"A truly creepy thriller, THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS will keep readers guessing and second-guessing just who is the culprit. Ms. Stevens' action-packed climax will keep readers on the edge of their seats. This story ultimately comes down to battle of good versus evil for one's soul." --Fresh Fiction
"THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS will leave you shivering in fear. Read this book at home alone at your own risk! The amazing twists and turns at the end will have you looking over your shoulder at every sound. Bravo to Amanda Stevens!" --The Romance Readers Connection
"This was my first Amanda Stevens book. What can I say? Wow! I love my sleep, and it's rare I will stay up until 2:00 a.m. because I just can't put a book down, but that happened with THE DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS." --Amazon Reviewer
"I started MIRA author, Amanda Steven’s THE DEVIL’S FOOTPRINTS last night, and the story kept me riveted until after midnight. I love the story. Excellent characterization and tight plotting. If you like some serious SPOOKY with your romance, I highly recommend it. " --Kim Lenox
Chancer-- Before Clive Owen was Clive Owen, he was Derek Love, the arrogant, rogue con-man star of this short-lived British hit crime series. (1990-91; out now)." (my comment--Derek Love...what a great name!)
Here's a write up about Chancer on Cult. What caught my eye: "Not many shows start out as Dynasty and end up as Twin Peaks." (Okay, I'm hooked already. Those were two of my favorites back in the eighties.)
And then there's this:
"He (Clive) smoulders through the first season of Chancer, a wide boy wheeler-dealer with a dark past." (It just gets better and better.)
And finally:
"Where the first season was astonishing eye candy, the second is beautiful television. The eighties gloss has been polished so hard it shines, and the stories achieve an elegiac quality that's as indescribable as it is moving. Plus Clive Owen spends a lot of time in the bath!!! " (Bold emphasis and exclamation marks mine).
...until the premiere of the new James Bond movie which looks amazing! Check out this footage. I'm particularly looking forward to the aerial dog fight. (highlight for spoiler)
Apparently, you can do a lot of cool stuff on a $230 million budget.
Times Online has an interview with the great one. I've culled a few of my favorite quotes and descriptions:
This likeable, easy-on-the-eye, cross-gender appeal is commercial catnip to the cosmetics behemoths.
A tall, dark glassful of virility, with Clooneyish dimples in all the right places.
The fact that he has been with the same woman for 20 years, is happily married with two daughters and doesn’t do scandal or the party scene only adds to the mystique.
Because he seems genuine. An actor, not a celebrity. A man who works hard and doesn’t whine about fame, who’s handsome but not offensively so, who looks good for 43 while still actually looking his age.
MTV has the world premiere of the new The Lost Boys trailer up. The Lost Boys original is one of my favorite movies, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope for this straight-to-DVD offering. Remember how cool the vampires were in the first one? Remember how really, really cool Jason Patric was? Whatever happened to him? Have we seen him in anything since Speed 2?
And speaking of vampire movies, I finally had the chance to see 30 Days of Night last week. OMG, that is one badass vampire flick. It was beautifully shot, the acting was great, and the story was extremely frightening. I highly recommend it.
And speaking of eighties horror movies, I also watched The Gate again last week. Still just as creepy and fun as I remembered it. My favorite part is all those nasty little demons running around. Awesome.
Stevens pulls the reader into the raw emotion of a woman who no longer trusts herself, but desperately needs to learn the truth of her past. This is a terrific read and with a satisfying ending.
As we speak, my sales ranking on Barnes and Noble (online) is at 215. Last week it got all the way down to 143. I was hoping it would drop even farther so I could pop up on their Top 100 Bestsellers list (however briefly). No such luck even after a friend and I ordered several copies. Pathetic, I know, but what are you gonna do? If you haven't ordered your copy yet, now would be a great time to do so!
I'm reposting my trailer because I found this version on Blip TV and I really like the way they used the book cover for the still shot. Also dig the way my name and the book title is displayed in the bottom lefthand corner when the trailer starts, just like a music video.
Clive is #32 on Premiere's The Sexiest Movie Stars of All Time list. Here he is pictured with #5. Who is in the #1 spot? Well, I'll let you see for yourself. Then come back and tell me if you agree.
I'm in Austin this week and the city is really hopping with all the SXSW goings-on. Yesterday we were having lunch at the Magnolia Cafe on Congress when Michael Stipe of R.E.M. walked by. It was kind of cool because he had to wait to be seated just like everyone else. I'm looking forward to more people-watching today. This afternoon, I'm visiting a movie set, which should be way fun.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Marked by Evil, the online prequel to The Devil's Footprints, is now running at eharlequin.com. New installments will be added every Tuesday and Thursday for the next six weeks.
I'll be signing copies of The Devil's Footprints at the West Houston Chapter of RWA tomorrow (Saturday, March 8).
Work continues on The Whispering Room, my next thriller which is scheduled for March, 2009.
In addition to MySpace, I also have pages on CrimeSpace, Shelfari, and Gather. If you're a member at any of these places, be sure and give me a shout.
I already had fashion designers on my mind since watching the Project Runway finals last night, so imagine my surprise when I ran across this little tidbit earlier. Matthew McConaughey is designing a surf-inspired line to add to his j.k livin T-shirt line. According to People, the swimwear and beach accoutrements will be available on his website this summer.
Thanks to my request for urban legends and folklore, I recently learned about a fascinating place in Lucas, Kansas, called Garden of Eden. Here is a brief description from the Legends of America website:
In 1905, at the age of 62, Samuel Perry Dinsmoor bought property in Lucas, Kansas, and set about building his "creation." The first task at hand was the construction of a “log cabin,” which wasn’t made of logs at all, rather, the 27 foot timbers were actually carved from limestone. The artist also built much of his own furniture, including a desk where he kept his money, due his extreme distrust in banks.
In no time, passersby were stopping to look at the unusual house, which Dinsmoor called "the most unique home for living or dead on Earth."
When the artist died at the age of 89, he left instructions that he be mummified like an Egyptian and placed in a glass-topped coffin in the mausoleum. He continues to rest there today and can still be viewed by visitors. (See above statement regarding the most unique home for living or dead.)
Marked by Evil, the online prequel to The Devil's Fooptrintsbegins today. A new installment will be added every Tuesday and Thursday for the next six weeks. If you get a chance, I hope you'll check it out. It's free!
Here's the teaser:
Sixteen-year-old Rachel DeLaune seems to have it all—she’s smart, beautiful, favored by her father and envied by her sister. But none of that can protect her from the shadows she sees lurking around the house, the threats that seem to come from everywhere and the strange footsteps that she hears following her.
Fear becomes her constant companion as she tries to keep herself and her family safe. But who can she turn to when she can trust no one? When evil seems to lurk in everyone—including her own family….
I like to write about the dusty back roads and murky bayous of the South. About unsolved murders and the kind of dark, simmering secrets that destroy souls.
My books have been described as creepy and disturbing. Stories to be read with the lights on.
But, honestly, I'm just an ordinary person. Quiet and unassuming. Someone who might live next door to you...
A few more reviews:
