Auction for a great cause

Have you been to the Bridget Zinn auction? I first learned about this fantastic cause from Lisa Schroeder's blog.

There are so many auction items I can't begin to list them all, but they include manuscript critiques (including one from Kristin Nelson), signed copies of books, artwork, and so much more.

Please go check out the auction and see if you can help Bridget. But hurry, it ends tonight.

And if you'd like to read Bridget's blog to find out a bit more about what an amazing person she is go here.

Write on.

Thursday Things

Today I left work at noon. We loaded the kids into hubby's truck and drove for about an hour to a lake where we spent a couple of hours fishing. It had been ten years since we went to this lake (Black Canyon) to fish.

The kids had fun, hubby had fun, I had fun . . . but I did get a little sunburned on my face (forgot the sunscreen there DUH).

All total, we kept eleven rainbow trout (we caught many more but put them back). Hubby taught me how to clean them. This may not seem like a huge thing to some of you, but I had never cleaned a fish in my life. It was a huge step for me (being an animal lover and all) and I'm proud of myself.

After we got home, I spent the next hour removing scales from all eleven trout. I de-boned two of them and then gave up (we'll pick the bones out after they've cooked). Right now the trout are baking in the oven (because I didn't feel like standing over a pan to fry them).

All in all, it was a good day . . . except for the sunburn.

In writing news, I've sent a few e-queries out into the world . . . we'll see what happens.

Now I've got to get some critiques done.

 

Write on.

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my child/teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my child/teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my child/teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my child/teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my child/teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

 

Horse Diaries: Elska by Catherine Hapka

Rating: A+

Category: Contemporary

Age Recommendation: 6+

Elska is a horse story like no other. Mainly because this story comes straight from the horse's mouth. That's right; Hapka lets Elska tell her own story.

The book begins with Elska's birth and follows her as she grows and learns the way of an Icelandic mare. Jump into this book and follow this magnificent horse through training, growing, and even a daring rescue.

Reading HORSE DIARIES: ELSKA took me back to my childhood when I read horse books by Marguerite Henry. I have to say, I enjoyed Hapka's story as much today as I would have back then . . . maybe more.

If you have a horse lover in your life, trot on out and pick up a copy of this book for them. I am passing this book on to my nine year old and I'm sure she'll love it. I look forward to future HORSE DIARIES books.

Write on!

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Rating: A

Category: Fantasy

Age Recommendation: 14+

Ai Ling's father was summoned to the Emperor's palace and has yet to return. Determined to find him, she leaves home. Unfortunately, she's not alone.

Mythical demons hunt her wherever she goes.

Chen Yong wants to know who he is. As he journeys to the Emperor's palace in hopes of finding answers to his past, he meets Ai Ling, but he only finds more questions.

Ai Ling has been marked by the Immortals to destroy a soul stealing evil, and Chen Yong's fate is intertwined with hers. Their astounding journey leads them places no mortal has ever been.

Pon takes the reader on a fantastical jaunt through ancient China. Filled with twists, turns, and tummy tempting descriptions of food, SILVER PHOENIX is a thrilling journey of discovery.

 

Write on!

Team Raving Pen rocks!

We are doing well in the Maggie Stiefvater contest. Look at all the fantastic people who have already joined Team Raving Pen:

1. ravelda
2. goadingthepen
3. jessica_shea
4. britlitfantwin
5. shanasilver
6. music_lover3
7. fabulousfrock
8. edgyauthor
9. robinellen
10. juliakarr
11. lisa_schroeder
12. authorwithin
13. kbaccellia
14. latteya
15. eclectic_writer
16. carriejones
17. __bac__
18. sruble
19. gag01001
20. cyn2write
21. afraclose
22. azang
23. inkbabies
24. kathys_shadow
25. crzywritermindi
26. aliensplicer
27. dragonflame_05
28. veschwab
29. denisejaden
30. brian_ohio
31. jeniwrites
32. tmthomas
33. coloradowriter
34. mandywriter
35. carrie_boo
36. heatherkb
37. lillpluta
38. tamarak
39. janel_harrison
40. lalam
41. miladyinsanity
42. kristydempsey
43. elissadcruz
44. sixverstein
45. ecm_sketches
46. pamm
47. aerinrose
48. lux-st-clare.blogspot.com
49. http://www.myspace.com/lookingforalaskamusic
50. bonibleauxdesigns.blogspot.com
51. learningtoread
52. arya_darcy
53. lindajsingleton
54. futuredoctor19
55.astres
56. ebenstone
57. slush_one
58. zibeth
59. confusedlook
60. sarahlepstein
61. fandoria
62. http://bleauxleaux.blogspot.com/
63. sboman
64. bbovenguy
65. suzelle
66. sahm2
67. dawn_metcalf

 

But it's not too late! By joining Team Raving Pen you'll help us keep the lead and not only will you get a crit of your first five pages from Maggie Stiefvater, but you'll also be entered for the following:

3 ARC of Shiver to Share!
8 signed copies of Lament to draw for.
1 copy of Eyes Like Stars + theatre package.

All you have to do is Join Team Raving Pen in the Maggie Stiefvater Shiver contest...as long as we keep our lead until 8PM Tonight. EVERYONE on board gets a critique and is entered for the other prizes. The more people who join in the better our chances.
So what are you waiting for? Come on it is only one little post and one little reply!

Here's what to do:

Karen has made it really easy. Go Here and copy the code she has on her post:
http://ravelda.livejournal.com/342338.html

Paste it onto your blog in a post.

Then go here:

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/105279.html

Let Maggie know you posted one for Team Raving Pen!

It's that simple! So get to posting and help us kick it in for the win!

 

Post on!

Come on, join the team!

Team Raving Pen needs your help! So all my friends out there in blogging land, if you haven't already joined a team, please join Team Raving Pen. We are up to about 30 team members and we are shooting for at least 50 to double the ARC love.

Team Goading The Pen and Ravelda have formed an alliance.  Here is what you get if you join our team Raving Pen!
Everybody on the new team is entered for a giveaway for an ARC of EYES LIKE STARS.

Everybody on the new team shares the ARC of SHIVER, determined by random number. (Starting with #1 the first person reads and then mails to the next person on the list and so on. Last person on the list will get to keep the ARC)

Everybody on the new team is entered to decide who gets one of 4 signed copies of Lament. (We are giving away all four.)

Come on, join the team!

Here are the details of Maggie's contest:

Maggie Stiefvater is having a contest here: A Better Way To Get a Shiver ARC

Winner gets:
- a signed ARC of SHIVER
- 4 signed copies of LAMENT
- and for each of the friends that you got to comment, a critique of the first 5 pages of any of their manuscripts.

And if any single person manages to get over 50 friends to comment, I'll make it 3 ARCs of SHIVER and 8 copies of LAMENT. (With your help we can do this! Just copy and paste this entire post into your blog and then go comment on Maggie's blog that you did it for Team Raving Pen!)
In Short the person who gets the most people to join there team by posting:
1. A picture of the Shiver Book Cover
2. A description of Shiver
3. A link to the pre-order page
4. Letting her know that they have posted and who they are posting for: HERE

Copy and Paste this post and post on your blog. Then go here:
http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/105279.html
And let Maggie know you posted for Team Raving Pen!

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace forever.

Pre-Order Shiver Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Shiver-Maggie-Stiefvater/dp/0545123267/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241744679&sr=1-2

 

Post on, my friends!

Clarification and critique stuff

Yesterday I posted the winner of my Slushy contest . . . the contest in which I asked you to help spread the word about slushy_one's contest. This may have caused some confusion so I want to take a moment to let you know,  Slushy's contest is NOT over. You can enter that contest until May 18th.

Whew! I've been enjoying reading critiques on slushy's blog; some great insight  on the first 250 words. Though slushy's critiques carry a bit of bite, they are honest and this is the type of critique I love. Slushy pointed out a few things in my entry (I won't say which one is mine, but some of you may recognize it anyway) no one else noticed in all the years of critiques . . . of course that may have been because there were so many OTHER mistakes for those first poor crit-er's to comment on. =)

Anyway, it has been worth it to me and I'm glad I went for it. I hope slushy has more critiquing contests in the future . . .

So, if you want to go check out the entries on slushy's blog and maybe leave a comment or two, go for it! So far there are only four entries . . . not sure if slushy has more in the queue or not, but I hope so.

 

Write on.

My Slush Pile contest winner

Sorry I didn't get on here yesterday to make the announcement, but I'm here today!

 

The winner is:

 

Learningtoread!

 

PM me (or leave a comment here) to let me know if you want an Amazon.com or BN.com gift card.

Thanks so much for helping spread the word about the contest.

 

Write on.

Helping Slushy

Just a reminder about The Slush Pile "Mother May I?" contest. Here's info from my previous post about the contest:

 

The Slush Pile is a new blog, and to launch the blog, there is a contest. I know slushy_one from another blog, and have promised to keep his/her identity secret.

The contest sounds pretty cool so I entered (plus Slushy gives a great critique). You can get your first 250 words critiqued by Slushy and other posters on the site, and you have the chance to win a slushy_one critique of your first chapter . . . plus a $25 gift card to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

I know how you all love contests so go to  The Slush Pile for details.

 

And don't forget that if you post about Slushy's contest on your blog and leave a comment on my previous post or even THIS post with a link to your post about Slushy's contest, you'll be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com . . . but you have to hurry because my promotional contest ends on Monday, May 11th (as soon as I get home from work . . . which will be about 4:00 Arizona time . . . which is 7:00 EST . . . I think . . . darn time changes always mess me up)!

And while you're at it, enter Slushy's contest for your chance at a critique! And, believe me, Slushy's critiques are amazing!

So if you win Slushy's contest AND my contest, you'll end up with TWO $25 gift cards!! That could buy some fun stuff.

Write on.

Helping Goadingthepen

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but goadingthepen put a call for help on her blog. she entered Maggie's contest and needs help winning. You can check out her blog post for more information.

All you have to do is copy and paste everything from below here onto your blog! Then go to Maggie's blog and tell her you did it. Don't forget to mention goadingthepen sent you!

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace forever.

Pre-Order Shiver Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Shiver-Maggie-Stiefvater/dp/0545123267/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241744679&sr=1-2

Posting because of

goadingthepen

The Slush Pile contest

The Slush Pile is a new blog, and to launch the blog, there is a contest. I know slushy_one from another blog, and have promised to keep his/her identity secret.

The contest sounds pretty cool so I entered (plus Slushy gives a great critique). You can get your first 250 words critiqued by Slushy and other posters on the site, and you have the chance to win a slushy_one critique of your first chapter . . . plus a $25 gift card to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

I know how you all love contests so go to  The Slush Pile for details.

And to help launch the site and contest, I got permission from slushy_one to have a promotional contest of my own.

All you have to do is help spread the word by posting a link to Slushy's contest on your blog. Leave a comment below with a link to your post promoting the contest and your automatically entered!

I'll put all entries in a hat and draw the winner on May 11th. What can you win? I'm offering a $25 gift card to your choice of either Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com . . . 'cause I know you people love to buy books! I mean, who doesn't?

 

Write on!