Hi everyone! Okay . . . so this is the BIG moment I’ve been waiting for. The actual reveal of my Kickstarter project—it’s ready to go live NOW! So please stop by to check things out. You will find me at the following link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a... I’m super excited about this and really hope it works so I can publish Boy out of Bounds sooner, rather than many moons later! Please share this link with all your friends and spread the word via virtual media—be it Facebook, Twitter, or your blog (if you have one). As always I’d love to hear your feedback, and I hope we can make this happen together! Take care and happy Kickstarting!!! :)

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 31

Hi everyone! Well, so far so good. I managed to get my video shot thanks to lots of help from two of my good friends! Thank goodness for friends; I’d be lost without mine!!! I also managed to come up with a basic timeline for my project which has a projected start date of June 1st, and will run until July 20th—a total of 50 days. Think we can do it in that amount of time? I do, and I have my fingers crossed! So the next time I write it will likely be to announce the actual Kickoff. I’m so excited—and nervous! But I’ll be sure to keep you posted on all the latest. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon! :)

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 31

Hi everyone! So as you know I already did my photo shoot with the amazingly good looking male model for the cover of Boy out of Bounds. Now that that’s been taken care of, I’m working with a digital artist in England to create some even more amazing backdrops that I can possibly incorporate into the cover! What I’ve seen so far is incredible and I can’t wait to finally send it to my designer and pick out that final cover shot! She’s also creating some fantastic images using different pictures of the model that I’ll be giving away as unique rewards on Kickstarter! I’ve essentially figured out all the rewards I plan to offer, but when it goes live, if you guys have any other suggestions of things you think would be cool to receive, I’m definitely open to hearing your thoughts! Now I’m on to attempting to make a video for Kickstarter, as they suggest, and I pray it’s not a total disaster like some of my other videos! LOL. Wish me luck! :)

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 28

Hi again! Just a mini update to keep you abreast of what’s happening in my world these days. Most of you know I’ve been researching Kickstarter.com to create my upcoming book. Well I’m happy to say that things are looking good so far! To those of you who’ve already read TORN, I just wanted to let you know that Boy out of Bounds is not the sequel to TORN. It’s an extension of that world, introducing new characters, and bringing back a few minor characters from TORN that you may remember. I plan to bring this story full circle, wrapping it up with characters from both novels. So I guess you could say, it’s more of a trilogy than a sequel as originally planned. I hope you’ll be as excited about Boy out of Bounds as I am! Well, that’s all for now. Like I said, just a mini update. ;)

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 29

Well, if a renovated site wasn’t enough to be excited for, I have another “something new” planned that I’m very excited about coming up! I’ve discovered a website called Kickstarter.com which allows you to launch new products, inventions—almost anything—as long as it’s creative. So I thought what better way to test the waters and create my upcoming book "Boy out of Bounds" through Kickstarter! I like this idea because it allows others—the readers—to be involved in the process of creating the book as well. And it offers cool rewards to those who choose to get involved. Right now I’m at the beginning stages of figuring it all out, but I just wanted to share with you what project is likely to come next. I’ll be sure to let you know more as I learn more myself. Right now I’m trying to dream up cool rewards for everyone, so this may take some time! LOL. But anyway, that’s the gist of what’s happening now. I’ll have more info for you shortly! Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 19

Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank all of you who gave TORN a chance during the month of April! You absolutely made my birthday month! I was amazed and thrilled to see how many people were reading TORN. So thank you for making this my best birthday ever! I really hope you enjoyed your time reading! :)

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 29

No, this is not an April fool’s joke, but call me a fool for April. It’s my birthday month and for that reason I thought I’d do something special for you! For the entire month of April, TORN on Kindle will be reduced in price to only 99 cents! I hope you’ll decide to give it a try. Remember, if you have any doubts about it, you can review my concise summary of what it is, and what it’s not on Goodreads under my author’s review. Happy April and happy reading whatever you decide to pick up!
Amber :)

posted by Amber Lehman on August, 23

Well here it is . . . the big day of the reveal of my new website! I hope you all will love it as much as I do. Take your time and look around—there’s a lot happening on the site. When I first saw it I just kept pressing buttons and links to see where they’d lead me next! LOL. Now I feel like it’s a fun site to be on and I hope you will too. So with that said, welcome to Closet Case Press’s new site, just a click away at: www.closetcasepress.com.

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 04

So unbelievably excited about the update I just received from my web designer! The new site is incredibly cool and interactive and left me amazed with what she’s created. It won’t be long now . . . maybe a week before it’s ready to go live. Can’t wait to share my new home on the web with you! :)

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 04

OMG! I am so excited! I just saw the many samples of my new blogsite my web-designer created for me. I got to select which design I wanted to go with. Now that we’ve decided on the concept, it’s full speed ahead from here! I’ve only seen two examples of the one I chose and it already looks AMAZING! Can’t wait! :)

If you haven't "liked" my business page yet, now would be the perfect time so you'll get all the latest updates!https://www.facebook.com/ClosetCasePress

posted by Amber Lehman on February, 18

I am excited to announce the up and coming revamp of my website www.colsetcasepress.com! Starting in February things will start getting underway for the changing of my traditional website to a new and improved blogsite—which means I’ll have the ability to make updates more frequently and keep you up to date on what’s going on. I'm really excited about the design and I think you will be too. It has a much brighter, happier, youthful feel to it. I’ve put a lot of time and thought into entire vibe of the site and now I just need to let my expert web designer work her magic! It will take a little time because it’s a big project, but hang in there with me and I think we’ll both be amazed with the results! Here’s to a new year with a new blogsite!

posted by Amber Lehman on February, 09

As some of you know from my posts on my Facebook publishing page at www.facebook.com/ClosetCasePress I was both excited and nervous about my upcoming photo shoot for the cover of my new book with the gorgeous male model I had chosen. Well, I am happy to report that the day went perfectly—my nerves finally calmed, and the model was as sweet as can be. He was extremely into wanting to portray the role perfectly and I feel so fortunate to have found him! The day was overcast and rainy, setting the perfect mood for the shoot. In fact, it went so well that we were all smiling by the end of the day despite being soaked and slightly covered in mud—and I promise you, under any other circumstances that would not be my usual reaction. ;) Now my biggest problem looks like it will be choosing the best shot for the cover. But that’s a great problem to have and one I won’t mind in the least as I spend hours poring over pictures of him. Some days life is truly good!

posted by Amber Lehman on January, 27

Hey everyone!

Happy October 11th! Or more importantly—Happy National Coming Out Day! I was on YouTube earlier today and was watching several videos, but the one that spoke to me the most was an inspiring video of hope by Suze Orman that I’d like to share with you. So to all of my friends out there who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or an awesome ally . . . I hope this video speaks to you on some level and gives you that hope and encouragement that it IS okay to be who you are and step out of the closet if fear and shame have kept you there. There’s a reason I named my publishing company Closet Case Press—to break the silence, and to share stories about everyday people like you and me who struggle with accepting themselves for who we are. So I hope you have a wonderful day today . . . and MAKE THE MOST OF IT!!! :)

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbECOo...

With Love,

Amber :)

posted by Amber Lehman on November, 22

Hi there!

Since the digital release of TORN, I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of readers showing interest in this format. It's truly amazing! I now see that my initial reluctance to join the world of digital publishing ended up excluding many people who were genuinely interested in reading, yet simply preferred a different format than what I was used to. This has definitely been an eye-opening experience . . . and proof that the digital era is here to stay and stronger than I imagined. I have to say that I'm glad I joined the party, even if I was a little late arriving. ;)

While the second edition of TORN has been available on the Kindle for about 3 weeks now, I am pleased to announce that it is also now available for download on Barnes & Noble's Nook! For those of you who are interested in checking it out, I will leave the link below. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken an interest in TORN and welcomed me so warmly into what is clearly the future of publishing- digital books. Who knew! :)

Sincerely,
Amber

TORN eBook for Barnes & Noble Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/torn-amber-lehman/1103676012?ean=2940014260138

TORN eBook for Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Torn-ebook/dp/B007G0IO00/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

[bc:TORN|13507672|TORN|Amber Lehman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330680793s/13507672.jpg|7063377]

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 20

Hi there!

How has the new year been treating you? I can't believe we are already into March! Where does the time go? So far, this year has been full of lots of changes for me. I'm looking forward to returning to school in the summer, and I'm continuing to stay active in my community through volunteering in the meantime. The last time I blogged, I mentioned that I planned to convert my novel TORN into digital format. Well, I am pleased to say, that after diligent work on my editor's behalf, the digital version of TORN is now available on the Kindle! It took longer than I had anticipated. I didn't realize how limited an author is with digital publishing. The various font's I had used in the print version simply do not translate into digital format, which I found very disappointing. I also found it peculiar that the Kindle doesn't have page numbers but has a 'table of contents' instead. Since I don't own a Kindle, my friend was kind enough to lend me his so that I could preview TORN. I will admit I don't know a lot about eReaders, but the version I borrowed was the Kindle Fire. From my viewing experience everything looked great! So if you've been waiting patiently for TORN to be available digitally . . . the time has finally arrived! I hope you will enjoy this newly revised, second-edition of TORN. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please don't hesitate to message me. I look forward to hearing from you and happy reading!

Sincerely,

Amber :)

Oh - and for those of you who are interested . . . here's the link to the TORN eBook: http://www.amazon.com/Torn-ebook/dp/B007G0IO00/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330675332&sr=1-1

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 04

Hi there!
How has everyone been? Well, I hope. I have been extremely busy lately between working on multiple ideas for stories, in between volunteering at my local senior center nursing home. It’s sort of my other part-time job as I am there a minimum of 20 hours a week . . . and I love it! In the meantime, I've been giving some careful consideration to something that I was greatly opposed to before—entering the realm of the eBook world. I always swore I would never do it, but it seems that I can no longer ignore that digital books seem to be the way of the future. For me this was a concept challenging to grasp. See to me personally, nothing beats the feeling of holding a printed book in my hands, the smell of the pages. But I now realize that not everyone feels the same way. That is why I plan to release my novel TORN in eBook format very shortly. The wonderful thing about this is that it will be an improved version. It’s sometimes hard to believe and disheartening to say, but even the top professional editors make mistakes on occasions and I’m afraid that there were a few errors that were missed that made its way into the original print version of TORN. To be honest, my heart sank when I found them. An author always wants to put their best foot forward and I believe the reading public deserves a quality product. That's why it delights me to say that in the eBook format of TORN, the few errors that were present are now corrected, allowing for a much smoother reading experience. I also had the fun of designing a new cover! I really like it and hope you will too. And since it is being offered as an eBook, the price will be considerably reduced, hopefully allowing those who want to read TORN the opportunity to do so. So if you’ve been on the fence for awhile debating whether to pick up your copy of TORN, I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to read the improved version which I am very happy to release. Also if you’re not sure if the story will appeal to you, I highly suggest you read my succinct breakdown of the novel in my author review on Goodreads. It may give you some insight on whether this book will appeal to you. As always, I welcome questions from everyone who may have questions regarding my work. Please don’t hesitate to private message me! I will keep you posted with updates as the new format gets underway. I’m truly excited and hope you will be too! Take care!
Sincerely,
Amber :)

posted by Amber Lehman on February, 29

Hi everyone! I hope this update finds you well and in the middle of some exciting summer reading. I just wanted to share with you the latest news that TORN took home the silver award in the 2010 Foreward Reviews Book of the Year Awards in the Gay/Lesbian Fiction category! I am very happy and excited that it did so well after being named as a Finalist, and I want to say congratulations to the all of the winners in each category! What an exciting year 2010 has been! Take care everyone. :)

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 05

Hi everyone! A bit of good news to share with you: it was just announced that TORN was named as one of the finalists in Foreward Reviews' Book of the Year Award. Winners will be announced at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans this June. For a list of finalists in the gay/lesbian category, visit: http://www.bookoftheyearawards.com/finalists/2010/category/gay-lesbian-fiction/ Happy reading!

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 02

A positive review is enough to get me dancing around my bedroom like a fool! But as everyone knows, not all reviews are positive. I was once asked in a radio interview regarding my novel, “What do you do when you get a negative review?” My immediate response was: “I brush it off and keep writing.” I knew going into this that not everyone was going to like my book. TORN is not for everyone—it’s extremely controversial to begin with. That said, I do take the time to read every review that is written. I also take into consideration the reviewer’s points, concerns, or complaints. But it’s never something that discourages me from writing. It’s the price you pay for being an author. I love what I do. And those who can enjoy it with me, I am happy to share. Those who don’t like it, I hope they find a book that they do enjoy. If you are a writer or aspiring author, I hope you are encouraged to take that leap—no matter how scary— to get published and continue to do what you love to do—write—regardless of reviews. Remember . . . you can’t please everyone all the time.

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 04

So my friend came over the other day with all of his technology skills that I lack, and was able to somewhat salvage the interview that had been taped earlier in the week. It’s still grainy and dark, and a little blurry, but at least you can distinguish me from the chair now. Before his handiwork, the screen looked like one giant grey blob! So I guess this is an improvement even if it’s nothing close to what the original looks like. So, if you’d actually like to see what became of the video—and see my second interview—you can view it on Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIT0JLaak20 . It takes a while to load, just so you know. It’s a little longer than my last interview. I hope you’ll stop by to check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading my blog!

Amber :)

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 04

Well, today was an interesting day. I did my second interview—this one about writing in relation to TORN. The lighting looked great on the video camera, but when I went to transfer it to my computer it was dark as mud and fuzzy as cotton balls! I have no idea what happened! I’m definitely not an expert when it comes to anything video related, but I’ve never had anything go so awry. So tomorrow my friend is going to try and figure out how to fix it. I really hope it works out. The only funny thing I noticed on the video is that I blink like a thousand times! I never knew my contacts bothered me that much or that my eyes get that dry! Or maybe it’s a nervous tic. LOL. Who knows? All I know is that it looks pretty funny! I never took a public speaking course in school (or speech) so I get pretty nervous when talking in front of a camera. I have no idea how celebrities or public speakers do it. But I guess they get plenty of practice. All I know is give me a pencil and paper any day over doing interviews! I’m definitely more comfortable writing. Well hopefully, with any luck, I’ll have something new to share with you soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Thanks!
Sincerely,

Amber :)

My Official Website: http://www.closetcasepress.com

posted by Amber Lehman on February, 21

Hey there everyone,

Well, I was never able to recover my lost manuscript . . . so I’ve begun again with what little I had saved on my computer. Disheartening to say the least, but it will get done. In the meantime, I’ve been working on updating my website a bit. I changed some of the pictures and added information on some of the pages. For those of you who haven’t visited my site yet, I invite you to do so. The first three chapters of TORN are available there for you to check out to give you a sample of how the story starts out. My official website is at: http://www.closetcasepress.com . Oh, and you won’t want to miss out on all the latest news, so be sure to sign up for updates on the homepage! And if you want a peek into later in the book, chapter thirteen is available to preview on Authors Den. You can find me there at: http://www.authorsden.com/amberlehman . I hope that life is treating you well, whatever you’re doing, and to all the writers out there . . . keep up the hard work! It’s all worthwhile in the end!

Amber :)

posted by Amber Lehman on February, 24

For those of you who are interested, I have a new video—an interview—posted on youtube about my young adult novel TORN. You can view it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STMQvad3YCc . Happy viewing!

Amber :)

posted by Amber Lehman on February, 29

Wednesday Oct. 20 is Spirit Day, the day that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is asking people to "Go Purple" to call attention to the deaths of six teenagers who committed suicide after reportedly being taunted because they were gay. Show your support to teens
struggling with anti-gay bullying by wearing purple on 10/20/2010!

Amber

posted by Amber Lehman on March, 06