. It’s kinda crazy actually.

And onto even more fun news! Since Lullaby is coming out right around the corner (it’s like two weeks away), I thought it’d be fun to do a little giveaway before the release. I’ll be giving away TEN signed hardcovers of Wake (the first book in the Watersong series), and ONE hardcover of Lullaby signed with a personalized message. Both giveaways will go from now until November 21st. Sorry, it’s open to the US & Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

You may recall a post I did a couple weeks ago talking about the new Watersong short story I wrote called “Forgotten Lyrics.” It’s out today, and I’m really excited for you to check it out.

Don’t miss this new short story set in the magical world of Watersong—a realm of enchanting beauty…and terrifying secrets. 

Aggie is a mythological creature on a secret mission. Lydia is a young woman from a magical family with no real powers of her own. And Daniel is a high school boy who’s made it his duty to protect his deeply troubled older brother. Then one fateful night, their lives collide in a terrifying accident that changes them all forever. And beneath the surface, the ripple effects of the accident will have more impact than anyone could ever guess…changing not only their future, but the fate of an entire town.

Here’s the blog I wrote on it before, which answers some of the questions you may have on it: read here.

“Forgotten Lyrics” is a short story (roughly a quarter of the length of of the first book in the Watersong series, Wake), but it is a complete story. If you haven’t read Wake yet, you can still read and enjoy “Forgotten Lyrics.” When I was writing it, I wanted to make sure that anyone could pick it up and understand it.

And if you have read Wake, I think you’ll find a new appreciation and deeper understanding of the characters after reading “Forgotten Lyrics.” I think it illuminates a few things and answers some questions you may have.

Here are some links so you can get “Forgotten Lyrics” if you’re interested:
Get “Forgotten Lyrics” for $1.99 from Barnes & Noble for the Nook
Get “Forgotten Lyrics” for $1.99 from Amazon for the Kindle
Get “Forgotten Lyrics” for $1.99 from iBookstore for your phone or tablet
Get “Forgotten Lyrics” for $1.99 from the Kobo store

I really enjoy the world of Watersong, and I hope that you’ll check out “Forgotten Lyrics.”

But on a more serious note, I wanted to say that my thoughts are with those affected by Hurricane Sandy. I also want to encourage anyone who can afford it to donate to the Red Cross and ASPCA, who are working hard to help the people and animals in need.

Just in time for Halloween, a short story in the Watersong world is coming out!

Here’s all the official info on it:

Don’t miss this new short story set in the magical world of Watersong—a realm of enchanting beauty…and terrifying secrets. 

Aggie is a mythological creature on a secret mission. Lydia is a young woman from a magical family with no real powers of her own. And Daniel is a high school boy who’s made it his duty to protect his deeply troubled older brother. Then one fateful night, their lives collide in a terrifying accident that changes them all forever. And beneath the surface, the ripple effects of the accident will have more impact than anyone could ever guess…changing not only their future, but the fate of an entire town.

Here’s my answers to questions I think some of you might have:

What if you haven’t read Wake yet? Will you be able to understand the story?
Yes! It’s set five years before the events in Wake, so it’s a prequel. Whether you’ve read the Wake or not, it will still make sense to you. And if you have read the book, things will make even more sense. In fact, I would recommend reading the short story before the final book in the Watersong series comes out so you can have the complete picture of everything, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

The description doesn’t mention Gemma or Harper. Does it feature characters from Wake?
It does. Daniel has an important role in both Wake and Forgotten Lyrics, and some of the other characters in Forgotten Lyrics make their way into Watersong series later on. (Daniel’s also featured on the sexy new cover for Tidal, along with Penn.)

So this is a short story. What does this mean? How long is it?
Forgotten Lyrics is a short story, and it’s roughly 1/4 of the length of Wake. It is a complete story, with a beginning, middle, and end.

When does it come out?
Forgotten Lyrics will be out October 30, 2012 in ebook for $1.99, and it will be available for pre-order starting next week.

When does the next full-length Watersong book come out?
Lullaby is the second book in the Watersong series, and it will be out November 27, 2012. (I know at the back of Wake it says “Winter 2013” but the date got moved up after Wake went to print).

Is there a soundtrack for Forgotten Lyrics?
There sure is. I can’t help myself and must create soundtracks for everything I write. Here’s the one for Forgotten Lyrics: here.

So, I hope you all check out Forgotten Lyrics. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I think it really adds something to the overall story in Watersong. I deliberately wrote it so that new readers and older readers could enjoy it equally, and I really hope you all do.

And it’s just in time for Halloween. So in between trick or treaters knocking at your door, you can kick back and dive into it. 😉