Well folks, the hunt ends here. Now it's time to put on your thinking caps. If you've been following Gena Showalter's online scavenger hunt, then you've collected seven letters already from Gena and her young adult author pals Rachel Caine, PC Cast, Marley Gibson, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Tina Ferraro. If you late to the game, then you can still go back to these authors' blogs and grab the letters.
You have until Monday, September 6th at midnight ET to put it all together and email us the answer at Contests(ATKnightAgency.net. The prize for those not "in the know" -- three $100 Visa Gift Cards and five signed copies of UNRAVELED to randomly drawn winners (well who got the answer right, of course!). That's EIGHT prizes. Sounds like you've got a good chance to win big to me. :-)
So let's get on with it. For those who need to start at the beginning, the contest road map and rules are posted here. For those that are at the end of the journey, here is your last letter:
Good luck!
This contest runs from Monday, August 30th to Thursday, September 2nd. All entries must be emailed to Contests(AT)Knightagency.net by Monday, September 6th at midnight ET.
Christmas Week Guest Blog and Giveaway DAY 2: Chanukah Lights -- The Perfect Gifts for Writers by Michele Lang
UPDATE: The winner of a signed copy of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE is Chelsea B.! Congrats! Please send your physical address to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
It’s that magical time of the year again! This past Friday marked the first night of Chanukah, and since I was a kid I’ve had eight nights of latke-eating, dreidl-spinning, chocolate-nomming, and present-opening – and, best of all, candle-lighting. I’ve always loved the candles the best, always and forever. However, the Chanukah presents I got as a kid did not inspire shock and awe – Chanukah is traditionally a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar. One year I got a peanut – a peanut! It was part of a biology kit where you could sprout the peanut and see the root growth or something – I never learned the details because, I am sorry to say, I ate it.
Another year I got Mexican jumping beans, and I had the sense to at least not eat them. But they were dud beans and didn’t even wiggle. A sad, sad little present, that one…
But I honestly didn’t really care, because for me Chanukah has always been all about the lights. Chanukah is about the victory of a tiny, fragile flame over the forces that seek to snuff it out.
It is therefore the perfect holiday for writers, no matter what their background – our dreams are sparks, and writing itself is a way of shining light into the world. The best presents I’ve ever gotten were in the spirit of that little flame shining in the night.
My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Brady, once gave me a magical Chanukah present – he disguised it as a prize for my writing, and it was one of the most wonderful presents I’ve ever received. He gave me the book BLACK BEAUTY, and called my parents in to the school to tell them I was a born writer. He was the first person to insist I was meant to be a writer, and to this day I am in Mr. Brady’s debt.
That gift has stayed with me forever, not only the book itself, but the generous, loving spirit of its giver, my teacher. My passion for writing was a fitful little ember in those days, and Mr. Brady gave me the gift of seeing that light in me, and encouraging it to shine.
If you have a writer in your life, the best present you could give them is one that fans the flame inside of them to write. Time to write, books, chocolate…anything that celebrates that light’s desire to dance.
I want to pass on that giving spirit. I have a special present for you – a contest! One person will win a copy of the newly-released MAMMOTH BOOK OF TIME-TRAVEL ROMANCE, with not eight, or even twelve, but over *twenty* stories of love, powerful enough to defy time and space. I have a story in this collection, “The Walled Garden,” that considers the precious gifts we sometimes give each other without realizing. May you be inspired by these stories to write your own…
All you have to do to win is share in the comments – if you are a writer, what are you hoping to get this holiday season? Or, what was the best present you ever got? Think of it as a public service – there are only four days of Chanukah left, but there’s still plenty of time to get these presents, for yourself or from somebody you love… If you are all out of ideas, just leave a comment and we’ll throw your name in the magic hat.
Thank you for sharing your ideas, and may your holidays be filled with generosity, warmth, laughter, and light!
CHRISTMAS WEEK CONTESTS: Remember, there are TWO ways to win! Each day this week (December 14th - 18th) a guest blogger will give away a signed book to one person randomly chosen from the comment section. Today's prize is THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE, featuring a story by author Michele Lang! Check back in this post tomorrow morning to find out if you are the winner! Look for Michele's upcoming release LADY LAZURUS in 2010.
Also, at the bottom of each post there is a scavenger hunt question. The answer can be located somewhere on the author's website. Send in all 5 correct answers* to the scavenger hunt questions, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a TKA Surprise Christmas Stocking filled with books and holiday treats!!!
SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION (2 of 5): What is the name of the literary character that Michele says mirrors her own writing style? Visit www.MicheleLang.com to find the answer!
*Please note, that the correct answers to the scavenger hunt questions must be sent in at one time. You must collect all 5 answers and send them in one email. Entries for the scavenger hunt will be accepted from Friday, December 18th thru Sunday, December 20th at midnight. The winner will be announed on this blog Monday, December 21st, 2009. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Christmas Week Guest Blog and Giveaway: Magic on a Winter's Night by Carol Berg
UPDATE: The winner of a signed copy of FLESH AND SPIRIT by Carol Berg is Sandy Shin! Congrats! Please send your physical address to contests(AT)knightagency.net. First a little bit of introduction, and then onto Carol Berg's awesome post! This week we're celebrating the holidays with a line-up of guest bloggers, including Carol, Michele Lang, Michelle Celmer, Twila Belk and a very special mega-blog on Friday featuring New York TImes bestselling authors Marjorie M. Liu, Rachel Caine, Christie Golden and Nalini Singh! As part of the celebration ALL of the authors are giving away signed copies of their books and TKA is hosting a special scavenger hunt!
There are TWO ways to win. Each day this week (Dec. 14 - Dec. 18) a guest blogger will give away a signed book to one person randomly chosen from the comment section. Also, at the bottom of the post there will be a scavenger hunt question. The answer can be located somewhere on the author's website. Send in all 5 correct answers* to the scavenger hunt questions, and you will be entered in a drawing to win the TKA Suprise Christmas Stocking overflowing with books and holiday treats!!!
People often ask me when I became a storyteller, and I tell them I didn't even begin writing until halfway through my software engineering career, when my kids needed less of my off time. But a few nights ago when the moon was full, bright enough to cast shadows, and I stood at my bedroom window looking out on the foothills of the Rockies, I realized that the roots of storytelling went back a lot farther, back to when I was a kid. It wasn't something that happened during the day. That was time for school and playing outside, family business, and reading, reading, reading - my favorite pastime. No, this other thing happened at night.
Nighttime always had a magical feel to it back then. In a Texas summer when the weather was hot, my sisters and I would lie out on quilts in the back yard to catch the breeze and watch the stars, wondering what it was like "up there." And we'd watch the planes go over and wonder who got to ride on them, where they were going, and what it was like.
Autumn brought Halloween, the night we could take off down the street on our own, wading through the dry leaves. We'd scare ourselves with ghost and goblin sightings as we raced between porch lights.
In the spring, it would rain at night, and I'd raise the bedroom window as far as I could, because nothing smelled better. I'd breathe in the rain smell, along with the scent of gardenias and roses, and I'd feel the breeze and think about how it would be to live out there in the wet with nowhere to go. Rain changed things. Rain was like a magical curtain. I felt adventurous on those nights, because the house was dark and everyone else asleep. Sometimes I would get my doll and play with her beside the window because that was the time when she seemed almost real.
Winter nights were the best, especially clear nights with the moon so bright the trees cast shadows. Those nights were so bright and so quiet, and our street was so deserted that I could imagine fae creatures who came out only when the rest of the world was sleeping. Maybe they were people who lived with wild animals or who had the power to keep themselves warm on such cold nights.
Everything changed in the moonlight. Our yard - the big oak trees and the shrubs - looked so different at night. I was sure that if I were to venture out into the neighbor's back yard it would be an entirely different place than I saw in the sunlight. A long time later, when I first read Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising", I understood immediately what Will Stanton felt when he opened his front door and looked out on a world entirely changed.
By far the most exciting of those winter nights came at Christmas time, when I was half scared I would SEE fantastical creatures (because I had several years' solid evidence that they came) and I was half scared I wouldn't. So I pulled up the quilts and cracked open the window so I could smell the cold air. . .and listen. I imagined I heard sleigh bells. I imagined I heard whispers. I imagined I heard footsteps on the roof. I imagined. . .
That was the beginning, of course. Storytelling is not the process of setting words on paper.
Storytelling is wondering. It is asking how would it be if. . .? It is opening the window and imagining people who not oneself and who inhabit places that are strange and unfamiliar. It is seeing people and events in a light that makes them look real. Storytelling is heeding the scents and smells and sounds of the world, and allowing them to whisper a story in your ear. Imagine. . .
Author's Note: Mythopoeic Award-winning book BREATH AND BONE featured a race who danced in the moonlight on the winter solstice.
SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION (1 of 5): What is the name of the main character in THE LIGHTHOUSE DUET series? Click here to visit Carol's website.
Also remember that you can win twice! Collect the scavenger hunt answers, and also leave a comment to enter a random drawing for a signed copy of FLESH AND SPIRIT! The winner of Carol's book will be announced in this post tomorrow morning.
*Please note, that the correct answers to the scavenger hunt questions must be sent in at one time. You must collect all 5 answers and send them in one email. Entries for the scavenger hunt will be accepted from Friday, December 18th thru Sunday, December 20th at midnight ET. The winner will be announed on this blog Monday, December 21st, 2009. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Halloween Week Guest Blog & Giveaway Day 2: Chloe Neill
UPDATE: The winner of FRIDAY NIGHT BITES is Ella (staging professionals Toronto). Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net! Congrats!
Nevermore! Poe, Grimm & Other Spooktacular Reads
Sure, I'll spend Halloween putting creepy webbing and skeleton bits throughout the yard. Sure, I'll also spread the cream cheese frosting over my favorite pumpkin cake in preparation for a visit from friends, and we'll bring out the fog machine to add a little something extra for the kids who come to the door, ready to be burdened with the weight of lots and lots of popcorn balls and candy.
It's Halloween, after all, and I'm a writer of paranormal fiction.
But at some point during the busy day, I'm going to try and grab some time for myself, curl into a chair, and sink into a deliciously gothic book. Here are some ideas for your own spooktacular reading!
The Raven You can't get more Gothic than Edgar Allen Poe. You can start with the Tell-Tale Heart and move directly to The Raven, and imagine your own heart full of fantastic terrors and doubt, wondering at the mutterings of the "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore."
The Crucible The play might have been about blacklisting in the 1950s, but The Crucible tells a haunting story of the fears of the masses, set against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials. As it turns out, we are the only thing we have to fear...
JANE EYRE & WUTHERING HEIGHTS Ready for a bit of Gothic romance? Curl up with the sisters Bronte: Charlotte's JANE EYREand Emily's WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Consider the trials of unrequited love and haunting secrets against the backdrops of wind-blown moors and mysterious mansions.
NORTHANGER ABBEY Try out Jane Austen's gothic side by reading NORTHANGER ABBEY.
Tales of the Brothers Grimm Centuries before Cinderella and her other princess friends were making merry in the Disney empire, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected creepy fairy tales. Try out their version of Cinderella, where the evil stepsisters definitely get their due.
Remember, there are TWO ways to win! Each day this week (Oct. 26 thru Oct. 30th) a guest blogger will give away a signed book to one person randomly chosen from the comment section. Today's prize is FRIDAY NIGHT BITES, Book 2 in the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill. Check back in this post tomorrow to find out if you are the winner!
Also, at the bottom of each post there is a scavenger hunt question. The answer can be located somewhere on the author's website. Send in all 5 correct answers* to the scavenger hunt questions, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 Visa gift card!!!
SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION (2 of 5): Name six of the 12 "official" North American Vampire Houses in the U.S.
*Please note, that the correct answers to the scavenger hunt questions must be sent in at one time. You must collect all 5 answers and send them in one email. Entries for the scavenger hunt will be accepted from Friday, October 30th thru Sunday, November 1st at midnight. The winner will be announed on this blog Monday, November 2nd, 2009. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Well folks, the hunt ends here. Now it's time to put on your thinking caps. If you've been following Gena Showalter's online scavenger hunt, then you've collected seven letters already from Gena and her young adult author pals Rachel Caine, PC Cast, Marley Gibson, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Tina Ferraro. If you late to the game, then you can still go back to these authors' blogs and grab the letters. 
Good luck! 
