Signed Copy of Kristen Cashore's "Graceling"

*The contest is now closed.
Week Four means Giveaway Week! I'm giving away a signed, hardcover edition of Graceling by Kristen Cashore (think of it as an early Christmas Present!) for FREE.

To enter, you need points. The more points you have, the better your chances of winning. To get points, do the following:

1 pt for following my blog (if you're already a follower, that counts! Just let me know)
1 pt for following me on twitter (if you already follow me, leave me your twitter name)
1 pt for tweeting about the contest (give me the link)
1 pt for following me on facebook
1 pt for leaving a link to this contest on your facebook newsfeed (give me the link)
1 pt for becoming a goodreads friend (make sure I know your goodreads name)
2 pts for blogging about this contest (leave me the link and I'll brag about ya!)

*To find me on twitter, facebook, and goodreads, click on the highlighted links above. OR EVEN EASIER, CLICK ON THE LINKS ON THE RIGHT SIDE-----> (YOU MAY HAVE TO SCROLL DOWN).
That's 8 total points. Easy peasy. The more points you get, the higher your chances of winning. If you already follow me on any of these, let me know . . . cause that counts!

Make sure you add up all your points, cause I'm a writer--meaning I suck at math.

You have until November 29th! I'll announce the winner Nov 30th.

This contest is only open to the US & Canada--unless you want to pay your own postage.

Help! My cover blurb and bio are kicking my butt!

In keeping with Week Four (excerpt week), I'm including my draft cover blurb and bio. I'd love to know what you think. Does the teaser give away enough information without being vague? Is my bio funny, or just corny? Things like that. Be honest. If it sucks, someone will evenutally tell me. I'd rather it be before my book comes out. :)

Blurb (reworked on 10-22):

Fourteen-year old Brusenna is the last Witch. All the others have been imprisoned by the Dark Witch. And the without the witches’ songs to shore up the bindings of nature, storms rage, climates cross hardened boundaries, and seeds refuse to germinate.


Hiding from the Witch Hunters and their muskets, Brusenna and her Guardian, Joshen, must find the key to defeating the Dark Witch and rescuing the others. Because if not, there may be nothing left to save.

Bio

Short:
I'm a study in contradictions. I love dressing up and looking pretty but hate uncomfortable clothes. I love a clean house but hate cleaning. I wanna eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but still wanna fit in my jeans. And perhaps worst of all, I grew up on a cattle ranch but love chicken (don't tell my dad).

Long:
I grew up on a cattle ranch on the outskirts of a town measuring ~six blocks by six blocks. I played center on my high school basketball team and competed in barrels and poles in rodeo (top ten in my state my senior year).

I graduated from Utah State with a bachelor in Physical Education and English. While there, I also met and married my husband. We continue to reside in the Rocky Mountains with our three children and our chew-everything-in-sight, chocolate Labrador Retriever, Dove.

So whaddya think? Did I nail them both, or do I need to start over?

Hear ye, hear ye!

After much research, I've decided on the new format for my blog.
I'm going to try to do a post once a week (does anyone have an opinion on what's the best day to post?).

Each week will have a theme. The themes are:

Week 1: Random Thoughts (because at the beginning of the month, my thoughts are random . . . okay, they're always random, but at the first of the month, it's worse).

Week 2: Book Review (because reading books is better for your health than drinking).

Week 3: Short Story/Excerpt (*takes a dramatic pose* because it's not just what I do, it's who I am ).

Week 4: Contest with FREE STUFF*insert confetti here* (because it's my way of bribing you. Shameless, I know. But who are you to complain? You'll have a chance to win free stuff too).

So there you have it. And for those of you who'd like to add that there are ofttimes more than four weeks in a month--once again, did I mention free stuff? *insert more confetti here . . . and while we're at it, some of those rolly blowy thingies*

Shifting my Focus

I know how to write books. I'm good at it. I've practiced and studied the craft for years. And I have a contract to prove it.
The problem is, now I have to do a bunch of things I'm not good at. For instance, creating my own website. You might not think it so hard, but for the technically challenged . . . I couldn't even figure out how to plug in my printer, people!

Ahem, also, marketing. So far, this blog has focused on the writing process--it's been aimed at other writers. Now my focus needs to shift to attracting readers.

How the #%@*! do I do that?

The same way I learned to write. Practice and study.

Book Trailer

I just had the coolest idea for a book trailer.

Starts out with Senna’s downcast eyes. She gradually looks up as narrator says, “I am the last witch left.”

Flash to women screaming, being taken. “All the others have been taken by the Dark Witch.”

Flash to Senna looking over her shoulder as she runs through a corn field in the dark, hear her breathing hard and the slap of the corn leaves.

“And without the witches, (flash to scenes of raging seas sinking a ship) “Nature has turned to chaos.”

Quick succession of scenes: Joshen and Senna fleeing on horseback. Senna falling from a ship, Joshen reaching for her, “Senna! No!”

Switch to Senna rushing into Joshen’s arms. “Joshen, you promised!”

"I just couldn’t leave you! I just couldn’t."

Something like a bullet strikes her from behind. With a grunt, her back arches and her eyes go wide. “Oh, Senna! No!”

Back to Senna’s eyes. “If I can’t find and free them soon, there won’t be anything left to save.”

Flash to Witch Song by Amber Argyle, released Sept 1^st. Book cover.

Wouldn't this be the coolest book trailer ever!?!

Now I just need a few thousand dollars to make it.

Anyone up for a donation?

;)