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in which Auntie Heather stares blankly at her monitor, fumbling for something to say...
*blinks* So.... Here we are. On my blog. Only one problem. I can't think of anything to talk about, mostly because I'm leaving for Disney World this week. So...since you probably won't hear from me until after I return, I'll leave you with this. Back on the evening of the 18th! 
Fireworks & Spookiness
 HUZZAH! I love fireworks. Venture out at night to see a flame setting forth a series of colorful explosions, a shower of lovely destruction...what's not to love? So, of course, I'm happy to see Independence Day fast approaching. (Yay, fireworks!) And as such, I won't be blogging until next week at least. FYI. Something else. I've recently met a fangtastic new author who (heart)s Vlad and you all need to support him, as he is gonna rock the socks off of many a young Minion. Any Minion brothers and sisters like the spookies? This is for them! His name is Tommy Donbavand, and here's what Darren Shan, author of Demonata and Cirque du Freak, had to say of his SCREAM STREET series: "Lightning-paced, blood-curdling fun. I wish I'd been able to visit Scream Street as a kid!" So...give him some love, Minions. I'm off to write, and then to watch fiery explosions!!!
Hoodies -or- In Response to 50% of the Emails I Receive
I get it. You like the hoodie Vlad's wearing on the cover of EIGHTH GRADE BITES. Like it? Oh heck no! You LOVE it! You want to know where you can get one for your very own. And you will stop at nothing until you have one. Only, there's a problem. See, Auntie Heather only has two hoodies left. That's right. TWO. As in "one, two, buckle my shoe". TWO. And one goes to this contest. The other I'll be giving away at Borders in Fairview Heights, IL at the BREAKING DAWN midnight release party, along with many t-shirts (as featured on the cover of NINTH GRADE SLAYS). So what's a Minion to do?? Well, first, you enter the Sugarloot contest. It's easy. It's free. And you promote the heck outta your entry, because you could win all sorts of cool stuff, INCLUDING A HOODIE. Second, you get your butt to Borders in Fairview Heights, IL the evening of August 1st and grab a raffle ticket from Paul (don't worry--I'll point you in his general direction). It's free to enter. And there will be a ton of fun, free stuff going on. And you know you want to grab a copy of BREAKING DAWN anyway... Third...well, third is where it gets a bit complicated. You have a choice. You either A) Let it go, and realize that you and Vlad's hoodie are not meant to be. -or- B) You become a patient individual and wait for Auntie Heather to announce that the new, zip-up hoodies are in stock (they AREN'T...but they will be soon). Your choice. I'd go with B. And stop asking me where you can get a hoodie. Okay, you can ask, but I'm pointing you to this blog entry. OOOH! Wait! There's another option! Option C: you can make your own. And send Auntie Heather cool pics of it! I like that option too. So does Vlad. :)=
Have a Drink on Me (and Vlad)
 Go on, take a sip. It's good stuff. A Positive. Vlad says it's nice. Vlad says a lot of things, in fact. He's been telling me all about what faces him his junior year of high school (writing ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS now) and, of course, most of you know that he shared his experiences in tenth grade with me a while ago (TENTH GRADE BLEEDS has been written and is waiting for copy edits). But what you don't know is what happens in TGB. So...I've decided to give you a sneak peek at the first chapter. CALM DOWN a second!! Don't get your fangs all tangled (Is that even possible? well, I suppose if they grew in wrong...). This will just be between you and I. I'm not posting it anywhere else on the website, and it has yet to be copy edited, so it's riddled with errors that I don't want to hear about. But...I thought it might be fun to share. SPOILER WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ NINTH GRADE SLAYS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SKIP THIS SNEAK-PEEK! Without further ado, the first chapter of the third book in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: CHAPTER ONE: ENTER IGNATIUS Ignatius drew the curved blade along the whetstone slowly, the gritty sound filling his ears. It had to be sharp, sharp enough to slice into bone if necessary. He didn't expect to kill the halfling boy, only to damage him, break him, before dragging his nearly-lifeless body before the Council, as he'd been hired to do. But if the boy gave him any trouble at all, Ignatius would take his bloody pleasures slowly, so that the boy felt every bruise, every cut. He almost hoped the boy would fight back, give him an excuse to torture him. After all, he had it coming. His very existence was an abomination. Small sparks flew from the blade and at last, Ignatius pulled metal from stone. He ran his thumb along the steel, splitting his pale skin open. Blood--rich, red--dripped from the cut before it healed closed again. He was hungry. It was always better to hunt when he was hungry. He hadn't eaten in months, in eager anticipation of that insatiable need pushing him through the capture, and perhaps, the kill. The Council had been clear: "Bring us Vladimir Tod and your reward will be immeasurable." They never mentioned in what condition to bring him, had only barely stressed that he should be living. Little did they know, Ignatius didn't require payment. Causing the boy's suffering--and perhaps even his death, he thought with a pleasant shiver--would be reward enough. The boy who would be Pravus. The thought enraged Ignatius further and he returned his blade to the whetstone, working it slowly, smoothing the edge into a razor. Soon. Once the final paperwork was signed, his hunt would begin. And Vladimir Tod would be made to suffer.
Poll Results - or - Why Do You Hate Meredith So Much, Anyway?
Okay, so not all of you hate Meredith, but it did give me pause to see that so many of you do. It's cool, though--I don't really have an opinion of Meredith just yet. And now...the results of my "What do you think of Meredith?" poll: 66 of you voted. 6.1% (4 votes) had no idea who Meredith was (which means you either haven't read my books--SHAME ON YOU!!!--or you felt Meredith comes off as a distant stranger. 10.6% (7 votes) thought Vlad should dump Meredith (which means you either dislike her, feel she's ill-matched with Vlad, or you'd rather it were YOU who were dating him...). 13.6% (9 votes) loathe Meredith with every fiber of your being. (Seriously, is it the pink obsession? Cuz that's totally not my fault...) 24.2% (16 votes) think that Meredith is the perfect girl for Vlad. and 45.5% (30 votes) think that Meredith is okay...just okay, nothing special. So...what this tells me is that I need to spend more time with Meredith, getting to know her as a character. I won't tell you what will happen between she and Vlad, or if anything will actually happen at all. But I will tell you that I absolutely appreciate your honesty as I charge forth with this manuscript. Fangs so much, Minions! :)=
The Many Woes of High School
 Sorry I haven't been blogging much, Minions. Vlad and I have been having a good, long talk about his junior year (TENTH GRADE BLEEDS has already been written and accepted by my editor, so I'm currently writing ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS). In short...it sucks. Not the story, but everything Vlad is facing. And here I thought 10th grade was bad... What kills me is that I can share none of it with you, because anything I want to babble about will give away secrets that I'm not ready for you to know just yet....y'know? So bear with your Auntie Heather. I'm working hard not to disappoint you. That being said, I've come to a point where I need input from my Minions. So, without further ado, a poll:
Ooooooh....Shiny!
I've been stalking my grocery store magazine aisle for days now, waiting to catch a glimpse of the July 2008 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine. Why? Because I knew there would be an ad inside for Vlad...and for the cool new Vlad contest at Sugarloot. And then yesterday...  WHAMMO! KAPOW! KA-CHA! There it was. My ad! Or rather, Vlad's. (Thank you, Penguin! You rock in all of your Penguin-y goodness!) Cool, huh? I thought so. So...that's my good news for the day. What's up with my Minions? Are we enjoying summer break?
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What People Are Saying About 'Eighth Grade Bites'
"A spooky mystery that's funny, gruesome, heartwarming, spellbinding,
sad, joyous, surprising and topped off with a tasty blend of blood and
chocolate. Yum. What more could you ask for?" ~D.J. MacHale,
New York Times-bestselling author of PENDRAGON: JOURNAL OF AN ADVENTURE
THROUGH TIME AND SPACE
"'Eighth grade Bites' had me on the edge of my seat. It's a
great piece of fiction. It drops you right into the action, grabs
you by the throat (pun intended), and won't let go. Vladimir Tod
is a truly sympathetic character cursed with an existence not of
his own doing, but doing his best to do the right thing. It's part
'Goosebumps' mixed with 'Harry Potter' and a dash – no, a heaping
tablespoon – of Stephen King. If you're in eighth grade, or
a vampire, or an eighth grade vampire, 'Eighth Grade Bites' is a
definite must read!"~Butch Hartman, creator of Nickelodeon's
THE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS and DANNY PHANTOM
"Eighth Grade Bites is a terrific vampire tale told with a
sharp, middle-school grin. It definitely does not bite!" ~Christopher
Moore, author of BLOODSUCKING FIENDS and A DIRTY JOB
"Eighth Grade Bites is a delightful novel filled with dark,
biting humor that will appeal to everyone who ever felt they were
different. A deft hand at depicting the angst of teen years, Heather
Brewer does a wonderful job blending vampire legend with the modern
day horror that strikes fear in the heart of so many: the eighth
grade."~Katie MacAlister, New York Times-bestselling author
of EVEN VAMPIRES GET THE BLUES
"Heather Brewer has invented the most endearing of vampires
in Vlad, an eighth grader juggling the woes of adolescence with the
decidedly unique difficulties of being a vampire. She perfectly captures
the humor and angst of eighth grade, mixed with a nail-biting adventure.
Utterly charming and irresistible!" ~Liza Conrad, author of
HIGH SCHOOL BITES: THE LUCY CHRONICLES
"This book will fool you. Just when you think you've identified
it as a story lit by the cheery glow of a slightly scary jack-o-lantern,
it becomes something else -- a tale told by the flickering light
of a dying campfire late at night. And the shadows are very dark
indeed. A surprising mix of humor and horror." ~Douglas
Rees, author of VAMPIRE HIGH
"Fresh and fast-paced, with just the right brew of chills and
laughs. I’m looking forward to finding out what happens when
Vlad hits Grade Nine." ~Nancy Baker, author of KISS OF THE
VAMPIRE
"A fabulous book from a gifted storyteller! I never wanted
it to end." ~Gena Showalter, author of OH MY GOTH |
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