UFI welcomes Amalie Howard Author of Bloodspell. Thanks for Joining us!!
Teenage Garage Sale
What things would we find if we went to a garage sale in your teenage years?
I have to admit that I’m a hoarder. I think my parents gave stuff away when I wasn’t looking, just because of how traumatizing it would have been to me. Now that I think about it, my stuff kept disappearing all the time! Of all the sneaky low down tricks! But I digress from the matter at hand. Drumroll please, without further ado … The Amalie Howard Teen Garage Sale!
1) 100 Madonna-esque era black rubber bangles in pristine condition - $5 (if thinking about wearing a black lace skirt with teased hair, chunky black cross earrings, and bracelets up to the armpits, makes you giddy with delight, these are for you!)
2) Door-length poster of the original McDreamy, John Taylor from Duran Duran - $2 (there may be some red lipstick smudge marks on his face, but don’t let that detract from the sheer awesomeness of this item).
3) Vintage pair of neon-laced high-top L.A. Gears - $3 (this is about as old-school swagger as you’re going to get. We’re talking hard-core eighties footwear with the sick gills on the side, so get ‘em now before they disappear).
4) Crimping Iron - $6 (you know the one that gives you the crinkle-cut French-fry look for your hair? Yeah, that’s the one. Born with dead straight hair, I glam-rocked that look back in the eighties before I went for the full-on perm, and you can too for just 6 bucks).
5) Neon green and yellow pouf skirt and matching top - $15 (you know how it is with fashion … these things come back. Get your original VINTAGE pouf skirt, the bell-shaped one that looks like an upside-down flower, hand-made by my very fabulous and fashionable designer mother … basically the outfit that won me first prize in a high school fashion show!)
6) Spaghetti strap jewel green prom dress with ruched bodice - $10 (hey this could still be in style! I wore this dress for my prom AND I’m pretty sure it was the reason for my first real kiss, so you could be so lucky too, all for the low price of $10).
7) One slightly tarnished tiara - $50 (a bit pricey, because who after all can put a price on queenliness? Yes, my friends, I will admit to winning a beauty pageant when I was sixteen. Alas, I can’t find a photo for you, which is a bit of a relief because all that pancake makeup was actually quite scary! Still, pony up and you can have your very own piece of my queenly fiefdom).
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST …
8) One box of “mix” tapes - $1 (who wouldn’t want such awesome memorabilia of full-on teenage angst? It’s chock-a-block full of songs about torment and unrequited love (It Must Have Been Love by Roxette anyone?), all because of my one-way love affair with the boy-next-door. Yes, I am a sad cliché, falling for the boy who thought I was fun to play soccer with but not for much else. Didn’t stop me hanging around like a gnat and pretty much stalking him for 2 years. Actually, I may just probably give this one away. Oh, and did I mention my best friend tried to go out with him? But that’s a story for another time.
Thank you for shopping folks! If you’re feeling giddy about all these fabulous deals, be sure to check out my debut young adult novel, Bloodspell. I’m pretty sure that if Christian did a garage sale, he’d probably have a few pairs of skinny black jeans in there, hot vampire style and all. But you’d have to read the book to see for yourself!
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Author Bio:
I am mother of three – two lovely boys, and one gorgeous little miss. I am married to a wonderful Australian man and hope one day to spend some time living in Australia. I grew up the Caribbean where I spent much of my youth before moving to France, Canada, and the US. I spent my college years at Colby College in Maine, and moved around quite a bit post college (Boston, Los Angeles) before finally settling in New York where I have been for the past 13 years.
An aspiring writer from a young age, my poem “The Candle,” written at age thirteen, was published in a University of Warwick journal. I was also a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society essay award (a global youth writing competition). Later writing experience includes B.A. honors theses in both French and International Studies completed at Colby College, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, I was also cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, “Mothers of the nation: right-wing women in Weimar Germany.” I received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, A-level Examinations. I am also a member of SCBWI.
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Bloodspell
Bloodspell #1
June 1, 2011
The spell was simple...
Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)
But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?
Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.
What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...
Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?
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Find Amalie and her books
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