Imogen Rose

An Interview with Octavia

2012-03-08T20:00:00.005-08:00

Octavia is the enrichment student at the Academy who represents Cordelia at the Student Council trial. Like all my characters, she was born in my imagination, this time inspired by my awesome friend and editor, Sue Bernstein, who is also a lawyer. During the editing process, something odd happened. Sue adopted Octavia into her own imagination, and Octavia seemed to become a manifestation of Sue’s personality. It was a weird, but wonderful thing, and a total hoot. For the first time, my story had a character who seemed to have taken over a life of her own outside my own imagination. So it was only natural to ask Sue my questions for Octavia.

Where did you attend to law school?

From the time I was a kid growing up in the mid-western US, I always wanted to live in New York. So I applied to only one law school - a prestigious school in Manhattan that shall remain nameless - and got in! I spent three blissful years in Manhattan before being turned.

When were you turned into a vampire? How old were you?

That’s a day I'll never forget - I was turned on graduation day. What began as the happiest day of my life, graduation from law school, ended with fangs in my neck and me undead forever. I was… am twenty-six years old.

I am guessing you were turned by someone eminent, hence you being sent here to the Academy. Are you able to share who that was?

While I am not at liberty to divulge the name, suffice it to say that he was one of my law professors, who told me he had very big plans for me. No kidding big plans! When not teaching evening classes in New York, he teaches an introduction to paranormal jurisprudence class at Bonfire Academy.

What were the circumstances in which you were turned?

The professor who turned me was my mentor. I trusted him and worked side-by-side with him for three years. At least he waited for me to graduate before he turned me but studying for the NY Bar Exam while trying to control my brand-new powers was a bit hairy!

What will you do once your time at the Academy is over?

My mentor/professor/attacker still has big plans for me. Once my enrichment year is over, I am going to go into practice with him and will also teach part time at the Academy.

What do you think of Jagger?

For a winter, that faery is definitely H-O-T!

How close to you feel to him after letting him drink your blood? Do you feel he belongs to you in any way?

As trite as this sounds, faeries belong to no one. That said, however, Jagger and I have a very close bond. Mmmmm.

Do you like Cordelia?

Like is such an odd word for a vampire to use. Cordelia was my client, and I respect her. You didn't think you'd pin down a lawyer, did you?

What do you think is up between her and Jagger?

Oh, goodness! Something for sure. I can sense it in my blood.

Are you coming back to school next year, during Faustine’s Integration year?

Yes! But on the teaching staff.

Finally, my friend Allirea wants to know if you can make her into a faery, or does she have to be born as one?

Allirea, dear one, I can turn you into a vampire. So why would you want to be a faery? Yum!

Thanks so much, Octavia and Sue!

My YA Favorites

2012-03-06T06:21:00.006-08:00

It's International Women's Week and I'd like to share some of my favorite female YA writers with you. Enjoy!

Amazon.com Widgets

Kindle Fire or Hot Guy?

2012-03-02T00:00:00.010-08:00

It’s probably not a question that gets asked a lot, the more common one being Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, iPad etc. etc. I’ll just concentrate on the hot guy aspect, leaving those of you who want a detailed analysis about the Kindle Fire to visit my bloviating buddy BigAl’s blog. If he hasn’t covered it, well...

So on to hot guys. Today’s specimen: Jonathan Rhys Meyers. For those of you not familiar with this almost perfect example of the male species, JRM played the very sexy Henry VIII in the HBO series, The Tudors. However, I chose him to blog about today not because of his obvious awesomeness, but because he encouraged me to change the course of my life. Not personally of course (le sigh), but through a song.

Words written or sung can have such a great impact on one’s life, and this particular song gave me the push I needed to finally give up on any thoughts of my past pretty-much-chosen-for-me career in science and pursue my writing, even though I didn’t know (and still don’t) where it would take me. What I do know is that this time, I’m doing it for me.

The ability to share my work through eBook outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble has been a gift. Please join me and my fellow authors Sibel Hodge, Diana Estill, Maniak Dhar, Edward G Talbot and Adam Pepper in launching The Kindle Fire Department March Madness Kindle Fire Giveaway. Please click on the image to enter!

CLICK TO ENTER

BONUS Giveaway!!! To be entered in a special giveaway for a signed hardback copy of INITIATION, please leave a comment under this post and follow this blog.

Winner will be drawn by random draw on 3/31 and the results posted under the comments. Please check back then to see if you have won, and if you have, please contact me (PortalChronicles@hotmail.com) to claim your book.

An Interview with Jagger

2012-02-26T19:30:00.004-08:00

I have to be honest. I approached this interview with some hesitation, perhaps even a little trepidation. After all, even though I feel I know him a bit through Cordelia, I’ve never experienced Jagger directly. As he sits before me, I can empathize with Cordelia. He is impossibly magnetic, his aura both powerful and dangerous, the only release, a hint of humor gleaming in his silver-gray eyes.

IR: Jagger, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Are you excited about starting a new year at the Academy?

Jagger: My pleasure. I am, though I’m not exactly sure what my role will be this year. I guess I’ll find out when I get there.

IR: So, you’re not heading back as the Student Council President?

Jagger: I wouldn’t think so. That position is usually only awarded for a year. Plus, my time at the academy is officially over.

IR: Why are you going back, then?

Jagger: Mainly to keep an eye on my brother, Ryker.

IR: And Cordelia?

Jagger: Yes, hmm. You said that you had some questions from my fans...

IR: I do! Here is one from Sean Sweeney. He wants to know what you got Cordelia for Valentine’s Day.

Jagger: Myself. However, like any girl, she obviously needed a “token” as well. I got her a little secret something from Harry Winston.

IR: Nice! The next question is about Cordelia as well. Al Kunz, the infamous celeb book blogger, aka The Snake, wants to know what really happened on the slopes. He wants details.

Jagger: He couldn’t handle the details.

IR: LOL! There you have it, Al! Moving on... Michelle Cable wants to know what you thought when you first saw Cordelia and what you thought of that electrifying kiss.

Jagger: That she’s stunning is apparent to all who are lucky enough to behold her. I was struck by her beauty as soon as I saw her, when she first arrived at the academy. It was my policy to stay away from demons, though. Every kiss with her is electrifying, but I’m guessing you mean our very first kiss. I was shocked, but immediately realized what had happened.

IR: Too bad that doesn’t happen to humans. Synching sounds unbelievably intimate...

Jagger: It is, but the realization that one is bound forever to this one being frightening, too. That’s unnatural in the supernatural world.

IR: I can see that. Faustine seems to bridge the gap between the human and the paranormal worlds. My daughter Lauren wants to know what you think of Faustine, and Vickie Boehnlein wants to know if you’re scared of Faustine.

Jagger: I love Faustine. She’s like a little sister to me. I feel very protective of her, even though I know that she can take care of herself. And yes, I’m scared of her. I’d be stupid not to be. She’s one of the most powerful demons I’ve ever come across.

IR: Demons seem to like their food, meat in particular. Lynn O’Dell would like to know if you prefer filet mignon or T-bones?

Jagger: I’m not a demon, but I do prefer Filet Mignon.

IR: That doesn’t surprise me. I have a last question from my friend Allirea Brumley. She wants to know what’s going to happen to you next?

Jagger: I’m not a Wanderer, so a trip into the future to answer that is not possible. Say “hi” to her from me, though. I love her name... Allirea. Is she a faery?

IR: Ha, ha. No, I don’t think so. Thank you so much, Jagger!

New Cover for INITIATION

2012-02-21T03:56:00.002-08:00

Ready for an early morning reveal? My wonderful artist, Najla Qamber, finished this when I was still asleep, and I had it waiting in my inbox as the first thing I opened when I woke up. What a great way to start the day! I am delighted with the cover and recommend Najla highly. She is wonderful to work with. More of her work can be seen on her blog and Art Gallery.

INTEGRATION: Cover Reveal

2012-02-03T23:02:00.000-08:00

Cordelia is back at Bonfire Academy. Gone is the school uniform, and having spent a week in Paris, she has embraced a haute couture style to give her an edge as she takes on her new position at the school. However, Cordelia can’t hide behind her new look, as she comes face to face with Jagger and Quinn. There is no running – a decision must be made.

A huge thank you to Claudia at Phatpuppy Art for producing this awesome cover. Claudia is fantastic to work with and does an amazing job. Examples of her work can be found on her website.

Move over Robert Pattinson

2012-01-31T16:06:00.001-08:00

Meet Brandon! He will be on the cover of my new book, Integration. Brandon is a New Jersey native. He loves hockey and hanging out in the sun.

I photographed Brandon last Saturday against the magnificent background of Princeton University. My friend Janet came along to help pose him. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we managed to get just the right shot.

What do Imogen Rose, 50 Cent and Eminem have in common?

2012-01-27T04:42:00.000-08:00

Confused? Add to that list Dyan Cannon, LL Cool J, T.I., Ian Spektor and Ed Begley Jr! Well, I am thinking of giving up writing and trying my hand at rapping or maybe a bit of acting.

Fear not, take a deep breath! I wouldn’t do that to my eleven year old. She’d never recover from the embarrassment. Still, today I went up a couple of notches in the “cool” department with her when I signed with Marc Gerald and Sasha Raskin from The Agency Group, the agents who also rep the above artists.

Marc contacted me around six months ago to find out if I had representation. When I looked up his bio I was immediately attracted by his diverse career background, from being an editor of True Detective Magazine, a writer/producer for America’s Most Wanted, and his collaboration with Wesley Snipes. All very impressive, but what caught my eye was a line in his bio where he mentioned that he’d commissioned novellas from some of hip hop's brightest stars and sold them with CDs supplied by Def Jam Entertainment. As an indie author I really appreciate an outside-the-box approach to marketing. However, I did have representation at the time.

That came to an end just after Christmas when I decided that my agent and I had such differing creative visions of the Portal Chronicles that it was best that we discontinued our partnership. The split was very amicable and I consider Mollie an awesome person, but I have to remain true to my characters and my fans. I decided to contact Marc again, and a couple of weeks later I met with him and Sasha Raskin in Manhattan. I was delighted to discover that we share the same vision for the Portal Chronicles and I am excited to see where this next step takes me. :)

INTEGRATION (Bonfire Academy Book Two): A Teaser

2012-01-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

Broken. I couldn’t think of a better word to describe it. Torn. Shredded. Not that I could see anything. I wasn’t sure that I even had any eyeballs left. If I did, I couldn’t feel them. All I felt were excruciating stabs of pain searing through every inch of my body. Was the pain was coming from within or was I being repeatedly sliced open with a sharp implement? Did it matter? I could feel my head getting hazy. It was only a matter of seconds before my thoughts would end.

“Cordelia!”

My name. I heard the same voice say my name again and again. Why? Who was it? It–he–sounded familiar. My stomach heaved as the voice triggered the memory of his face… his touch. Not being able to stop the bile from travelling up my throat, I choked and then purged, emptying my stomach completely.

His voice was laced with disgust as he muttered my name again. But his revulsion couldn’t compete with my utter repugnance and disbelief at what he had done. Him. Someone I had trusted with my life, even though the rule was clear. Trust No One.

A New Year's Resolution

2012-01-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, I’m still here! I have to be the worst blogger on the internet, and one of my resolutions for the year is to try to post more frequently.

Things have been a bit up in the air as far as my books go, mainly because I have been digging my heels about making any major edit changes to PORTAL. I will blog some more about that next Tuesday.

For now, I’m busy writing again. I have started writing the second book in the Bonfire Chronicles prequel series, Bonfire Academy. I realize that probably wasn't a popular choice, as the Portal Chronicle fans are waiting for the next book. However, I think my time line will flow better this way. And I get to photograph the model for my cover next week. It'll be the first time I shoot a live model (apart from my daughter), so that should be interesting. I might interview him for the blog.

What else am I doing... or not doing? I am not reviewing anymore. It was taking too much time, and it sapped the fun out of reading for me. Speaking of which, I’m reading The Hunger Games at the moment. Absolutely awesome! I loved Battle Royale and hesitated in picking up The Hunger Games because of the obvious similarities. When my daughter decided she wanted to read it (after watching the movie trailer), I thought it might be fun to read it together. What hooked me are the characters. Suzanne Collins has done an excellent job of writing characters who I (and my daughter) immediately fell in love with and invested my emotions in. So, if you haven't read it already, do! The movie will be out this March.

~Imogen xo

Check out these awesome Hunger Games nails!!

From left to right: Mockingjay, bomb, bow and arrow, white rose, fire, poison berries, primrose, trident, sunset, mockingjay.

SOURCE

Momentum Launch Giveaway

2011-07-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's launch week!! I am super excited and want to first of all thank all of you for your support. Momentum will be available by Friday in paperback, Kindle and Nook formats. To celebrate, let's do a giveaway.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1. first person picked: signed paperback book

2. second pick: bear

3. third pick: mug

4. fourth pick: tote

To enter, please leave a comment, and then check back on Friday evening to find out if you have won. Giveaway ends at 5 pm (EST) 7/15. I'll post the results by 8 pm. Good luck!

Who are you?

2011-06-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

I recently read John Locke’s (no, not the guy from LOST, but the million-dollar, best-selling author sensation) book about marketing. In his book he stresses how important it is to define your market audience. It got me thinking about my books in terms of my readers. Who am I writing these books for?

You’d think this would be straightforward. It’s a YA book, so teens, right?

To explore this more fully, let’s go back to my childhood....

Just joking ☺

Seriously, let’s go back a little, to two years ago when I started writing Portal. At the time, I had no idea that what I was writing would turn into a book, never mind a series of books. Genre? Never heard of the concept. I read what I liked and was, of course, aware that there were different types of books, but I had never consciously thought of books in terms of genre.

Portal was not written with an audience, never mind a “target” group, in mind. I wrote it for my daughter, who was eight at the time. Is it suitable reading for eight-year-olds? No. Clearly not. It was suitable for my daughter because of the way I told her the story, but the finished product is not something I think an average eight-year-old would enjoy.

When I published Portal, I was required to put it into a genre. So, I looked at similar books and decided that YA would probably be the most appropriate grouping as the main character is a teenage girl. However, Portal also has a strong older cast who drive the story. Without Rupert and Olivia, there would be no Portal.

Once I published the first book and reviews started coming in, I quickly realized that the book appealed to a wider audience than anticipated. I had somehow managed to cross a variety of genres. Terry Goodman (senior editor at Amazon Publishing) wrote, “I think it has a very clever hook and plays so well against a variety of genres—YA, fantasy, romance, sci-fi. It’s a very tough balancing act to walk the tightrope of so many genres without slipping up on one of them, but I’ll be damned if you didn’t pull it off with aplomb.”

My audience includes young and old, males and females. So should I be forced into a genre? Thinking ahead, if I were to shop the Portal Chronicles to the publishing houses (who do seem to like books that are categorized appropriately), should I edit it to make it more YA-appropriate? My gut says no. The Portal Chronicles has done amazingly well. Why mess with something that seems to work? What do you think?

Momentum Giveaway: Bear

2011-06-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

I am having an ice-cream (pistachio gelato) break from writing. So, I thought I'd use the time to upload a giveaway. I am almost done with writing Momentum and expect to start with editing the book on Tuesday. So, you have from now until Tuesday to leave a comment to enter the giveaway.

Okay, back to writing for me now. Good luck! Im xoxo

Faustine– The Cover Story

2011-06-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

I very often get asked what inspired me to write Faustine. It was a photograph of my youngest daughter who was only eight at the time. She was sitting and doing her homework, wearing one of my hats, while I was playing around with my camera. She looked up from her homework to ask me something and I snapped a picture. Something about her expression in the photograph has always stayed with me and I knew I wanted to used the picture for a book cover. So, Faustine was born. The earlier versions of me messing around with the picture were not perfect, so I asked Claudia from Phatpuppyart to help me achieve the effect I wanted and here is the final result.

Poster for INITIATION

2011-06-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first book in the prequel series (Bonfire Academy) to the Bonfire Chronicles. The girl on the cover is the main character, Cordelia. We join her as she watches the new students, including Faustine arrive at the school. I am really excited about this book and will start writing it as soon as I am done with Momentum. I hope to have INITIATION out this Fall... don't ask me exactly when!

My agent was interviewed by KindleObsessed

2011-06-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Mollie Glick, my literary agent, was recently interviewed by KindleObsessed:

Check out this great blog, written by the most fabulous, gummy-bear loving Texan ever.

Here is Mollie interview from the blog:

Q: Is Imogen the first indie author you have represented? Please share how you found each other.

A: Years ago, when I worked on the editorial side at Random House, I was lucky enough to acquire a wonderful self published memoir, but Imogen is the first Indie author I’ve worked with as an agent. I read an article a few months ago about self published authors doing a wonderful job of getting their work out there, checked out Imogen’s web site, and was immediately intrigued.

Q: What do you look for when deciding who to represent? What in particular was it about Imogen’s work that attracted you?

A: The first thing I’m looking for is a great, original premise and a great narrative voice. But the ability to market yourself is also a big plus, and Imogen had all three of these qualities!

Q: What are your plans for Imogen and her books?

A: We’re deciding on our strategy right now. I tend to be a very editorially minded agent and I have some ideas for taking Imogen’s already wonderful series and fine tuning a bit, and then we’ll most likely start sharing the work with publishers this Fall. We’re also partnering up with a wonderful film coagent at CAA.

Q: Will Imogen still remain an indie author for some of her work?

A: TBD, but my hunch is that yes, she will most likely continue to take an indie route for some of her work, while we publish other work through mainstream channels.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing when promoting your client?

A: An amazing book! Word of mouth is the most important thing. I want everyone who reads my books to love them so much that they recommend them to friends. But an articulate, attractive, internet savvy author doesn’t hurt either.

Q: What advice would you give to those indie authors out there wanting to become traditionally published authors?

A: Give it your all. A self published book that has sold a few hundred copies is harder to sell to a publisher than one that has never been published. But if you can sell several thousands of copies, you’re putting yourself in a good position to get noticed… and published!

Giveaway: Signed ARC of Momentum

2011-05-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone!! Let's do a giveaway!

I have been busy with Momentum (Portal Chronicles Book Four) for the past month, I can't tell you how excited I am about it. I am almost done writing it and I will send it in to my editors during the third week of June. It should be ready for publication in July. Question is, will I publish it then?

I don't know right at this moment. These are exciting times for the Portal Chronicles and I'll share what's happening with that in another post. What I can tell you is that I will have a few paperback ARCs of Momentum available in July.

One of those is up for grabs!! (A signed copy)

To enter, please leave a comment.

I will draw a winner on 6/10/2011.

Good Luck!

Im xoxo

Welcome to my New Blog!

2011-05-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently real authors have to have a blog! So, here it is!

I am a woman of few words, which is strange considering I write books. However, I'll try to come up with the occasional interesting post, even if it is a pic of me posing around in my latest heels. This is actually my second blog. I started my first one, The Scarfologist, years ago and it's mainly filled with, you guessed it, me posing around in my Hermès scarves.

Anyhow, welcome!!!

Im xoxo