Heather Brewer's Blog, page 5

Calling All Writer Minions!

Minions, if you haven’t been to Figment and checked it out yet, you totally should. It’s a great site, and very much Auntie Heather approved (ooooh, I need a stamp for that). And right now, Figment and I are teaming up to host an amazing contest, just for you! Here are the details (copied and pasted from Figment’s site – you have to go there to enter):

At Figment, we adore a story with a good love triangle. Are you Team Jacob or Team Edward? Team Peeta or Team Gale? In Heather Brewer’s new novel, Soulbound, Kaya is caught up in her own love triangle. Should she choose good guy Trayton or bad boy Darius? Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just choosing the right date to the prom.

In the world of Tril, there are Barrons (warriors) and Healers (bound to Barrons and able to cure their wounds). Kaya is a Healer, but she longs to be able to fight and defend herself from danger on the battlefield. This makes her a bit of a rebel at Shadow Academy, the boarding school where she is sent to learn how to be a Healer and be bound to a Barron. It’s against school rules for Healers to learn to fight—but Kaya is determined. She asks both Darius and Trayton to train her in secret. Only one is willing to break the rules—and the consequences will change the lives of everyone involved.

Your writing challenge: In 1,200 words or less, write a story about a love triangle from the perspective of one the following:

1. Told from the perspective of one of the triangle members

2. Told from an outsider’s perspective

3. A three-part story told from each character’s perspective

How to Enter:

1. Read the full rules.

2. Create an account on Figment.com.

3. Start a new writing of 1,200 words or fewer.

4. Tag your writing with SoulboundContest on the Details tab.

5. Press “Publish Now.”

6. You should receive a pop-up confirmation of your entry, and in about two hours or so, your piece should appear among the submissions.

You have until Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 11:59p.m. ET to enter your story. Voting will run until Monday, July 16, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Heather Brewer, the author of Soulbound, will decide the winner.

First prize winner will receive a copy of Soulbound, First Kill, and an Advanced Reader Copy of Second Chance (which isn’t in stores until October!) all by Heather Brewer.

Second prize winner will receive a copy of Soulbound and Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer.

Third prize winner will receive a copy of Soulbound.

How cool is that? So get writing, get registered, and get entered. Because I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Welcome to Tril – Population: Us

So last night Main Street Books and Spencer Road Branch Library in St. Peters, MO held the most epic of all book birthday parties for my newest book, SOULBOUND. WOW! Can you say awesomesauce? It was a blast! Our crowd was about 200 people, and my family came out to support me. It was so much fun…and there was cake, which everyone was pretty excited about. I was too – mostly because SUGAR IS AWESOME.

I read from SOULBOUND, talked, and answered a zillion questions about everything from my books to the importance of honesty. And I did it all while dressed in a kick-butt vest I got on Etsy.

Then this happened:

I’m pretty sure I signed a bajillion books. No babies this time, though (although, one Minion was campaigning hardcore for me to sign her grandma…but alas, grandma wasn’t feelin’ it).

If you missed the party, for whatever reason, you can still get autographed copies of all of my books (SOULBOUND too!) from Main Street Books. All books can be personalized and Vicki Erwin is happy to take orders over the phone and on the website.

Also, if you haven’t liked The Legacy of Tril on Facebook, you should totally do so – AND be sure to take this excellent quiz to determine whether you’re a Barron, a Healer, an Unskilled, or a Graplar! I am apparently Unskilled. I really, really wanted to be a Graplar. *sad panda* (Or should I say *sad Graplar*?)

As for me, my main goal today is to try not to melt. It’ll be 94 here in St. Louis. Yeesh. Beyond that, there are a million emails waiting for me, and so, so much love for SOULBOUND already that it’s bound to be a good day. Thank you, Minions. Thank you for everything!

Auntie’s on Lockdown!

Unlike the Ghost Adventures crew, I won’t be facing pitch black rooms filled with spooky ghosties. I’ll be facing…THE MANUSCRIPT OF DOOM!

Wow, that sounds cool. It’s actually not of doom at all. See, Minions, your Auntie Heather is working very hard on the second book in The Legacy of Tril, and I want it to be just right. Therefore, I need a few days to polish it, to make it really shine before I send it back to my editor, Liz. AND YOU ARE ALL VERY SHINY. So I’m leaving you here (with fire extinguishers, just in case you spontaneously burst into flames) for a few days, so that I can put some extra focus on this manuscript.

But no worries! When I come back (on June 19th), SOULBOUND will have been released! If you’re anywhere near (or can get here) the St. Louis area, I’m hosting a pretty epic party that night. You should come! And if you can’t make it, then you’ll see me online a bunch after I get this book turned in. I’ve been thinking we might, in a week or so, have a lil spoilers-welcome chat about SOULBOUND.

Because you are very much going to want to chat about it. Just trust me on this one.

So…somebody pass out the lil skull blankies. Somebody else give each Minion a cookie and a warm mug of AB-. Because, Minions…

You’re in charge.

(And if you comment here…I’ll enter you to win an autographed copy of SOULBOUND. One entry per Minion!)

Changes: Are You Ready, Minions?

Life changes things, Minions. Every detail, every moment can just change in an instant, whether or not you are paying any attention at all. See, your Auntie Heather’s been thinking about that a lot lately. There are two major reasons for my blog absence, and both are very life-changing. One, I’ve been hard at work on the second Legacy of Tril book (Crazy, right? The first, SOULBOUND, doesn’t even come out until June 19th and here I am, writing the second already), and the second reason I’ve been so hush-hush is because of my son, Jacob.

Jacob is a senior in high school this year. Or rather, he was. He donned a polyester dress and cardboard hat on May 31st and walked across a stage to collect his diploma. He graduated. He changed. And my life changed with him.

I know that most of you are teens or tweens, so I’m sure it doesn’t seem all that huge or life-impacting to hear that my son graduated high school, but it really is. The truth is, Minions, your life really begins the moment that high school ends, and his is now beginning. It’s awesome. It’s amazing. It’s unbelievably cool. And it makes me sad. Because it’s his time now. And that will mean, at some point, him moving out and carrying on with his life – which is great, but I’m a weepy mom who can’t stop seeing him as a two-year-old, let alone paying his own rent. My life has changed with him…and that’s okay. Better than okay. So what’s with all the tears?

Parents (even when we are the most annoying people on the planet, and yes, even Auntie has donned the robes of Annoying Parent once or twice) really do generally want the best for their kids. But we are greedy. We are selfish. We want our children to stay young and sweet and innocent and home with us – at least I do. So to also want them to be independent and mature and responsible…well, we’re conflicted. I’m conflicted. But it’s okay. I’m entering a new phase. A new changing moment in my life.

As are all of you.

Minion Horde, we will always love The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. We will always love The Slayer Chronicles series. But it’s time for something new. And if you think that you won’t like The Legacy of Tril…if you hate that things are about to change or worry that your Auntie Heather is shifting to a more main stream approach to books, I urge you to pick up your (figurative, though I would not be surprised if you actually had one…I do) katana and march into battle with your Auntie Heather. We’ve got Graplars to kill. We’ve got rights to stand up for. We’ve got labels to rip away. We’ve got secrets to uncover. Your Auntie Heather is the same person as she’s always been. SOULBOUND is no froo-froo, skip through a field of daisies kinda book. It’s got blood. It’s got war. It’s got a string of fictional swear words.

But it needs you. I need you. So come June 19th, I want you to run to your nearest bookstore, sprint to your nearest library, and tell everybody on the planet that while life may change all around us, we dictate how it affects us. We stand up and shout to the heavens, “IT’S MY LIFE!” And we do it together. Because I’m Auntie Heather…and you’re my Minion Horde.

And we always will be.

So…who’s with me?

About that mini-contest…

So yeah. I’m REALLY bad at time management when I’m on deadline, Minions. Have you noticed? I know I said I’d post a winner on Friday, but then LIFE HAPPENED and here it is…Sunday. So…I’ll randomly pick two, and the winners can email me at heather@heatherbrewer.com with their mailing addresses. Darcey and Bloody Mary, you won!!!

Now. Onto other things. Your Auntie Heather is busy writing ALL THE WORDS, Minions. You know what that means, don’t you? It means YOU’RE IN CHARGE until I hit “The End”. *passes out fire extinguishers and Pop Rocks*

Make me proud.

So. There's this.

Excuse the crappy pic. But DUDE. I can has ARCs of SECOND CHANCE, the second installment in my second series, The Slayer Chronicles. And…I'm going to give one away now. Comment to enter. I'll choose a winner Friday.

So. There’s this.

Excuse the crappy pic. But DUDE. I can has ARCs of SECOND CHANCE, the second installment in my second series, The Slayer Chronicles. And…I’m going to give one away now. Comment to enter. I’ll choose a winner Friday.

Joss's Journey Continues!

So. Maybe you've read FIRST KILL, the first book in my vampire slayer series, The Slayer Chronicles. Maybe you liked it. Maybe it made you hunger for more vampire butt kicking action! Maybe you've been dying to know when the next book would be released. Well, Minions, your Auntie Heather has answers. And, perhaps even more awesome, she has the cover and title of book #2!!! Which she shall share with you….(wait for it)….NOW.

Yes, my Minion Horde. Book #2 of The Slayer Chronicles is SECOND CHANCE. And here's a bit about it:

The stakes are life or death

The summer after Joss failed to kill the vampire Vladimir Tod, he gets a second chance to prove himself as a Slayer. He is sent to New York City to hunt down a serial killer that the Slayer Society believes is a vampire. It is up to Joss to lead his Slayer team, and through their detective work, they discover that there are actually four vampire brothers who are on the killing rampage. Joss must use all his skill to save the innocent people of New York City from the murderers. Joss's status as a Slayer depends on it.

So…what do you think? I just love the cover. Joss is more confident now, and I love how the colors of TSC follow CoVT. I love this book! And I hope that you will too. You can now pre-order it at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon. GO GO GO!!!

Joss’s Journey Continues!

So. Maybe you’ve read FIRST KILL, the first book in my vampire slayer series, The Slayer Chronicles. Maybe you liked it. Maybe it made you hunger for more vampire butt kicking action! Maybe you’ve been dying to know when the next book would be released. Well, Minions, your Auntie Heather has answers. And, perhaps even more awesome, she has the cover and title of book #2!!! Which she shall share with you….(wait for it)….NOW.

Yes, my Minion Horde. Book #2 of The Slayer Chronicles is SECOND CHANCE. And here’s a bit about it:

The stakes are life or death

The summer after Joss failed to kill the vampire Vladimir Tod, he gets a second chance to prove himself as a Slayer. He is sent to New York City to hunt down a serial killer that the Slayer Society believes is a vampire. It is up to Joss to lead his Slayer team, and through their detective work, they discover that there are actually four vampire brothers who are on the killing rampage. Joss must use all his skill to save the innocent people of New York City from the murderers. Joss’s status as a Slayer depends on it.

So…what do you think? I just love the cover. Joss is more confident now, and I love how the colors of TSC follow CoVT. I love this book! And I hope that you will too. You can now pre-order it at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon. GO GO GO!!!

Business. We haves it.

Minions. We have business to attend to.

You see, Part A of our business is to congratulate Sandra on winning the ARC of SOULBOUND from my last blog! (Drop me an email at heather@heatherbrewer.com, Sandra!)

Part B…is for you to watch this (clean version of this song, for those with an aversion to so-called "naughty" words), because this is EXACTLY how I feel about you, Minions. Exactly.

Your Auntie Heather is offline for about a week, but remember – she loves you all very much.

And by the way…I LOVE that LLAMA TACO is doing so well in the most recent poll. You guys make me laugh so hard, I very nearly pee my pants.