It's No Zombie, It's My Blog

*cue eerie B-movie music*

From the depths of the Blog Graveyard, a bloodcurdling chest rattle drifts through the binary fog.  Your hair stands on end.  You know what's coming, the walking dead.  You should run, but you're curious.  What will emerge from the fog?

...my blog!  And it's ALIVE!!!


So, thanks for sticking around! :)

Things have been flowing along here in Amanda-land.  In the essence of time, I'll give you a bulleted list:

• I've finished my first novel, DROWNING.  It's a story of two twins, Elly and Samantha, who are separated when Sam finds a gate into another world - a world on the brink of civil war.  Elly embarks on a quest to find her sister, but to do so she needs to decide which side of the conflict to trust.
• I've also begun my second novel, THE TIME BETWEEN.  That premise is secret for now. ;)
• Stay tuned in the coming weeks for some awesome giveaways!  Okay, at least one awesome giveaway.  I have some super awesome swag from the SCBWI Western Washington conference that I'd love to share with you all!
• Which brings me to my next point - I spent last weekend at the Western Washington conference and learned a great deal!  Some highlights: Holly Black says the best way to plot is to talk about it out loud!  Is she crazy?  I don't think so!  Liz Waniewski says strong characters make a story.  To build strong characters, don't just ask about their flaws and virtues/ likes and dislikes, but remember to ask WHY.  Writer/Illustrator Dave Santat had a really moving keynote speech to kick off the second day, in which he said, "Life is a series of baby steps" and the more you do it, the better you get.  Justin Chanda said now is a great time to be a debut YA novelist.  And Joe Monti, Tina Wexler, and Justin Chanda all gave great insight into the "back end" of publishing.  What happens after that query is sent out into the world?  Too much to discuss here in my bulleted list! :)
• Finally, the other big news I've had since my last entry (WAYYY back in January), is that I am engaged and will be getting married in August!

On that note, I'm off to read some more Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.  Halfway through, I can't recommend this book enough!

*stretches zombie-blog arms* "Ah, it's good to be back!"

AMC