Sunday, November 02, 2008

Bullet Points and a Giveaway!

Why yes, indeed, I AM early.;) Go me!

I've been thinking all week about what to blog about and the problem is that I have a lot of little things going on. None of them big enough to really blog about, but things that are fun enough to mention anyway.:) So we have a bullet points entry today, with a giveaway at the bottom.:)

* It is ARCs month!!! (Okay, now you've discovered the real reason I blogged today.;)) It is November and I WILL be getting ARCs in November! Yay!!

* This week I got to see the design for my floor display. (Those cardboard things you occasionally see in stores that advertise the book and hold usually nine or twelve copies.) It's really, really beautiful and I will find out if I am allowed to share it at the same time I get to share my cover. This is a double-edged sword though, because if no one decides to stock it (in fact, I believe one of the big chains has to buy into it) they won't actually print it and all I'll have is a design. So help me hope that Barnes and Noble loves it like whoa and wants to stock it!;))

* I got my FPP in! It's both satisfying and a little nerve-wracking. This is the last time I will work on this book!! Hooray!!! . . . . On the other hand . . . this is the last time I will work on this book!! Ahhhhhh!! No!! It's not good enough yet!!! So yeah, weird mixed emotions.

* On the personal front, I've been working really hard at losing some baby weight the last few mnths. I'm down 25 pounds and it's time to shake things up. So wish me luck on those last ten pounds as I try something different.

* I attended my first homebirth last week and I have to tell you, anyone who thinks that midwives are not prepared to handle emergencies has never seen the loads and loads of medical equipment they bring with them, just in case. It was a great birth!

* I am talking to my publicist, Laura, for the first time tomorrow. I am totally nervous! I don't know what to say or what questions to ask, so I am going to spend the rest of the day making a list . . . then probably erasing the list . . . and making a new one . . . or maybe just re-making the same one. *eep!* Also, in case you didn't know, every author gets assigned to a publicist, so having a publicist is nothing special . . . but it sounds special, doesn't it? "Oh yes, yes, I was speaking to my publicist the other day . . ." I mean really, that sounds cool! So here's hoping my son sleeps when he is supposed to (he almost always does) and I don't have a screaming baby in the background for my phone call.:D

Okay, I know the internet has been totally buzzing about the book The Hunger Games, but there is a reason for that. This is one incredible book!! I have been going back and forth on whether or not to feature it in a giveaway, because I imagine a lot of people have it already. So this giveaway is an either/or giveaway. You have two choices: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, or The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong.

I am not feeling super-creative this morning, so I am shamelessly stealing the descriptions of these two books from Amazon.;)

Hunger Games: Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place. (Wow, this description so does not do the book justice!)

The Summoning:

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.


These are both really good books (although The Summoning ends on a totall cliff-hanger. Noooooo!! What happens!!!!!) that I have thoroughly enjoyed this year.

So here's how it works. I am gathering good news vibes. So the way you enter to win your choice of these two books is simply to tell me some good news you've gotten lately. Big, small, personal, professional, it doesn't matter. Tell me something good that has happened to you recently! There is enough negativity in this world that I was to see good stuff! That's it! You have till next Monday when I put up my next plog post to get your good news in! Bring it!

Also, vote on Tuesday!

Ciao!

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have not read The Hunger Games yet so I'm dying to win that book =) The Summoning was stupendous wasn't it? The cliff-hanger was a total jaw-dropper and I am now anxiously awaited the next book in the series!

My good news is that I think my cold is finally getting better and that my voice is back!! I can now scream to the world woooo! XD

P.S. Good luck with your last 10lbs =D

ylin.0621[at]yahoo.com

the story siren said...

good luck with the weight loss thing..... if you need any pointers my husband used to be a personal trainer!

as for my good news. I just found out I'm going to be an aunt! Yay! I've always wanted to be one, but I'm the oldest sibling.... lucky me, my sister-in-law just found out she has a bun in the oven!

cindy said...

aprilynne, such exciting news! congrats!! for me, my editor gave me the best TREAT on halloween, i got to see the entire jacket of my book. i got tears in my eyes.

Anonymous said...

My good news is that I finally stopped procrastinating and finished my essay!

Good luck with the weight loss~ You can definitely do it!

aimme21 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

I am dying to read 'Hunger Games'! I've heard so many good things about it.

My good news: Richard moved out and took the TV, so my kids have been playing 'make-believe' games that remind me so much of when we were kids. I enjoyed listening to them play while I almost finished de-weeding my garden! Yay! :)

I'm excited for this month! Lots of good things happening!! :)

Unknown said...

P.S. You are looking fabulous!! Good luck with the last 10! You can do it!!

Why Not? Because I Said So! said...

Hey..my good news is that I have my new blog up about upcoming 2009 book releases and you, my friend, are the spotlight person along with your book WINGS!! I wanted to let everyone, I know,learn about your book. So you will have to go check it out!

Good luck with the continued weight loss. I lost over 40 pounds during a 10 month period and have kept it off for over a year so far!!

I would love to win the giveaway...the more to read the better! :)

David L. McAfee said...

Hiya Aprilynne! Long time no speak!

That's awesome about the ARCs and the display! What is an FPP, though? I can't wait to see the cover!

Congrats on the 25 lbs. I have some news on that front, also, but I'm going to wait until the end of this reply when I start the Good News contest. ;)

To this day I have only attended one birth (my daughter's), though I am trained to deliver a baby in an emergency. Thankfully that hasn't happened yet.

Wow. A publicist! Oooh. That is the coolest thing! You gotta fill us in on that conversation.

OK, OK. I have a few bits of good news for the contest:

-I sold another short story (this makes two total).

-(not really MY news, but it sure helps) My wife got a new job, with a $25 per year increase. Yay! BIG yay!

-I got an email from one of the publishers looking at 33 A.D. He said two editors have bought in. I now need two more to give it the thumbs up and it's a done deal.

-I won the Best Costume award at the Halloween party my wife and I attended Friday (I was a zombie).

-Heather and I joined a gym and have actually managed to stick with our schedule. I've beefed up my upper body and slimmed the waist down a tad. I'm, you know...good looking and stuff now. :-)

That's all I can think of for now. Hopefully it's enough. :-) I know I'm forgetting something, though. Oh, well, I'll post it later. Have a great Monday!

-David

David L. McAfee said...

Um...that $25 per year should have read $25K per year. I have stupid fingers tonight...

Kari Pike said...

Hurrah for you, Aprilynne! Sounds like lots of fun at your house.

My good news is that after nearly 2 months of worrying, the neurologist declared that I do not have MS...! Wahoo!

Still have more tests...EEG, EMG, and a sleep study...but everything is looking much brighter.

Amy said...

So this is not exactly my own good news, but I found out that another friend of mine is getting published too. (Although she just barely got the news). Her name is Becca Fitzpatrick and her book is called Hush, Hush and it is about a fallen angel. I love watching you guys go through this whole amazing process. My knees are knocking at the thought of even needing a publicist!

JenWriter said...

I haven't read either of these yet although they are both on my Amazon wish list!

Can't wait to see your cover!

My good news came at the very beginning of October. I got an agent. :)

Miranda said...

Hey April!

Congrats on the 25 lbs, and good luck on the rest! You looked so good when I saw you!

My good news: I'm starting school in January! I am going for my bachelors, and can't wait to be done!

Can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving if not before then!~

Anonymous said...

ooh i like the sharing of good news idea! my good news for tonight is I finally started my chemistry project! woo hoo

Emily

Mim said...

Well my good news is that I broke my writer's block on the middle of my novel, and my kids went to bed easily so I have time to write! Yeah!

Also the leaves have finally started changing colors where I live and they are gorgeous. This always makes me happy to see the beautiful gold, red, and orange leaves. I love trees that look like they are on fire in the fall. That is my happiness.

Sara B said...

My good news is that I voted early and hardly had to wait in line

Angela said...

That's great! I'm curious to know how the phone call went on Monday! How fun!

Let's see ... good news ... let's see ... well, my *incredibly* picky-eater of a 4-year-old added a new food to her boring and repetitive diet! Yay! Now it's pb&j, chicken nuggets, pizza, pancakes, AND NOW toasted cheese sandwiches! Exciting, huh? Yeah, it's kind of one of those "you have to be there" kind of things. But well, it's good news here! ;)

SpeedReader!

Tracy said...

Hi Aprilynne,
These are both books on my want to read list so I simply had to enter the contest. congrats on the 25 pounds I had twins and think that birthweight is totally unfair!

Okay my good news is that I get to judge a BYU gymnastics meet this february that I am totally stoked about.

Good luck with your last few pounds. I am sure that you can do it!
T

Anonymous said...

Hunger Games!? Gosh I've heard tremendous things about that book. I totally want to try and read it.

My good news is...the Phillies won the World Series! WOOo I know it was like 2 weeks ago, but our city is still riding on a high, and I'm totally loving it.

chibikagome7 at yahoo dot com

Sheryl said...

both books sound amazing.

My good news is that (after two months of waiting, my book is finally be shopped by my agent!) Wheee...

Emily said...

Good luck with the weight loss! I know you can do it (:

My good news is that.. *ehem* I MIGHT HAVE A NEW BABY COUSIN! My only cousin now has a mental disorder and she is about 23 years old so I never get to see her.. My aunt who might be pregnant has always been told she would never be able to have a child. After years of trying, she actually has a possibility. It is such a miracle to my family.

Im dying to read this book!

Shalonda said...

My great news is that my father & younger sister are coming to visit for Thanksgiving! Last year, I moved to another state and so we only get to see each other a few times during the year. It is just so nice to spend a holiday together. Now, I just have to learn how to cook!

Diana Dang said...

Oh that is exciting! I wish I could publish a book! Lol!

Let's see... The most exciting thing is that I got some new novels I have to check out and that I get to go to the big shopping centre downtown! ^^ Lol, I don't go out much so something like going to the malls with friends is exciting.

juiciliciousss reviews said...

omg, i really want to read the hunger games. it looks soo good. a good thing? hmm, im reading the summoning right now and it is fabulous!

stephanie

asdfjkl; said...

My good news... my 5 interlibrary loans have finally arrived at my library! I have to go pick them up but YAY! Now I have 5 more books on my to read pile. :)

Please enter me for The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Thanks!

emailthebookworm(at)yahoo(dot)com

Chelsie said...

Good news I have received recently is that my school's football team made it to district 3 in the playoffs this year... which is HUGE! We haven't made it to district 3 since 2000, and this is the 3rd time in school history... so it's very exciting =D

-Chelsie-

Megan said...

My good news is that my agent said my book is almost ready to go out to publishers again.

ellie_enchanted said...

Good news: I'm getting new books tomorrow! Yay! Including The Hunger Games! It's kinda annoying living abroad, especially when it comes to getting books - the local bookstore pretty much only stocks the bestsellers in English. So I have lots of Twilight and Harry Potter options, but not so much The Summoning.

Becky said...

I'd love to be entered. I've already read The Hunger Games, but I'd love a chance to read The Summoning.

Good news...let's see...the best news I had was last week when Tor contacted me to see if I wanted to review Ender In Exile. That was great news.

Becky (laney_poATyahoo.com)

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Oh, i haven't read The Hunger Games yet. I've heard it's amazing though.

What good news did I get this past week...? hmmm....

Well, I was chilling in starbucks yesterday at my school and a worker gave me a free iced tea, b/c someone hadn't picked it up i guess. Not my most favorite thing, but it was still exciting...and it was yesterday (friday) and that's just the day you never want to be at school...
OH, and speaking of school, one class was canceled yesterday and the other one lasted like five minutes and we could go!

=Lauren
lauren51990 at aol dot com

Vanessa (whatvanessareads.wordpress.com) said...

Thanks so much for the opportunity to win books. I understand what you're going through since my stepmom just had my baby brother 15 days ago. I'm helping her lose weight, but I think she looks pretty anyways.

Something positive that has happened lately: I scored an A on my last geometry test. Math is my worst subject and I'm really happy about my grade in the class.

:)
Vanessa
whatvanessareads.wordpress.com
whatvanessareads (at) gmail.com

Sarah Woodard said...

I don't really have any good news. I have spent four days this week at the doctors and I have to get 3 surgeries in the near future. My blood work is also down the tube. I'll go with my library is finally getting the books that I requested.
The Summoning is amazing and I want to read Hunger Games badly.
Good luck with the last ten pounds.
Peace out, Sarah.

Heather Zundel said...

My good news that I told my twin (which is just good news in itself): I've been able to write all week and I'm almost done with the fifth? seventh? draft of my novel! So exciting! I'm in near-elation.

Sara said...

Both books seem really GREAT!

My good news is that I*m going to the USA! I'm going to work in Washington D.C. as an au pair for a year, and I'm so excited! I never been to the US before (or even outside of Europe)!


Sara
sosarora_11@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

good news I received recently was that I won all of the gossip girls books!!! I cannot wait to read them :D

lc_intocable [at]yahoo [dot] com

Paradox said...

I already have The Hunger Games, but I want to read The Summoning SO BADLY!!!!!

Hmmm... Good news. I just finished reading a book that was number one on my list of books to read (out of over two hundred) and I loved it!!!! (Gone by Michael Grant). By the way, The Summoning is in my top 10. I also bought a book yesterday that I really have wanted to read. I'm doing NaNoWriMo and falling behind, but today I finally have time to catch up on my word count.

Liviania said...

My sister is visiting in January. ^_^ She's bringing her adorable daughter.

Anonymous said...

I have a signed hardback of The Hunger Games so no needing that but i've been dying for The Summoning so I soooo want to win this. But anyways.....

My good news is that I got an interview today for an at home job i've been really trying to get so I can still work while finally trying to start a family. Though it doesn't mean I got the job it's still very good news for me!

Carolina said...

My good news is that I finished my history project on time!

I really want to win The Hunger Games! I've heard so many wonderful things about it.

Kimberley Griffiths Little said...

Hey Aprilynne! I recently discovered you through someone's blog and dang if I can't remember who now. I read close to 150 blogs on a daily basis. Call me crazy.
And cross-eyed.

Anyway, I'm another LDS writer out there in the world and even though I've already read THE HUNGER GAMES and THE SUMMONING (both fabulous!)I decided to share my good news.

I signed with Tracey Adams in September and she just closed a THREE BOOK DEAL for me with Scholastic last week!

I'm still gulping for air . . .