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books – and most of them aren’t mine

June 28th, 2010 by Amanda Hocking

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Hello everyone!

Here’s a quick few tidbits:

Stacey Wallace Benefiel author of the young adult paranormal romance Glimpse – posted an interview with me a few days back, and I, in my silliness, forgot to mention it here. So here’s a link to the interview & her review of My Blood Approves: here.

(Sidenote: In response to the question “Who is your favorite literary character of all time?” I forgot to include Falstaff on my list.)

Also, on Tuesday this week I’ll be posting my interview with her (wherein, I ask her questions) and the review of her book Glimpse. Hint: It’s pretty awesome.

In a related note, she’s super nice and her book is really good, so if you haven’t bought it – why not? Go buy it.

Also, here’s a funtastic review at Paranormal Romance Addicts. Here’s a fun fact: In my comment to the review, wherein I say thanks, I spelled my own name wrong. I need an editor any time I write anything.

I was gonna post my reading-list of books I’m going to read, but it’s late, I’m sweaty, and tired. So I’m just doing a quick post, and I’ll go more indepth later on.

The Weight of Blood by David Dalglish Its a high-fantasy about half-orc brothers, which I’m normally not into, but it’s supposed to be dark, and David is hilarious, so I figure his books can’t be bad.

The Undying by Ronnell D. Porter The cover is fabulous, the description is way interesting, and the trailer is magical. Plus, Ronnell is fantastic, and the sample of it I already read is good. It reminds me of something, and I’m thinking that something is The Storytellers miniseries by Jim Henson (which is brilliant and underrated.) Something about the writing style of it reminds me of how the storyteller would tell the stories.

33 A.D. by David McAfee. Vampires plot to assassinate Jesus. It’s almost too awesome to be true.

There’s about a million more that I should mention and I should read, but again, I’m sweaty and tired.

I’m also enjoy how I can find a way to plug Jim Henson no matter what it is I’m talking about.

Oh! And in one last minute vent – they’re remaking Edward Scissorhands!? I watched it this weekend, thinking how it was a perfect, magical, wonderous masterpiece with the single greatest soundtrack of all time. There is NO NEED to remake perfection!

and now for something completely different…

June 27th, 2010 by Amanda Hocking

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It’s nearly five a.m., and instead of doing anything productive, I’m trying to watch every season of Weeds. I’ve made it a third of the way into the third season in the past week, so I’d say pretty good at wasting time.

But for reasons that aren’t clear, while I was watching Weeds, I kept getting more and more upset about the ending of Labyrinth. I’m about to Spoiler Alert if you haven’t seen it, but I think that’s fair, since you’ve had like 25 years to watch it.

Why does Sara go back? It doesn’t make any sense. Yes, David Bowie is an abusive boyfriend, and I’m not necessarily abdicating that she stay with him (even though I totally would – I am in no way a role model, people).

But clearly, she fit in better with the Labyrinth crowd and made a buncha swell friends. Plus, that whole frickin place was magic! MAGIC! I bet they had a unicorn somewhere. Or David Bowie could get her one. And sing awesome songs.

I get the rescue Toby part. And Toby’s a baby, so he should go back home. But let’s send him back home, and let the Goblin King worship and love you. Or at least hang out with the fantastic British worm and Ludo and Ambrosia. And the head throwing things.

I don’t even know what the moral of the story is. Something about… I don’t know. Jim Henson basically preached be kind and be silly. Those were his big morals, and the screenplay was written by Monty Python alum Terry Jones, who pretty much only preached be silly.

So why wouldn’t Sara stay in the silliest place of all? It’s clearly the best place.

Her choice to go home is completely mind boggling. It’s already been made clear that her father and step-mother don’t really care about her that much. I guess she has Merlin the dog, but Toby can play with him.

And she’d prefer the company of Hoggle over Jareth? (No offense, Brian Henson.) Yeah, right. I mean, I dig Hoggle, but in a battle between Hoggle and Jareth…

Whatever. It just doesn’t make sense. It’s clearly an incorrect ending. Like the original ending to Pretty in Pink (yeah, like Molly Ringwald would pick Duckie over Andrew McCarthy. *insert eye roll here*)

You know, my whole life is six degrees of Monty Python, but that’s a story for another day.

But right now, I’m leaving you with this lovely clip of David Bowie singing “Dance Magic Dance” from the hit film Labyrinth. And at about 2:31 seconds in this video, you’ll find out why my band is called the Fraggin Aardvarks, if that fact has been keeping you awake at night.

I prefer the dark streets when I can’t have the sunlight

June 24th, 2010 by Amanda Hocking

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I napped today from 7 pm until midnight because I don’t know how to nap properly, but I’m finally getting tired again, so I’m about to shove off.

I just wanted to stop in and say a few things.

First, Ronnell Porter – the genius behind the glorious book trailer – wrote a lovely review of My Blood Approves on his blog, so you should check it out. My favorite part: “The first in a developing cult phenom, My Blood Approves…”

Also – I’ll be posting a review of Imogen Rose‘s Portal tomorrow. (Hint: I liked it.)

As of right now, it’s looking like I’ll be releasing Switched – the first book in a new series – mid-July. Originally slated for a September release, I decided it’d be silly to wait. It’s going through some final edits, then I’m trying it out on some readers, so we’ll see how it goes.

I’d love to see a July 12th release, cause it’s my birthday, and I like celebrating, but we’ll see how it goes.

The working description for Switched is: “When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn’t until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might’ve been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself submerged in a world she never knew existed – and she’s not sure if she wants to be a part of it.”

It’s like Princess Diaries, but with a much harder edge and a paranormal slant.

In good news that’s not about me, it’s only 13 more hours until new episodes of Futurama premiere on Comedy Central! I’m so excited!

Interview with Imogen Rose – author of Portal

June 23rd, 2010 by Amanda Hocking

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Imogen Rose is the author of Portal, a sci-fi romance with time travel. It’s been on the list of top 50 best rated, best selling books on Kindle, and I’ve read it myself, so I know its awesome.

Here’s the description (borrowed from Amazon):

“Come Find Me Two Years Ago…

Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension.

She suddenly found herself in the past. In one moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates. Apparently it’s a life she’s always lived in.

Everyone knows her as Arizona Darley, but she isn’t. She is Arizona Stevens.

As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible. .

PORTAL is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley’s attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children. Arizona’s quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed.“

1.Can you tell me about a little bit about yourself and your writing?

I am very new to writing, to fiction anyway. I’m a scientist by profession, I have a PhD in Immunology and worked in London for many years (doing aneurysm research). So, I do have scientific publications behind me, but this was my first attempt at fiction. I am a dreamer, have been from a very young age. I always remember my dreams as I wake up. I decided to write this particular one down.

2.What inspired you to write Portal?

PORTAL was inspired by one of my dreams. I decided, on a whim, to write it down and my youngest daughter read it and asked, “What happens next?” That’s what spurred me on to complete the story and keep writing. My daughter kept reading everything the printer produced and was so enthusiastic that I kept going… and a novel emerged.

3. I love the line “Come Find Me Two Years Ago.” You had me hooked from there. How did you come up with it?

Now, that’s a very personal story to be shared over champagne and chocolates one day….

4.If you picked a soundtrack for your book, what songs would be on it?

This is really hard! Coming up with a soundtrack will take me longer than writing the book. After all, each track has to reflect the emotion of the scene. However, here are some suggestions from the tracks that inspired and fuelled me while I was writing the book.

To The Moon & Back (Savage Garden)

Bonfires (Blue Foundation)

Uprising (Muse)

This Time (Jonathan Rhys Meyers)

Erase (Mika)

Travel in Time (Kate Havnevik)

People are Strange (The Doors)

Heaven from Here (Robbie Williams)

Come As You Are (Nirvana)

4:AM Forever (Lostprophet)

Disenchanted Lullaby (Foo Fighters)

Pop Princess (The Click Five….. for Ella, obviously!)

5.What’s your favorite book you’ve read in the last year (other than yours, of course)?

I re-read PERFUME by Patrick Suskind, love this book!

6. Vampires or zombies?

Vampires!

7.When you’re not writing, how do you spend your free time?

Shopping, reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends.

8. When you were a kid, what monster scared you most?

The one under my bed….

9. Do you have anything upcoming you’d like readers to know about?

I have just finished writing EQUILIBRIUM, which is Book Two of the Portal Chronicles. It’s with my editor at the moment. I have started writing Book Three, QUANTUM, which may be ready by Christmas. I am also trying to get a children’s book together, based on a story I made up for my own kids (about three elves). I am also working to get the Hermès LookBook Two out by Christmas.

Be sure to check out her wesbite, imogenrose.com, and buy her book from Amazon.com! It’s only $1.99 on Kindle!

My Blood Approves Book Trailer

June 20th, 2010 by Amanda Hocking

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So I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t a firm believer in book trailers. Especially after I saw the one for Richelle Mead’s Spirit Bound. I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted one for myself.

Then Ronnell Porter offered to do a book trailer for me, and after seeing the amazing job he did for his own book The Undying, I had to check it out. What he came up with for My Blood Approves is just fantastic. It’s turned me around completely, and now I’m a big fan of the book trailer.

So, check it out: