Live in Portland?

I will be at Powells Cedar Hills Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m., and I would love to see some friendly faces there. I’ll be talking about my new young adult novel, Torched. I’ll also talk about my new adult mystery, Face of Betrayal, which I co-wrote with FOX legal analyst Lis Wiehl.

Torched is about 16-year-old Ellie. When her hippie parents are arrested for growing marijuana, the FBI offers her a choice. Infiltrate the radical environmental group the Mother Earth Defenders, or her parents will go to jail. But when Ellie joins the group, her loyalties are compromised – and she also finds herself falling in love. Booklist says “The contemporary mix of politics and thrilling action will grab teens, not just environmentalists, as Ellie must decide how to save her parents and save the earth. … This suspenseful story will spark discussion about what it means to fight for right ‘by any means necessary.’”

Face of Betrayal begins when 17-year-old Senate page Katie Converse disappears from Northwest Portland while home on Christmas break. Three women take a special interest in her case: Allison Pierce is a federal prosecutor, Nicole Hedges is an FBI agent, and Cassidy Shaw is a TV crime reporter. Together the three women band together to find Katie. Their prime suspect: a senator who may have gotten a little too close to the girl. Publishers Weekly calls it a "sizzling political thriller" with a "seamless plot [that] offers a plethora of twists and turns."

I’ll also be teaching a class on mystery writing at Annie Bloom’s Books.
Commit the perfect crime: learn to write a mystery, thriller or suspense novel. Millions of people read mysteries – why not a mystery written by you? Currently, 6 of the top 10 New York Times hardcover bestsellers and 8 of the top 10 paperbacks are mysteries, thrillers, or suspense novels.

Whether you’re a beginning writer or already have a work in progress, you’ll benefit from this supportive, results-oriented workshop led by an author who just had her eighth book published. Through writing assignments, discussions on craft, and instructor and peer feedback, you’ll learn the fundamentals of crime writing. By the time class ends, you’ll know how to choose point-of-view, develop characters, write lively dialog, handle violence, increase tension, and plant clues, as well as critical techniques for self-editing. You’ll also learn practical tips for attracting the right agent. This is a highly interactive class – so be prepared to write, read, and talk!

Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

Sundays, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Begins: April 26
$225 for 10 classes ($60 deposit)

Register by e-mailing:
aprilhenrymysteries@yahoo.com

A giveaway

Torched releases today!
When Ellie’s parents are busted for growing pot, the FBI thinks they've finally found a way inside Mother Earth Defenders, a radical environmental group. They give her a choice: infiltrate MED or her parents will go to jail. At first Ellie is more than willing to entrap the MEDics, but the more time she spends undercover—particularly with Coyote, the green-eyed MEDic that she can’t stop thinking about—the more she starts to believe in their cause. When talk turns to murder, Coyote backs out, but Ellie is willing to risk everything to save her family—even if it means losing Coyote and putting her own life on the line.

Kirkus says "the thrills and action will keep readers interested." Booklist says, "The contemporary mix of politics and thrilling action will grab teens, not just environmentalists."

I say: it's time for a giveway! I'd love to give a couple of signed copies away!

It's so simple!
1. Comment on this post and let me know you're in.
2. To get your name in twice, copy this post into your blog (and let me know in the comments so that I give you credit)
3. Wait until March 15, when Teen will draw the winners.

Thanks for playing along!

Fun to think about

My first book, Circles of Confusion, came out in 1999. There was a lot of "close but no cigar" movie interest. One producer got the book on Drew Barrymore's company's short list, even though at the time Drew was far younger than the character. (I was told Drew "has emotional baggage that makes her older than her years.")

Drew made Riding in Cars with Boys (another book to movie) and the producer went her way and I went mine.

So my phone just rang. It was the producer from nine or ten years ago. She has a meeting in a few weeks with someone in Hollywood and she is looking for a couple of ideas to pitch. And she thought of Circles of Confusion. She said it was a perfect book, with a little mystery, a little romance, etc. She's kept my phone number all these years (I couldn't even remember her name) and she wanted to know if rights were available.

I didn't know whether to be coy or not, so I just said the rights were available and she should talk to my agent.

It's a total long shot, but F-U-N to think about.