Christmas Light Spottings and Contest Winner

I love the holidays. The warmth of inside on cold days, the smells of oncoming winter (I know, totally out of character for me), and especially the decorations. There's just something about twinkling lights and pine boughs that make a person feel...well, happy, content, and giving. It's nothing like the contentment of having the sun shine on my skin, but I'll take it.

But people, really, don't you think the holidays lose their novelty if you celebrate them for six months out of a year?

This weekend I've seen three houses/restaurants that have already turned on their Christmas lights. And while I've been known to put up my tree in the first weeks of November (it's 12 feet tall and a lot of work) I found myself amazed that we're already heading into the holiday season. It's only the beginning of October!

But...I guess those people might have the right idea. I mean, if it has to be stormy and cold, like it is where I live, and since we're only a month away from Halloween, which for me is pretty much the holiday kickoff, then it stands to reason that we prepare to usher that kickoff in by getting out the decorations. Right?

Okay, maybe not the Christmas ones. I admit, though, that it made me a tiny bit excited for the upcoming holiday season.

Just saying.

Guess I should go find that other box of fall decor and get to work.

On a totally different subject, I realize I was supposed to pick a winner for for the copy of Zion's Promise by Chris Jefferies on Friday, and I totally forgot. Well, actually, I didn't forget, I just got way busy and didn't get it done. So, in case any of you were waiting with baited breath to see if you'd won this awesome prize, I'm very sorry for the delay.

And the winner is...

David J. West.

Clap, clap, clap, cheer, yell, yahoo, cheer, clap, clap, dance, clap, clap, clap.

David, email me with your snail mail address and I'll get your prize in the mail this week.

And since I'm blogging today, I'll leave you all with a thought:

"Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
~Douglas Adams

Until next time, write on.


Nichole

Book Releases, Conference Stuff, Contests, and Winners

Okay, so last weekend I was at the League of Utah Writers' fall roundup, and then Thursday I was lucky enough to attend the very first ever Book Academy conference at Utah Valley University. I should be complaining about a brain fry or something along that line, but not so much this week. Both were way fun.

I have to say, the organizers of The Book Academy did an excellent job. It was a fun conference with great classes and keynote speeches. I'm sure I'll probably go next year if they do it again. So, if you're a writer, watch for that announcement next fall and come meet me in person if you haven't already. And if you have, we'll hang out anyway.

Also, I blogged on Thursday about why it's important to be gracious and thankful toward people, especially those with whom we associate for working or writing purposes. To read more, click here.

Now, I believe there were a few winners that needed to be announced. I've recently done several book reviews that have hosted giveaways, so hang on one second while I go figure out who won.

I'm back. So, the winners of an autographed copy of "Saving Madeline" by Rachel Ann Nunes are:

NightOwlMommy

and

Suze

(Neither of them are followers of this blog=(. I think that means we need to step up the commenting on book reviews people.)

Now Joyce DiPastena, author of "Loyalty's Web" and "Illuminations of the Heart," hasn't announced the winners of her drawings yet, but keep checking back since I expect to see those any day.

And speaking of contests and drawings, it's been a few weeks since I had one of my own. As mentioned a few weeks ago, I have started accumulating stuff to give away to my faithful and loyal readers. Just because, well, I love you all and appreciate your support more than you will ever know. So let me pause a momet and dip my hand into the pile and pick something to give away this week...

And the winner is: Zion's Promise: Amidst War's Alarms

Here's the blurb:

It is now 1862, and the Civil War is raging in the east. But Zion and many of its inhabitants do not escape the war. Adam Weldon, the son of the notorious outlaw Dick Weldon, is found innocent of complicity in his father's crimes. He and Laura Ould develop a mutual attraction and decide to marry, but first, Adam volunteers to drive a wagon in the Church's "down-and-back" wagon trains to bring indigent emigrants from Florence back to Zion. In Florence, Adam is asked to undertake a special mission to lead remnants of earlier Church settlements in Texas and Indian Territory to the Salt Lake Valley. Plunged into the midst of the Civil War in Indian Territory as he travels to gather the remnant Saints, Adam faces unexpected hazards as he is caught between the warring sides, and struggles to complete his mission.

There's more, but I'm not going to paste the whole thing here. If you want to read the whole thing, click here.

Zion's Promise is an award winning book, complete with a shiny bronze sticker on the front.

To win this highly sought after book as a prize, you can do a few things, and for each one, you'll get one entry:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Become a follower if you aren't already.

3. Become my fan on Facebook (I'm behind the times, so I don't Twitter yet--I may never. I have enough time-wasters in my life.)

4. Tell me your top three favorite movies of all time. Or favorite movies this year. Or favorites from your childhood. (I'll explain this part in another post.)

So there you have them. Four--yes, four--chances to win this amazing book. I'll take entries until Midnight on Thursday, October 1st. Good luck!

Moving on.

I am scheduled to review several more books in the next few months, so I've decided to make a list and put it on the sidebar in the near future. Watch for those reviews if you want some help in finding great books to read.

There are some great books being released this fall, including books by some of my favorite authors.

James Dashner's "Mazerunner" comes out on October 6th. Yahoo! Let's all go buy a copy and help him get on the NYT Bestseller List. Oh, also, his other series, "The 13th Reality" is being released in paperback sometime this month as well.

Heather Justesen's "The Ball's In Her Court" comes out October 15th (I think). Launch parties are being held the weekend of Oct 23-24th, so watch for more information on those.

The fourth "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is also being released on October 12th, so if you have young readers, that's a must have. (I pre-ordered it.)

So, go on out and buy some books, people. Winter is on her way, and what better time to do some reading?

Until next time, write on.

Nichole