Guest Post from Author Amanda Brice

Author Amanda Brice has stopped by to talk to everyone about…well, keep reading to find out!

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I’m here today to warn you that the owner of this blog must die.

No, I’m not an unbalanced author upset about a bad review and taking out a hit on a book blogger. (Although wouldn’t that make for a great plot? Or at least a fabulous interwebz viral trainwreck…I can just picture the Twitter pile-on now.)

Actually Jen asked me to kill her off. Fictionally, that is.

Last month I participated in the annual Brenda Novak Auction to raise money for diabetes research. Among my offerings was an opportunity to name the murder victim in my third book, PAS DE DEATH, which should be out this winter. I billed it as an opportunity to get back at someone by “killing them off in a book.”

I didn’t expect the auction’s winner to ask me to use her own name. And even some fun facts about her. But hey, who am I to judge? ;)

So, yeah, sadly – for all her readers who have come to enjoy her take on books and witty insight -- Jen is going to die. This winter. Sooner than that, actually, since I’ll have written the book long before it’s released. Sorry about that.

OK, fine, she’s not really going to die. But her murder is going to be solved by Dani Spevak, the heroine in my YA mystery series.

I love writing this series. It’s exactly the type of book I would’ve wanted to read when I was a teen. Dancing and mystery – what could be better?

In fact, I love writing the Dani Spevak Mystery Series so much that I even wrote a between-the-books short story called “Barre Hopping at Midnight” that’s included in the FREE anthology, Eternal Spring along with stories from twelve other awesome YA authors. Yes, you read that right…I said “free.”

As in, zero dinero. Gratis. El cheapo. Completely and absolutely free. Well, as an e-book that is. Unfortunately, production costs make it impossible for us to offer the print version for free, but the digital version is available as a $0 download from Amazon, Kobo, Diesel, and Smashwords. We expect it to be on Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Sony soon.

Here’s a teaser:

Flowers, vacation, baseball, prom...what does spring mean to you? From unicorn hunters and teenage exorcists to Egyptian princesses and aspiring ballerinas, this collection of thirteen stories by some of the most exciting authors in Young Adult fiction explores young love and new beginnings during the most beautiful time of the year.

"Camp Cauldron" by Juli Alexander
Forced to spend Spring Break as a counselor at a camp for troublesome young witches instead of drooling over hotties at the beach, Emma relinquishes her hopes for romance. Could the perfect guy be waiting in the midst of poison ivy, s'mores, elephant trunks, and kangaroo feet?

"Barre Hopping at Midnight" by Amanda Brice
How can aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak concentrate on performing at a spring arts festival when her not-quite-boyfriend is in town filming the lead in a hot new vampire movie and he was seen kissing his costar?

"The Vanishing Spring" by Carey Corp
More than a century earlier, Eleanor Quimby tumbled into the water to escape an arranged marriage and disappeared. But was that the tragic end or a brave new beginning?

"The Princess of Egypt Must Die" by Stephanie Dray
A lonely Princess of Egypt is tempted by a forbidden love and forced to make a heartbreaking choice that will upend a kingdom and change her forever.

"Spring Perfection" by Leslie DuBois
Star athlete Scott Kincaid is about to make history and pitch a perfect game. But when he realizes that true perfection lies in the relationship he has with his best friend, Reyna, will he risk everything in order to keep a promise to her?

"Picture Not Perfect" by Lois Lavrisa
Seventeen-year old Tim wants to go to senior prom. Why doesn't his girlfriend Gabrielle want to go with him? Is she not who she says she is?

"Potionate Love" by P.R. Mason
Math geek, Tina, has found a way to get the popular jock, Ronny, to fall for her: a love potion. It'll work unless her best friend Nathan gets in the way.

"1:30, Tour Eiffel" by Jennifer McAndrews
A kiss in the dark will ruin Spring Break and lifelong friendships unless Rachel Healey can prove she is a pawn in someone else's game.

"Off Balance" by Renee Pace
Jennifer's secret is big, but she loves Charlie enough to know ending their teenage relationship will set him free and enable him to join the Army. When Charlie discovers the truth, it's up to him to convince Jen their young love was meant to be.

"On a Field, Sable" by Diana Peterfreund
After the shocking events of Ascendant, what awaits the unicorn hunter Melissende Holtz on the mountaintop where she watched her comrades fall?

"The Language of Flowers" by Rhonda Stapleton
Chrissy, a clerk at her aunt's flower shop, starts getting her own romantic surprises -- flowers with a special secret meaning. Can she bury her longstanding unrequited crush on her best friend's brother to take a chance on mysterious love?

"Dating After Dark (With Clowns)" by Tawny Stokes
All teenage exorcist Caden Butcher wants is a demon-free night to take his new girl to the spring fair. Is that too much to ask for?

"Sometime" by Alicia Street
Sixteen-year-old mythology buff Terry Conn finally gets the after-school museum job she wanted so badly, but who knew those ancient dragon figures would dredge up images of a past she only half-remembered? Or that drool-worthy Jerrod Pierce would be part of it?

Collectively, the thirteen authors in Eternal Spring have published over 90 books, and have received or have been nominated for several prestigious awards, including the RITA, the Golden Heart, the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, the Jasmine, the Maggie, PASIC's Book of Your Heart contest, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the Cybil Award for Best Young Adult Fiction, the EPIC e-book Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age list.

With stories ranging to urban fantasy to contemporary to historical, there’s literally something for everyone in here. And the stories’ lengths make them perfect for enjoying in between dips in the pool.

My own story, “Barre Hopping at Midnight” takes place chronologically between Book 2 (POINTE OF NO RETURN, which just released yesterday!) and Book 3 (PAS DE DEATH, the one for which Jen bought naming rights). But it actually stands alone and can be read in any order.

There are a few other stories in the book that connect to the author’s novels, such as Diana Peterfreund’s killer unicorn tale, Tawny Stokes’ teen exorcist, Renee Pace’s nitty gritty contemporary, and Juli Alexander’s teen witches. But all the stories are fun, whether stand-alone or a prequel.

So check it out! Because Jen’s days are numbered. ;)  j/k

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After writing her first manuscript (which she now realizes was blatant Nancy Drew fanfic) at the ripe old age of nine, Amanda Brice took a nearly twenty-year hiatus before returning to the craft. She is a two-time finalist for the Golden Heart award, and is president of Washington Romance Writers. An attorney by day, Amanda is also a popular speaker on the writing conference circuit with her copyright law workshops. Barnes & Noble called her second novel, Pointe of No Return, a “compelling read from an author you need to know.” For more information, please visit www.amandabrice.net.

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Thank you, Amanda, for the awesome post! I have to admit, I busted up laughing when I started reading it! I hadn’t expected you to out me and my dirty little secret ;) but now that it’s out in the open I guess I should start saying my goodbyes **sad sniffles**. I’ll miss all of my fantastic readers; you’ve all been so good to me. Haha, just kidding, you can’t get rid of me that easily ;)