Farewell Giveaway!

Edit: Yes, giveaway is open internationally ;)

Okay. So. First of all, just because I am closing this blog, it does not mean I shall be non-existent on the interwebs. I still have twitter, facebook, and the website (which needs updating - schedule that on the to-do list :P), and as hinted at the previous post, a new blog. If you want, you can come hang out with me at http://decluttermanifesto.wordpress.com/.

Two things about that: One, I chose wordpress just so I didn't have to keep logging out of my email (gmail) all the time if I wanted to have it not connected to the profile I use on here, which I do, just because. And two, please don't be freaked out by the title. "Declutter" doesn't mean it's a cleaning blog. If that was the case, there'd be like one post on it EVER, outlining my tempestuous relationship with cleaning and leavning it at that :P No. It's about decluttering my HEAD as much as anything else, and it's a completely ecclectic bunch of stuff - basically whatever I'm reading/thinking about on the day. Rah.

Okay, next up, books. I have three books to give away: NYT BS Kiersten White's Paranormalcy; Holly Lisle's Create-a-Plot Clinic (ebook); and a pre-order of also-bestselling Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys, because OHMYGOSHYOUGUYS, this book is awesome. Edit: Oo, oo! And because my book The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Dogs has just been released, I'll throw in a copy of that, too :D (ebook)

To enter, leave a comment with your email address and which book you'd like to win (you can choose more than one). Or, if you don't like leaving your email in public places, form is below (feedreaders may need to click through). Entries close on August 25, so you have a week. Good luck! And thanks again, you guys. It's been great.

Winners!

Well, winner, I suppose O:) Diane, you've won the copy of Holly Lisle's Create-a-Plot Clinic! Woohoo! I love this book, and I hope you enjoy it too. Contact me and I'll send you your copy.

Guest Post: How To Break A Fairy Tale

**See end for contest details**

Today I'd like to welcome Emily Casey, author of the newly-released The Fairy Tale Trap. Round of applause, if you please! In Emily's own words, she writes "everything from fairy tales to zombies, from middle grade to young adult. I write what's exciting to me and just hope someone else out there likes it." Sounds like a good philosophy to me :o)

Check out the other stops on Emily's blog tour here.

Thanks Amy, for letting me visit. I understand the need to let others take over for a bit, especially during pregnancy and soon after. That actually has something to do with what I’m blogging about today: how pregnancy led me to my new hobby: breaking fairy tales.

My main character, Ivy Thorn, was born on my blog. I was suffering from pregnancy brain at the time and didn’t feel like I could write long fiction, so I let Ivy tear apart a few fairy tales.

Of course, Ivy had to put her own spin on things. She’s not the type to sit back and let the fairy tale run its course. The thing I’m most proud of was when (in an early blog draft, not The Fairy Tale Trap) Ivy found herself stuck in the story: Snow White. She suggested that instead of going to all that trouble to kill Snow White, the queen should just use a spell to make Snow White ugly. It just made more sense!

We’ve heard the stories so many times that we just accept them. But what would happen if Cinderella refused to be a doormat? What would happen if someone broke a spell, but it didn’t work out the way they thought it would? The question I asked in The Fairy Tale Trap was: What if Beast wasn’t the gentle, civil prince on the inside? What if he was just as wild and terrible as he looked?

Ivy (who seems to have a personality of her own) asks different questions. Instead of “what if” questions, she usually just raises a defiant eyebrow and does something she’s not supposed to.

The thing is, breaking fairy tales is like eating potato chips. I can’t stop at one! There are so many fairy tales out there, and so many ways for Ivy to mess them up.

So here’s to wreaking havoc with the charming tales we grew up with! May everything blow up in your characters’ faces, and hopefully they’ll make you laugh every now and then.

Want to know if The Fairy Tale Trap might be for you? Check out what Emily has to say on the matter, read the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, and watch the book trailer below :)



Find out more about Emily and her books on her website. You can also stalk her on Facebook or Twitter, and see her profile on Goodreads.


**CONTEST**

Finally, if you'd like the chance to win your very own e-copy (multiple formats available) of The Fairy Tale Trap, all you have to do is leave a comment below letting us know 1) what YOUR favourite fairy tale is and 2) who you've told about Emily's awesome book (and yes, if you're really struggling, your cat can count).

You can leave an email address if you like BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO. I'll hunt down the winner once they're chosen >:) Winner will be chosen by random draw on February 20, so you have two weeks to spread the word!

Bonus: If anyone can guess MY favourite fairy tale, I'll write a fractured version of it JUST FOR YOU, and YOU get to name the main character :) No novels, though - this will be a long short story ;) And obviously, you'll get a free copy when I'm done :D

Prizes! Contests! BOOKS!

Hurrah! I love announcements like this :o)

So I know I just had a couple of contests, but I found some awesome books recently and needed a good excuse to give them away, and you guys provided me with the perfect opportunity: the blog has hit 100 followers :o) You guys are awesome. I'm really not sure why most of you follow me; I'm rarely coherent, frequently random, and I'm not entirely convinced that anything I say here is of the slightest use, but nonetheless, there are a whole CENTURY of you that approve well enough to let your little avatar be displayed in the box over there --->

THANK YOU.

Thank you, also, to the exact-number-indeterminate of you that follow through other methods, like feedreaders, or who click through from CC, twitter, or facebook. Seriously: you guys rock. I quite literally would not be here on this blog without you, because really, what would be the point? I talk to myself enough in my own head, I don't need a blog to acheive that :D

SO. Contest #1.

To say thank you for being awesome and tolerating my weirdness, I will be giving away to one lucky winner their choice of the following:

Danyelle Leafty's debut Catspell (ebook pdf version)

Kiersten White's debut Paranormalcy (trade paperback)

Brenna Yovanoff's debut The Replacement (trade paperback)

Michelle Davidson Argyle's short story anthology True Colors: And Other Short Stories (e-version, multiple formats available)

And randomly, John Steinbeck's The Pearl (mass market paperback - Popular Penguins series)

To enter, you must be following me somewhere (either the blog via the sidebar gadget, me on twitter, or my facebook page) and leave a comment in the, er, comments. Just say you want to enter and which prize you'd like; I'll extricate the private details from the winner privately ;) :D

And now, Contest #2!

I recently review Divergent and raved about the awesomeness that it is. It is, in fact, SO awesome, that I bought a second copy ESPECIALLY so I could share the awesomeness with someone else. Because truly, it is awesome. So, to enter for your chance to win Divergent, all you have to do is sign up for my newsletter. It's delivered right to your inbox's door once every second month (or so) by the carrier bats, and has an article, a book or blog review, a contest (yes, THAT'S RIGHT, you could WIN A BOOK EVERY SECOND MONTH! *dies of the squee*) and more of the fun and random stuff you'd expect from me. Because, you know, I live to bring the random into your life. #mottos #likegrottos #onlylesswet

So! Contests! Hurrah! Spread the word (or, you know, not, if you want to increase your chances of winning??) and join the love! HURRAH.

Remember, for Contest #1, leave a comment below saying where/how you follow my crazy ramblings.

For Contest #2, sign up for the newsletter. If you're already subscribed to the newsletter, you're entered by default ;)

BOTH CONTESTS will close on February 2 when I will draw the winners at random. I'll announce the winners asap - I'm planning to announce on Feb 2, but I reserve the right to extend that a little should the minion not have appeared by then (which he jolly well better have OR ELSE).

Yay! Contests!