MMGM: THE CITY OF EMBER

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Whitney Messenger, because she wants to give Middle Grade fiction the attention it deserves out here in the blogosphere. And I agree!

So this week, I'm spotlighting a real favorite of mine: THE CITY OF EMBER, by Jeanne DuPrau.

Here's the back copy: Citizens of Ember shall be assigned work at twelve years of age...


Lina Mayfleet desperately wants to be a messenger. Instead, she draws the dreaded job of Pipeworks laborer, which means she'll be working in damp tunnels deep underground.


Doom Harrow draws messenger - and asks Lina to trade! Doon wants to be underground. That's where the generator is, and Doon has ideas about how to fix it. For as long as anyone can remember, the great lights of Ember have kept the endless darkness at bay. But now the lights are beginning to flicker...


I loved so much about this book. I love the way the characters come to life. Lina and Doon are both so well thought out and fleshed out and consistent that I was rooting for them the whole way.

Additionally, there's a mystery element to this, and it's pitched just right: not so easy that my son felt insulted when he was reading it, and not so hard that my he couldn't figure it out. It was just enough for him to think about and he was able to make the discoveries either with Lina and Doon, or just barely ahead of them enough to root for them. Finding a book that does this well for this age group is tough, so I really appreciate it when I do.

Even more, this is a book that stays with you for a while. It raises questions about what it is to be a good citizen, what it is to be a good person, and what it means to wield power over others. It explores how even the best of intentions can, over time, go horribly wrong, and how individuals can make it into something positive again. It gets young minds asking some really good questions.

Finally, I loved the ending. I thought it was perfect. It wrapped up just enough to satisfy the reader, but not so much that anyone's intelligence was going to be insulted. It left things on just the right note, and I love it when I find a book that does that.

In short, this book is awesome. My son and I couldn't read it fast enough.

And for even more MMGM, check out the faboo list-o-links at the bottom of Shannon Whitney Messenger's post HERE.

Also: my amazing PB CP Kristen Hilty is doing a contest and giveaway over at her blog The Monkey Patch. Go HERE to check it out!

FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater - AND A GIVEAWAY!

I promised you on Monday that I'd do this post on Wednesday.


Then my dad arrived from out of town.


And I forgot.


*FAIL*


Sorry guys! In an attempt to sort-of honor my promise, I'll include the 5 people who commented on yesterday's post in the list of entries for this prize. Which is awesome, by the way!


So, I went to Indigo Yorkdale (that's in Toronto) to meet Maggie Stiefvater, and it was amazing. I made new friends, I got to chat with some pretty cool people, and we all gazed with wonder at the sharpied guitar, which was covered with Maggie's incredible artwork.

The Sharpied Guitar

And then, of course, there was Maggie. She was incredibly nice and very funny. And she had some awesome wolf stories!

Maggie = Awesome

And then, of course, there was Tessa Gratton, Maggie's best friend and partner in critiquing amazingness, who I had a lovely chat with about her own book and who told me that I have princess hair, which made me feel all happy inside.

Tessa and Me. With Princess Hair.

And, of course, there was the signing. DID I MENTION THE SIGNING? By Maggie? Of books?


I HAVE ONE SIGNED COPY OF FOREVER TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER.

I also have swag for one lucky runner-up. (bookmarks, keyring, etc.)


In case you don't know anything about FOREVER, here's the blurbie from Amazon: "In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater."

I really loved this book. I love Maggie's lyrical storytelling style, and I found the characterization to be even stronger than in the previous two novels. Each character felt very real to me, and I am so impressed when an author manages to do that across the board with all of her characters.

I also loved the ending - which i can't tell you about, except to say that it wraps things up while still leaving the story open at the same time. It feels like a very satisfactory ending, but it's also clear that life for these people is going to continue, and not everything is certain, and that is okay. These are my favorite types of endings - this part of the story is over, but there will be more to come, and we will never know about it, and this is okay! Because this is the way life really is. Awesomeness.

It's an amazing book. I still want to move into it; just pack up my clothes and go live in the bookstore in Mercy Falls with Sam and Grace and everyone else. I loved it.

SO, you want to win this, right?

Here's what you have to do:

• Follow THIS BLOG. (+2 for old followers, +1 for new)
• Leave a comment on THIS HERE POST RIGHT HERE. (+1)
• FOR EXTRA ENTRIES: MyFaceSpacePlusThingamy this post for +3 points, if you leave a link in the comments; Tweet it for +1 per tweet, up to 5 tweets, if you leave me the links in the comments; Put it in your blog sidebar for +5, if you leave me a link to your blog in the comments.

THIS CONTEST WILL SELF-DESTRUCT ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, AT MIDNIGHT PST (THAT'S 3AM SATURDAY MORNING).

Happy entering, guys, and good luck to everyone!


*Edited to add PICTURES!!! Thanks to my friend Michele for sending them to me! You rock, Michele!

Aaaaand, MORE CONTESTS!

Hey there! Do you write funny? Have you got a funny scene of 350 words or less in your WIP? Can you whip one up in a matter of minutes (or even hours)?

YES?

You're in luck, because Uber-blogger and MG-Writer Extraordinaire Nathan Bransford is hosting a JACOB WONDERBAR Funny Writing Contest Spectacular Happening Event over on his blog, which you can find HERE. HURRY! It closes at 6PM PST today! And if you scroll down to the 186th comment, you can read my entry! Or, you can just read it below:


Bartholomew Ophelia Treebottom IV was bored. He swung his legs, heels banging in time with the bonging of the clock tower. Bored...Bored...Bored...

Tuesday was always a boring day. It was the day his parents reserved for their weekly trip to the taxidermist’s shop. His father was a world-renowned specialist in stuffed dead tarantulas, and was always on the lookout for a new specimen. His mother accompanied him, because the taxidermist’s wife made excellent omelettes. Bartholomew never went; dead tarantulas were boring.

Just then his neighbor Mandy tripped by, her eyes gleaming. “I’m breaking into the haunted Whaley House.” She cocked her head. “Want to come?”

Bartholomew considered. Haunted houses never really were. They were always just full of old junk. And dust. Dust made him sneeze. Bartholomew hopped down. “Alright, then.”

The door was locked, but the window opened easily, so they clambered in. It reeked of rot, and Bartholomew gagged. The room was covered in an inch-thick layer of dust, and stringy cobwebs stretched from corner to corner. His father would have loved to see the spider that had woven those webs. Bartholomew reached out to touch one, when a loud moan rolled down from upstairs.

Surprised, he fell forward, grabbing at the web - which was much more rope-like than he had expected - and bringing it, and a nearby lamp, crashing down. The lamp snagged on the curtains, which tore from their rod and landed with a whump upon Bartholomew, setting off a sneezing fit as he flailed about in a frantic attempt to free himself. Mandy screamed. Bartholomew jerked his head free just in time to see Mandy, covered in fake cobwebs and stuffed tarantulas, careening backwards into and over the side of an overstuffed armchair, upsetting a basket of something that, Bartholomew belatedly realized, looked like eggs. Peals of cackling laughter drifted in from the hallway.

As he sat, rumpled curtains hanging from his shoulders, rotten egg dripping down his forehead and off his chin, it occurred to Bartholomew that his parents, and Tuesdays, were not as boring as he had thought.


Also, don't forget to enter to win a copy of THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, by Jay Asher, HERE.


Happy Thursday!

Saturday Special: WIN a copy of Elana Johnson's POSSESSION!

Just popping into the blogosphere for an extra-special post to direct you to Literary Rambles, where natalie Aguirre is giving away not one, not two, but THREE copies of Elana Johnson's YA debut POSSESSION! I picked up my own copy yesterday, and guys, you do not want to miss this!

Three copies = three winners.

Go! Enter! And spread the word...

P.S. I am close-ish to getting 200 followers. When I get there, watch this space for a giveaway of my own design... Bwa-ha-ha-ha-haaa!

One-Line Pitch: Don't Leave Home Without It, and a Contest!

The SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC (and yes, you can just show up on Saturday and register as a walk-in!) kicks off tomorrow with the writer's and illustrator's intensives, and I am EXCITED! And one thing every writer - whether you're attending the conference or not - needs to have ready is a one-sentence pitch for their book.

But how can I condense my whole, complicated, 70,000-word book into one sentence, you ask?


Well, let me show you.


First, take out a piece of paper and write on it three headings: Main Character, Conflict, Stakes/Resolution. So for example, for one of the picture books I'm pitching, I've written: Penelope, huge hair overshadows all her achievements, figures out how to do something even bigger than her hair.


Then you just connect them all together:


PENELOPE'S HAIRY PREDICAMENT is about a kid who hates that her huge hair overshadows everything else she does, so after several failed attempts to make it less noticeable, she finally figures out how to out-do her own 'do.


Remember: it's one line. There's no room - and no need - for subplots and secondary characters. Focus on the heart.

Which brings me to the contest!


Post your one-line pitch in the comments below by MIDNIGHT on FEBRUARY 4th, and my favorite will win a query critique OR first 5 pages critique OR full picture book manuscript critique by yours truly.


If I get more than 50 entries, I'll offer TWO PRIZES! So, tweet and blog away! (Although this is a contest, so you won't get any extra entries for tweeting or blogging, but you WILL double the amount of prizes, thus increasing your chances of winning something.)

Go Local!

I've always been a proponent of supporting local artists, craftspeople, and businesses, so it's my pleasure to direct you to a super giveaway on Toronto author Claudia Osmond's blog, where another Toronto author - the fabulous Helene Boudreau - is giving away a signed copy of her new book, REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS!

This book, focused on the trials and tribulations of an aquaphobic mermaid (who didn't know she was a mermaid), looks like a really fun read, and Helene sounds like a really fun (and smart!) lady. Go here to check out her guest post, and be sure to play the HEART/HATE game in the comments to enter to win!

WINNERS!

I hate to tease.

Really, I do.

I should just get to posting the winners of my giveaways now, and not worry about all the buildup, shouldn't I?

It would be the nice thing to do.

*wicked grin*

Okay, okay, I'll do it!

Here we go...

(ha, ha...)

Okay, for real this time!

Ready?

The winner of a signed copy of RAISED BY WOLVES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is...

RaShelle Workman!

(YAY!  Applauds, sets off virtual fireworks.)

The winner of a signed copy of WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr is...

Lynda!

(YAY!  Applauds, sets off virtual fireworks.)

And - wow, was there a lot of competition for this one, guys, and I wish I could give a copy to everyone who entered - the winner of a signed copy of DUST CITY by Robert Paul Weston is...

Paul Greci!

(YAY!  Applauds, sets off virtual fireworks.)

So check your emails, guys!  And if you don't have an email address linked to your profile, then email me - my addy is up there in the right-hand corner, where it says "Get In Touch".

And thanks for entering!

Contest Reminders

Read my review of DUST CITY and enter to win a signed copy here.


Tell me your wacky Halloween costume ideas or email me a picture of yourself decked out in your Halloween gear to win a signed copy of RAISED BY WOLVES or a signed copy of WICKED LOVELY in my HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA here.


Also,

That is all.


Happy Halloween!

YA Spotlight and Contest: DUST CITY!

Today is a very special day on the blog, guys. Today I'm doing something I once vowed NEVER to do - I am reviewing a book. But it's not just any book - it's DUST CITY, by Robert Paul Weston. (Rob is the mind-blowingly crazy-brilliant author of MG novel ZORGAMAZOO, which won the Silver Birch Award... And which rhymes. Yup. I said he was brilliant, didn't I?)

And what's more, I have one brand-spanking-new, signed copy of DUST CITY to give away!

I am very excited to be able to spotlight this book today. Not only is it a thought-provoking read, but it does something I love, which is take a very modern story and put it in an extremely dark fairy tale setting. It pays homage to the original tone of the stories of the Brothers Grimm, to great effect. Here's the publisher blurb:

"Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?


His son, that's who.


Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, young Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves, until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.


Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone - and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.


Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?"

 How awesome is that?


There are a lot of things I like about this book. It deals with a number of issues that are very relevant to teens today: drug abuse, gang violence, identity crises, and more. These ain't your momma's fairytales, folks. And while Henry grapples with these issues, he does so in a world in which nothing is black-and-white. In Dust City, there is a whooole lot of grey, right up to the end. Just like in life.

Additionally, the characters in Dust City are very well-drawn. Henry does good things, and bad things; smart things, and really, really dumb things. He makes mistakes, just like every other teenaged boy out there, and every other character in this book is like that. And I loved them for it. When I found myself thinking, No, Henry, don't do it! It's a set-up! I knew I was onto a winner. Not many authors can make me care about their characters enough to think at them. And meeting each new character and figuring out which traditional fairytale they were from, and then finding out that I was right as I got to know the character more, was like getting little presents throughout the narrative. Awesome.

And also - and this is kind of shallow, but... You have to feel the cover of this book. It's textured. It feels... I`m not going to tell you how it feels, but I`ll tell you that I love it; it is so, so appropriate for this book. You have to go to your nearest bookstore and stroke it.* (The bookstore people will understand; they've probably beat you to it, actually. You know you want to.)

Don't you want to read this book right now? Well. You could go out immediately and buy it. You could immediately order it for your Kindle. Or you could win a signed copy right here, right now. In fact, I think you should go ahead and buy a copy anyway, because you're going to want to have a copy to read and re-read while your nice autographed copy rests pristinely on the shelf.** It's that good.

How can you win a signed copy of this book, you ask?

It's easy. Just:

1) Be a follower of this blog.

AND

2) Leave a comment on this post, telling me the name of your favorite fairytale.

The contest will run until MIDNIGHT on the night of MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST. I will put the names of every person who enters into a hat, and randomly draw the winner. The winner will be announced on my Wednesday Wisdom post on November 3rd. (In case you're wondering, my favorite fairytale is Hansel and Gretel.)

Good luck! And... GO!


*Yes, I do that. Bookstore people love me.
**Yes, I do that, too.

Random Pre-NaNo, Pre-PiBo Stuff

There's all kinds of great stuff going on right now here and in the rest of the blogoverse, so I'm postponing the usual Wisdom post until next week.

FIRST UP: There are TWO WAYS to enter the HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA!!! You can either comment telling me your wacky costume ideas, OR email me a picture of yourself in your costume. So don't be shy! Enter here.

SECOND UP: OMG, guys, have I got a great author spotlight and book giveaway contest for you coming up tomorrow. I am so excited! It's going to be awesome, so come by and enter, okay? Okay. You can enter both tomorrow's contest and the HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA! It will be easy-peasy, I promise you.


THIRD UP: I guess you noticed from the title of this post that I'm probably going to do NaNoWriMo. In fact, I have so much of my YA paranormal outlined that I have decided that I AM doing NaNo! WOO-HOO! And, of course, I am also doing PiBoIdMo. I'm pretty sure I can come up with 30 PB ideas in 30 days; my 3-year-old is a rich source of material. I mean, his big thing is running around the house with his underwear on his head. So, yes! to NaNo!  Yes! to PiBo!  YES! to my head exploding! (I'm just kidding about that last part...I think.) I am not yet set up on these things, so I will post over the weekend with links to my pages so you can buddy me.


FOURTH UP: Obviously, this means that I will have less time for blogging.  Like, a lot less.  Like, none.  I will maintain a thrice-weekly posting schedule, comprising of Mondays (random updates, writerly thoughts, linkages, etc.), Wednesdays (Wisdom), and Fridays (Favorites/random writerly stuff).  But I won't really be commenting as much on other blogs, at least not for the first half of November while I have family visiting from overseas (OMG, I must be MAD). And of course, we'll be right back up to five-posts-a-week from December 1st!


SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!

HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Halloween is coming - one of my favorite holidays!  I love Halloween because I get to dress up in something reeeeealllllly crazy.  Or, just something unusual, like that alternative career path I never took as a brain surgeon.  Hey, stop laughing, I'm serious!

Plus, you know:

not that I do that anymore - I don't want to end up like this gal...

Migraine...  uuuhhhhhnnnnnn.  Death by migraine...


Um...  What was the point of this post?  Oh, yeah!  It's time for the

HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Bet you want to know what you're supposed to do, right?  Right?

Well, this is a contest, folks, so you have to do more than just the usual thing.  You have to make an effort.  And since I love dress-up (as long as it's a little wacky), your task, should you choose to enter this contest, is to email me a photo of yourself in your Halloween costume.

ONE PHOTO PER PERSON.

Now, I know some of you will hate that idea.  Maybe you're 21st century Cavepersons like myself.  So alternatively (or additionally), you can tell me your wacky Halloween costume ideas in the comments to this post.

FEEL FREE TO POST AS MANY IDEAS AS YOU LIKE.

THE RULES:

- You must be a follower of this blog.

- You must leave a comment, either to tell me to check my inbox for a photo or to share your wacky costume ideas.  Also in your comment: your email address, so I can contact you if you win.

- Contest closes at 12 noon on Monday, November 1st (to give you late-night partiers time to sleep in and email your photo from the night before).

- This is a contest, so I will pick my favorites, possibly assisted by my clever Hubster and darling children, or possibly not.  But the point is that I will pick, so have fun with it and be creative.

- Winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 6:00am.

Of course, no contest is complete without PRIZES!!!  And since it's Halloween, I've obviously picked appropriate prizes!

First up, a copy of WICKED LOVEY, signed by Melissa Marr!  Can I just say how cool she is?  When I met her, I asked her what had compelled her to organize the Smart Chicks tour - a group of awesome women who write awesome books on a SELF-FUNDED book tour - and you know what she said?  She said she thought it would be a great thing to show girls that women can do this and be successful.  She wanted to empower girls.  She rocks.  And so does her book.  And the greedy me wants to keep it, but I know there are an awful lot of you out there who haven't had the chance to meet her and talk with her, so it makes me feel good to know that someone out there is going to LOVE this.

Second up, a copy of RAISED BY WOLVES, signed by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!  Okay, first of all, she looks about 16, which is SO not fair!  And secondly, she's very very smart.  She's studying developmental psychology WHILE WRITING TONS OF BOOKS, and her first YA novel was published when she was just 19.  She's a phenomenon.  And so is her book.  And the greedy me wants to keep this one, too - I mean, she was raised by WEREWOLVES!  And it's GOOD!  Trust me, that psychology degree is going straight into her books.  Her characters are that good.  You're going to love it.

So, great prizes!  Fun contest!  Tell your friends!  It won't get you any extra points, but it will make for more fun when I post some of the best piccies.

And...

GO!

Quick Update

I have new batteries in my camera!

WOO-HOO!

But I need Hubby's help to get the pictures onto my blog because I am a 21st Century Caveperson, so:

HALLOWEEN CONTEST EXTRAVAGANZA announcement will be posted TONIGHT!


I'll be skipping my weekly Wisdom on Wednesday post in order to give you folks a chance to check out the contest.

Later!

BOO-FEST! and: CONTESTS!

I love blogfests.  I know some people hate them, but I like that they force me to write.  And since I don't get to pick the topic, they force me to write outside my comfort zone.  They keep me out of the writing-rut.

So go on down to Quinn's blog at Seeing, Dreaming...Writing to join in on this year's Boo-Fest on October 28th, in which I and a lot of other bloggers will be posting our real-life ghost stories.  SpooOOOooky!

ALSO: Tahereh (who spills her amazing self on her amazing blog, GO READ IT) is running a contest from now until October 19th to win BOOK MONEY!!!!!  It's easy to enter, so do it now before the contest ends!

ALSO: Check out the amazing BLOGIVERSARY ARC GIVEAWAY over at Sara McClung's blog, Babbling Flow.  And make sure you tell her I sent you!


Good Luck, everybody!

100 Followers Giveaway WINNERS!

Sorry for the late post, guys - today is Thanksgiving here in Canada, so we're taking it easy here at the Mercurio household today - blueberry pancakes for breakfast, cartoons, turkey wrapped in its bacon blanket in the oven... (Mmmm...  Bacon-wrapped turkey...)

BUT, I promised you winners, and winners we have!

The WINNER of a query/first 5/full PB critique by Yours Truly is:

Kelly!!!

(YAY!  Applause, virtual confetti!)

And the WINNER of a signed copy of SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready is:

Jemi Fraser!!!

(YAY!  Applause, virtual confetti!)

If you have email addresses linked to your profiles, then check your emails, ladies! If you don't, then EMAIL ME! My addy is up thar in that right-hand corner thar, under my lovely not-a-headshot.

And now it's time to get back to my family holiday-ing. Have a great day, everybody! Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone for playing! And if you missed out on the great prizes this time around, have no fear! Stay tuned for my Halloween contest extravaganza later this month!

Grey Griffins Contest!

In case you haven't heard yet, Shannon Whitney Messenger is hosting an awesome contest to win signed and drawn in copies of THE BRIMSTONE KEY, the latest in the middle grade Grey Griffins series by Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis, as well as some awesome signed posters of artwork from the series.

Woo-hoo!

Go enter!

Sleeping Beauty Rewritten

If you still haven't heard of Emily White's cross-genre twisted fairytale blogging contest over at Stepping Into Fantasy, head on over there for the scoop and links to the other entries. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my entry, written by me (obviously):

One prick, and my life stills, given o’er to slumber. But I awake into a strange new world – they call me “goddess”, my body transformed, my limbs, once waiflike, now hard and strong. “They” are my people. A man, Palaemon, is their king, and when he touches me he touches my very soul. We share an enemy. The creatures rain down in strange ships, bug-eyed and buzzing, bearing chains, smelling of death. I drive them from the lands, fighting their razor-sharp light with the fire of a thousand suns. Palaemon drowns them in the waters, prisoners in their metal houses. “My” people become “our” people, and we usher in a new dawn to the sound of my name: “Au-ro-RA!” Their king is my king, his hand sure, his lips soft, and my eyes open to a cold bed, a haggard prince, castle walls crumbling around my ears.

Be sure to check out the other entries, and check back at Emily's site in the next few days for her pick of the top five and your chance to vote for your favorite.

Did You Skip Your Starbucks Today?

Because of writer and blogger C. J. Redwine's quest to adopt a baby girl from China, I did.

You should, too.

Do it for the contests. Do it because it's a good thing. It doesn't matter.

Just do it.

Contest!

My contest is over, but there's still time to join writer Shannon Whitney Messenger's mega-epic-contest-of-awesome, in which you can win one of five awesome ARCs. WOW! I'm excited about this one, guys. You have no idea how much I like getting to read a great book before everyone else. No. Idea.

So go over and enter! And remember to let her know in the entry form who sent you there.

The Winner of the Astonishingly Brilliant Query Critique Contest! And...Pictures!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Astonishingly Brilliant Query Critique Contest! I sincerely appreciate all your efforts to advertise my contest and send more people my way. And for those of you who didn't want to enter but just posted to say "hi" and tell me you think my blog and my contest are cool, thank you. All of you guys are pretty cool, too!

ANNNNNNNNND, after having my younger son choose one entry from the many that were thrown into the hat, I am pleased to announce that the winner of the contest is...

(drumroll)

Wendy! YAY! (applause, applause)

Congratulations, Wendy! I'll email you to discuss the how and when of your prize.

AND FINALLY, I have a face! I have to apologize to those of you who have been longtime followers, because I know I promised you a headshot, and that is obviously not a headshot. But the headshot is my reward to myself for selling a book, and seriously, do you know how long it can take to sell a book? If it takes 6-8 months for the publishers to even get back to you, then that's...hmm...longer than it would take Greenland to melt, maybe. Okay, not really that long. But it feels like it! And I did not want to remain faceless for that long of a time. So, that lady up there in the corner? That's me. Thanks to my wonderful husband, who took that photo, and to my wonderful children, who tried to stop him.

The "Astonishingly Brilliant Query Critique" Contest!

So, WriteOnCon has been officially over since Thursday night. And ever since Wednesday evening (because I like to get a head-start on depression), I've been down with the post-WriteOnCon blues. I got my feedback, I've polished my manuscripts, I have my new Beta-reading friends (Hi, New Beta-Reading Friends!), I'm ready to submit, but... I'm just not inspired to write anything new. I'm in the dumps.

Do you know what always gets me out of the dumps?

A contest!

So, I am hosting my first-ever blog contest! YAAAY!

And in keeping with my WriteOnCon blogging theme, which was all about queries, one lucky winner of this contest will win An Astonishingly Brilliant Query Critique by ME! And it will be astonishingly brilliant, I promise you. My query critiques kick a little butt.

SO, here's what you do to enter this contest.

1) Follow my blog.

2) Link to this contest in as many places as you can: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, your own blog, you name it. Go big, guys.

3) Leave a comment on this post with a link to each place in which you have linked to this blog. You will get one entry for each link you post. You will get 5 entries if you actually blog about it! Woo-Hoo!

4) Do all of this no later than Midnight on the night of Friday August 20, EDT.

At Midnight on Friday night, I will take all of the entries and put them into the hat and pick one winner. (Yes, I said a hat. Yes, I am a low-tech person. You probably already knew this from the lack of pictures on this blog, and from the little blog-party I threw when I finally figured out how to add hyperlinks. I hope to remedy the picture issue soon.)

So, go win yourself a query critique!

And thanks for stopping by.