Tokyo Vampire Cafe

I thought you guys might enjoy this! When I was in Tokyo this past summer, I was able to go to an actual vampire cafe!!! It was sooo cool - I had to take a bunch of photos!! Here they are, along with the story of my visit!

If you guys are interested, I can post more photos and stuff from Japan too! Just let me know!! It was an amazing trip and I hope you all can go visit too someday!

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MY TRIP TO THE TOKYO VAMPIRE CAFE

Being a vampire lover, when I found out there was an actual vampire cafe in Tokyo, I realized had to go!! The problem was, it wasn't a touristy place and so it was a bit difficult to make the visit happen. First, I had to have our Ryoken host (A ryoken is like a Japanese bed and breakfast) make the reservation for me as all of the website was in kanji. Luckily, they had a prix fixe meal plan so we didn't have to choose what we wanted to eat. Then there was getting there. It was in the Ginza section of town, but there was no English directions on how to get there by subway. No street address either! (The way they address places here is really confusing and it seems the whole city has no idea how to get anywhere.) My friend and I decided to take a cab and even the cab driver, after a long discussion with our Ryoken host, still had a hard time finding it. Oh and it was pouring rain, to make matters worse!

But we finally made it! We went up the escalator and entered Dracula's chamber. It was really cool inside - all black and crimson. They sat you down in a private booth and pulled red velvet curtains closed to seal you in. Then they'd bring you the courses -- almost all of them had some kind of vampire theme. (A lot were shellfish, which I can't eat, but there was enough other stuff that I didn't starve.) The waiters were all dressed as gothic butlers and the waitresses as French maids. It was a LONG dinner - over 2 hours long for all the courses.

Anyway, a few pictures below! More if you click one of them and go to Flickr.




















Liz eating pasta with chopsticks!


Dracula Dessert!! :)


Me holding up the Japanese version of Boys that Bite!

~~
So there you have it! A real life vampire cafe! What do you think??? Would you go visit if you were in Tokyo?

MARI

BAD BLOOD

I should be getting my edits for BAD BLOOD by Monday from my editor at Berkley But in the meantime, she sent me the back cover copy for the book! Check it out and let me know what you think!!! :)

BAD BLOOD

Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend Magnus is a vampire, and the leader of the Blood Coven. Their differences have never been an issue, until now…

When the Blood Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny’s humanity puts her out of the running. The Coven’s chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, a magna cum laude graduate of Oxford University who just happens to look like a vampiric celebutard.

Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes Scholar who can’t answer the most basic poly-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention—where Magnus and Jane’s bonding ceremony will be the main event—Sunny and her sister Rayne secretly tag along. And Sunny’s not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas—especially bad blood…

Zombie Giveaway Winner!

I had Random.org pick our winner and it is BROOKLYN GREEN! Congrats girl! And thanks for everyone who left comments. I hope the rest of you will pick up Amanda's book anyway -- trust me, you won't be sorry! :)

Brooklyn - can you email me (mari@marimancusi.com) your address so we can get you your autographed book?

I'll be having more guest authors soon - so everyone check back often for more chances to win!

xoxo
MARI

The Zombies are Coming!!! Enter and WIN!!!

Today I have a special treat for you. An interview with author Amanda Ashby who's book "Zombie Queen of Newbury High" has just hit store shelves. I was able to score an advanced copy of the book when I attended Comic Con in NYC about a month ago so I got to read it early! And let me tell you - it's super funny. If you like the humor in my books, you'll love this!






I asked Amanda to stop by and do an interview with me. (Well, virtually stop by - she lives half a world away from me in New Zealand!) Here it is, for your reading pleasure. AND BONUS!!! She's giving away a SIGNED COPY of her ZOMBIE QUEEN to one lucky commenter!!! So read the interview and then leave a comment! I'll announce the winner tomorrow!!


For those who haven't read it, tell us a little bit about Zombie Queen of Newbury High.

ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEWBURY HIGH is the story of what happens when Mia Everett tries to do a love spell to stop herself from getting dumped just days before prom. Unfortunately, instead of doing a love spell, she accidentally turns her entire senior year into zombies. Seriously, it could’ve happened to anyone. Then she has to work with zombie hunter hottie, Chase Miller to try and find a cure before she becomes first course on the zombies new flesh-only diet.

What inspired you to write this book?

Honestly, it all started out as a bit of a joke because there is something so inherently funny about the word zombie and it always makes me laugh. However, the more I joked about zombies, the more I realized it would be fun to actually write about them and so I sat down my horror movie addicted husband and we brainstormed out an idea. And can I just add, that this in itself is a marvel since my husband normally hates brainstorming with me and apart from the zombies, the only other time he has been remotely interested was when I asked him what would be the best way to blow up the world (a subject on which he knew just a little bit too much information for my liking!!!!

Who's your favorite character in the book and why?

Oooh, tough question. I love my heroine Mia because I can totally relate to her. She’s just a normal girl who gets herself into a totally ridiculous situation and is then forced to try and fix it. However, I also love Mia’s best friend Candice who was so over the top and outrageous that every time she spoke I laughed! And the other thing I really liked was that despite their differences Mia and Candice are really good friends who would do anything for each other and I really like that!


Zombies are sooo hot right now! What do you think is the appeal of these braindead creatures?

I know! It’s so funny because when I first wrote this book I’d never even seen another zombie book and suddenly (and completely by accident) I seem to have stumbled onto ‘the new black’ sort of thing! As for their appeal, from a horror point of view I think zombies are pretty scary because while they might not think much, they’re hard to stop, they’re always hungry and they seem to multiple at an alarming rate, so it’s a bit like being caught in a never ending nightmare.


Do you have a favorite zombie book or movie?

Shaun of the Dead is hands down my favorite zombie movie, closely followed by Fido and then 28 Days Later. Also, after careful consultation it has been decided that Serenity can count as a zombie movie so that needs to be in my list because of the whole ‘Nathan Fillion is gorgeous’ thing!!!!

As for books, I love Mark Henry’s Amanda Feral books. Stacey Jay’s You Are So Undead to Me is hilarious (and has such a great cover). I also really, really love SG Browne’s Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament and next up on my zombie reading list is Carrie Ryan’s Forest of Hands and Teeth, which I just know is going to be amazing!

Your heroine is a big Buffy fan? Are you, as well? If so, what's your favorite episode? And gotta ask - Spike or Angel?

Hahaha – yes, in one of those strange co-incidences I am a big Buffy fan! Actually when I first wrote the book I just had Mia being a TV addict but my editor wanted me to be a bit more specific and suggested I have her watch something like Buffy. Er, okay, if she insisted!!!!! As for my favorite episode, that’s so hard to decide. I’d probably have to go with the end of season two where Buffy has to kill Angel. It is just the perfect moment of tragedy that it never fails to get me.

As for the big Spike/Angel question, I’m Angel all the way and my David Boreanaz obsession has been well documented. Actually Marta Acosta over at Vampire Wire even made up a lovely Naked David Boreanaz club for me, which I think was very kind of her!!!!!

Are you watching Joss Whedon's new show, Dollhouse? If so, what do you think about it?

Can you hear that wailing noise? That’s me because Dollhouse hasn’t been released yet in New Zealand, which makes me very, very sad! However, hopefully we’ll get it soon or else I’ll be buying the boxed set just as soon as I can.

Okay, back to you and your books! You started out writing women's fiction with "You Had Me at Halo". Why did you make the switch to teen books? Which do you think is more fun to write?

Strangely enough YOU HAD ME AT HALO started life as a young adult book! That’s what my agent signed me on and that’s how she submitted it, but the publisher who ended up buying it wanted me to turn it into women’s fiction by making the heroine 22 instead of 16 and adding 30,000 words. Of course all I heard was the bit about them wanting to buy it and so I did the revisions!

Then while I was waiting for Halo to come out, I decided to write another young adult book just because I had so much the first time around – and this time we actually sold it as a ya which was even better!

I do like doing women’s fiction as well but I honestly think my voice and my ideas are more suited for the young adult market. Plus, it’s where I really love being. I’ve always watched a lot of teen television/movies and most of the books I read are young adult as well so it just feels like a good fit (plus gives me the perfect excuse to watch Gossip Girls and call it research!!!)

You live in New Zealand, but your books are published in America. How does that all work?

It definitely has some drawbacks not living in the same country as where my books are published. For instance I can never just say, ‘oh, I’m going to have lunch with my editor/agent today’, which is what every author dreams of doing!!!! Also, it means I can’t do any physical promotion like book signings or stalking people into buying my books (oh, hang on, apparently that sort of thing is frowned upon over there, so perhaps it’s a good thing I’m over here!!).

Apart from that though it’s all been quite easy. I’ve long learnt to operate on New York time not New Zealand time and since most things are done via email it hasn’t really been a problem. Though, actually the other tough thing is learning to ‘write American’. There are a lot of spelling and grammatical differences that I’ve had to learn. For instance we say ‘mum’ not ‘mom’ and you guys like the letter Z where as we prefer S and we also use a lot more Us as well (organize/organise and labor/labour).

Lots of my readers are hoping to become authors themselves someday. What advice would you give them?

The single best advice I can give you is to remember that you’re telling a story. It’s so easy to get caught up in worrying how to sell your book, or what font you should use (or what you should wear to the Oscars when your book is naturally turned into an award winning movie). But you need to forget about that stuff (well maybe not the Oscar dress, because let’s face it, it never hurts to be organized) and concentrate on creating a story that is so compelling that an editor has stayed up all night just to find out what happens. Of course figuring out how to do that isn’t always easy, but the more you remember your job is to tell a story, the easier that will become.

What's up next for you?

My next young adult book is about a girl who goes to an elite slaying school and wants to follow in her dead mom’s footsteps by becoming a dragon slayer. Instead she gets stuck chasing after four-inch fairies. Not exactly the stuff high destiny is made of! But soon she starts seeing a different kind of fairy – of the killer variety. Unfortunately, due to her earlier complaining (think girl who cried wolf but worse) no one believes her and she is forced to fight the killer fairy on her own while trying to figure out how it figures into her own mom’s death.

Meg Cabot!

Are any of you Meg Cabot fans? I, myself, adore her books and was psyched when I had a chance to interview her for my television show a while back. She was super nice in person -- warm, personable, and fun! Totally didn't have any of that "big time author" snobbery AT ALL. She even told he she would go home and read Gamer Girl! :) (Of course, she may have just been being nice - but still!!!)

Anyway, I had to hold the TV segment until her new book, "Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #3 - Best Friends and Drama Queens" was released. But now it's airing tomorrow on the Better TV show (where I work) and so I'm allowed to show you the clip! I'm not in it, of course, since I'm a producer and thus behind-the-scenes (I prefer it that way!) but I'm the one who asked her the questions and wrote the script. (That is my real life beyond writing books, lol.)

Check it out! And let me know what your favorite Meg Cabot book is! I just recently read AIRHEAD and loved it! There's a sequel - BEING NIKKI - that's out in May and I can't wait to get it!!





MARI

Blood Coven Vampire NEW COVERS!!!!!

They're here! And I can finally show them to you! These are the new covers for my Blood Coven Vampire series!! The three originals AND the new cover for BAD BLOOD. They are a LOT different than the former covers.

Let me know what you think!!!! Which is your favorite???

Awesome homemade book trailer

One of Heather Brewer's minions--er, fans--made this book trailer for her book "8th Grade Bites"! Much awesomeness!!!

So when do I get a book video from MY readers? Hmmmmm....??? :) Maybe I should do a contest. Would you guys make me a book video if I offered a super fabulous prize??

Anyway, check out the video. Oh and check out Heather's Vlad Todd series, too. Cause it bites. In a good way, of course!! :)





MARI

Teachers who blog

I came across this awesome review of Gamer Girl in a blog written by a teacher named Mr. Lang. Now I don't know who he is or where he teaches, but I love the fact that he has a blog for his students! From what I can tell, he gives book reviews and homework assignments to his students on it. How awesome is that? He also seems pretty straight-forward and honest about his opinions. Definitely seems like a Mrs. Reilly type teacher, don't you think? I bet she would be the type to have a blog, too!

Do any of your teachers have a blog? I have no idea if this is a common thing or not. Back in my day we didn't even have the Internet, lol. (Can you imagine?!)

Anyway, not that he'll probably read this, but I am totally psyched he reviewed (and liked!) Gamer Girl! :)

MARI

Fields of Fantasy

Hi guys,

I get a lot of you guys asking if Fields of Fantasy is a real videogame. Unfortunately, it's not - I made it up for the book. (Though it should be!! I'd totally play it if it was!!)

However, that doesn't mean there aren't other games like it! The games are called Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games. Or MMORPGs for short. The one I modeled Fields of Fantasy after is called World of Warcraft. In World of Warcraft you can actually have elf characters very similar to Allora.







Some people even cosplay these elves at fantasy/sci-fi conventions. Isn't she pretty? (I don't know her, I just pulled her picture off the internet.)






One difference though between World of Warcraft and Fields of Fantasy is these "blood elves" as they are called are part of the Horde faction. Human characters are on the Alliance team. So a human (like Sir Leo) and an elf (like Allora) would never be able to play together in World of Warcraft. They'd be sworn enemies!

But I couldn't have that for my book!! So I changed the rules for my own game. That's the good thing about making up a game!

And yes, I was a World of Warcraft gamer girl myself!! And my character's name was Allora! But she was actually a human warrior, not a blood elf mage. :) I had to give up WoW last year though - as it was taking up too much time that I should have been devoting to writing!!

Marianne


UPDATE TO ADD: (9/23/15)

Since I get  a lot of traffic on this particular post of people wondering about Gamer Girl and Fields of Fantasy and whether Fields of Fantasy is a real game or if Gamer Girl will get a sequel, I wanted to add some information about a new book I have out - that will definitely appeal to those of you who loved Gamer Girl and love RPG video games like Fields of Fantasy. It's called THE CAMELOT CODE. And while the hero and the heroine of this book don't play Fields of Fantasy, they are also big gamers and do play a similar game called Camelot's Honor.

Here's the description of the book!

All fourteen year old Sophie Sawyer wants to do is defeat Morgan Le Fay in her favorite Arthurian videogame. She has no idea the secret code sent via text message is actually a magical spell that will send her back in time to meet up with a real life King Arthur instead. 

Of course Arthur's not king yet--he hasn't pulled the sword from the stone--and he has no idea of his illustrious destiny. And when a twist of fate sends him forward in time--to modern day high school--history is suddenly in jeopardy. Even more so when Arthur Googles himself and realizes what lies in store for him if he returns to his own time--and decides he'd rather try out for the football team instead. 

Now Sophie and her best friend Stuart find themselves in a race against time--forced to use their 21st century wits to keep history on track, battle a real-life version of their favorite videogame villain, and get the once and future king back where he belongs. Or the world, as they know it, may no longer exist.

To purchase The Camelot Code:
Amazon Kindle

Paperback (From Amazon)

Nook

Paperback (from B&N)

Kobo

iBooks

Just Read: Vampire Academy

I know, I know. This book has been out forever and there's already two sequels. I'm slow, okay? I mean BUSY. I'm busy writing books and have no time to read them!!





Anyway, if you are just as slow as me and haven't yet enrolled in Vampire Academy yourself, the time is now, my friends. Great book, kick butt heroine, interesting twist/take on vampire mythology, and lots of action--both the fighting kind and the romance kind. And...I have to say, the character Christian is one hot vamp. I liked him more than the guy the narrator's interested in, Dimitri, to tell you the truth. Which probably says something about me - liking the rebelious emo boy over the tough, older alpha guy. But whatevs.

I'm actually going to be on a panel in April down in Orlando with the book's author, Richelle Mead. So if any of you are fans and have questions you want me to ask her, let me know!

In the meantime, while you're waiting for Book #4, check out Vampire Academy. :)

MARI

My Kitty is Emo

Just something to make you laugh!!





:)
MARI

Vampire Knight Manga

I love this manga series. So cool they've done an anime of it! Now they just need to dub it into English! :)

Boys that Bite for $4.00?? Gurls that Growl for $2.99?? Yes!!!

I just noticed that Amazon is having a sale on BOYS THAT BITE and GIRLS THAT GROWL. Probably to get rid of all the OLD VERSIONS before the brand spanking new versions hit this fall! So if you're curious about the series or have only read a library version - go get yourself to Amazon and place an order! (Or have your parents do it.) Remember, they're changing the covers of these books very, very soon and so these old versions are going to be the collector's items! :)

Amazon Boys that Bite for $4.00

Amazon Girls that Growl - $2.99

Yay, cheap books!!!
MARI

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Today's my birthday! It's also the day I'm turning in the manuscript of BAD BLOOD to my editor!! Wonder what she's going to think of it!!! I can't wait to find out. :)

In celebration, here are a few virtual gothy/vampire cakes I found on the internet that seem somewhat appropriate! Which is your favorite??

A (not so) brief history in Videogaming!

Since writing GAMER GIRL, I've had a lot of you writing to me and asking me if I play videogames. The answer is a resounding YES! I love games. In fact, I consider myself quite the Gamer Girl myself!

It all started when I was about six years old. My friend got an ATARI 2600. One of the very first home videogame systems ever. Here's what it looked like:





The cartridges had exciting pictures on them - like this one, ADVENTURE, one of the very original RPG videogames.





But the graphics left something to be desired...





Then my parents bought a personal home computer!! How novel. No one I knew had an actual computer in their home!! It was an Apple IIe and looked like this:





Now there were some games on the Apple IIe, but mostly they were rip-off games from arcade favorites. Like this one, Canyon Climber, which is basically a Donkey Kong rip.





So instead, I started getting into what were called "Text Adventure Games." They were created by a company called Infocom and the first one was a game called Zork.





These games had NO graphics. They were almost like reading a story with you as the main character. You'd get a line of description and then a cursor, where you had to type in what you wanted to do next.

Here's a screenshot from ZORK II. (The series eventually spawned lots of sequels and a bunch of other text adventure games.) As you can see, the description is in upper/lower case and the player's commands are in uppercase.





It probably doesn't look all that compelling, but trust me, it is!! You have to solve these crazy complex puzzles to move forward in the game and there was no Internet back them to look up cheats! I played these types of games for hours and hours at a time. LOVED THEM!

Back then they cost $50 a pop. Now you can play them free online. I highly suggest you try one - even if just for a minute or two. You'll be learning an important part of videogame history - where games became stories you needed your brain for as well as just programs of skill.

As I grew older, games became more sophisticated and graphics got better. One of my favorite games in that next generation, was a little known game called BELOW THE ROOT. It was based on a children's book by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

The graphics, for the time, were awesome! And the storyline was dark and disturbing and creepy. It's futuristic distopian society kind of story...very Scott Westerfeld'esque.





Graphics eventually got better and by the time I was out of college, there was a puzzle game called MYST, with brilliant landscapes. It was sort of ZORK, if ZORK were made of pictures instead of text. Very challenging to solve the puzzles, but the word was so vivid - it was completely addicting.







Quite a difference in graphics, huh? Of course that's about 10 years in game development. Can't list EVERY game I played here - just the memorable ones.

After a time period where those types of games were all in vogue, the US released an anime-like game series that was huge in Japan. FINAL FANTASY.

My favorite Final Fantasy game was #8. (I know, most people like #7 the best!)Here's the opening trailer. So dynamic! And I just fell in love with the characters as I played.





Final Fantasy is an RPG, but it's single player. Later I started getting into multi-player RPGs like Dungeon Seige and even massive multi-player online RPGS - like Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft!





I was COMPLETELY addicted to World of Warcraft for about two and a half years. Played all the time, had two level 70 characters (which was the highest you could go before the latest expansion.) I loved the game and met many friends online.

But in the end, I realized I needed to concentrate on other things - the game is a total time suck! - and I needed to get my books written and turned in! So I gave up the game. I still have my characters and play occasionally, but nothing like what I once did.

Now I play mostly console games. Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout 3, House of the Dead, Dance Dance Revolution - those kinds of games. They've sure come a long way from that first RPG on the Atari, that's for sure! But the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the end, you want the same things now as you did way back then - good game play and a good story!

And that's a brief history of me, as Gamer Girl!

:)
MARI

Contest Winners

You guys rock! Thanks so much for re-posting the video!!!

Kaitlyn, posting on my MySpace blog, wins the grand prize for what she did to spread the word. Here it is, in her words:

I made flyers and put them up all over my street. (I have a VERY big neighborhood with a lot of kids and teens) I handed out a few flyers at school (only the leftovers) I put a flyer on 3 bulletin boards at my school. (Cafeteria and 6th and 8th grade hallways) i had my mom take a flyer and put one up on the bulletin board at the store. I posted a blog on my MySpace and I made a bulletin. (Oh, by the way, all of these, flyers included, have the link to the YouTube video. and some info about you and the books.) I used the YouTube video as my current event in social studies so all of the people in my class saw it, (and I know a bunch of people wrote down the video link) I emailed my library the link. I FORCED my 4 best friends go buy boys that bite and they are all hopefully reading it as we speak. I both emailed my school library and spoke with the librarian in person and told her watch the video, and post it on our school library site (we'll see if she does...she doesn’t like me very much) haha. I told all of my little sisters friends. Ummm, I think that’s it

That's quite a bit, Kaitlyn!! I'm impressed.

The rest of you - well, I can't choose - you're all awesome. So email me with your addresses (mari@marimancusi.com) and I'll send you all some kind of prize in the mail!

xoxo
MARI

Blood Coven New Covers!

OMG you guys! I got a sneak peek of the Blood Coven Vampire covers - the new ones they're making for the re-release - and they are SOOOO AWESOME! I cannot WAIT to show you!! You are going to die!!!

But sadly, I have to. Wait, that is. My editor said I can't show them til they're finalized. (And they're fixing one of them right now.) Boo!!!! But rest assured, you will LOVE THEM! They're so different than the originals - more dark and moody and sexy. Wait til you see!!! ARgh! I can't believe I can't show them yet!!

Okay I've teased you enough for today! :) Stay tuned!!!!!!

xoxo
MARI

Sk8er Boy Re-Released!

Ooh - I'm excited!! My very first teen book - SK8ER BOY - has just been re-released from the publisher. This book was out of print - completely unavailable!!! -- until now!







The book is a romance about a popular girl named Dawn who rebels from her strict parents and meets a skateboarder from the wrong side of the tracks and falls in love. They start dating - but secretly! Cause if her parents find out, they will so not approve!

You guys want to read it? Then there's a couple things you can do. First - easiest - you can get it online. Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.

OR you can get it at a bookstore - but they may not have it in stock cause it's an old book. Sooo - just go to the information desk and say you want to order it. They'll get it in within a few days and you don't have to pay until it arrives. This is a great thing to do because it lets bookstores know they should be stocking this book!

I'm so excited you guys will finally have the chance to read this book - I really love it and was so sad to see it go out of print! So check it out and let me know what you think!!

MARI

Vamped!

Hey guys!

My fellow teen vampire author Lucienne Diver is recruiting members for her street team to promote her upcoming book VAMPED. If you sign up to help her spread the word about her new series you can win free stuff!





Here's the link. Even if you don't get on the team, you should definitely pick up the book when it's released in May. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy (Yes, being an author has some perks!) and it's so much fun!!! After all, I know you all like funny vampire books, right?!?! ^_^

Don't believe me? Oh fine - here's a sample chapter to check out! :)

hugs!
MARI

New Contest!!

As I mentioned before, my friend/fellow YA author, Melissa Walker and I were recently featured in a segment airing on Better TV. You can find it on YouTube and on my MySpace homepage. Melissa's running a contest to help spread the word and get some video views, so I decided to do the same! (I've cross-posted this on MySpace as well.)

The rules are simple: You re-post the video on your blog or MySpace or Facebook or send the link to all your friends or local librarian - just get people to watch it! Then comment below and let me know wht you did. I will pick four winners from all the entries to send special prize packs to them.

The person who does the most gets an autographed copy of ANYof my books - your choice! - along with a tube of glitter lipgloss and a BITE ME pin. Three runner ups will get autographed bookmark, BITE ME pin, and a lipgloss (which may or may not be glitter - depending on what I have in my stash, lol.)

The great thing about this is not only winning, but spreading the word about the books! We want as many Blood Coven and Gamer Girl fans out there as possible so the publishers will keep letting me write the books you want to read!!

Here's the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so1e7XgCJ1I





Marianne

What are you reading?

Hey guys,

A lot of you ask about the secrets of becoming a writer and one of them is really simple - to read! The best writers are all readers first. By reading you get a sense of plot, sentence structure, character development, developing romance, interjecting humor, etc. etc. When you read a book, think about WHY it works. WHY you like it.

So what have you read recently that you really liked and why?

MARI

Frequently Asked Questions!

Will there be a 4th book in the Blood Coven Vampires series?

YES! It’s called Bad Blood and it will be out in January 2010. Before that, the publisher will be repackaging and re-releasing the first three books in the series with new covers. A great chance to introduce the series to new people! When we get closer to the date – I’ll be hosting contests for you to help me spread the word!

For German readers, the 4th book will be out in August or September. Yes, you get it early!

What will Bad Blood be about?

I can’t share ALL the details, but I can tell you that it will take place in Las Vegas and be from Sunny’s point of view, continuing on from where Girls that Growl left off. She and Magnus are close as can be – until the Blood Coven appoints a new girl to become his new blood mate. Sunny’s furious – and then worried – when she realizes the new blood mate may not be who she pretends to be!

Why don’t you make this series into a movie or a TV show?

I’d love to, but this isn’t up to me! First a producer will have to option the rights for the book. So if you know of any interested producers – send them my way!  The movie/tv rights are available and ready to be sold.

I loved how Gamer Girl featured manga and videogames. Are you a fan, too?

Yes! I love manga and anime and am an active girl gamer. My favorite series is Vampire Knight (surprise, right?) and .hack//sign. I also love the Dramacon manga – so cute! For videogames, I love World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy on the computer. At my house we have every console, too. Xbox360, Playstation 3, and Wii. Love Metal Gear Solid, SingStar, Dance Dance Revolution, Fallout 3, and House of the Dead.

Will there be a sequel to Gamer Girl?

We don’t know yet. It depends how well part one does in stores. So be sure to spread the word to all your friends if you liked it! I’m willing to write it if they want me to. Seems like Maddy’s adventures should continue!

I’m writing a book, too! Can you help me?

While I’d love to help everyone, obviously you can imagine I get a ton of requests and I need to concentrate mostly on writing my own books! That said, if you have a specific question, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer. However, for legal reasons my agent says I can’t read any of your specific writing.

I’ve drawn a picture/made a YouTube video based on your books.

Awesome! Email it to me. I’d love to see it. I love your creativity!!! Makes my job more fun to see my characters come to life!

Can you come do a book signing in my town?

Sadly, I’ve got a full time job and so I can’t be traveling all over the country to do book signings. However, I will consider school visits so I’m happy to have your teacher write to me with a request and I can see if it’s possible to add it to my schedule.

I want to do an article on you and your books for my school paper. Can I interview you?

Absolutely! Just email me! I’m happy to answer questions.

I can't find one of your older books in the bookstore!

All the books are available to order online at sites like Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. However, the best thing to do is to go to the information desk of your local bookstore and ask them to order you a copy. You don't have to pay until it comes in (which usually only takes a couple days) and this way you're letting the bookstore know this is a book they need to keep in stock!

I have a question you haven’t answered in this FAQ!

Either post it in the comments section or email me privately and I’ll do my best to answer.

Gamer Girl at Scholastic Book Fair

Just wanted to post a quick welcome to all the new readers who got GAMER GIRL from the Scholastic Book Fair at their schools. (Scholastic is doing a special soft cover version of the book.)

Mari

Mari on Better TV

I'm going to be on TV on Monday, talking about GAMER GIRL! Yay! (On a show called BETTER TV.) If you don't get it in your area, check out the clip below. Fellow YA author Melissa Walker is also featured!





Hope you like!
Mari

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Going to go see Jason tonight!

MARI

Blood Coven Vampires Release Schedule

As I mentioned in a previous post, the series will be re-packaged and re-released with new covers. Here's the publisher schedule:

October 2009 - BOYS THAT BITE
November 2009 - STAKE THAT
December 2009 - GIRLS THAT GROWL
January 2010 - BAD BLOOD

So exciting!! I can't wait to see the new covers, can you???

mARI

And the title for Book #4 will be...

**drum roll please!**

BAD BLOOD

So what do you think? I gave the publisher a list of suggested titles and that's what they picked. Luckily, I like it! It actually would have described Stake That even better than Book #4 but that's okay. :)

I sent the art department character and setting descriptions today - they're going to start designing new covers for the series very soon! I'll, of course, show them to you as SOON as I get them!

I should know VERY soon when the re-packaged books shall start hitting store shelves. In the meantime, I'm hard at work on BAD BLOOD!

Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers!

I'm psyched! Just found out today that GAMER GIRL made the American Library Association's Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers list. w00t! I actually made the list a few years ago for Boys that Bite and it was my favorite honor to receive. I love the idea that my book is working to inspire people to start reading!

Here's the complete list, in case you're curious about who else made it.

MARI

Book #4!!!

Well, we did it! We finally convinced them that The Blood Coven series is worth continuing. My original publisher, who said "No" time and time again over the last year and a half has changed their mind and WILL publish Book #4 of the series. (Not sure of a date yet.)

Even better, they're repackaging and re-releasing the first three books. Meaning there will be brand new versions of Boys that Bite, Stake That!, and Girls that Growl on store shelves later this year. I believe they will even have different covers so if you haven't gotten the first edition versions, you might want to snatch those up soon, as they will be gone forever.

Big kudos, by the way, to my editor, Kate, who also didn't give up. She was on our team from the beginning and would tirelessly go back to her boss and ask about book #4. We owe much of this to her.

SO! I'm halfway done the book. I'm very excited about how's it coming and can't wait to share it with you! Now all we need is a release date...and a title! So if you guys have any ideas, do let me know. :) (About the title, not the release date, lolz.) It takes place in Vegas and is about Magnus being assigned a new blood mate, much to Sunny's dismay...and suspicion.

Anyway, thanks again for helping spread the word. Keep up the good work - I'm going to need you now more than ever when the re-releases start coming out. We've got to show the world that this is a series to be noticed!

Because...you know...we do want a book #5, right?!?! ;-)

MARI

I just got the best news ever...

I can't tell you what it is yet, but I'll just say yes, it's probably what you're thinking/hoping for!!!! And actually it's happening in a better way than I ever even dreamed!

Watch this space - should have more news for you this coming week. :)

LONG LIVE THE BLOOD COVEN!

MARI

Gamer Girl Party Recap

Last night fellow YA author Melissa Walker and I hosted what turned out to be a fantastic book release party at Butter. We had a geat turnout - probably about 75 people over the course of the night. Great crowd too--attendees from Vogue, Teen Vogue, ELLE, InStyle, Daily Candy, CNN and, of course, Better TV. We also had socialites, publicists, a ton of great authors, and Dorchester and Penguin editor types.






As people snacked on Butter's signature homemade chocolates and sipped martinis at the bar, Melissa and I mingled and signed books.



Since the theme of my new book is gaming, I brought a bunch of fun kids' games to put on the tables for guests to play. People got really into it!


Socialite Mina Jacqueline Au and author of Schooled, Anisha Lakhani, play Connect Four.


Britney, Jacob, Benny and Chris play Hungry Hungry Hippos.

I was especially excited that my friend Diana Peterfreund (Secret Society Girl, Rampant) came up from DC for the night. I hadn't seen her in like forever, so it was great to catch up.


Liz Maverick with Diana.

Diana arrived accompanied by the amazing Scott Westerfeld and his wife author Justine Larbalestier and author Maureen Johnson.. I'm such a big fan of Scott's Uglies series and it was great to meet him in person at last. He was so nice and down to earth and approachable. And he told me he'd seen Gamer Girl all over the place while on his book tour. Yay!



Scott even gave us a sneak peak of the steampunk artwork of his upcoming novel Leviathon. OMG we are all in for a treat when this one comes out! I think we have to wait til 2010 though. :(




All in all it was a great night! Couldn't have asked for a better turn-out or a better party. Thanks to everyone who came out and partied with us! Also thanks to Clarins and Lierac for their gift bag donations and Butter for allowing us use of the space.

Marianne

Gamer Girl on Store Shelves!

Here it is - Gamer Girl, as seen in Barnes and Noble in San Antonio, Texas, where I was visiting this weekend. They were good and had it out on the shelves. But other bookstores I've visited have not put the copies out from the backroom. Sooo...if you don't see it out, make sure you ask! We need to make sure these books get onto shelves and don't hide in the storeroom!





MARI

Gamer Girl <3's Indy Booksellers

We authors all love independent booksellers. LOVE THEM! You know why? Cause they really care about books. So I was super excited to have GAMER GIRL be selected for the American Bookseller's Association Indie Next List.

The Indie Next List, drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizes the heart and soul of passionate bookselling. Independent booksellers are and have always been discoverers of the next big thing, the next great read, the next bestseller, and the next undiscovered gem.

Pretty awesome, huh? I feel very honored to be included in such a list. Here's what they said about the book:

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi
(Dutton, $16.99, 9780525479956 / 0525479953)
"After her parents' divorce, a move away from her friends in Boston, and a horrific first day at her new school, Maddy seeks refuge in her manga and the game world of Fields of Fantasy, where she can be powerful, beautiful, and beat back the bullies with her spells. Mancusi handles the ups and downs of high school, family, and virtual reality with zest, uniting books and the online world in a fun-tastic novel." --Jenn Northington, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT

Thank you Jenn and ABA!! It means so much to be chosen for your list.
Mari

GAMER GIRL OUT TODAY!!

Woot!!

The wait is over! Gamer Girl hits store shelves today. Yay, so exciting!

Now I need your help in spreading the word. You guys did such a great job with the Blood Coven books, I know you'll be great at this. Here are some things you can do:

* Tell your local librarian (and your school librarian, too!) that they should order the book. (This way people can read it for free!)

* Check your local bookstore. If they don't have it in stock, tell them they should order it.

* Tell your friends about it. Or buy a copy for them as a holiday gift!

* Write about the book in your blog or MySpace or Facebook.

* Post a picture of the book cover on your MySpace/Facebook.

* Do a book report on it for school. (I'm available for interviews if you need to ask specific questions for your report.)

Then, be sure to let me know what you did! Those who go above and beyond will get prizes. So be creative!

Mari




:)
MARI

Gamer Girl - First Sighting Contest!

Gamer Girl officially gets released November 13th!!! That's only 10 days away! So I've decided to hold a contest to celebrate!

First person who finds Gamer Girl at the bookstore...and takes a photo and emails it to me or posts it online somewhere and sends me the link...wins!

What do you win? A $25 gift certificate to Sephora - AND an autographed copy of any book of mine you want!

Good luck! Happy hunting!

Marianne

Halloween!

Isn't Halloween the best holiday ever? It's definitely my favorite!! This year my friends and I dressed up as fairy tale characters gone wrong. I was Little Dead Riding Hood, lol.

What were you??? I want to see pics, too!!!

Mari