The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow interviews me (plus, a #giveaway of CODE NAME 711!)...

The awesome Secret Files of Fairday Morrow blog was kind enough to review Double Vision: Code Name 711 a few weeks ago. And now they've interviewed me, so I had a chance to talk about how long it takes to write a book, and what spy gadget I'd like Henry to invent for me.

Check out the interview, and enter the giveaway of Double Vision: Code Name 711!

And if you're in Jackson, Mississippi, come see me at Lemuria Bookstore. I'll be signing books at 5 p.m., and sharing cool spy stuff about George Washington...

New website look... What do you think?

Updating a website is a little like cleaning out your closet: you find pants you don't fit anymore, and a few shirts you forgot you had. In my website's case, it got a much-needed face lift. I still have some updates to do (best of all: my 711 book tour! stay tuned...), but it's a good start.

Best part? Updating the main page to include the nice quotes about the Double Vision books. It was a good reminder I'm not so bad at this writing gig--we all need an ego-boost now and then, right? 

Here's the link: http://www.ftbradley.com/

Tell me what you think! 

Book Launch Realizations, And Announcing The Double Vision Book Tour

Three things I realized as I worked on launch events (since, you know, I have to market this new book and everything):

Realization #1: I'm a little homeless.

Well, not in the literal sense--I live quite comfortably (see the current Casa Bradley on the left). But given that my love wears combat boots, home is pretty much where ever he's assigned. Right now, that's the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

But when I hear fellow debut authors talk about their launch parties in home towns with dozens of friends attending, I have to scratch my head, feeling lost. Truth is, I have friends all over the world. Colorado, North Dakota, California, Holland, France, England, India--you get the idea. So no home town as such. And most everyone's too far away to have a party. I had fun in Birmingham, but still...

The world is my home town. Strange but true.

Realization #2: I really hate talking about myself.

I love Double Vision, and I'm really excited people get to read Linc's story now. I'm proud of this book. But there are only so many times you can talk about it to promote the book. Buy the book, please.

See? Nuf said.

I'd rather talk about someone else.

Realization #3: Book tours are expensive.

Even though the world is my home town, I don't have the budget to tour or host a launch party everywhere. Hence the virtual cake last week. But I'd really like to do a book tour.

Solution: A virtual book tour. Instead of going myself, I thought I would send Linc, since he's a cool dude between missions (hopefully, he'll stay out of trouble this way, too...).

He's going on a tour around the States (since the world is a wee bit ambitious), visiting my favorite book stores along the way. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Tattered Cover, Hooray for Books!, Little Shop of Stories--and many others. Linc will get the scoop on what's happening at each of these bookstores and what to do for fun in their city or town, and we'll talk gadgets too.

It'll be fun, so I hope you'll tune in! Linc's tour kicks off tomorrow...

And here's a Monday Music song, apropos:

Fun in Birmingham, And My First Signing

I had a blast in Birmingham this weekend. Partied with my SCBWI Southern Breeze peeps, hosted a workshop on writing YA and MG mysteries to a packed room, and had my first official book signing.

See, that's me. Behind me is not a prison, but just a closed high school cafeteria, since that's where the convention was. I was a little worried when I got there, because the bookseller had two huge stacks of Double Vision in the mini-store. Did they think I was famous or something?

But the store sold out, and I had to bring in my box-o-books from the car. So hurrah for Linc!

Cool story: the volunteer assigned to help me out had read the e-book of Double Vision before coming to Birmingham, and from the writing, he thought I was a guy. A compliment, in my opinion, since the book is for boys, sort of. But you can imagine his surprise...

Join Me For My Book Birthday! There's Cake...

If you've been hanging around here a while, you probably know: it's launch day for Double Vision! Seems like it took forever for this day to come, and then suddenly, here we are.

Pass the cake (I'm all about the cake, you know)...

And for more partying, come on over to Sleuths, Spies, and Alibis for an Interrogation Room interview with yours truly. You can enter to win a signed copy of the book!

And if you've followed me this far, I hope you'll consider buying a copy of Double Vision--it makes a great present... Easy buy buttons are to the right, see?

That's it for the hard sell from me. Have some more cake, and let's celebrate!

Are You Going To Bouchercon?

If you are, come say hi! I looked at the attendee list, and realized I know about four people out of the 1200+ attending...

I'm going to try not to be such a fangirl, but some of my favorite authors are attending! Must act like a professional... Hope to see you there.

Oh, and in case you're interested: there's a nice article on me and Double Vision in the ITW Big Thrill monthly newsletter.

October's Must Have Book Is...

...Double Vision. Well, at least it is over at the ThinkBannedThoughts blog, where you can read an interview with me. Come say hi, take a load off, and join us for virtual drinks and snacks.

And I'm all about equal opportunity reading, so tell me: what book are you excited about this fall?

I would love some recommendations for my shrinking TBR pile...

How To Make An Author Video When You're Not A Techie

"We'd like you to make an author video." This was in an email my editor sent me a few weeks ago. And my response was a cheerful, "Sure!"

Of course, I wasn't all that sure. I mean, an author video--that meant I had to videotape myself. And to be honest, I'm the type of person who tries to avoid cameras at all cost. The isolation and ability to wear yoga pants all day are big perks to authorhood in my book.

Not that I couldn't have seen this coming--I mean, Harper had listed an author video as part of their marketing plan. Anyway, I made a quick video. Edited it on my basic editing software, the stuff that was already on my computer. Only it looked... Well, pretty terrible.

So I made a better video. And I thought I'd share with you what I learned, so you can be awesome right out the gate.

1. Yes, you need an author video

Maybe your publisher didn't ask you for it, but an author interview is a great tool in telling the world about the great book you wrote. If you're an indie writer: what a great tool to promote your work, right? Especially if you're a middle-grade writer, like me. Author videos allow librarians, teachers and parents to hear you talk about the story, and why kids should read it.

2. Watch some examples

The best way to decide what you want your video to look like is to watch other writers strut their stuff. Some look at the camera, some don't. Some look like they had a stylist, and some look like they just fell out of bed. Just search for 'author video' on Youtube, and it'll toss you examples. I've pasted mine below, but you can do much better.

3. State your talking points

What do you want to say about your book? If someone were to interview you, what do you wish they would ask? Unless you're Stephen King, try to find a good way to introduce yourself and the book. Keep it to the most important stuff. You really don't want your video to run much longer than three minutes.

4. Write a script

Think about how your video will play out. Imagine what slides you'll use (for questions), and what you'll say.

5. Buy some software, if you can afford it

I started my video on Moviemaker, but it's pretty limited in its templates. I tried freeware, and even considered (briefly, until I saw the pricetag) buying a Mac.

Bottom line: unless you're a techie, you want to buy some software with templates. This blog, my website, the video--they're all built with them. Templates are your friend--look for video editing software that gives you sound effects if possible. You'll want to be able to adjust the sound, so look for that function. I made my video with Pinnacle (which set me back $80), but there are several alternatives for about the same price.

6. Shoot lots of video

Unless you're Oprah, you probably need a little warm up time in front of the camera. Videotape yourself answering the same question five times--your software will allow you to edit it. You can use a basic camera; just make sure your sound quality holds up. Shooting outside may be a bit ambitious...

7. Get images and music

Make sure you own the rights to whatever images and music you use... Buy what you need, or ask friends (my Paris pictures were graciously donated by my sister).

8. Have fun

So maybe seeing yourself on video is not your favorite thing in the world. But enjoy the creative process! Play around with your slides, transitions, and other effects. Make sure they fit the mood/message of your book.

I hope this is helpful for you fellow authors! Here's my video; let me know when you make yours, and I'll post it here on the blog with your permission.

Look, I'm On The Small Screen!

Okay, so that doesn't quite mean I'm on TV or anything (I wish). But I made an author video, and the kind people at Harper put an ad up at Shelf Awareness for Double Vision that links to it.

You can see the video to the right, so you can watch me babble about the book.

Later this week, I'll share with you (since many of you are writers) how I managed to make this video, despite my infamous dinosaur status.

Let me know what you think of the video! And be kind, since I'm not Julia Roberts or anything...