Another Awesome Contest.

A huge thanks everyone for making me realise I'm not some freak wandering around offering recommendations to random people in bookstores. I shall continue to spread the book love with pride. :)

Talking about spreading the book love...Here is another cool contest on the blogosphere that I thought I'd highlight.

To celebrate 100+ followers the fabulous Sandy Shin is giving away a pre-ordered copy of Matched, which is released in November.




Here is the blurb:

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

So how can you win?

All you have to do is be a follower of Sandy's blog and fill in the form.

Easy.

The contest ends Sunday June 20th at midnight. The winner will be announced on the 21st June.


Good luck.

Book Tales.

Saturday.

I braved the unusual British heat --and a very hot car without air conditioning -- to go pick up my waiting copy of The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner.

But that's not my point.

While lurking, I mean perusing the shelves, I helped a young girl find a copy of Rebel by R.J.Anderson. I knew where to find it on the shelf. I also knew which shop to find a copy if it wasn't there!

Another shop and another helping moment. Teenager is looking for a book. I recommend a book I thought she might enjoy...

As teen and her mum walk to pay I wonder if I've become some unauthorised bookshop helper?

Am I the guardian angel of book recommendations for random people who cross my path?

Please end my misery. Tell me I'm not the only one who does this.

For the funny...check out today's post from Tahereh for twenty free ways to love your manuscript.

I promise you will smile. :)

Another Fantastic Giveaway.

I love a good book. You love a good book. We all love books.

After a post hinting about an amazing book she had read, the awesome Tahereh revealed yesterday that the book in question is The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. That wasn't all. She also has three copies to give away to three winners.

All you have to do is be a follower and leave a book recommendation in the comments section. Easy. :)

Closes on Sunday 6th June at 11:59 PST

Win ARCS.

I would have loved to go to BEA. Yup, I imagine we all wanted to go. Especially with the awesome ARCS up for grabs. So when I happened upon this post on Renae's blog yesterday I did a little happy dance. Not only did it point me towards another fabulous blog but an amazing competition too.

And here are the prizes.

Michelle Hodkin is having the contest to celebrate her signing with an agent and her book deal and these are the prizes.

Winner one: BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and MATCHED by Ally Condie.

Winner two: THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger and MATCHED by Ally Condie.

So how do I get a chance to win these ARCS? Here is how you enter.

Comment on her post with your favourite first sentence- it doesn't have to be from your favourite book. It doesn't even have to be your favourite first sentence.
Remember to leave your name and your email address.

For extra entries:
+1 New followers of her blog.
+2 If you're already a follower of her blog.
+1 New followers on Twitter.
+2 If you're already a follower on Twitter.
+1 Linking to her contest on your blog, twitter, etc. Include links. (up to 5).
+3 For posting about her contest on your blog. (Must be an actual post).
+2 Add Michelle to your blog roll.
+3 for referring someone to the contest.
+3 for being the person referred.

So I imagine that I would tell Michelle that Renae sent me and get her +3 entries and me +3 entries.

And the best news is the contest is open internationally. Get your entries in by 11:59 on June 9th. Michelle announces the winners on June 11th. Good luck.

Ready. Steady. Go.

Happy Friday. :)

Happily Ever After?

Mayowa had a fantastic post yesterday about the romance novel as a drug. If you have time hop over and check it out.

After I commented the idea that we only ever see the beginnings of love struck a chord with me. We go through the courtship to the marriage and no further.

That got me thinking about the various fairy tales. Think about it. As kids we read about Cinderella getting her happy ever after with Prince Charming. Snow White is awakened by a kiss and rides off into the sunset. Belle marries her ex-beast come hottie. Sleeping Beauty wakes up and marries the prince. Everyone is happy.

La-di-da.

What we don't see is the aftermath.

We don't see Belle getting angry because the ex-beast is cutting his toenails on the new sheets.

Sleeping Beauty must get fed up with Prince Phillip always going on about waking her up. Or about how she suffers from insomnia now because her hero snores.

Snow White must get annoyed when the Prince -- despite many weeks of hinting -- doesn't get the one thing she wants for her birthday. This is what happens when you marry someone you hardly know.

And what about Cinderella? We follow her from servitude to princess but miss the part where she gets annoyed for having to pick up Charming's socks, or complaining when he leaves the gilt toilet seat up.

So here it is, the 'deleted scene' from Cinderella:

The scream from the bathroom echoes around the suite. Charming looks up from the edge of the bed where he is pulling on his stockings.

The shadow casts its ominous presence across the room. Through coal-black lashes Charming observes the figure of his wife, the beautiful Cinderella.

"Morning darling."

"Don't you darling me." Cinderella frowns.

"What's wrong?"

A groan rumbles deep within Cinderella's throat. "You left the toilet seat up...again."

The icy stare pierces his heart and tears into his soul. Damn, I knew there was something I forgot to do.

See, it's not really romantic is it? :)

I Heart Books.

I've spent an enormous amount of time in the bookshop over the last two weeks.

Why?

I could lie. Pretend I got conned by the 3 for 2 sign in the window. But that would be a misrepresentation of information.

No I went in there with specific reasons. A nefarious plot that saw me rubbing my hands in glee.

1)I have a loyalty card that gives me points to buy more books. My last free book? A nursery rhyme collection for the goddaughter, my toddler student in the school of book/reading love.

2)I was looking for a specific book. Didn't see it though. Grrrr.

3)It's peaceful.

I can browse the shelves and time seems to slow. The spines whisper and vie for attention.

"Take us home, read us and love us. Let us inspire you."

I get the same feeling when I walk into the library. The stacks hold promised tomes which wait to be uncovered like the treasures of Egypt. Only without the rumours of curses.

A nightmare about a killer book monster coming after me would not be fun. A good story idea, but not fun. :)

What is it about the power of books? Words on a page inspire us, make us think and encourage us to be creative in subtle ways. They feed our imaginations and draw us into other worlds/situations.

No wonder we all strive to recreate the same feelings within our own manuscripts.

Books are like chocolate. They release the rush of endorphins you get from eating the treat but without the calories.

Even if they are just as addictive. :)

My technical stupidness.

For some reason, even though I changed the date, my post for today has be listed as being posted Saturday.

Ooops.