This past week has been just plain awesome.  I'm receiving lots of positive feedback on "Murder At Castle Rock" (can't wait for reviews to start coming in!), and I've even had several people send me pictures of themselves with their copy when it arrived in the mail.  If you ordered a copy and want to submit a picture of yourself with the book, feel free to shoot me an email (annemarie@amstoddardbooks.com) with the picture attached, and I'll create a photo gallery on the site and include your picture :)

To celebrate on launch day, I went out for Trivia night and drinks with a few friends.  By a pretty awesome coincidence, a "Castle Rock" question was asked during trivia:  What Rob Reiner company gets its name from a fictional town in a Stephen King novel?  Answer: Castle Rock, of course.  How...appropriate :) The day after the launch, I flew to Las Vegas with my sister, brother, and sister-in-law to visit my best friend and unofficial "Gchat editor," Stella. With the ties to Vegas in the book (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't read yet!), there couldn't have been a more perfect place for me to go to celebrate.  What an awesome weekend!

I won't bore you with my vacation stories any longer, though--let's move on to the real point of this post.  Now that I'm back in Atlanta, I'm helping a new site spread the word about their launch.  Momma Says Read!  Momma Says Read is a site dedicated to connecting authors to readers, and they also offer several great services for authors--for FREE! 

If you're a bookworm looking for your next fix, MSR has tons of great book recommendations and listings for book bargains and even free book offers.  If you're an author, MSR is offering you free book reviews, author interviews, book blog tours, and more.   It's a great site with a lot to offer any book lover.

To help kick off Momma Says Read, I'm not only giving away a copy of "Murder At Castle Rock" on their site (giveaway will be posted soon!), but I'm also co-sponsoring their Kindle Fire giveaway!  Head on over to the site here to enter for your chance to win a free Kindle Fire--and while you're there, look around at all of the great books that are already listed on the site--you might find your next favorite author!

For the next month, Momma Says Read is throwing their Big Launch Giveaway Blitz, so be sure to follow Momma on Twitter and Facebook for chances to win daily book giveaways!

Happy Sunday, and Happy Reading!

Anyone who has written a piece of work in their lifetime and then released it out into the world for all to see knows how scary it can be to receive those first pieces of feedback.  Especially writers of fiction--we basically reach inside the most personal, intimate, inner sanctum of our minds, turn our souls inside out, slap them into a word document and then send them off to be scrutinized and judged by people who most of which don't even know us from Adam or Eve.  It's the most singularly terrifying experience of many of our lives--and at the same time, the most exhilarating. It's that feeling that a songwriter gets when he or she sings their first work onstage for the first time--in fact, to borrow a verse from singer/songwriter Anna Nalick (hello, early 2000's!), "I feel like I'm naked in front of a crowd 'cause these words are my diary screaming out loud--and I know that you'll use them however you want to."

That said, I've spent the past couple of weeks gearing up for releasing my first novel out into the world by sending advanced copies to several reviewers and other authors.  This morning, while lying sick in bed (stupid sinuses!), I got something that made me feel better than any dosage of Dayquil or allergy pills ever could.  Kind words from strangers--about my book!
 
My first two reviews came in, and both were overwhelmingly positive!

The first came from blogger and book reviewer Privy Trifles, who "For a first time [writing a novel], the author has done a commendable job in creating suspense and intrigue...a page turner of all sorts..A recommended read for all suspense lovers who enjoy murder mysteries as this ensures you a perfect roller coaster ride leaving you with a high feeling!"
That definitely left me grinner from ear to ear :)

Next, I received a notification via Twitter about an author that I have read and admire, P.J. Morse, whose awesome "rock 'n' roll cozy" (the term she coined in a recent blog post, which happens to mention yours truly!) is the book I reviewed and am giving away in a blog post below this one. (You'll definitely want to win this one! It's a great book!) Anyway, P.J. had tweeted the link to her post from today--a glowing review of "Murder At Castle Rock"!  Highlights from what P.J. had to say (i.e. the parts of the review that made me jump up and down all giddy-like):
-"Stoddard isn’t afraid to write about the seedier aspects of rock ‘n’ roll and the backstage goings-on."
-"The book emphasizes rock ‘n’ roll, but not at the expense of the mystery, which is packed with surprises. There are so many layers, motives and hidden agendas that I had a good time untangling it all."

Needless to say, I am one happy girl right now. I don't care how cheesy it sounds--words really cannot express how grateful I am that not only did two people who do not know me take the time to read my work, but both went out of their way to let me know that they appreciated my hard work.  I've never felt so fulfilled in my life. If you're reading, ladies, thank you.  So, so very much.

Okay, I'll stop gushing now.  Thank you to everyone for indulging me for a few moments ;)  I'm rewarding you with a chance to win a copy of "Murder At Castle Rock" through Goodreads!  See blog post below or follow this link.  There are 3 autographed copies up for grabs, so good luck!  And good night!

A package arrived in the mail yesterday that contained my new business cards.  I had been waiting for them to come in for a couple of weeks, but about five minutes after they arrived, I forgot all about them.  That's because another package arrived containing what is arguably the biggest milestone in the short twenty-eight years of my life so far. 

Behold:  The first copy of my first ever novel!  Needless to say, I'm ecstatic right now!  This has been a dream of mine since I was in kindergarten, and holding a copy of the book makes it so much more real than it's seemed over the past several months.  I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with all of you :)

I'll be spending the next week proofreading this copy before sending it back to the publisher, and then in about 2 weeks it'll be ready for release!  I can't wait!  Stay tuned for more updates and a giveaway or two :)  In the meantime, check out these first few pictures of "Murder At Castle Rock" in print!

Oh, and there's a picture of the business cards too.  :)

It's 8:30 on a Wednesday evening, and I'm curled up in my comfiest pjs, listening to the slow, haunting melodies of "Burst Apart" by The Antlers while sipping a glass of red wine. Mmmm. The perfect calm, comfortable night.  As content as I may be right now, in less than 48 hours, I will be pulling a complete 180 from my current situation.  I'll be out and about in one of the loudest partying cities in the country, immersed in culture, music, and maybe a little mayhem.

                                                                                        I. can. not. wait.

That's right, folks--the 2013 music festival season is upon us!  For those of you who know me personally (or even those of you who don't and actually took the time to read a little about me--thank you for that, by the way. *blushes*), you know that there is only one thing I enjoy as much as--if not more than--writing: live music.  Concerts and festivals fill up nearly every one of my vacation days from work, and this year looks to be my biggest yet!  While I've already got tickets to some great Atlanta shows lined up (including acts like Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Beats Antique, Jenny Lewis, and The Postal Service, to name a few), I'm breaking my previous record for number of festivals attended in a year.  While I normally only go to two or three at the most, I've already got tickets in hand for four--and the first is this weekend!
 
Tomorrow evening, I'll be pulling an overnight, six-hour drive from Atlanta to New Orleans for the Buku Music+ Art Project, a two-night music and arts festival on the riverfront and in the surrounding buildings--including a stage in the middle of the Mardi Gras World float warehouse! The highlight acts for me at the fest: Icona Pop, Passion Pit, Hundred Waters, Big Gigantic, Brassft Punk, and Calvin Harris. I can't wait to experience an eclectic mix of electronic djs, synth pop, and loud brass, all set in the backdrop of such a culturally rich city.

Earlier this evening, while packing for this latest adventure, I got to thinking about what my characters would do if they were going along with me on a road trip to the Big Easy.  Would Ame and Kat get down on Bourbon Street?  Would they let Bronwyn tag along and maybe even sneak her a couple of frozen mixed drinks?  Would Bryce play babysitter and keep the girls out of trouble and away from pick-pockets, or would he duck away to the closest dive bar for some blues and booze?  Personally, I think Ame would be chomping at the bit to hear Brassft Punk, an all-brass Daft Punk tribute band.  She'd use her business savvy and music industry connections to snag an extra Buku Fest wrist band or four, and she'd get the whole gang backstage to hang out with Kid Cudi or Primus.

I think a great exercise for any writer is to mentally take your characters with you wherever you go. I don't mean in a schizophrenic "I've got seven voices in my head" kind of way--I just mean that, even if you've written a standalone novel and you plan to never ever write about those characters again, there's still no harm in imagining them being in on your road trips, holiday parties, or concert experiences.  Sometimes letting your imagination play out a situation with old characters in new scenery can open a Pandora's box of ideas for a series--or even for new stories with all-new, completely different characters. 

So this weekend, while I'm living it up in the French Quarter, dancing to Passion Pit's "Little Secrets" on the riverfront, re-enacting that famous season 2 dance/singalong rave scene from HBO's "Girls" during Icona Pop's performance of "I Love It,"  or nursing my Sunday morning hangover with Bloody Mary's and beignets, I'll be bringing Ame, Kat & the Castle Rock crew along for the ride.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll be so inspired that I'll include a trip to NOLA in one of their future adventures ;)

Have you ever imagined characters from a book (either your own book or one by your favorite author) were on a vacation with you? 

What book/what characters?

Authors--did any new novels result from your adventures?

Readers--what fun things do you imagine your favorite book characters would do if they'd gone along for the ride on your most recent road trip?

What good is a mystery in the music industry without a little music?  Click on the links below to find out what the staff of Castle Rock is listening to, and don't forget to check out "Murder At Castle Rock" next month!  Subscribe to your favorite staffer's list on your own Spotify to enjoy these often updated playlists!

Music & mystery fan?  What songs do you like on these mixes, and what songs do you think the staffers should be jamming to?