One Last Winner!

What? You say I ran a contest? It ended when? Oh yes. That’s right. It ended Friday.

No, I did not forget. I’m giving away this fantastic prize. What was it again? Oh right.

A stamped copy of MOCKING JAY and a National Book Festival tote bag. Oh. Rightrightrightrightright. (Ala Jerry Seinfeld, in case you missed that.)

Fine. I won’t torture you any longer. Give me a few minutes to tally my list and run the numbers through the Random Generator (see the sidebar, handy little gadget if I do say so).

Drum roll please…

And the winner is…

Christine Bryant!

Clapclapclapclapclapcheerclapcheerdancedancecheeryellscreamclapclapclap!

Congratulations! I will be emailing you soon to get all the important info so I can get this prize in the mail. Thanks for playing, all! It’s been a great month. Stay tuned. You never know when I’ll have the urge to give stuff away all over again. I have a collection of signed giveaway prizes. Just sayin.

A Gift No One Else Can Give

I don't believe in coincidence. At least, that's what I told the owner of the body shop where my car was fixed a few weeks ago. Timing, yes. Karma, definitely. But coincidence? Not so much. I just have a strong sense of things happening for a reason.

Usually, I can deal with events that might seem like a coincidence or whatever. I don't generally need an explanation for why something happens one way or another, or why the timing of two events coincide--either terribly or beautifully. It just is.

But I do believe in Irony. It hits me in the face almost daily lately. It's ironic what happened after I wrote and scheduled Monday's post about Mockingjay and how it made me feel. Raw and emotional. Sadness and peace. Hopeful and achy all at once.

There I was, typing along and pondering all these emotions, when I got one of those calls. The kind we all dread, telling us that someone we love has been severely injured or worse. In my case, this person is my twenty-one-year old step-brother Justin. He was seen skateboarding, hitting a bump or rock, and flying backward where his head--no helmet--hit the pavement. Someone stopped to help, called an ambulance, but it was already too late for Justin.

No Helmet. No brain activity. Alive, with no chance he'd ever come back.

He's had such a hard life in his short twenty-one years, lived through a tremendous amount of heartache, difficulty, and addiction. But while his loss leaves us all achy and raw, his generosity will give others hope.

Justin was an organ donor.

The damage from the accident was mainly in his brain. All his other organs are intact, whole, vital. In Justin's death, many other lives will potentially be saved or made better. He will now give other people a gift no one else could offer, the gift of life. And Justin will finally have the opportunity to be at peace.

Is it ironic that this week in our local news there has been a rash of freak accidents, shot police officers, and unexplained deaths? I don't know. But I do feel strongly that Justin's time on earth has come to an end. Whatever happened on that hill, happened because it was his time to go home.

Just as it's someone else's time to live. To have hope. And to move on.

Give someone else hope. Be an organ donor.

What is it Exactly?

My spoiler-free thoughts about MOCKINGJAY.

I’m writing this week’s blogs on the heels of having just finished MOCKINGJAY. (Don’t worry, no spoilers here.)

My brain is fried.

My emotions are all over the place.

I slept maybe three hours Saturday night, after having to actually drag myself out of bed—where I’d been lying wide awake—to read five pages past a certain critical point where I’d last closed the book (and only because I had to try and sleep). I also took an Ibuprofen for a headache while I was up.

After I finished, the first thing I wanted to do was go outside, get some air, some sunshine, and hug my children, my husband.

I was both engrossed and disturbed. I loved it and hated it at the same time, and while I was satisfied at the outcome, it was very painful to get to that point. That book—no, the whole series—made me think, made me ponder. Made me grateful for the world I live in, even with all our imperfections. Made me angry, too.

Part of me wants to say that this is good writing, amazing writing. Phenomenal. And yet. There’s that hated it side of me that wonders. This conclusion was my least favorite volume of the series, even though I am glad to know how it ended. Is it because the writing slipped? Or because the subject touched raw nerves? Or because I hated being in the thick of battle with characters I loved? Hated seeing what happened to each of them individually, as well as collectively.

I can’t really decide yet. If you’ve read it, what do you think? (No spoilers, please!) Did you love it? Hate it? Want to hug it to your chest and also throw it against a wall?

And is it truly phenomenal writing? (To this, I suspect the answer is a resounding yes, though it might take me a few days to think that way.)

Oh, and also, are you (or were you) Team Gale or Teem Peeta? And did you ever change sides?

No Spoilers, Please!

Mockingjay comes out tomorrow. *dances in excitement* If you haven’t read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you should. It will change your life.For reals.

Just sayin.

This week I will be anxiously awaiting delivery of my my pre-ordered copies (yes, plural) from Amazon, hoping that Mr. or Ms. Post-person will be kind and try to hurry things along. In the meantime, those of you who get your books at midnight and have finished by the time I wake up, please do the rest of us a favor and don’t post spoilers online.At least, you know, not on Facebook or Twitter where they're visible to those of us who don't go looking on purpose.

Really. I'm serious. It’s just mean, I tell you. Mean! I want to read the rest of the story as it happens and not expect what’s coming, or what really happens. *shivers in anticipation* (I so hope they save Peeta!) This is the beauty of a well written, highly anticipated book.

Thank you. That is all. Back to reading.

PS. Thank you, Suzanne Collins, for being such a brilliant author. Even though I haven’t met you yet, you’ve taught me lots.

PPS. In looking for the above picture, I came across this fantastic trailer at Mockingjay.net and had to share. Enjoy!