We Have a Winner!

So last night as I was agonizing over what to blog about today, I realized I had totally forgotten about our Comeback contest and needed to pick a winner!  And then I remembered I also needed to switch the laundry over that had been sitting in the washer all day.  And then I also remembered I'm off work tomorrow and Little Monster is off school.  Ah, preggo brain.

If you don't remember (which means you are probably pregnant), Colene and I held a contest celebrating our comeback to blogging.  We promised you the book of your choice if you win.

And my winner is......

Lola Sharp!

It's funny because the book she wants is Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore.  I had emailed her back and told her if she wins, I'll order her the book but I might have to read it first before I send it to her, teehee.  So, Lola, I'm going to pre-order it on Amazon for you and will be sending it to you in May (after I read it) (Just kidding...I'll probably just get it from the library- I don't want to mess Lola's pretty book up)!

Head on over to Colene's blog to see if you won over there!  Thanks to all of you for entering and showing us your support!  We truly are happy to be back to blogging!

Oh, and happy MLK day!!

Watch out 2012, I'm Back!

Hello my lovely Bloggy Buddies!  I'm very pleased to announce that I am officially back to blogging!  I miss you all so much, I just couldn't stay away too long.

And to show how much I love and adore you, and have missed the pants off you (okay not literally...because that would be weird) Colene Murphy and I have decide to hold a little contest!  Yep, she's back too!  We're comin' back in style, my peeps!

It's SO super easy and I would feel oh-so-loved if you'd just leave a comment here and tell me which book you've been DYING to read but just haven't gotten around to it.  If you win, I'll buy it for you! (or if you have a favorite book that you'd like to own, put that down!)  Plus, you have TWO chances to win- leave a comment here, and jump on over to Colene's blog and leave a comment there!  We'll be picking 2 winners on Monday January 16.

Anyway, so now that that is out of the way, I'll just do a quick little list of what I've been up to while I've been gone.
1. Finish revising WIP to make it shine.
2. Write the dreaded synopsis and subsequently kill my crit partners with boredom.
3. Drive Little Monster back and forth to school, activities, parties, and gymnastics.
4. Catch up on reading- I almost forgot how to do that.
5. Keep my house above sanitation codes.
6. Start NEW WIP, yay!

Welp, that about sums up my break!

Now I want to hear what YOU'VE been up to!  Please please let me know because I really have thought about you a lot during my break.

So remember to let me know what book you'd love for me to get you (don't forget an email if its not attached to your account), tell me how you've been doing, and go see Colene!  Contest closes Sunday January 15th!

I'm so glad to be back and see your shining faces!  Tootles and mwah!

What Do You Like in a Blog?

I've got a winner for my contest, so if you don't feel like reading my drivel post, feel free to skip to the end.

Rachelle Gardner posted a blog the other day about what she dislikes about writers' blogs.  Here is a little bit of what she said in case you don't want to click the link (don't worry, I'm lazy about clicking links too sometimes):

→ A humor writer whose blog doesn't seem funny to me.
→ A memoir writer whose blog consists of reflections on life (something I enjoy) but they're just boring.
→ A writer who rants and complains about the publishing business in general or agents in particular . (And I recognize the difference between ranting and simply processing inevitable disappointments.)
→ A writer whose blog has irregular and infrequent posts.
→ A blog that is really unfocused and doesn't know what it's about.

Read some of the comments from fellow bloggers if you have time- you'll get an idea of what they're looking for too.

What do you all think about that?  Do you generally agree with those statements or are you okay with a blogger "breaking" some of those etiquette-type rules?

For me, when I started reading blogs, I really just wanted to get to know the author better.  Whether he/she is an aspiring or published author, an agent, or editor.  I love getting sneak peaks into their lives, finding out about their writing process, or learning a little piece of wisdom.  But I'm not sure my opinion of blogs is as strict as Rachelle's.  I just really want it to feel genuine to me, no matter what the content.  I really don't mind if it's a post about someone's day, their families, their writing or something majorly profound.  I don't mind if their blog is all over the place- I think it makes it more interesting.  Honestly, as long as I'm entertained (which is really not hard to do for me- I'm pretty easy to please)...I don't really care what it's about.  Plus, if someone doesn't have a regular post schedule, I don't really notice that either- to me, family, writing, and other personal related stuff are more important than getting a blog out, so it's not a big deal if someone doesn't write a blog for a week.  I'll still be there when they come back.

I guess my only pet peeve is SUPER long blog posts.  Like, novel-length posts (which frankly, this one seems to be almost there so feel free to stop reading at any time) that take me a million years to read.  Of course, everyone has their own opinion as to what constitutes as a long post, so I won't get into that. 
I really want to know what you all think about the "etiquette" of blogs.  What stands out to you in a blog, whether it's good or bad?  What do you like reading about, and does it always have to be gleaming pearls of wisdom?  Are there any "rules" that you think a blogger should absolutely follow?

And now for the winner (completely chosen at random from this site- everyone got a range of numbers for the amount of entries they had) of The Sorcerers Companion!

Jennie Bailey!!  Woohoo Jennie!  Congrats!  Email me your address and I'll get that out to you asap!!

Contest Ends Today!

OMG, you guys, I totally forgot today is the 10th and it's the last day of my CONTEST!  I'll be closing it up at midnight tonight (okay, well...probably not till tomorrow when I wake up, so if you're up at 3am and want to enter...totally fine by me).

I'll do some magic hat type thingy with everyone's entries and announce the winner on Monday!  So get those entries in so you can win The Sorcerers Companion and find out everything you wanted to know about the magic of Harry Potter (or a gift card if you absolutely hate HP ;p)  Good luck, and thanks for all the entries!




And now for a little Harry Potter Puppet fun:

I'm Finished, so YOU Get the Reward! Contest/Giveaway!

Hey guys!  Welcome back after what was hopefully a relaxing holiday (except for those of you lovely crazies who actually went out on Black Friday - but you are still fabulous!) It was for me, and now we're back to the 'ol grind (but with a little more cheer, since we get to stare at Christmas lights and listen to festive Christmas music all month!)

I know last week was crazy preparing for Turkey Day, so I thought I'd post again about my contest!  It's in honor of finishing my novel/100 followers/HP mania!

HERE is my post from Wednesday about it- post as many comments as you want about your fav Harry Potter scene (from any of the books or movies), and you'll get that many entries to win the awesome A Sorcerers Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter!  Can't wait to see what you loved about HP!

AND, have no fear!  If you didn't like Harry Potter, just tell me your favorite book (or you can tell me why you didn't like HP- no judging here!), and if you win I'll send you a Barnes and Noble or Amazon gift card!!  I am ALL inclusive on this blog!

You can go ahead and leave comments here if you don't want to clicky on over to the other post (I totally understand- I'm lazy like that too)  It ends December 10!

Word Count Wednesday And Contest/Giveaway!

First things first:  My total word count for NaNo is 15,288.  It doesn't seem like much, but 15,000 words in less than a month  is pretty huge for me.  As most of you know, I am using NaNo not to write a whole new novel, but to finish the one I am working on.  And guess what?

Now for the Happy News I hinted to in my last post:


I'm FINISHED!!!

Yep, the total word count for my novel is 94,844 words- about 312 pages.  So even though NaNo won't officially recognize me as "winning", I totally won on a different level.  I accomplished something I never thought I could do.  Something that was just an idea almost 2 years ago.  Something that has become my passion since- something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. 

And honestly I couldn't have done it without the support of my husbsies, family, friends and my new online friends and crit partners!  Everyone is so encouraging and supportive of my ventures, that even though sometimes I wanted to quit, I thought of them and it kept me going.  (Okay seriously, I'm not published yet...jumping the gun a little on the dedication part ;p)

Of course this is only the beginning of a whole new journey: editing.  I've got both my crit partner's edit suggestions- which by-the-way, are totally awesome.  Colene and Andy are the best, and see things that I miss and I'm all like, *facepalm* when I see it. 

***SO, in celebration of finishing my novel, AND of almost making it to 100 followers, and of seeing how many commas I can use in a sentence, I'm going to have a contest/giveaway/HP prize thingy! 

And, in honor if it being Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows mania, I'm giving away a copy of The Socerers Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter by Allan Zola Kronzek

Everything you ever wanted to know about the magic and mythology of Harry Potter all in one book!  It has awesome facts like where wands originated from, who wore the first invisibilty cloak, and what a grindylow really is.  You can look up just about anything from all 7 Harry Potter books, and learn where all these myths and folklores came from!

So, all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite scenes from any of the Harry Potter books or movies!  And here's the cool thing- more comments equal more entries into the contest!  So leave as many as you want with all your favorite tidbits and adventures from Harry Potter!  This contest will end December 10, so get those entries in!

**If you didn't like Harry Potter- you can still enter!  Just tell me your favorite book, and if you win, I'll send you a gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon!

AND there are a couple of my favorite people doing contests right now too:
Colene over at The Journey- bad one liners, make 'em stink people!  That's all you gotta do for a super gift card!
Donea Lee over at Queen of Procrastination- all about the blogging and commenting for entries for gift cards and ornaments!
Fantasy and Sci Fi Lovin News - pick a book you would like to win out of this awesome list of books!
Kiersten White is giving away a copy of a signed ARC of Supernaturally to one lucky winner- all you have to do is donate to a good cause!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American buds out there!  And if you aren't from the 'ol US, go ahead, eat a turkey...because you love me :)

And tell me how you are doing with NaNo! The end is near, are you going to win?