Fiction Scribe

Yes, that’s right. It is only the first weekend after the contest announcement and I am very happy to say that we already have a winner here at Fiction Scribe. Please join me in saying congratulations to:

The Wandering Author!

The Wandering Author has won with his comment on the interview with Michaela Riley:

“This sounds like a book I want to read. I have my own reservations about the judicial system. And the book just sounds intriguing. Perhaps that’s why I stay away from most book reviews, author interviews, etc. Simply leave me with unanswered questions about a book, and I need to read it.

Which probably helps to explain why I’m going to be spending this weekend digging through stacks of books to see what ones I can bear to part with, just so I can have a little room to breathe.”

Out of the luck of the draw, The Wandering Author will receive a very yummy block of milk chocolate with a couple extra goodies thrown in just because I like giving stuff away. As soon as I receive his mailing address, it will be sent off in the Australian Post!

Another congratulations to The Wandering Author for winning the first prize. His comment landed on the right number and yours could, too. Remember, you have not one but four more chances to win, the biggest prize going to the 100th commenter.

Keep stopping by and speaking your mind for your chance to win.

***This post is part of the Fiction Scribe 100 Comment Contest. Click on the link to find out how you can win.***

I love spreading the love, especially when something good is happening in my life. That’s why, to celebrate my first wedding anniversary, I am giving away some sweet prizes (pun fully intended). And it’s easy for you to win!

So, what is the contest… Well, I am holding Fiction Scribe’s very first 100 comments contest. What does that mean? That means we are going to try to get to 100 comments on this site in one month – from today (May 5th) to June 5th.

Can you do it, dear readers? I think you can. Why? Because I have some very nice prizes to give away…

I have two prize packs to give away, each of which include: 1 stationary set, 1 chocolate bar, stickers, and other Australian goodies.

I love my sweets, so I also have two 200g blocks of chocolate to give away.

Gasp! Yes, you read right! I am giving away chocolate.

I also have a very special prize to give to the 100th commenter: a bag of Australia’s delectable honeycomb and chocolate treat – Violet Crumbles. Mmm. Not only that, but also a selection of Australian goodies picked out by yours truly. PLUS your choice of either “No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog” OR “How to Say It: Business Writing that Works”.

And all you have to do is comment…

If you comment on this post, tell me what you like about Fiction Scribe. I would love some feedback from readers here.

After that, any comment you leave on any posts (starting May 5th and up to June 5th) will be included in the contest. I’ll be keeping track of everything, so you don’t have to worry about anything other than stopping by and having your say.

See? It’s easy! So tell your friends to stop by and comment.

My husband has chosen four random numbers, each in one section of numbers. (One number between 1 and 25, one number between 25 and 50, etc.) If one of your comments lands on one of those numbers, then you will have your very own prize on its way to you all the way from Australia!

Be sure to check back often because I will announce the winners as they match up with the number comment. Also make sure you always comment with a valid email address.

So spread the word and spread the love people. It’s my anniversary!

It has been a while since I have done this (do you recall ‘little reminders’?) and I have so many small contest links and announcements that I believe it’s time to put up at least one more post like it. Enjoy.

The Australian Spec Fic Blog Carnival
Hosted by the lovely Eneit, this carnival is full of all sorts of fun tidbits from the authors down under who have a love of spec fic.

Bragging Rites Unleashed Publisher and Author Spotlight Chats
Bragging Rites Unleashed is hosting Red Rose Publishing author Liam Stalls today. Check out the site for more details.

My Very Special Agent Contest
You could win an e-book copy of Eureka Point, the first book in the series, and a Time for Tea gift basket containing teas, scone mix, jams and everything a true tea lover could want, and a few other surprises. Check out the site for more details.

The Winds of Asharra Contest
You could win the chance to name a character in The Winds of Asharra sequel or an autographed hardback copy of the book. Check out The Winds of Asharra website for more details.

WOW! Women On Writing Flash Fiction Contest
“WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. We are open to all styles of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season (upper right hand column) and the flavor of our sponsor, if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality, and light-hearted reads. That’s not to say that our guest judge will feel the same… so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, let’s have some fun!”

Check out the WOW site for more details.

Thank you to Writers Who Blog for the heads up.

As always, remember:

Fiction Scribe Disclaimer: I in no way take responsibility for the validity of any submission (or contest!) opportunities. It’s up to you to use your judgment when submitting your work anywhere.

Hello and happy Friday, dear Fiction Scribe readers. Happy Leap Year as well.

Today I am taking a breath from the Friday interviews to bring you something a bit different.

For a while I have wanted to give something away on this site, but I didn’t know what to give away or how to give it away (random giveaway? Contest?). I have been a bit hard pressed for time lately, so I didn’t want to have the trouble of tracking something complicated.

Then I found a meme at the lovely Jenera’s blog.

I have seen this meme floating around the blogging world and have even done it a few times. It’s fun, quick, and occasionally humorous.

The meme:

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

First thing, you don’t have to tag five people. Just put your response in the comments. You can feel free to carry it over to your blog if you wish, but you have to leave your response in the comments here to get a chance to win.

Win what? A pre-loved copy of Lirael by Garth Nix. I bought this little lovely at a secondhand shop and later got another copy, so I would like to pass this copy on to one of my readers (chosen at random from the comments).

Be sure to leave a valid email address with your comment so I can get your postal address to send you the book. You have this weekend to enter. The winner will be announced in Monday’s Scribes blog carnival post.

Have fun and good luck! (And invite others over to win, eh? A good response to this could encourage more competitions like it in the future…)

Since February is the time for cupids and hearts and all things romantic and sometimes not-so-romantic, what better time than to write a letter to your lover?

On February 1, 2008, Rachel Greene Baldino and Judy Ford, authors of the book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, are embarking on a virtual book tour around the world collecting letters from bloggers who would like to tell their lovers how they really feel about them - the good and the bad - and become a part of their tour!

If you would like to become involved in their contest, this is how it works:

1. Think of the things you would like to say to your lover, but haven’t had the time or the reason, whether it’s to say how much you love them or how they drive you up the wall. Yes, the good and the bad and the funnier or more outrageous the better! Let everything hang out!

2. Do not use names. Name your blog post “Letter to My Lover” and begin your post with “Dear Lover” They’ll have to guess who it’s for!

3. Post your message on your blog between now and February 14th and send us the exact link to thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “Letter to my Lover” in your subject line.

4. When we receive your link, we will add it to Rachel and Judy’s tour page!

5. But, that’s not all! Rachel and Judy will pick one of the bloggers who participate a FREE copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire! That’s their Valentine’s Day present to you!

6. And not only that, we will promote your blog through our daily promotions using your blog post as part of their virtual book tour, thus bringing you lots of traffic during February!

7. We also ask that you include a jpeg copy of Rachel and Judy’s book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Enhancing Sexual Desire, in your blog post. You can find their book cover here (you are welcome to copy and paste from there).

8. All participants will be listed on Rachel and Judy’s tour page so that everyone can read YOUR letters to your lover!

That’s all there is to it! Hurry before time runs out. Become involved in a nationwide campaign to tell the world what you think about your lover and see how much fun it will be to read the letters of others. Share your letters and become involved in RACHEL AND JUDY’S “LETTER TO MY LOVER” VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST!

Rachel and Judy’s virtual book tour will be highly publicized including press releases and other promotions and is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit their website at PumpUpYouBookPromotion.com.

Rachel and Judy will be taking over Long Relationships February 11th to the 15th, so be sure to stop by!

AS if! needs your help!

The Australian speculative fiction review site needs your help. AS if is a massive review site that relies on volunteer reviewers - of which Food Past’s Gillian is part of - to provide reviews on the site.

Why donate?

Donations to paypal will go towards covering postage for review copies to be sent out to reviewers. They would also like to recruit more overseas reviewers, who sit totally outside the community, to increase commentary. However, this would significantly increase the project costs.

Donations will also cover reviewers stalking second-hand bookshops and bookstalls and buying out of print Australian specfic for coverage on ASif! They could also look into buying copies of works of the bigger name writers whose publicists still don’t send review copies. Or, if you’re a big name writer and not currently reviewed on the site, perhaps you might consider sending them a copy of your work for review.

Also, another reason to donate is you can win some fabulous prizes! For every $5 donation to the drive, you will get your name into the ASif! Donation Drive Prize Raffle. So if you give $15, you have 3 chances to win.

Here’s a peek at the prize pool:

1 copy of In Bad Dreams
2 copies of C0ck
1 copy of Aggressive Retail Therapy by Grant Watson (out of print Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World trade paperback)
2 copies of the Issue 1 of Henry & Gil vs the Infinity Engine by Grant Watson and Edward J. Grug III
2 copies of Polyphony 6
2 copies of Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth by Ben Peek
2 copies of Swans Over the Moon by Forrest Aguirre
6 copies of Fables and Reflections
1 copy of Daikaiju 3
2 copies of Bad Case of Loving You by Laney Cairo
5 copies of Shiny Issue 1
5 copies of New Ceres Issue 2
1 copy of Potato Monkey Issue 5 (the final issue!!)
1 signed copy of Seacastle by Tansy Rayner Roberts
1 copy of Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley
1 copy of Celtika, Book 1 of the Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock
1 copy of The Iron Grail, Book 2 of the Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock

If you are interested in donating a prize, please contact girlie dot jones @ gmail dot com

If you are a writer and interested/willing to participate in a short story writing stunt (you don’t have to write a whole short story) - soon to be announced - please also email girlie dot jones @ gmail dot com

The December Donation Drive has kicked off and all donations received from now till Dec 24th will be eligible for the prize draw.

To make a donation, go here.

win, free, books, contest, australia, speculative fiction, fiction, In Bad Dreams, C0ck, Aggressive Retail Therapy, Grant Watson, Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World, Issue 1 of Henry & Gil vs the Infinity Engine, Edward J. Grug III, Polyphony 6, Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth, Ben Peek, Swans Over the Moon, Forrest Aguirre, Fables and Reflections, Laney Cairo, Shiny Issue 1, New Ceres Issue 2, Potato Monkey Issue 5, Seacastle, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Winterbirth, Brian Ruckley, Celtika, Book 1 of the Merlin Codex, Robert Holdstock, The Iron Grail, Book 2 of the Merlin Codex

AS if! needs your help!

The Australian speculative fiction review site needs your help. AS if is a massive review site that relies on volunteer reviewers - of which Food Past’s Gillian is part - to provide reviews on the site.

Why donate?

Donations to paypal will go towards covering postage for review copies to be sent out to reviewers. They would also like to recruit more overseas reviewers, who sit totally outside the community, to increase commentary. However, this would significantly increase the project costs.

Donations will also cover reviewers stalking second-hand bookshops and bookstalls and buying out of print Australian specfic for coverage on ASif! They could also look into buying copies of works of the bigger name writers whose publicists still don’t send review copies. Or, if you’re a big name writer and not currently reviewed on the site, perhaps you might consider sending them a copy of your work for review.

Also, another reason to donate is you can win some fabulous prizes! For every $5 donation to the drive, you will get your name into the ASif! Donation Drive Prize Raffle. So if you give $15, you have 3 chances to win.

Here’s a peek at the prize pool:

1 copy of In Bad Dreams
2 copies of C0ck
1 copy of Aggressive Retail Therapy by Grant Watson (out of print Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World trade paperback)
2 copies of the Issue 1 of Henry & Gil vs the Infinity Engine by Grant Watson and Edward J. Grug III
2 copies of Polyphony 6
2 copies of Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth by Ben Peek
2 copies of Swans Over the Moon by Forrest Aguirre
6 copies of Fables and Reflections
1 copy of Daikaiju 3
2 copies of Bad Case of Loving You by Laney Cairo
5 copies of Shiny Issue 1
5 copies of New Ceres Issue 2
1 copy of Potato Monkey Issue 5 (the final issue!!)
1 signed copy of Seacastle by Tansy Rayner Roberts
1 copy of Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley
1 copy of Celtika, Book 1 of the Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock
1 copy of The Iron Grail, Book 2 of the Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock

If you are interested in donating a prize, please contact girlie dot jones @ gmail dot com

If you are a writer and interested/willing to participate in a short story writing stunt (you don’t have to write a whole short story) - soon to be announced - please also email girlie dot jones @ gmail dot com

The December Donation Drive has kicked off and all donations received from now till Dec 24th will be eligible for the prize draw.

To make a donation, go here.

win, free, books, contest, australia, speculative fiction, fiction, In Bad Dreams, C0ck, Aggressive Retail Therapy, Grant Watson, Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World, Issue 1 of Henry & Gil vs the Infinity Engine, Edward J. Grug III, Polyphony 6, Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth, Ben Peek, Swans Over the Moon, Forrest Aguirre, Fables and Reflections, Laney Cairo, Shiny Issue 1, New Ceres Issue 2, Potato Monkey Issue 5, Seacastle, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Winterbirth, Brian Ruckley, Celtika, Book 1 of the Merlin Codex, Robert Holdstock, The Iron Grail, Book 2 of the Merlin Codex

AS if! needs your help!

The Australian speculative fiction review site needs your help. AS if is a massive review site that relies on volunteer reviewers - of which Food Past’s Gillian is part of - to provide reviews on the site.

Why donate?

Donations to paypal will go towards covering postage for review copies to be sent out to reviewers. They would also like to recruit more overseas reviewers, who sit totally outside the community, to increase commentary. However, this would significantly increase the project costs.

Donations will also cover reviewers stalking second-hand bookshops and bookstalls and buying out of print Australian specfic for coverage on ASif! They could also look into buying copies of works of the bigger name writers whose publicists still don’t send review copies. Or, if you’re a big name writer and not currently reviewed on the site, perhaps you might consider sending them a copy of your work for review.

Also, another reason to donate is you can win some fabulous prizes! For every $5 donation to the drive, you will get your name into the ASif! Donation Drive Prize Raffle. So if you give $15, you have 3 chances to win.

Here’s a peek at just some of the things you can win:

1 copy of In Bad Dreams
2 copies of C0ck
1 copy of Aggressive Retail Therapy by Grant Watson (out of print Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World trade paperback)
2 copies of the Issue 1 of Henry & Gil vs the Infinity Engine by Grant Watson and Edward J. Grug III
2 copies of Polyphony 6
2 copies of Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth by Ben Peek
2 copies of Swans Over the Moon by Forrest Aguirre
6 copies of Fables and Reflections
1 copy of Daikaiju 3
2 copies of Bad Case of Loving You by Laney Cairo
5 copies of Shiny Issue 1
5 copies of New Ceres Issue 2
1 copy of Potato Monkey Issue 5 (the final issue!!)
1 signed copy of Seacastle by Tansy Rayner Roberts
1 copy of Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley
1 copy of Celtika, Book 1 of the Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock
1 copy of The Iron Grail, Book 2 of the Merlin Codex by Robert Holdstock

If you are interested in donating a prize, please contact girlie dot jones @ gmail dot com

If you are a writer and interested/willing to participate in a short story writing stunt (you don’t have to write a whole short story) - soon to be announced - please also email girlie dot jones @ gmail dot com

The December Donation Drive has kicked off and all donations received from now till Dec 24th will be eligible for the prize draw.

To make a donation, go here.

If you aren’t all that fussed about the book giveaway, maybe comic books are your thing?

Jessica of Comic Book Journal is offering up an awesome prize and all you have to do is a little creative letter writing.

Check out this post for more details and get in on your chance to win.

I’m not feeling particularly snarky or pissed off today (no matter what Mr. Scribe says) so I’m going to skip the pet peeve today. It it’s place, I am going to put up some things I think need pointing out.

First…

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Especially books… Drool. Susan from West of Mars is spreading the love – the Hanukah love, that is – today by offering up her copy of Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet.

Go here for a synopsis and reviews.

If you would like to get in on this free book goodness/madness, all you have to do is go to this post on Susan’s blog and leave a comment. On December 11th, she’ll draw a comment at random to determine the winner.

I’ve already commented, so get in there for your chance to win as well.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another wonderful Monday. The day is a little chilly and cloudy here in Australia, but that just means I get to curl up with my favorite hot drink and get my writing done for this week’s writing challenge. I have a few announcements to make about things coming up, so here we go…

The Scribes carnival deadline has been extended due to me being away on the first of October. The new deadline is October 4th, and the carnival will be posted up on the 8th. I already have some lovely entries, so go here for details and how to submit to the carnival.

The Fiction Scribe newsletter will be going out a little early, not on the first of October. If you have any work you would like to be featured in the newsletter (with links to your site(s)), be sure to get it to me as soon as you can so it can be included.

Remember, for the month of September, you can have the chance to win books! Go here for details on how you can win.

I’m holding discussions of the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. If you’re interested in joining the discussions, feel free to jump in any time.

200 Words is still going. Send me the first 200 words of whatever you’re working on and I’ll post it up with a short critique. I don’t bite too hard.

I’m still accepting creative spaces submissions. Even if you can’t send a picture along with it, send in a detailed description of your writing space (shorter if accompanied by a picture/pictures) and I’ll post it up on the site.

Write Anyway is a site with all sorts of prompts to help inspire your writing. Each week features a different theme. This week’s theme is something we can all talk about - food! Join in the fun. Responses put on blogs/sites are linked to.

Pump Up Your Book Promotion has broken a record. They have NINE talented and gifted authors going out on tour in September. To celebrate, they’re doing something special for their readers!

All our authors on tour will be giving away copies of their books and bookmarks to readers chosen at random. How do they decide who wins?

Anyone who leaves comments at their stops which are located on each individual author’s tour pages gets a shot. If you don’t want to miss out on your chance to win free books, visit all the stops and leave comments because you won’t know which one will be the lucky stop.

All winners will be announced on this blog on September 31, so be sure to check back at the end of the month. If you see your name on the list, all you have to do is email thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com and leave your physical mailing address. All there is to it! So, without further ado…here are the wonderful and talented authors going out on virtual book tour for the month of September!

September authors on virtual tour are in alphabetical order:

Dwayne G. Anderson, author of PARTIALLY HUMAN. I have loved Dwayne from the get go. Just under twenty-four-years-old, Dwayne has authored three books with PARTIALLY HUMAN being his third. If you’d like to read up on this delightful young and talented author, visit his tour page here.

This is Barbara Becker Holstein’s second month of tours for her book THE TRUTH: I’M TEN, I’M SMART AND I KNOW EVERYTHING. I’ve read this book myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’d like to find out more about her book and to find out which stops she’ll be stopping off at, visit here.

Nikki Leigh joins us this month on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion for her book, LADY LIGHTKEEPER. If you’re a fan of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you will throughly love her book. If you’d like to follow her tour to have a chance to win one of her books, click here. (Note from author: Each person who decides to buy a copy of Lady Lightkeeper, needs to email me a copy of their receipt. I just need a receipt that shows you bought a copy of Lady Lightkeeper and I’ll enter you in the drawing for a copy of Widow’s Walk. That seemed like a good giveaway since the story starts with Widow’s Walk. However, if the winner already has a copy of Widow’s Walk, I’ll be happy to send a copy of Lilah and the Locket instead.)

This is CJ Maxx’s second visit with us at Pump Up Your Book Promotion, but this time it’s for another erotic romance novel titled COMING BACK A VIRGIN. A must read! You can find out where he’ll be virtually touring at his tour page by clicking here.

Nick Oliva joins us for the first time at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for his book, ONLY MOMENTS. If out of body experiences and time travel are just what the doctor ordered, you will love his books. Follow along on his tour by clicking here.

Stem cell activist and author Yvonne Perry joins us for the first time for her book, RIGHT TO RECOVER, an interesting, yet controversial, look at stem cell research. If you would like a chance to win one of her books, visit her tour page by clicking here.

Caridad Pineiro, named Golden Apple Author of the Year by Romance Writers of America, and who visited us in May is back with a new book, SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN. If women’s fiction/chick lit is up your alley, visit Caridad’s stops so you can have a chance at winning one of her books Click here to find out where she’ll be touring.

Our friend from England, Hazel Statham is trying out the virtual book tour waters with her historical fiction book, DOMINIC. Hazel has always been fascinated by history and writes mainly in the Regency and Georgian eras. DOMINIC is a book you will LOVE. If you would like to try for a chance to win one of her books, visit her tour page here to see where she’ll be virtually touring.

Scott Zema is our resident expert on anything in the appraisal business - whether it be for art, antiques or collectibles - is touring for the first time with Pump Up Your Book Promotion with his book, THREE STEPS TO INVESTMENT SUCCESS: BUYING THE RIGHT ART, ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTIBLES. Find out what he has to say about the business by visiting his tour page here and get in the running for a copy of one of his books!

Best of luck to everyone.

How would you like $500 for writing one line?

Well, here is your chance.

At That First Line, the Spring/Summer contest deadline is fast approaching! Submit your fantastic one line tomorrow for your chance to win $500.

Best of luck!

If I had $300 dollars I would buy________.

What would you buy with $300? Or even $200 or $100? Now is your chance to find out! Comment on any 451 Press site during the month of August and you could win! Three comments will be chosen at random to win a cash prize of $300, $200 or $100. The more you comment the more chances you have to win. So start reading and let those fingers fly.

How would you like $500 for writing one line?

Well, here is your chance.

At That First Line, the Spring/Summer contest deadline is fast approaching! Submit your fantastic one line before September 1st for your chance to win $500.

Best of luck!