Amanda Brice

ABOUT AMANDA

Amanda Brice lives outside of Washington, DC with her husband and toddler daughter. An intellectual property attorney for a large federal government agency, she combines her love of writing with her legal career by speaking on basic copyright and trademark law on the writers’ conference circuit. A two-time Golden Heart finalist, Amanda’s debut novel, CODENAME: DANCER, was released in April. You can learn more about Amanda and her books at http://www.amandabrice.net/

ABOUT CODENAME: DANCER

Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak is thrilled when hit TV show Teen Celebrity Dance Off comes to the campus of her performing arts boarding school. She trades the barre for the ballroom and gets set to cha-cha-cha to stardom with Hollywood wonderboy Nick Galliano.

At first their partnership is awkward, because Dani is in awe of her longtime teen idol crush. But soon their chemistry is heating up the dance floor and the attraction moves into real life.

Her excitement is short-lived, because someone wants her off the show. Bombs, poisoning, arson… Will Dani’s 15 minutes of fame be over before she reaches age 15? Dani and her friends are suddenly at the center of some serious sabotage. And if she doesn’t find out who is behind it, her next pirouette could be her last.

It’s like Nancy Drew in toe shoes in this light-hearted tween mystery, a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Award for Best Young Adult Romance.

What they're saying:

“Fans of Pretty Little Liars and Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls will love Codename: Dancer. Sparks fly, tutus twirl, and a clever mystery unravels in what is sure to become a favorite among teens and tweens everywhere. Amanda Brice’s debut is a must read for every girl who ever danced – or ever wanted to!”

~ Gemma Halliday, National Readers Choice award-winning author of SPYING IN HIGH HEELS and the upcoming DEADLY COOL

"Amanda Brice's debut novel has something that will appeal to everyone, especially ballet enthusiasts, mystery lovers and fans of reality TV competitions. Even if you don't know a thing about dance, you'll be easily drawn into this quick-paced story with authentic characters and big stakes. I adored Dani and found myself rooting for this spunky heroine. Can't wait for the sequel!"

~ Rhonda Stapleton, author of the STUPID CUPID trilogy

GET TO KNOW AMANDA

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

AMANDA: Nobody puts Baby in the corner. Definitely Dirty Dancing! I still get chills when they do the lift in the final scene and then all the pros and guests join them on the dance floor.

The movie came out when I was in 5th grade, so of course nobody’s mom would let them watch it. But then at Becca’s birthday sleepover party later that year, her mom rented it and said we could only see it if our parents said it was okay. Needless to say, we all lied. And watched it six times that night.

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

AMANDA: It’s a cliché, but definitely Cinderella. I’m a sucker for that rags-to-riches storyline.

MAUREEN: Hiking boots or high heels?

AMANDA: High heels, although I do enjoy hiking. (I went to law school in Arizona, so we used to take advantage the wonderful winter weather and go up to Sedona or the Grand Canyon.) But as for heels, I actually started dancing in high heel tap shoes at age 9. Over time, it’s actually become more comfy for me to wear heels than flats. Weird, huh?

MAUREEN: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

AMANDA: I prefer to write to classical music, or other instrumental music. Lyrics pull me out of the zone and I start concentrating on what the performer is singing instead of what I’m writing. I’ve even started subconsciously typing lyrics directly into my work that way. Hello, massive copyright infringement! Not good. So I stick to instrumental now. But fortunately most coffee houses play the instrumental stuff anyway, so it works for me. Right now I’m sitting in my kitchen listening to my daughter’s Baby Einstein CD over the baby monitor. So classical it is tonight!

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite kind of cheese?

AMANDA: Mmm…cheese. Okay, this is going to sound really weird, but one of my favorite late night snacks is to shake some shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack onto a plate, stick it in the microwave, and then eat it with a fork. If it’s melted and gooey, I’ll eat it!

MAUREEN: What was the first story you remember writing?

AMANDA: I remember carrying around a tiny little note pad and a purple pen all summer when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and constantly working on a story. I was determined to write a book. I think I managed about 10 pages before I gave up. I don’t really remember what it was about. Runaway orphans on the prairie in the 1800s or some other such nonsense. My first story I actually remember the plot was “Nancy Flew and the Mystery of the Lady Ghost.” I was 9 at the time. It was a brilliant piece of literature. At least I thought so.

MAUREEN: What was your first boyfriend’s name? Would you want to meet him again?

AMANDA: Matt, and we “dated” in 7th grade (if you can really call it that). He moved away during the summer between 7th and 8th, and I never saw him again until we were 30. I was riding the Metro here in DC and saw a guy wearing a fire department windbreaker with Matt’s last name stitched on. (He has a very unusual last name.) I thought to myself, “Could it be? Naaah…” But then I heard, “Amanda?” I have no idea how he recognized me 18 years later, but he did. Small world!

MAUREEN: Now that's an amazing story. What a coincidence. But on to more probing topics... Is Elvis really dead?

AMANDA: Well, according to a manuscript my friend is working on, he’s actually a vampire now. So it’s anybody’s guess, really.

MAUREEN: Oh, that's priceless! What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

AMANDA: As soon as I type THE END, I jump up and down and run around the house, taking a victory lap. Then we go out to dinner that night.

MAUREEN: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and why?

AMANDA: My 2008 Golden Heart manuscript (Party Like It’s 1899) is a time travel. My hero and heroine stumble upon an old Jules Verne book in a used bookstore in Paris, during a French class Spring Break trip. Turns out the book is enchanted, and it sends them back in time to 1899, during the Belle Epoque, at the height of popularity of the Moulin Rouge and Impressionism. I had a blast researching it, so I think it would be super fun to travel to that era. I’ve been fascinated with that time period ever since I got assigned as an understudy at age 13 in Gaite Parisienne, a fabulous can-can-inspired ballet.

MAUREEN: That time period would be cool, and I always loved the title of that manuscript. I hope we'll see it in print some day soon. :) Did you belong to a clique in high school? Which one of the standard high school stereotypes did you best fit in to?

AMANDA: I guess I was sort of the Girl Next Door. I had friends in many cliques, but didn’t really belong to any one clique. Lots of friends, but no true BFF. In a way, it was kind of nice, because I was able to straddle a lot of boundaries. I was on Student Council and in all the honors classes, but I was also a cheerleader. I was the girl everyone liked, but not “Popular,” if that makes any sense.

GOTTA ASK, GOTTA ANSWER

MAUREEN: Your book features a teen ballerina. Do you have experience as a dancer?

AMANDA: I started dance class at age 3, when my mom noticed that I would jump around
and spin in a circle whenever the Coke commercial came on. (Crazy as it sounds, the 30th anniversary of my very first dance recital is just a few weeks away!) From that point on, it was pretty much a constant in my life all the way through college until I started law school. I danced in a local pre-professional company as a teen, and then was a member of my college ballroom dance team. I’ve done ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, modern, contemporary, flamenco, all forms of ballroom, African, hip hop, clogging, Irish step dancing, and 18th century English country dancing. Pretty much everything except belly dancing, but I’m sure I’ll rectify that at some point!

AMANDA ASKS:

What’s your favorite dance movie?

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Amanda is giving away an e-book version of CODENAME: DANCER. The contest is open worldwide!

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH AMANDA:

http://www.amandabrice.net/

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