Amy Plum's Blog, page 28

Plummy Updates – the one with the new language deal

I got some BIG news lately, which is that the DIE FOR ME trilogy has yet another language. (It is presently translated into English, German, French, Norwegian, Turkish, Bulgarian, and Russian.) And the bigness of this is the fact that it is a market I’ve really wanted to have – not only is YA HUGE there, but readers from this country have been writing me for over a year asking when the books would be translated into their language. So…that news to come as soon as I sign my contract. All this to say…I’m so pleased.

Books-a-Million chose DIE FOR ME as one of their Most Popular Teen Reads, and are offering it on sale here.

The Summer YA Scavenger Hunt will be starting soon. And so many of you asked me to write a Jules POV for it that…I caved. Check back here August 1 for your first (and perhaps last) view ever inside the oh-so-yummy revenant’s head.

I have a couple of new events in my calendar, including Kansas City and Vegas (baby!) in 2013. Check them here.

And since I promised you photos with each post, here are a couple from my trip to Ireland. I took my kids to see the Street Performance World Championship in Dublin, which featured amazing shows like:

AJ James, who is balancing on a barrel while a little girl from the crowd throws knives at him.

...and even more amazing, after he convinced two big hairy dads from the audience to take their shirts off and wrap him in chains. (which he then escaped from)

And finally, I’m starting work on the copyedits to IF I SHOULD DIE, which is the last step (that I’m involved in) in the editing process. After this, the book is out of my hands…and in 10 months in YOUR hands! (Hurray!)

Plummy Updates

I got some BIG news lately, which is that the DIE FOR ME trilogy has yet another language. (It is presently translated into English, German, French, Norwegian, Turkish, Bulgarian, and Russian.) And the bigness of this is the fact that it is a market I’ve really wanted to have – not only is YA HUGE there, but readers from this country have been writing me for over a year asking when the books would be translated into their language. So…that news to come as soon as I sign my contract. All this to say…I’m so pleased.

Books-a-Million chose DIE FOR ME as one of their Most Popular Teen Reads, and are offering it on sale here.

The Summer YA Scavenger Hunt will be starting soon. And so many of you asked me to write a Jules POV for it that…I caved. Check back here August 1 for your first (and perhaps last) view ever inside the oh-so-yummy revenant’s head.

I have a couple of new events in my calendar, including Kansas City and Vegas (baby!) in 2013. Check them here.

And since I promised you photos with each post, here are a couple from my trip to Ireland. I took my kids to see the Street Performance World Championship in Dublin, which featured amazing shows like:

AJ James, who is balancing on a barrel while a little girl from the crowd throws knives at him.

...and even more amazing, after he convinced two big hairy dads from the audience to take their shirts off and wrap him in chains. (which he then escaped from)

And finally, I’m starting work on the copyedits to IF I SHOULD DIE, which is the last step (that I’m involved in) in the editing process. After this, the book is out of my hands…and in 10 months in YOUR hands! (Hurray!)

Pit-Stop in Ireland

I just finished an idyllic week’s holiday in Dublin, staying with my artist friend Mags, and managed to fit in a quickie stop for an informal signing at Eason O’Connell Street. (Thanks to Eason’s Sheena and Hachette’s Siobhan Tierney for organizing.)

One of my favorite things is meeting people I’ve talked to on Twitter and FB in REAL LIFE. And amongst my readers who joined me at Eason were a couple of fans who have been super-supportive of the DIE FOR ME trilogy.

So here’s a big thanks to all who turned out, especially Nadine and Marina!

Marina and me at Eason (photo @punkdiva)

Nadine and me at Eason (photo @ratedrechelon)

And now, after drinking gallons of tea and eating kilos of scones, it’s back to Paris!

Plummy Updates – the one with the boat party

A few tidbits to catch you up on DIE FOR ME trilogy goings-on!

For my Irish friends: I will be doing an informal signing at Eason O’Connell Street on Wed. July 25 from 3-4pm. Stop by to say “hi” and get your books signed!

Next, I gave Yara of Once Upon a Twilight an exclusive Vincent POV piece that I wrote just before starting on UNTIL I DIE. It’s part of her 50 Shades of YA Boys contest. I also included a secret about Vincent that NOBODY KNOWS…and which won’t be addressed in Book 3. So be sure to take a look!

Also, catch my mini-interview with Kristi Belcamino, a mystery writer who has the same agent as me! (Hurray for Stacey Glick!)

I am once again participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt (taking place in August). Check out the details and teams here!

And because a blog post without photos is a sad sad thing, I’m going to start giving you pictures from my new life in Paris now that I’ve moved from the French countryside and am living here full-time. (If you follow me on Twitter, you already get regular Paris photos.)

From a party I went to last night on a boat on the Seine (they are called “les péniches“) parked right across from Notre Dame:

All of the boys had tragically hip beards, and I tried SO HARD to get you a photo of this guy’s outfit: shorts and a double-breasted suit jacket with shiny buttons.

I am totally putting this outfit on a character in my next book.

Here’s me being amused by all of the beards and hipness.

A shot of the inside of the boat…and most importantly…

the platter of macarons. And let me tell you…the pistachio flavored ones were DIVINE. I hope you enjoyed joining me at that little boat party on the Seine. More Paris events and photos to come. But first…

*runs for airport* *jumps on plane* *flies to Ireland*

Plummy Updates

A few tidbits to catch you up on DIE FOR ME trilogy goings-on!

For my Irish friends: I will be doing an informal signing at Eason O’Connell Street on Wed. July 25 from 3-4pm. Stop by to say “hi” and get your books signed!

Next, I gave Yara of Once Upon a Twilight an exclusive Vincent POV piece that I wrote just before starting on UNTIL I DIE. It’s part of her 50 Shades of YA Boys contest. I also included a secret about Vincent that NOBODY KNOWS…and which won’t be addressed in Book 3. So be sure to take a look!

Also, catch my mini-interview with Kristi Belcamino, a mystery writer who has the same agent as me! (Hurray for Stacey Glick!)

I am once again participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt (taking place in August). Check out the details and teams here!

And because a blog post without photos is a sad sad thing, I’m going to start giving you pictures from my new life in Paris now that I’ve moved from the French countryside and am living here full-time. (If you follow me on Twitter, you already get regular Paris photos.)

From a party I went to last night on a boat on the Seine (they are called “les péniches“) parked right across from Notre Dame:

All of the boys had tragically hip beards, and I tried SO HARD to get you a photo of this guy’s outfit: shorts and a double-breasted suit jacket with shiny buttons.

I am totally putting this outfit on a character in my next book.

Here’s me being amused by all of the beards and hipness.

A shot of the inside of the boat…and most importantly…

the platter of macarons. And let me tell you…the pistachio flavored ones were DIVINE. I hope you enjoyed joining me at that little boat party on the Seine. More Paris events and photos to come. But first…

*runs for airport* *jumps on plane* *flies to Ireland*

Writing week in Trouville

What would you do if you sent in the final draft of your third book and had a few weeks before getting a copy-edited version back for changes?

[Hint: Your kids are with your ex and you have a whole week free. Your vacation isn't until later in the summer, and you miss writing because it's been awhile. But you need some inspiration.]

If I were you, I would phone up a writer friend and ask if you could hang out at his beach house where you could write all day, take walks on the beach, and then meet up with his friends and eat in restaurants at night. Does that sound like a good plan to you?

It did to me. So I phoned up my friend Nicolas, who is a French screenwriter with several fabulous TV series and films under his belt, and asked if I could hang with him at his house in Trouville, which is a beach town in Normandy, just a stone’s throw (if you are an Olympic shot-putter…okay, if you are Ironman) across the channel from England.

Because he is a total sweetheart he said yes, and here we are two nights ago after sampling the catch of the day in a seaside restaurant.

Me and Nicolas

And here is one reason that I knew that his house would be inspiration. (I’ve stayed here a few times before.) You look out his window and you see this:

You walk down onto the beach and see this:

You step out onto the balcony and get a natural blow-dry.

On my friend Nicolas's balcony in Trouville

You go out to eat, meet new friends, tell them your story, and they do that new friend thing where they shine a whole new light on your situation and help you see things in a way you couldn’t see before. (Nothing like a good kick in the butt of reality when you’re in a slump like this.)

[No new friend photo - they like their privacy. But one is a writer and the other is just plain old lovely.]

You feel like your life has turned a corner. You’re starting from scratch. You walk along the boardwalk and see this:

And you pass houses like this:

And you go back and write a few thousand words of a new book because your brain is refreshed and you are letting go of things that have been weighing you down.

With the mix of beauty and fresh thoughts, how could you be in this place and not be inspired? Go ahead. I dare you.

Featuring French YA Author, Georgia Caldera

Now that I’m getting to know more authors here in France, I thought I’d feature one from time to time. And the first person I want to tell you about is Georgia Caldera.

Georgia was sitting on the other end of the signing table from Rachel Caine and me during the Welcome to Mystic Falls 2 conference, and both she and her vampire novel, Les Larmes Rouges (translation: “Red Tears”), looked so interesting I had to go over and introduce myself.

She had some illustrations from her book tacked up behind her and I commented on how amazing the artwork was. Turns out she did them too. So she’s not only a writer but also an artist. No, of course I’m not jealous.

*Amy draws stick figure* *is inordinately proud, and tapes it to the fridge*

Ahem, where was I? Oh yes…author AND artist…

Georgia’s book was so thick that with my slow-going French reading I was worried it would take me all year to read it, but when I saw that she had created an “Artbook” to go with it, I jumped at the chance to own some of Georgia’s work. And she, very sweetly, bought my book in return.

I took the book home and devoured both its images and the great quotes from the book that she chose to go with each one. And then, when I was at my reading at l’Antre Monde a couple of weeks ago, someone mentioned her and said that she had won the Prix Merlin – a French literary prize awarded for works of fantasy and supernatural.

So…if you read French, be sure to check out Georgia’s prize-winning vampire novel Les Larmes Rouges. And even if you don’t you must take a look at her Les Larmes Rouges Artbook, which is illustrated with gorgeous images like this:

Both can be purchased on her editor Editions du Chat Noir’s site.

Oh, and she had her picture taken with Ian too.

Check out Georgia’s blog and her book site, and have fun acquainting yourself with a prize-winning French YA author (and artist).

And a huge congratulations to Georgia for winning the Merlin Prize!!!

Turkish DIE FOR ME

Check out this Turkish ad for DIE FOR ME. Google translates it as “Before there were vampires, there were zombies. And now they’re back.”

LOVE IT!

And extra-love Larger-Than-Life Turkish Kate:

The thing is…I think it would look so much better in real life. *plans trip to Turkey* *I wish!*

Plummy Updates

I know that my presence on FB and Twitter have been spotty lately. But let me tell you what’s been going on!

I had an awesome Paris event at WH Smith with Claire Merle, author of THE GLIMPSE. (Thanks to all for showing up and being so enthusiastic!)

and then I had an event at the oh-so-cool Goth Parisian bookstore, l’Antre Monde (very suitably located next to Pere Lachaise cemetery):

Signing at l'Antre Monde (photo: auboudoirecarlate)

Hard at work signing books (I love my job!) (photo: auboudoirecarlate)

(For blogger accounts of that event see Au Boudoir Ecarlate & Love of Book).

During that signing, someone asked if I would be doing other Paris events, and I responded that actually, yes, I was trying to set up an event for several YA authors in Paris in September. I was begged to reveal the names, but refrained since 1. the event wasn’t 100% confirmed with my chosen location (Virgin Megastore) and 2. I had promised Francoise the scoop (since she’s the one who answers all of my YA France questions, like…”If I were going to plan a multi-author event in Paris, where would it be?”).

Then Yael, the most amazing bookstore employee EVER, showed up, said that she would ENSURE that the event happened at Virgin…and at 11pm THAT NIGHT, she sent me an email saying it was a done deal. (I suspect she called her boss at home. She will evermore be my superhero.)

I leaked the news to Francesca the next day, and within 45 minutes, this had shown up on AuBoudoirEcarlate’s blog:

Blogger-created ad for September's event. (by the oh-so-talented AuBoudoirEcarlate)

So the cat was out of the bag almost as quickly as I jammed it in there, and I wrote my three author friends who I had been plotting with for weeks to say, “Oh, guess what. We’ve got our event at Virgin. And all of Paris knows about it.” Luckily, they are all three very laid back and did not come over to personally strangle me.

So…that’s another thing I’ve been doing: planning a 1-week “workshop” in September with Josphine Angelini, Tara Hudson, and Anna Carey, in which we hang out and write in the French countryside for a few days and then venture to Paris for this mega-event (and maybe a bit of shopping).

I’ve been working on the extras for the UNTIL I DIE paperback, and believe you me, you WANT THOSE EXTRAS. As in Vincent POV kind of wanting them.

I have been planning my trip to the Edinburgh Book Festival, and got so excited about all of the amazing authors there are to see, that I tacked another week onto my visit and am now going for the 2nd and 4th weeks of August! (And might actually get to see my True Love, but will not reveal his identity until I hear I have successfully procured a ticket.) Yes, if you are there, you may buy me a pint. Although I already have a pub date with Suzanne Winnacker, I’m sure I can fit you in.

I’ve also been busy with my move to Paris, where I am now living full-time. I was reminded last week, after hearing of the death of one of my idols, Nora Ephron, of what she said about moving to New York:

“I’d spent those sixteen years imagining what New York was going to be like. I thought it was going to be the most exciting, magical, fraught-with-possibility place that you could ever live in…” “…a place where I’d be surrounded by people I was dying to be with. And I turned out to be right.”

I totally agree with her about New York. But I have a similar view of Paris. I mean, how can’t you love it when your dentist not only BELIEVES IN CLEANING TEETH (*cough* French countryside *cough*), but has published two chic-lit books and, while scheduling your next appointment, invites you to a literary evening? I left his office with sparkly clean teeth and a date with a bunch of French writers. Only in Paris, non?

Signum Numa

Yesterday’s CONTEST MONDAY piggybacked on my last post about the signum bardia. Based on the reasoning behind my symbolism and design of the sign of the “good guys”, I asked participants to tell me what they felt the sign of the bad guys would look like: a signum numa.

And I got so many amazing answers (just take a look in the comments here).

This was a VERY hard contest to judge. All of your ideas were great. A few were RIGHT ON.

What I ended up doing is choosing a few runners-up who really understood what a numa was and had interesting proposals for their signum. Those people will receive a signed paper UNTIL I DIE bookmark. They are (including the number of the comment): 5. Dominique Goodall, 17. Maggie, 23. Shelby von Wahl, 33. Dalitza Morales.

Kari James gets “best writing” – holy cow, girl. Your description was beautiful! You get an Eiffel Tower bookmark.

And for totally understanding the numa and proposing a signum that looked great when I attempted to draw it, the grand prize winners are Natalie Parker and Chrisoula Popaioannou. You both get an Eiffel Tower bookmark as well as signed paper DIE FOR ME and UNTIL I DIE bookmarks.

Here are the two winning entries, which I can actually imagine being COMBINED to make an awesome signum numa. (Maybe next week’s contest will be who can best draw it!)

Natalie Parker

Signum Numa, the twin of the Bardia:

A round disc the size of a dollar, of grey metal. The outer edge depicts a continuous serpent biting it’s own tail, with scale detail. In the top centre of the disk is a smooth Black triangle stone. This triangle forms an upper part of the letter ‘A’ with a deep groove lines at the triangles border reaching to the outer edges of the disc.

The bottom of the coin between the lines of the bottom part of the ‘A’ is fire.

“A” the Anarchy sign for demonic forces and suicide.

The colour black is used for death and mourning. Black is associated with the underworld and evil.

The Triangle and the fire element is the same reference as the Bardia of the three days of dormancy, and the descruction of Revenants.

The Grey round disk to represent the roman shield, where Numa are linked.

The serpent biting its own tail represents eternity and the cycles or “circle of life” the re-birth and in the Bible it usually represents sin, temptation, destruction, and Satan.

The circle – Infinity.

This is representing the cycle of life and Death – Revenants – the Numa.

Chrisoula Papaioannou

The signum numa should definitely be on a gold chain (gold representing supreme power). What I imagined it would look like: A gold snake biting its tail to form a ring a symbol of eternity. Its eyes would be red rubies (for blood),from the ring of the snake to the center would be a beautiful spider web. The web representing how they (the numa) deceive their victims by their beauty. Right in the center of the web would be a black diamond which stands for death!

WOW! I kind of want one of those!

All winners – send me your mailing address by email! And thanks to EVERYONE for participating!