Amanda Howells's Blog

amandahowells

Anyone in the Portland area this next week? Coming to Wordstock? If so, I'll be doing some Wordstocky-y stuff, as follows:Tuesday, October 5Where: Multnomah County Central Library (810 SW 10th Ave)What: Young Adult Reading Showcase--I'll be reading (from my novel-in-prog) with 2 other YA authorsTime: 6pmSaturday, October 9Where: Wordstock, Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK Blvd); Wieden +

I am hard at work on Summer #2 in what will be—hopefully—a trilogy of YA summer novels, each with its own take on romance and a layered plot that if I am successful will keep readers turning the pages. My aim with this book (as with Skinny Dipping) is "beach read with substance." It's harder than I thought.Book 2 is taking me in a different direction and to the opposite coast from that of the

I am hard at work on Summer #2 in what will be—hopefully—a trilogy of YA summer novels, each with its own take on romance and a layered plot that if I am successful will keep readers turning the pages. My aim with this book (as with Skinny Dipping) is "beach read with substance." It's harder than I thought.Book 2 is taking me in a different direction and to the opposite coast from that of the

Hello dear readers of this post:Summer's ending...and I'm feeling sad. But I'm hoping to make 3 people happy by offering 3 signed copies of The Summer of Skinny Dipping right here. If you would like to win one, please leave a comment—a simple "pick me!" will do—as well as a means of contact. I will close the competition with a random drawing at 8pm Pacific Time on Labor Day, when summer itself

This story in the New York Times is the kind of piece that never fails to intrigue me. In fact a very similar story inspired a key scene in The Summer of Skinny Dipping. I based the mansion that Mia and Simon broke into--"Dragon's Lair"--on a true account (in the scandalous and fascinating essay collection Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons) of Dragon's Head, a

Sweet Valley fans, and people who like to mock them:The completely AWESOME and made of hysterically funny Robin has had me as a guest of honor over at her blog, The Dairi Burger. So named for the fictional hangout of the Wakefield twins, you can imagine that a former Sweet Valley ghostwriter feels very at home here.Robin's site is a must-read, every week. Seriously, the archives are brilliantly

The excellent blog Novel Novice is running a week-long SoSD feature here and it includes a writing competition themed to summer. I love their Classic Connections post, which focuses on The Great Gatsby, one of the inspirations behind my novel.Thank you, Sara, for taking your site skinny dipping all week long, and for your pithy interview questions. You rock!

Readers seem to love or hate the ending of my novel. Here are some thoughts—without a true spoiler—on the choice I made. Thanks, Alea, of Pop Culture Junkie for inviting me over.

The Summer of Skinny Dipping made uber-blogger The Story Siren's Top 10 Summer Reads list.It also made the Top Ten Summer Reads list at Chick Lit Reviews.It was selected as a Cosmo Girl book club pick for their website.It was featured, along, with an interview, on Sheknows, a mega-website for women.