Author Interview: Amanda Brice

Today I have Amanda Brice, author of the YA novel Codename: Dancer visiting my blog as part of the Kindle Indie-pendence Day giveaway (see below for details on entering!)  Here, she answers questions about Codename:  Dancer's recently released sequel.
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Book title: Pointe of No Return
Author: Amanda Brice


Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak’s visions of sugar plums are dashed when she’s assigned to understudy her nemesis, Hadley Taylor, in the Nutcracker. Pretty, popular, and rich, that girl has all the luck. Or so she thought.

When Hadley mysteriously disappears with opening night just around the corner, Dani can’t sit idly by, even if it means losing the part. Now she’s running all over Phoenix in a race against the clock. From reality TV trophy wives to sleazy real estate developers to a possible drug ring, the cast of suspects begins to add up. Will she find Hadley before the curtain rises?

When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I had a little littlebook and purple pen that I carried around with me everywhere the summer I was 7. I was writing an epic about orphans living on the prairie. It took all summer. It was all of about 30 pages. 30 teeny-tiny pages.


Why do you Indie publish?
Despite wonderful editorial feedback when my old agent shopped the first book in my series (Codename: Dancer), nobody knew were to place it. It was too old for middle grade, but a bit on the sweet side for YA. And that was entirely intentional on my part. So I decided to take the plunge and am very glad I did.


What inspired you to write your book?
I danced competitively and on the pre-professional level as a teenager and in college, and always wished there were books about dancers written for teens. (There were tons for little girls.) And I love cozy mysteries, so a series about dance students who solve mysteries seemed like a natural fit.


What are three things you want people to know about you?
1. I'm a total Olympics junkie, and actually worked for the International Olympics Committee during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Best.Summer.Job.Ever.
2. I once swing danced with then-Vice President Al Gore.
3. I come off all organized, but it's a total sham. Don't look in my closets or under my bed at home.


What advice do you have for parents to encourage their kids to read more?
Introduce them to a wide variety of books. If the subject matter interests them, they'll find it fun.
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Thanks for the interview, Amanda!

If you'd like to see more interviews in this series, check back throughout July.  In the meantime, you can visit author Sybil Nelson's site to enter the Kindle Indie-pendence giveaway for a chance to win a Kindle, a Kindle Fire, or several other great prizes (including copies of Amanda's books.)