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

Gamer Girl!

Three videos where I talk about Gamer Girl, bullying, and girls playing videogames.



Mari Mancusi's newest release Gamer Girl from Miss Media Productions on Vimeo.


Author Mari Mancusi and bullies from Miss Media Productions on Vimeo.


Author Mari Mancusi - the original Gamer Girl from Miss Media Productions on Vimeo.

Vamping it Up!

My friends and I, vamping it up at the Romantic Times Convention! :)

Stake That! Fan Video

Look what I came across on YouTube! :) I think this is the first time anyone did a video for one of my books. I love it!!! Watch, watch!

Rayne Avatar

I created a Yahoo avatar of Rayne. What do you think? :)

November 2008 Book

Check out the cover for my next teen book. It's called GAMER GIRL and will be out in November. It's not a vampire book, but I hope you'll like it all the same! :)

GIRLS THAT GROWL - OUT NOW!!

Hey all, I know I never get around to updating this blog. (You should go to my regular blog: www.mariannem.blogspot.com for more regular updates!) But I did want to post and say that book #3 in the Blood Coven series, GIRLS THAT GROWL, has been released!



She's a vampire. She's also a vampire slayer. (It's a long story, don't ask.) And now Rayne McDonald, Goth girl, has to carry out her most deviant mission yet: trying out for the cheerleading squad.

Rayne already has enough on her plate: her twin keeps whining about whether or not to go all the way; her mom's boyfriend is moving in; and her man, Jareth, who's now allowed out in the sun, has turned from a dark, brooding hottie vamp into a surfer dude.

But this vampire slayer is still on the clock, and she has a new assignment. A member of the football team has disappeared-and her bosses at Slayer Inc. think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now they want her to infiltrate the squad and get the dirt. But first, she'll need an extreme prep makeover. If only they'd let her wear fishnets under that revolting uniform...

Video Blog Update from Mari

Updated Video

I did another webcam video to talk about the future of (or lack of future of) the BOYS THAT BITE series. Watch and then join with me to help spread the word before it's too late!

A Plea - Help Me Save the Series!!!

Hey all,

So I just wanted to post this to keep you updated on the series and where it's headed. As most of you know, Girls that Growl, book #3, will be out in October. That's the good news.

Here's the not so good news:

I've been talking to my editor about book #4 in the series- which is tenatively titled "See Jane Bite." And she says that they need to see a lot of sales from Stake That before they can commit to continuing the series. You see, it turns out that while Boys that Bite is still really popular (they even had to print more copies cause they ran out!) Stake That has not sold nearly as many books! (Poor Rayne!)

Sooo I wanted to let you guys know this is happening cause I feel if we band together we can make a fourth book happen! I want to write it - you want to read it, right??? So now all we have to do is convince the publisher to buy it and publish it - and that means we have to show them that there is a demand for the book.

So I never do this but I am pleading with you now. If you read and liked Stake That, go forth and spread the word!! Tell your classmates, put it on your blogs, tell your libraries to order it and get bookstores to stock it. Post on message boards, tell your teachers, create book clubs, give it as a gift. If you can't find it in a bookstore ask them to order it or buy it off Amazon.

It's amazing what people can accomplish when they all work together. And I truly believe if we harness all our power we can keep the series alive!

MARI

Some questions answered

Hey all!

Hope you had a good holiday and new year. I did, though in a way I'm glad it's over because holidays are not so good when you're on book deadline like me. I've got less than a month now to finish my book "Moongazer" and get it turned in. I did get some cover art for the book and it looks really cool - like a dark manga novel. Will be able to post it soon, I'm sure.

Thanks to everyone who's written saying they liked Stake That! I'm so glad to hear it!! I get the same questions often so let me try to answer some of them here:

1) Who's the narrator of book 3?

Rayne returns as narrator of book #3, Girls that Growl. But don't worry Sunny fans! Sunny will be back narrating in book 4. (Working title is "See Jayne Bite")

2) When does Girls that Growl come out?

Girls that Growl comes out in October of this year. Just in time for Halloween!

3) How many books are going to be in the series?

Not sure. As many as my publisher will let me write! I have a plotline in my head for at least a book five...

4) Why do I have to wait so long between books?

Authors don't get to choose when their books come out. That's up to the publisher. Plus I also write adult romance books and I have a full time job. Sadly I can't write as fast as you guys read!

5) Can you come to my town for a booksigning?

Again, sadly, I have that pesky full time job so I can't travel very often. I will be going to Texas twice this year though (Houston and Dallas) - in April and July and will be signing books then.

6) How can I get your autograph if you can't come to my town?

If you send me a self-addressed stamped envelope, I can send you a special autographed sticker that can be stuck in the front of the book. And I will personalize the book to you if you include your name. :) Or you can send me your copy of the book and I'll mail it back signed.

Address to send to is: Marianne Mancusi PO Box 8003 Boston, MA 02113

7) Are the books ever going to be movies or books?

There's nothing in the works, but I definitely think it'd be cool if they were! So you never know!!

8) What other kinds of books do you write?

I write adult comedy romances - time travels and such - under the name Marianne Mancusi. I have another website for those: www.mariannemancusi.com

9) Do you like to read other vampire books?

Yes! I grew up reading Anne Rice and I now love lots of vampire authors including Laurell K. Hamilton, Christine Feehan, Katie MacAlister, Stephanie Meyer, Rachel Caine, etc. etc. I'm always looking for new authors to add to my to-be-read pile.

Okay, that's all I can think of for now! Hope this helps!

:)
MARI