Saturday, November 15, 2014

Mandy and Lexi - Weekend Update Edition

1) "You Can Leave" has hit 53 on Billboard Indicator charts!

2) After Hours is now available for preorder in hardcover, paperback, and e-book!  Check it out here on Amazon or from other retailers, listed here.

3) Mandy got a new two-book deal with Simon Pulse!  Check out the announcement below!

4) Secrets, Lies, and Scandals was listed on RT's Books Before the Buzz! Check it out here!

5) The "You Can Leave" music video has almost 20k views!  Watch here!

6) We got our pictures back from a photo shoot by the lovely Vania Stoyanova!  Check 'em out!  Soon these will be the banners for the blog!







Sunday, October 5, 2014

AFTER HOURS E-book availabe for pre-order!

Cool stuff - this morning, I woke up to find that the Kindle version AFTER HOURS is now available for pre-order! :)

Hopefully we'll see the hardcover and paperback versions on Amazon soon!

Check it out HERE.


Sunday, September 21, 2014

In Good Company!!

Happy Sunday Ya'all!

I have exciting news this week! My management company Patton House Entertainment has merged with a larger management company called First Company Management! First company manages the christian group The Newsboys, they starred in the movie "Gods Not Dead" this year! They also manage a lot of other great acts and I am excited to be one of the First Company artists.

Friday night I went to the SOLD OUT Newsboys and 7th Time Down show here in Nashville! It was amazing and so inspiring! They are on tour now and I recommend everybody catch their show!!


Check out First Company Managements Artists Here!


Mandy and I are enjoying a Roommate day in Nashville and we hope you all have a great week!!

xoxo,

Lexi


Thursday, September 11, 2014

What's up this weekend?

Just a quick note - I'll be blogging like a madwoman ALL WEEKEND for the SCBWI Midsouth Conference, which is basically a conference where writers from all over the Midsouth come to learn all of the ins and outs of the publishing world.  I'm leading a trusty blog team with amazing authors like Colette Ballard, Bethany Griffin, and illustrator Cat York, so if you want a taste of what a writers conference is all about, check it out - we'll be at SCBWI MIDSOUTH 2014 all weekend!

Lexi is singing in good old Ogallala, Nebraska tonight, where it's already cold - and my parents are in attendance!  Go Lex!

Monday, August 25, 2014

Book Deals and Billboards!

Big news, guys - Lexi, who hit the Music Row Top 50 this week, has finally done it - she's hit THE BILLBOARD/INDICATOR CHARTS.

That's right, guys - Lexi is number 59 on the Billboard/Indicator charts!

Make sure to congratulate her on this AMAZING achievement! :)


Sunday, August 24, 2014

"You Can Leave" breaks the Top 50!! 


I hope you have had an AMAZING Summer! I can’t believe it’s almost the end of August! We had an amazing California/Nevada/Arizona radio tour a couple weeks ago and now I am finally back in the great state of Tennessee!  We are so excited to announce that "You Can Leave" got to #50 on the Music Row Charts! Woo hoo what a dream come true! 

If you haven't seen the music video for “You Can Leave” on CMT.com and GAC.com! I attached the links below! Check it out and share! 

To watch on CMT.com click on the link below!


To watch on GAC.com click on the link below!


Fun Fact: Did you know the boy in the “You Can Leave” music video is actually my high school sweet heart and really good friend now? His name is Joe and he is from Ogallala, Nebraska too! I wanted to be able to get those feelings back and I knew having him in the video would make it very raw and honest for me! It was such a fun day!


Happy Sunday ya' all!!! 

Lexi


Saturday, August 2, 2014

On people hearing about your book who are not related to you

Of course I knew that my family would read my book.  I mean, they did when I was like, seven, and writing these really lame stories about being away at summer camp or something that I never actually did.  They mostly revolved around pranks and unsophisticated crayon drawings of girls with too-big heads and noses that always faced to the right. (Clearly, I was never cut out to illustrate books).  Reading my work was probably a lot like torture, but my parents, especially, were always really encouraging about my writing.  :)

Anyway, lately, a lot has been going on - some really cool things that I CAN'T TALK ABOUT and some that I can.  Like that AFTER HOURS has been showing up ON THE INTERNET.  I mean, people are actually talking about it!  People who aren't my family and friends.  People who NEVER MET ME.  How weird is that?

It's really exciting. But it's also extremely intimidating.  People are actually looking forward to reading something THAT I WROTE.  This is all really scary, because as with any book, there are going to be people that love it (um, let's hope) but no matter what, there are going to be people who don't like it, too, which might reduce me to weeping while eating box of stale chocolates during old Freddie Prinze Jr. movies.  (Just kidding. About the chocolate. I don't eat chocolate.  But I am still down for Freddie Prinze Jr. movies.)

Anyway, it's on blogs, a few people have pinned it on Pinterest, and it's even on GoodReads, which is the scariest review site EVER (according to my author friends) but it's also where I can stalk people as they read it and catch updates as they love it and/or make fun of it mercilessly.  Let's hope for the former.

Other fun news:  I got to see my cover comp yesterday, and I'm really excited about it.  The AFTER HOURS cover will be glossy, but some parts of the cover - like parts of the door, the dollar bill, and the title - will be matte, which just creates a really unique look (and feel) to the book.

That's all the news I can share (for now)!  I hope you're enjoying the blog!  Feel free to comment or ask us questions - we love hearing from people!

Have a great Saturday! :)

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Lexi signs with Patton House Entertainment!

It's been exciting in our little apartment lately! Lexi here... I am so excited to announce this week that I signed a management deal with Patton House Entertainment yesterday afternoon! I am so blessed and ecstatic about the chance to work with Andrew and the team! To learn more about Patton House Management and all of their accomplishments you can check out the link below!

https://www.thephe.com/who-we-are.html



Also, more big TEAM LL news is that my single "You Can Leave" moved from 69 to 63 on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart last week!  If you have a chance to check out the radio map on my Lexi Larsen Facebook page you can find it playing on a country station near you! You could even call and request them to play it!

Check out the Radio Map Here:

https://www.facebook.com/LexiLarsenMusic/app_512541485429310

Thanks for checking out Typewriters and Twang! We are glad you stopped by!



https://www.thephe.com/who-we-are.html

Friday, June 27, 2014

Our LUCKY WINNERS for the AFTER HOURS cover reveal contest!

Without further ado....

The winner of the TWITTER CONTEST is Gretchen Hanshew!  Congratulations, Gretchen!

The winner of the BLOG CONTEST is TAMMY GIBSON!  Congratulations Tammy!

Thanks to everyone who entered!  Stay tuned for more awesome news and contests!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Cover Reveal and Contest for AFTER HOURS!

Hi everyone!

I am incredibly excited to reveal two new things about my upcoming book...the first of which is a new title!  That's right - the book is no longer called ON THE CLOCK.  It's called AFTER HOURS, which I love because I think it's fabulous and just a bit scandalous - much like the story!

So without further ado...here is the COVER!


My editor promised sexy AND funny and I think they pulled it off!

So now that you've seen the cover, what's it all about?

Isa, Xavi, Peter, and Finn know that a job at the high-end Waterside Cafe isn't just about waiting tables. It's about the gossip, the hook-ups, the after-hours parties and, most of all, it's about Tips.



Tips--the high-stakes game based on dares. Whoever completes the most dares wins the collected money. A sum that could change a wasted summer into a Summer to Remember.



Isa is the new girl with an embarrassing secret, and as long as she stays on top of her game, she sees no reason why anyone could ever find out.



Xavi will do anything for the money...absolutely anything.



Peter, Xavi's stepbrother, has been in love with her for years, and he thinks the game is the perfect time to confess his feelings.



Finn is in the game just for the thrill. He has enough tips coming in to keep him happy...even if those tips come with some conditions.



From seduction to stealing to threats, the dares are a complete free-for-all, and only the best can win.



The sophisticated Waterside Cafe is anything but classy behind the scenes...and things are about to get dirty.



Now, I promised PRIZES!  And guess what?  There are TWO ways to win.  Yep.  Two.

Prize one:  $50 gift card to OpenTable.com (since the book is mainly set in a restaurant!) and a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card

How to win:  Leave a comment on this blog entry! One winner will be randomly selected from the comments!

This contest will be open for seven days.  The contest closes on 6/26 at 1:00 PM CT.
Prize two:  $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card 

How to win: Tweet with the Hashtag #AfterHoursGiveaway and let people know about AFTER HOURS and the cover reveal!  A winner will be randomly chosen!  Remember - you can find me on twitter @amandakmorgan. :)

The Twitter contest closes 6/22 at 11:00am CT.

You may only enter the Twitter contest ONCE.

Please note you MAY enter for both prizes, but two separate winners will be selected.  If you are randomly selected for both prizes, you will receive prize one and another name will be selected for prize two.

Lastly, if you would like a jumbo bookmark with the fab cover and AFTER HOURS info, please reach out to me and I'll make sure you're mailed one!  Catch me at amanda k morgan (at) hotmail dot com.

A very special thank you to Russell Gordon, the designer at Simon Pulse who created this pretty cover and my amazing editor, Michael Strother! :)

Happy AFTER HOURS cover day and thanks for playing! :)  Please feel free to tweet, share on Facebook, instagram, tumblr, whatever!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Twangin' On the Road...Again!


Woo hoo! Big week for Typewriters and Twang!

 June has been such an exciting month for me and the LL Team and it’s only half way done! We loved traveling though the Smokey Mountains to play in Ten Mile, Tennessee, and then traveling back to Nashville to start the CMA Country Music Fest week! It is such an exciting week in Nashville around 80,000 country music fans travel to Music City for the four-day festival! I had the chance to perform acoustically in the Glass Tower of the Bridgestone Arena on Thursday and then I got to sign autographs at the Roper Apparel both inside the Fan Fair X. It was awesome to meet so many country fans!

I went to my first CMA fest when I was 16 years old and I dreamed about the day I would have a stage to sing on that week and it came true so I was excited! After CMA fest we headed to Lincoln, Nebraska to play a show downtown and then on to Chingawassa Days in Marion, KS where we opened for Love and Theft! Then we spent a few days in the Rocky Mountains visiting radio stations and finally landed back in Nebraska! It is a good thing I enjoy sleeping in hotels.. FREE Coffee!

“You Can Leave” has reached “69” on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart! We are so excited with its progress and we just found out today that 3 Billboard stations have added the song this week! If you haven’t seen the music video it is attached at the bottom and you can also download and stream the song from www.lexilarsen.com.  You can check the Radio Map on the Facebook page to find a station near you playing it, every time it is requested at one of those stations it helps!

Check out "You Can Leave" here! 



I shared some photos from the past couple weeks and I hope you enjoy them! We are excited about a busy summer, and we hope to see you at some upcoming shows! Who is excited for Mandy's BIG SURPRISE!?!

Love Always,

Lexi Larsen




                                       









Saturday, June 14, 2014

Watch this blog: contests and some pretty cool news!

Hey all!

Lexi's on the road, promoting her still-rising single "You Can Leave" and I'm holding down the fort in Nashville - and I have some exciting news!

But here's the deal.  I can't tell you - yet

I can, however, be that irritating person that drops hints and you're standing there like, OMG, JUST TELL ME ALREADY.  But I won't.  I'm say, for example, I have two things to share.  And BOTH have to do with my upcoming book.

And even better (for YOU, at least) is that I'm giving away some pretty cool prizes!

So stay tuned and bookmark this page for details on what and how you can win!

Monday, June 2, 2014

CMA Music Festival is here!!!

Mandy and I went on an awesome hike in Foster Falls, Tennessee over Memorial Day weekend! We had a blast enjoying the peaceful scenery!! Here is a video that we did on top of a cliff. Mandy, the dare devil went all the way to the edge! It is CMA fest here in Nashville so all the country music fan are on their way! I have a few appearances that I am really looking forward too!!

Lexi


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj088drLxNA&list=UUz_JhrSLlgwFNCvRngZXzoA


Saturday, April 26, 2014

Signing the contract

There's something pretty special about getting to sign a real live (or not-so-live) book contract.  Happy day!  Thanks to Tammy Gibson for taking the picture and a shout out to Lexi for being 77 on the charts this week! :)

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Starting the Year of Celebration!!

We decided tonight that we have waited all of our lives to have our dreams start coming true and now  Mandy got a book deal and my song moved to 86 on the charts! Let the celebration Begin!!



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Survey Says- Lexi Edition

Hello friends… Here we go this is going to be fun! 

1. Something you're scared of
         Massive Heights. I am only 5’2” so I feel a safer close to the ground!

2. What you are currently listening to?
         Well, ALWAYS country but my trainer introduced me to The Rudimentals…I can dig something new every once and a while!

3. Someone you strongly dislike
         I really don’t like bullies! Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you!

4. Favorite movie(s)
         Sweet Home Alabama and anything with a Disney Princess! I strongly believe I will be or was a one in another life! Ah ah ah haha haaaaaa (that is me singing like Snow White) 

5. Favorite TV show(s)
         FRIENDS and I LOVE that it is on Nick @ Night! Oh and Friday Night Lights, it should have went on forever!

6. Celebrity crush
         ahhhh Ben Affleck forever and ever amen!

7. Favorite band(s)
         The Eagles, Little Big Town, SHANIA TWAIN, GEORGE STRAIT, Jewel, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Fleetwood Mac, A Thousand Horses, Dirty River Boys, Josh Abbott Band, Stoney Larue…. You can’t ask a musician this question….

8. Are you single?
         UMMMMM… Til You’ve Loved A Cowboy

9. Your age
          A lady never tells, but I can buy wine and gamble J

10. Favorite color
         PINK—I am a Mary Kay Kid J

11. Eye color
         Chocolate…that is fancier than just brown J

12. Last book you read
         Amanda K. Morgan’s and it rocked!! I can’t wait till you all get to read it too!

13. Dream vacation (where, who with, what would you do)
         The beach with my closest friends and cousins but I would need enough time to spend with each one of them…Quality time is my love language

14. Do you currently have feelings for someone? Once again…Til You’ve Loved a Cowboy

15. Turn offs?
         Unnecessary Rudeness and talking bad about your family or even worse, your mother! Yes I went on a date with one and needless to say I left early and never returned a text after!

16. Turn ons?
         (What Mandy Said)

17. Favorite scent
         Gasoline, puppies and babies!

18. What's makes a perfect day?
         Waking up drinking a cup of tea and talking to God. Then doing something you love whatever it is! (Even if that means watch Netflix all day…hey, to each their own!)

19. Your house is on fire; all of your pets and loved ones are safe, what are the 3 things you save?
         My special box full of notes, and pictures that I’ve saved since I was 10 and my in-ears monitors (they cost a fortune, I am not losing them)

20. Does everyone deserve a second chance?
         I will have to say a prayer about that one tonight! I would like to think yes but then I think no…stay tuned folks!


Survey Madness: Mandy Edition

So Lexi and I decided to do these random, middle-school type surveys as a getting-you-know you activity!  Of course we answered with sincerity - or maybe, just an awful lot of snark!

1. Something you're scared of: life without yoga pants, whatever is in the bottom of my gym bag, giant asteroids, the air conditioner from The Brave Little Toaster

2. What you are currently listening to? I am currently obsessed with Lennon and Maisy, the two little girls on Nashville. And obviously I listen to live concerts starring Lexi Larsen when she's singing too loudly in the shower or her car or whatever.

3.  Someone you strongly dislike: Whoever invented Crocs. Why would you make something so comfortable so ugly?

4. Favorite movie(s): Gladiator wins it all. I mean, it's probably the most quotable movie of my life. Also, the swordfighting is legit, and who doesn't secretly wish they could sword fight? Um, sign me up for the fencing class, please.

5. Favorite TV show(s): The Mindy Project. Mindy Kaling is my long lost sister, only not really.

6. Celebrity crush: Hmmmm. I have a serious soft spot for Daniel Craig – but ONLY as James Bond, okay?

7. Favorite band(s): Hello, Lexi Larsen? Who else am I going to say? Plus she's sitting RIGHT. BESIDE. ME. Look away, Lexi. Look away. (Joking, guys! Lexi is the bomb!)

8. Are you single? Ain't no ring on this finger.

9. Your age: Old enough to know better, but young enough not to care

10. Favorite color: RED. All the way, RED.

11. Eye color: Who knows? My cousin once described my eye color as dirty ocean water. That's pretty accurate if you want to be real, but it doesn't fit on a driver's license.

12. Last book you read: FAKING NORMAL by Courtney Stevens. Good read!

13. Dream vacation: Oooh, this is a tough one. I'm going to totally cop out and say a world tour with someone I care a lot about.

14. Do you currently have feelings for someone? Geez, getting a little personal, aren't we, survey writer?

15. Turn offs? Overly personal questions. Also, lack of respect and when people respond to text messages with the letter k.

16. Turn ons? Really, survey writer? Yeah, no. Not gonna answer that.

17. Favorite scent That delicious, new book smell. Or old book smell. Just not the delicious, new Kindle/e-reader of choice smell.

18. What's makes a perfect day? Life and the people you love. Also, chocolates and fresh air.

19. You're house is on fire, all of your pets and loved ones are safe, what are the 3 things you save? My laptop, the Bible my grandmother got me in eighth grade, and a bear from my parents.

20. Does everyone deserve a second chance?
That depends on whether or not you're Hitler.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Nice to meet you!

So.  Chances are if you clicked on this site, you probably know one (or both) of us, but here's the down low in case you have some catching up to do:

Lexi Larsen




Born and raised in western Nebraska, Lexi Larsen is a soulful sounding small-town girl with big city appeal. From the Galaxy of Stars Search to the regional Colgate Country Showdown, Lexi has been building a solid fan base across the country. The country music newcomer recently released her debut album Good Memories with self-penned songs like “He’s On A John Deere,” “Something About A Sunday” and her new single “You Can Leave” which shipped to radio January 20th and in just a few short days made big waves in the independent country charts. Good Memories pairs her with some of Nashville’s greatest musicians to create a sound that is highly addicting and uniquely Lexi.

Lexi funded her album Good Memories through Kickstarter with the help of her fervent fan base. The fans spoke up and showed their confidence in her and love for her music. Before the 30 day time period was up, she had collected a veritable mountain of donations to make the album she’d dreamed of. Good Memories is available now on iTunes.

The Nashville-based singer/songwriter has captivated crowds as far away as Xian, China with a combination of her unassuming charm and powerhouse voice. She has taken herself and her band on three summer tours that have taken her from the wild motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota to two sold-out shows in her home state of Nebraska. She has opened for Country Music Hall of Famer and music legend Ronnie Milsap, hitmaker Phil Vassar, Warner Bros recording trio Gloriana as well as acts like Grammy-nominated Emerson Drive and most recently the award-winning Restless Heart. With her country cool, she's at home anywhere and garnering lifelong fans with the work of a few notes.

Like her single says—you can leave, but you won't want to.

Visit Lexi online here.

Amanda K. Morgan (Mandy)

Just chillin' in my everyday clothes.  Photo taken/outfit put together by the amazing Vania Stoyanova.


Amanda K. Morgan is a freelance writer living in Nashville, Tennessee. She covers events and works as a technical writer when she isn't working on her YA novels.

At age 15, Amanda finished her first novel and continued to write in college, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Amanda is an avid volleyball player and spends time playing both indoors and out. When Amanda isn't writing, she enjoys being entirely too busy and trying new things. Endeavors as of late include appearances in music videos, TV, and movies, rock climbing, and attending as many concerts and shows as her schedule allows.

Amanda headed up the Do The Write Thing for Nashville Project (with co-organizers/authors Victoria Schwab and Myra McEntire), which tapped some of the biggest authors, editors, and agents in the industry for an online auction that raised over $70,000 for Midsouth flood relief.

She is the Social Media Coordinator for the Society of Writers and Children's Book Illustrators Midsouth region and has been the blog team leader at the Midsouth conference for the past two years. You can usually catch her at the Los Angeles conference.

Find Amanda acknowledged in Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney, Break by Hannah Moskowitz, The Naughty List and So Many Boys by Suzanne Young, Freefall by Mindi Scott, Chasing Blue by Jessica Burkhart, The Espressologist and My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer, among others.

 Visit Mandy online here.

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