Amber Lehman's Blog - Posts Tagged "amber-lehman"
Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards 2010!
I am OVERJOYED right now! Why, you may ask? Because I just found out today that my first novel, TORN is a Finalist in this year's Bisexual Fiction category of the Lambda Literary Awards! To have come this far is a huge milestone for me. I never thought I’d see my book standing beside the other great novels in their category. But it is— and now I can’t believe it! I first became aware of the Lambda Literary Awards after reading Joe Babcock’s, “The Tragedy of Miss Geneva Flowers.” Ever since then I have looked toward the “Lammy” Awards for guidance on what is the next hot book. The winner of this year’s contest has yet to be announced—which will be sometime in May—but I already feel like I’ve won by just coming this far. To be selected as a finalist exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be happier! To check out all the finalists, simply click here: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/... Cheers! :)
Finalists in the 22nd Annual Lambda (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) Literary Awards Announced Including New Author of TORN, Amber Lehman
A subject that was once taboo – the curiosity teens experience when discovering sexuality – is now being recognized in the novel “TORN” by first time author, Amber Lehman. Lehman is a finalist in the Bisexual Fiction category of the Lambda Literary Awards.
The Lambda Literary Awards is the most prestigious organization to recognize literature in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered) community. This is the first year that there were enough entries to divide the Bisexual category into two separate groups: Bisexual Fiction and Bisexual Non-Fiction.
Lehman’s novel TORN is about a 14-year old girl who transfers from a Catholic all girls’ school in Ohio, to a public school in California. In her new environment and with new friends, her values will be thoroughly tested. TORN has received many positive reviews. The Midwest Book Review gave it 5 stars and had this to say about it: . . . "TORN" is an intriguing coming of age story that many teenagers will relate to."
Lehman says "I’m just happy that all of the contestants and finalists entered the competition this year. I think it’s very important for the bisexual voice in literature to be heard. I think that people are finally starting to listen. I couldn’t have been more shocked or elated that TORN was named a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards. It’s a true honor."
Lehman, along with 4 other contestants, was chosen as a finalist. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards Thursday, May 27th at the School of Visual Arts Theater in New York. A complete listing of finalists and details can be found at the Lambda Literary website.
To learn more about Lehman or order your own copy of the novel TORN visit http://www.ClosetCasePress.com. TORN is also available on Amazon.com and http://www.BarnesandNoble.com.
Closet Case Press is a publishing company founded by Amber Lehman and is dedicated to providing literature for the young adult, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning community. The website provides links to helpful sites for Young Adults who are trying to reach out to others or need help. http://www.ClosetCasePress.com
The Lambda Literary Awards is the most prestigious organization to recognize literature in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered) community. This is the first year that there were enough entries to divide the Bisexual category into two separate groups: Bisexual Fiction and Bisexual Non-Fiction.
Lehman’s novel TORN is about a 14-year old girl who transfers from a Catholic all girls’ school in Ohio, to a public school in California. In her new environment and with new friends, her values will be thoroughly tested. TORN has received many positive reviews. The Midwest Book Review gave it 5 stars and had this to say about it: . . . "TORN" is an intriguing coming of age story that many teenagers will relate to."
Lehman says "I’m just happy that all of the contestants and finalists entered the competition this year. I think it’s very important for the bisexual voice in literature to be heard. I think that people are finally starting to listen. I couldn’t have been more shocked or elated that TORN was named a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards. It’s a true honor."
Lehman, along with 4 other contestants, was chosen as a finalist. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards Thursday, May 27th at the School of Visual Arts Theater in New York. A complete listing of finalists and details can be found at the Lambda Literary website.
To learn more about Lehman or order your own copy of the novel TORN visit http://www.ClosetCasePress.com. TORN is also available on Amazon.com and http://www.BarnesandNoble.com.
Closet Case Press is a publishing company founded by Amber Lehman and is dedicated to providing literature for the young adult, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning community. The website provides links to helpful sites for Young Adults who are trying to reach out to others or need help. http://www.ClosetCasePress.com
Amber Lehman's, TORN named the Winner in the GLBT category of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!
Hey Everyone! Well I’m really excited to share some news with you that I just learned of today. My book TORN was named the Winner in the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) category of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards! I’m pretty excited. I mean, I’ve never won anything outright before, so this is a surprise. A very pleasant surprise. I was notified by email and the results won’t be posted on their site for another few weeks, but I was just so happy that I had to tell you ahead of time. You’ll be able to see all of the 2010 winners and finalists in a few weeks by going to this link: http://www.IndieBookAwards.com. Thank you to everyone who has gotten behind me and helped me by supporting my writing. You are helping me turn my dreams into realities. TORN, it seems, has gained exposure mostly by “word of mouth,” and I have you to thank for that. Thank you to every reader out there. And thank you also to the readers who take their extra time and effort to write a review for TORN. Even to those of you who didn’t care for it. To me, every opinion counts and holds its own merit. I am very grateful to all of you. So thank you all, again . . . and let’s see what TORN has in store for us next!
Here are some little known facts about my approach to writing and my quirks:
1. I can't read any books--not anything while I'm writing because I'm afraid I'll pick up the last author's voice I've read.
2. I'm an insomniac and write best between midnight and 4 am.
3. When I have an emotional scene in a book I'll often listen to music repeatedly. For instance, when writing the love scene in TORN I had Mandy Moore's "17" playing in the background for two straight days--even though the lyrics have nothing in common with the scene, the tune moved me emotionally.
4. I print everything I write. I never use handwriting.
5. I carry a pencil and paper with me EVERYWHERE I go when I'm in the middle of a book--even to the movie theater or a restaurant. I'll scribble notes in the dark if I have to and then decode them later.
6. I have to write everything out in pencil first (I never use pens) before I type the text into the computer.
7. I write in Hello Kitty notebooks.
8. My writing is usually character driven, meaning when a character starts talking to me I write out that scene--I have no idea at the time of where or if it will actually appear in the book. Hence cutting back my novel TORN from 1100 pages to 404!
9. I have a friend who is my first reader and everything--each scene or chapter--passes through him first for approval or changes.
10. I mostly write in bed.
11. I keep my computer printed writing drafts in schoolbook binders with numbered tabs separating chapters.
12. I never have an outline; the story just comes together in pieces.
13. I prefer to have a lot of scented candles on when I write. I'm probably Partylite's biggest customer!
Amber :)
2. I'm an insomniac and write best between midnight and 4 am.
3. When I have an emotional scene in a book I'll often listen to music repeatedly. For instance, when writing the love scene in TORN I had Mandy Moore's "17" playing in the background for two straight days--even though the lyrics have nothing in common with the scene, the tune moved me emotionally.
4. I print everything I write. I never use handwriting.
5. I carry a pencil and paper with me EVERYWHERE I go when I'm in the middle of a book--even to the movie theater or a restaurant. I'll scribble notes in the dark if I have to and then decode them later.
6. I have to write everything out in pencil first (I never use pens) before I type the text into the computer.
7. I write in Hello Kitty notebooks.
8. My writing is usually character driven, meaning when a character starts talking to me I write out that scene--I have no idea at the time of where or if it will actually appear in the book. Hence cutting back my novel TORN from 1100 pages to 404!
9. I have a friend who is my first reader and everything--each scene or chapter--passes through him first for approval or changes.
10. I mostly write in bed.
11. I keep my computer printed writing drafts in schoolbook binders with numbered tabs separating chapters.
12. I never have an outline; the story just comes together in pieces.
13. I prefer to have a lot of scented candles on when I write. I'm probably Partylite's biggest customer!
Amber :)
Lesbian Summer Reading List for 2010
So . . . I decided to do a random search on the web on my book TORN. I wanted to see if all my efforts at being on the internet were paying off, and one pleasant surprise shocked me. TORN made the Lesbian Summer Reading List for 2010! TORN is one of only 10 books on the list. I couldn’t believe it because there is so much competition out there— as I’m sure you’re all very well aware. So to be included in this list really meant a lot to me. So slowly—very slowly—I guess my efforts are paying off. Just goes to show you that you never know what you’re going to find on the internet! If you’d like to see the other books on the list, you can find them at: http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbi... Happy summer reading!
Amber :)
Amber :)
Receiving my medal
Today was a good day. I went for a short walk along my neighborhood to my PO Box. When I got to the post office there was a padded manila envelope waiting inside for me. I opened it to find my winner’s check and medal from The Next Generation Indie Book Awards! The medal is so heavy I was surprised! I’ve posted a picture of it in my Facebook photo album if you’d like to see what it looks like. I was pretty happy. :)
You can find me on Facebook at: facebook.com/amberlehman73.
You can find me on Facebook at: facebook.com/amberlehman73.
The New Covey Trailer Awards!
Hey there, Everyone!
I just recently entered my book, TORN in the New Covey Trailer Awards. If you have a free moment please visit their site and check out all the new cool book trailers! The only downside is that if you don't have the latest version of Flash Player, you'll only be able to see half of the video screen, which is a real downer since you miss half of the video and many of the critical parts. I believe my video TORN is listed as #12. If you view mine and happen to like it, please vote for it! Your support is greatly appreciated! You can find their site at: http://thenewcoveytrailerawards.blogs... . Happy viewing!
Amber :)
I just recently entered my book, TORN in the New Covey Trailer Awards. If you have a free moment please visit their site and check out all the new cool book trailers! The only downside is that if you don't have the latest version of Flash Player, you'll only be able to see half of the video screen, which is a real downer since you miss half of the video and many of the critical parts. I believe my video TORN is listed as #12. If you view mine and happen to like it, please vote for it! Your support is greatly appreciated! You can find their site at: http://thenewcoveytrailerawards.blogs... . Happy viewing!
Amber :)
Latest Update! Come visit my site! :)
Hey there, everyone!
I apologize for not updating my blog as much as I'd like to, but I've been in the process of moving and it's taking much longer than I thought! I guess you never know just how much junk you have until you decide to move! Anyways, one of my first priorities is to locate my boxes labeled "writing" on them so I can get back to doing what I love the most. I WILL find those boxes! LOL. In the the meantime, I've been working on updating my site lately-subtle changes here and there . . . But there is one exciting thing that I have decided to change completely . . . And that is the price of my book, TORN, for all of you who would like to read it. I am even making my price considerably lower than Amazon's current price and offering free shipping to boot. Also, all book orders placed through my website: http://www.ClosetCasePress.com/buynow... will be autographed copies. I hope that this will make TORN more accessible to those of you who would like to read it. So right now TORN is being offered at the flat rate of $8.00-cheaper than you'll probably find it anywhere. If you'd like to get an idea of what my book is about, you can always view my video book trailer on my website or read the "Reviews" page there too. Both are fairly comprehensive. I hope you'll take this opportunity to step into the world of modern teenagers today! Wishing you all happy reading!
All my best,
Amber :)
I apologize for not updating my blog as much as I'd like to, but I've been in the process of moving and it's taking much longer than I thought! I guess you never know just how much junk you have until you decide to move! Anyways, one of my first priorities is to locate my boxes labeled "writing" on them so I can get back to doing what I love the most. I WILL find those boxes! LOL. In the the meantime, I've been working on updating my site lately-subtle changes here and there . . . But there is one exciting thing that I have decided to change completely . . . And that is the price of my book, TORN, for all of you who would like to read it. I am even making my price considerably lower than Amazon's current price and offering free shipping to boot. Also, all book orders placed through my website: http://www.ClosetCasePress.com/buynow... will be autographed copies. I hope that this will make TORN more accessible to those of you who would like to read it. So right now TORN is being offered at the flat rate of $8.00-cheaper than you'll probably find it anywhere. If you'd like to get an idea of what my book is about, you can always view my video book trailer on my website or read the "Reviews" page there too. Both are fairly comprehensive. I hope you'll take this opportunity to step into the world of modern teenagers today! Wishing you all happy reading!
All my best,
Amber :)
Oh, what to do?!
Well, the worst has probably happened now, and now I'll need to begin again. Not entirely-but pretty damn close. For 3 days now I have searched morning through night for the hard copy of my sequel to TORN and its outline and it is nowhere to be found. All of my corrections, changes and notes were on the hard copy and now it seems I'm SOL. I do have the first 12 chapters on my computer . . . But they haven't been updated, I don't have an outline saved, and well those remaining chapters are history if things don't show up. I thought I had been so careful packing all of my writing material before the move but apparently not. I really hope it makes a surprise appearance somewhere. It would solve so many problems. I don't know whether to keep looking or just move on. Anyone have any advise?
Amber :(
Amber :(
Author Interview
For those of you who are interested, I have a new video—an interview—posted on youtube about my young adult novel TORN. You can view it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STMQva... . Happy viewing!
Amber :)
Amber :)
