Operation Bookmark Share! (Otherwise known as the first ever DESCENDANT contest.)

Okay people, I promised you a contest, and here we go!

A couple weeks ago, a box showed up at my door. Not a large box, mind, but a box with very awesome things inside.

Yes, that's right. My very first order of Descendant bookmarks.

*squee*

What do you think? Pretty, yes?

They are the first of a few fun swag products I've ordered, and unfortunately, the only fun things to have arrived so far. But it's cool, because they lead in to my first contest.

In the interest in spreading the word about my book, I'm asking interested people to send me your name and mailing address (which I promise I will never use for anything other than the purposes of this contest) and your idea of a great location for where you are WILLING and able to drop a stack of Descendant bookmarks. It can be a library, a bookstore (with permission), a school where you work or teach--anywhere where you know there are people who read young adult literature.Heck, if you want to hand them out at a family reunion, or give them away on your blog--I'm cool with that. Be creative, but also be honest. Please don't accept this challenge and then throw the bookmarks away. I did have to buy them, after all.

The best part of this contest? Everyone wins. Yes, you read that right. EVERY single person who fills out the form below will receive (along with the giveaway stack) a numbered, signed bookmark from me. Also, once I mail said bookmarks, I will enter all your names into a random generator. One lucky winner will be the first to receive a free ebook copy of Descendant (when I have it to send). I'll leave this open from now until Friday, March 29th so that I'll have the weekend to package the stacks and hopefully send them on Monday, April 1st.

Sound good? Cool. Thanks for your help!

Don't forget to fill out THIS FORM so I can send YOU a stack of bookmarks.

Much Partying in Blog land: a Giveaway Celebration

If you’ve been around in the last week, you’ve already heard my epic news. Yes, I know there are lots of questions. Someday I may do a conference presentation and tell the whole story, but not today. Today, we celebrate! (Which means I'm blogging Monday instead of Wednesday.)

 If you don’t know why we’re celebrating, you should visit this post.

See these?

And these?

These are books I’m giving away. Two lots of three, (the books in the YA lot are all signed—yes, even Leviathan) and to one lucky winner, a signed poster from the Fierce Reads tour.

To win, you only have to do one thing: enter. But in order to enter, you should be a follower, and / or sign up for my newsletter (see the sidebar). That’s it. Once you’ve done one (or both) of those things, fill out the form below and be entered to win.

However, if you want to share the love by spreading the word on your blog, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram—wherever, I’ll give you an extra entry for each. Because I’m nice like that. On your honor. (Just know that if you say you did something, and really didn’t, Karma will come down on your head, and believe me, you don’t want that. She’s not nice when she’s angry. I’m just sayin.) (Also, feel free to tag me on FB, @ me on Twitter, or whatever whatever—I’ll come say hi.)

I’ll use the random generator to choose the winners, and try to get them posted next week, Monday-ish. This contest will run from today, September 24th until Saturday September 29th at Midnight, Mountain Time. If you live outside the US, please only enter if you have a United States shipping addresses. I wish I could say I was a rich author, but…ya know. That is not my reality yet. (But there’s always someday.)

 Big hugs from me for all your support and friendship, and good luck with this contest!

"Becoming" a Winner

Get it? No? Okay, well, what I meant was that someone won a copy of Become by Ali Cross. And due to the holiday, I forgot to make that announcement. Duh.

So sorry!

So I just used the little random generator on the sidebar over there, and the winner is...

Diana!

*Claps and cheers and dances*

Diana, I will be emailing you this week to find out which type of copy you prefer (paperback or ebook) and if you'd like it signed, and how. If you choose paperback will NOT be mailing your prize until next week, after Ali's official launch party.

Thanks for playing everyone, and stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon!

Blog-hop Winner!

I know, I'm totally a slacker because I haven't announced a winner for the blog hop drawing yet. But as my regular readers know, I don't blog on the weekends.

The prize was a copy of Pride and Popularity by Jenni James. And the winner is...


Carolyn V.

YAY Carolyn! That random generator must just love you! I'll get a hold of you this week and make the necessary arrangements.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

When News is Made of Win

Did I ever tell you guys my recent news? Life has been a tad on the crazy side for me, so I can’t remember, but I think I didn’t. (Please forgive me if I repeat myself.)

A couple weeks ago, I got two bits of good news. First, I found out that the beginning of one of my manuscripts won second place in the Romance Writers of America Heart of the West contest. (Translation: a really COOL prize from a way cool organization.) It’s been a long time since I entered a manuscript in a contest, so it felt really good to not only place, but place high.

*does happy dance*

Maybe my writing doesn’t always suck.

Second, I have officially been asked to present at a local conference hosted by the LDStorymakers this coming spring. I haven’t done a lot of presenting up to this point, and since both my published books are through small-ish presses, I am beyond flattered by this development. And completely pleased.

*does happy cartwheels and other feats of bravery*

But I have to point out that neither bit of happy news simply fell into my lap by chance.

To place in the contest, I had to first enter. And to enter, I had to research the contest, judges, guidelines/rules, and also polish and perfect the manuscript segment I hoped to submit. (Once I clicked send, I put the entry out of my mind and literally forgot about it—hence my absolute surprise when I found out I was a finalist.)

To present at the conference, I had to fist come up with an idea, create an outline/lesson plan/proposal, and then research to whom I should sent that proposal in order for them to know that 1) I am willing to teach and 2) I will be prepared with a class that will help others in the writing process. (After I sent the proposal, it was several weeks before I heard back, but I was so happy when I did.)

So, lessons of the day:

1. Research
2. Prepare
3. Submit/ propose/ enter
4. Have faith enough to move on once you’ve clicked send.

What would you add to this list?

In Which My Readers Give, and Someone Wins

Last week I did a Give Back contest open to all people who took a minute (or several hours) to give of themselves. I posted this contest unsure of how well it would go over or who might enter. Not because I don’t think my readers are the giving type—on the contrary. I know they are. It’s just always hard to predict how a new idea will go over.

So I thought I’d share some of the charitable contributions made by my readers last week:

Donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Donated to the American Red Cross.
Organized fundraisers to purchase books for special Ed students.
Participated in food drive organizations.
Brought food / desserts / notebooks and other items to neighbors / friends in need. (The small acts of kindness we all need from time to time, and which mean so much.)
Gave free swim lessons to a needy family.
Organized fundraising efforts to help a neighbor family pay medical bills.
Raised money for the March of Dimes.
Organized a mass food drive in which the following organizations reaped benefits: The [local] food bank. The [local] veterans home, Aid for Friends, and the Bannock Youth foundation.

Guys. That was all in one week. LOOK at all that giving! *beams with pride*

YOU are my readers. You give. You love. You are all AMAZING.

I *heart* you all.

But I can only give away one prize for this contest. So I put all the names into the random generator (see sidebar). And the winner is…

Melissa Lemmon!

Congratulations! I will be emailing you for details this week.

My dear friends, I’m calling this experiment enormously successful. Because of that, I believe I shall make this a monthly thing. Or, if not monthly, often, so keep your eyes open for my next give back giveaway. My next choice of charity will be Clear Horizons Academy, a local school for children with Autism*.

In the meantime, keep on giving. We could all use a few extra Karma points.

*More details on this charity coming soon.

The Forgotten Locket Winner

I. Am. A. Bad. Blogger.

I ran a contest last week. The deadline was Saturday night. And yet, I still haven't announced a winner. *facepalm*

It's not because I don't have the follow-through, or because I don't want you all to know who wins, or even because I don't want to give away the book (cuz, I still get to keep my copy). There is a reason, and not just that I-forgot-and-I'm-so-sorry (even though, temporarily, the announcement thing obviously did slip my mind).

Did you know that google docs in the form of a spreadsheet are really hard to read on a netbook? And since my desktop is in the computer hospital, when I originally went to pick the winner, I couldn't scroll to the bottom of my spreadsheet without switching computers. That's when I got distracted and forgot.

But. I intend to rectify that issue right this minute. I have entered all the numbers into my handy-dandy random generator (scroll down on the sidebar, you'll see it) and it has drawn--of all numbers--13.

Lucky number 13, you ARE the winner of the signed copy of The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum.

cheerclapclapclapclapdancecheerscreamclapclapclap...

Wait. You don't know who that is. I bet you want to, don't you? Okay, fine. Lucky number 13 is...

Mariah O!

Congratulations! Please email me at writenichole @ gmail . com so I can get your deets today. (If I don't here from you by Thursday at 5:00 pm, I'll draw an alternate winner.)

For all the rest of my participants, thanks for playing, and better luck in my next contest (which MIGHT be tomorrow, just in case you're wondering).

Winner of the Possession Prize Pack

I know you're all dying to know who won here. Believe me when I say I am too. I just finished tallying the numbers (almost 400) and plugged them into the random generator.

The number that was pulled is 317. (Yay for lucky numbers!)

Now here's the tricky part. For some reason, the name section of my spread sheet comes up completely blank. That part has even disappeared off the form, from what I can see. This spreadsheet is where all the form information went. I'm going to blame it on Blogger and all the problems it caused during this contest, because, well, it's the only explanation, really. The good news is the email address portion still shows just fine, so even without a name, I can contact the winner. 

Lucky number 317's email address starts with sshandem. Congratulations, lucky winner! I don't know your name, but I will be emailing you shortly (after which I will come back and add your name on this post).

Thanks for playing everyone. Keep reading. You never know when I might offer another rockin giveaway. (Ahem, like, maybe Wednesday.)

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.

Mega-Awesome, Totally Fabulous, I *Heart* Followers Contest (Part III)

In case you thought I was finished giving stuff away, you are soooo wrong. Because it’s December and I’m in a giving-type mood. That’s right people. Let’s do this one more time, shall we? I still have that stamped copy of MOCKING JAY. If you think you might be interested in this fantabulous prize (because seriously, stamped, signed—really, it was still handled and done by Suzanne Collins, I have proof) raise your hands.

Wait. I can’t see your raised hand through the computer. Hm. What to do?

Got it!

Required:

First, become a follower (see the top portion of my sidebar to the right of your screen). Considering that this contest is a Follower appreciation event, I think it’s fair to require everyone who wants to enter to be one of those followers I’m appreciating, right? Right. Okay.

Optional:

Next, leave a comment on any of my many random and amazing (or not-so-amazing) posts. I don’t care which one. You don’t even have to read it, per-se. Just click on the comment section and say hi, and I’ll be happy. (+1)

Third, Facebook (+1), tweet (+1), or blog (+1) this contest so all your friends can enter too. It’s not required, but if you do it just to be nice, I’ll give you an extra entry for each thing. If you tweet, include me @nicholegiles, and I’ll come follow you. Same with FB. We can be friends! **New addition** I know there are a lot of people who will be interested in this particular prize, so if you FB or Tweet this contest more than once, up to three times a day (each) I'll give you an entry for each one of those, per day. Just be sure to come back and fill out the form with all entries before the deadline.

Required:

After all that, fill out this form. This is a requirement. Don’t worry, it’s easy. See, the thing is, if you don’t fill it out, your name won’t be on the spreadsheet from which the names will be randomly selected (using a random generator). That is a definite problem when it comes to you wanting to win. But I promise to never use the information for anything other than this contest. Deal? Great.

**BONUS**

If you entered to win the signed copy of LEVIATHAN, or the Eclipse bling package, those entries are still valid, so you have triple the opportunity to win! (No need to do anything else, I have all but the single winning entries already tallied!)



So, there’s MOCKING JAY, which I know you’re dying to own. (Yeah, the stamp did smear some--but the signature portion is still awesome.)

But ALSO, I’m going to throw in a tote bag from the Library of Congress sponsored National Book Festival, where this book was stamped. Because it’s just cool.

The contest starts right now, and will run until midnight on Friday, December 17th (notice this runs a little longer than my other contests). I’ll post the final winner on Monday, Dec 20th. (**US shipping only.)

Okay. Good luck! Ready? Set? Go!

Another Big Winner!

I ran a contest that ended on Saturday. And before I post another contest, I have a feeling some of you would like to know who won that Team Edward bracelet and the Team Jacob phone bling, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you.

Well, okay. If you insist. Hold on while I tally the scores.

*pauses everything else to go to spread sheet, tally points, then enter numbers into the random generator on the sidebar*

Ahem. I'm back.

*Pauses for dramatic effect*

Drum roll please.

And the winner is...

Margot Hovley

Clapclapclapclapcheercheercheerdancedancedanceclapclapclapcheerdancecheer.

Congratulations! I'll be emailing you this week to get all your important mailing information.

Thanks for playing everyone.

Breaks, Holidays and the Big Winner.

I had plans to blog this week. As I've mentioned before, I usually write my blogs on the weekend, and schedule them to post so theoretically it shouldn't be so hard to have new posts over Thanksgiving, right?

Well. My intentions were good. My weekend is over, and I am still slammed with things to do.


SO. After today, I'm going to give myself the week off from blogging. Maybe even from writing (if all goes well). Because the truth is, while I could make a miles-long list of all the things I'm thankful for this month (followers included!), the one thing I'm very most thankful for in this whole wide universe is my family. And I'm going to spend the week with them.

 BUT. I ran a contest that ended on Friday. And I have a feeling some of you would like to know who won that signed copy of Scott Westerfeld's LEVIATHAN, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you.

Well, okay. If you insist. Hold on while I tally the scores.

*pauses everything else to go to spread sheet, tally points, then enter numbers into the random generator on the sidebar*

Ahem. I'm back.

*Pauses for dramatic effect*

Drum roll please.

Stephanie Abney! 

Clapclapclapclapcheercheercheerdancedancedance *falls over exhausted* clapclapclapcheer.

Congratulations Stephanie! I'll be emailing you this week to get all your important mailing information.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving everyone. And for those of you who are (like me) insane enough to leave your house on Black Friday, please be careful. Stay alive. Just. Do. Those shoppers are crazy.

**Stay tuned next week for another follower appreciation giveaway!

Winner of Chasing Twilight Trivia, Day 29

The question was:

Who is the evil vampire who is still alive and in Forks plotting against Bella at the end of New Moon / beginning of Eclipse?

 

 

The answer: Victoria

And the winner of the Team Edward Bracelet is:

Riv Re!

 

Congratulations! Riv Re, please email me at writenichole at gmail dot com so I can get that mailed out after the holiday weekend. 

Treasure Hunt Prize Winner

Before I tell you who won, I want to thank Joyce DiPastena, author of Loyalty's Web and Illuminations of the Heart (both fantastic regency historical romance novels) for organizing the 2010 Summer Treasure Hunt. It's been fun for me.

Haven't entered yet?

You still have time! Click here for more information.

And now the winner of an autographed copy of The Sharp Edge of a Knife is...

Taffy! 


Congratulations, Taffy. I'll be contacting you for your mailing information and get your prize to you this week.

Karma Picks a Winner

Have I ever told you all how I came to believe in Karma? No? Well, I’m not going to get into that right now, because it involves a culmination of years of experience that won’t fit into one blog.

Plus, it would be boring.

But I’m a firm believer in paying it forward because what goes around comes around, you get what you give, and all those other cliché phrases.

I believe there’s truth behind every cliché, and Karma will have her day, even if it takes her twenty years to get to it. So, I try to live my life being conscious, knowing that while what happens to me might be out of my control, how I react and how I treat other people becomes a deciding factor in life.

I believe in Karma, and I’m about to give you a reason to believe, too.

Last Monday I posted a ten-star review of Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher. The blog-ring included more than sixty bloggers, sending out hugs to sixty+ authors. Many of us chose to give away copies of the books that caused us to blog ten-stars in the first place. The mastermind behind the idea was one Elana Johnson, blogger-extraordinaire, author of the dark-side (aka dystopian), query ninja, super-mother, and awesomesauce friend.c

When I posted my contest, I decided that anyone and everyone could enter to win. To enter, each person had to a) follow my blog and b) leave a comment. That was all. I had 47 (a few people got extra points for tweeting or Facebooking) entries. I then used the random generator at the bottom of the right sidebar of this blog by plugging in the numbers starting with one. The generator takes only a split second to choose one random winner, and almost as quickly as I clicked generate, I was given the number 35.

Number 35 = Elana Johnson. (Wish I could find a way to capture that generated number as an image!)

Now, tell me that’s not Karma!

Clapclapclapclapclapcheercheerscreamyellclapclapclapclapcheercheercheerdancecartwheel dancecheer!

Congratulations Elana! I owe you one copy of Incarceron. That is, as soon as I wrestle it away from my oldest son.

Karma strikes again!


*Click here to read about my thoughts on critiques that hurt.

**Don't forget to enter the contest for a $150 advertising package from Your LDS Neighborhood.

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!

Well, okay. Not really a chicken dinner. But it got you here, right? Well. Anyway. I've officially finished the spreadsheet, done the math, and praised the geniuses who created random.org to discover who is the lucky preliminary winner for the Original Office Box and Wrong Number book launch contest.

The winner will receive a free, autographed copy of my new book, The Sharp Edge of a Knife, and her information is being passed onto the contest chair person, Rachelle, to be entered into the big drawing of an Original Office Box.

And the winner is...

Queen of Chaos

Who's winning entry number was the result of this blog. Notice how she included links and my book cover. Great job, your Highness!

Clapclapclapclapcheercheerclapclapclapdancesingclapcheerclapdancesingclapcheer! Congratulations on winning. I've emailed the queen, and requested her mailing information asap. If I don't hear from her within 24 hours of that email, another winner will be drawn. 

Thanks for playing. Don't forget to enter my most recent contest here, for a chance to win more free stuff.

Cool Conferences and a Contest Winner

I think I'm on a roll! I've blogged so much this week, it's almost like I'm not getting any writing done. Shoot. I'm not. But I have a good excuse, and blogging isn't it.

Remember? I sent my book to press last week. So. There. Got something big and important done. Oh, and I also ordered more bookmarks for Mishaps since we'll be appearing to sign at some bookstores and conferences in upcoming weeks.

Speaking of conferences, February is a good month for them. I will be attending two, and am totally psyched for both of them. I could tell you all about both of them, but instead I've decided to paste the information below. With links in case you have questions. Come. Learn. Visit with me. It'll be so fun!

Except before I forget, I had a contest last week. Actually, it was two weeks ago and no one won, so I ran it again. Do you remember? Yep, my first name to which I will never answer, sign, or otherwise use except as an initial.

Contrary to popular belief, the reason for this is not because I hate my first name, but rather because I've never in my life actually used it. Ever. Except on my wedding invitations. Which was a mistake. The proof of this is burned into the cover of our family hymnbook. A gift from the groom's extended family, obviously. I digress. And the winner is...

Chelsea!  *clapclapclapclapcheerjump-up-and-down-clapclapclapcheer* Chelsea doesn't know me in person, but she guessed the name Debra. Which, according to my birth certificate, is correct.

Chelsea has won this really awesome wooden bookmark from Hawaii. Cute, huh? Chelsea, please email your mailing information to me at nickigiles at gmail dot com, and I'll get this sent this week.

Now, back to the conferences. The first conference is called Life, The Universe and Everything and is held at BYU in the Wilkenson Center. Here are the important dets:

Shoot. It won't paste in. Let me try this again.

Okay, I'll type it. Feb 11-13 at BYU.
Attendance is FREE! (yes, I said free, so you have no excuse not to come.)
Click here to find out more, since it won't paste in. But here are the guests of honor:

Guests

of Honor:

Brandon Sanderson

(author of the Mistborn Trilogy, the Alcatraz books

and the new Wheel of Time books)

Marty Brenneis

(Special Effects Wizard)

Formerly with ILM, now with Kerner Studios.

James C. Christensen

(Thursday Only)

(Yes. we jave pme, but we’re finalizng a few details)

Did you catch that? James C. Christensen. The artist whose work I LOVE. I wonder if he'll draw me a fairy? If he does, maybe I'll get it tatooed somewhere. But don't tell him that. =) 

Okay, the next totally awesome and way fun conference is in Arizona. But inexpensive enough to warrant me buying a plane ticket to get there. Yahoo! 

This one will paste so here it is:

All local writers are invited to this year's ANWA Writer's Conference. It’s one of the best in the west, with some very big names in the business.  The cost is about a third of most other writer's conferences.

The 2010 ANWA Writer’s Conference

“Start Write Now”

Saturday, February 27, 2010

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Dobson Ranch Inn,

1666 South Dobson Road

Mesa, Arizona 85202-5699

Open to all writers on this or any other planet

 Register at

http://anwa-lds.com/conference.html

Discounted Hotel reservations available on the above registration site or by calling Dobson Ranch Inn directly at 480-831-7000 or 1-800-528-1356 http://www.dobsonranchinn.com/

Keynote Speaker

 J. Scott Savage

Author of the "Farworld" Series

Aprilynne Pike

New York Times best-selling Author of “Wings”

Doug Johnston

Publicist Extraordinaire

 

Nancy E. Turner

Author of “These is My Words”

Dr. Pamela Goodfellow

Writing Coach, Editor

and Owner of Goodfellow Publishing Services

Sara Fujimura

Author and Magazine Writer

Helen Bair

Counselor and Author of

“Finding the Healer in Me”

Marsha Ward

Author of the “Owen Family” Series

Book signings at end of conference

Early Registration 

General Public:  $75 before February 7, 2010

ANWA Members $60

After Feb. 7 add $5

Cost includes Catered Lunch

For questions contact, the ANWA 2010 Conference Chair Person, Cindy R. Williams at cindywilliams@q.com or Conference Registrar, Krista Darrach at kristadarrach@yah

I hope to see you there! I have a signing table, so come buy my books or just introduce yourself and let's be friends.

Things I've learned today and Big Winner of the Original Scrapbox EZ View Desktop

I spent the morning and part of the afternoon signing books at Barnes and Noble in the Gateway mall.  There are two things I learned.

First, every bookstore is different. They're all under different management, and since each person has a different view of authors and the books they've written, each manager prepares very differently for a signing. On Wednesday we showed up where they had a table waiting with a nice cloth, balloons, and lots of signage. We'd been placed in a position near the customer service desk and had lots of room.And our books were all spread out nicely on the table, just waiting for us to sign them.

Today, we showed up, the manager cleared off a display table and carried it right next to the doors and handed us a stack of books. He was a totally nice guy, and was sure to check on us and make sure we had what we needed. And how he did it wasn't wrong by any means. Just different.

So...lesson number one, always come prepared with your own table cloth, signage, and ideas.

Second, you'll get a different reaction to your book depending on the location of the store--especially when your book has a religious theme.We got lots of dirty looks today, but also met some interesting and wonderful people.

Lesson number two, it's always a good idea to have a giveaway or two, and if you can do more, try to draw for them every half hour or so in order to keep people around. The truth is, whenever there's a crowd, people come over to see what's going on, and sometimes those people end up buying.

There's more, but I'm pretty well aware that you're all dying to know who won the EZ View Desktop. Drawing now...

And the winner is...





Are you mad yet?





Okay fine, I'll really draw.





BABA!  Congratulations on winning the desktop.  Email me at writenichole at gmail dot com and get me your full name, mailing address and phone number as well as your color preference.

Thanks for playing, kids. And stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon.

Have a great weekend.

Nichole

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

Drawings, Winners, and Changing the World

By Nichole Giles

Last week, I asked my readers what they would do to help change the world. I love all the thoughtful comments, and am sad that I only have one prize to give away. The drawing was done by random generator—lest any of you think I believe you won’t be able to change the world exactly the way you hope.

I believe you all have the power to do exactly what you’ve said. In case you didn’t read the comment threads, here are some great examples of what we can do daily:

“Live a good, honest life and follow the promptings Heavenly Father sends my way…I’ll help many people, most importantly my family. And from there begins the ripple effect…” ~ Danyelle

“I’ve always tried to say a nice thing to everyone I meet, but of course, that’s being used. If I could write a scene in a book that touched hearts, and if that book was read by everyone, it would change hearts and make the world a better place.” ~ Keith

“This year I’ve decided to be happy. There’s so much to be unhappy about, that it would be easy to frown and be upset. You can either choose to laugh or choose to cry. And I choose to laugh.” ~ Elana

“I hope to simply love people, give them the benefit of the doubt, assume the best, and emphasize the positive.” ~ James and Lindsay Lattin

“I’m trying to change the world right around me by teaching my children.” ~ Jenn

“I want to teach my children a love of reading. I know being taught early to love books has changed my life for the better, so I can only hope my kids inherit that as well.” ~ Jason, Alicia, and Addie

“I’m trying to change the world by improving myself so I can give my best self to others. In this way I hope to be a better mother, wife, neighbor, friend, sister, daughter, and stranger. And, therefore, being an influence for good.” ~ The Fox’s

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. As for me, I believe I can affect the world by serving others. Everyone needs help in one way or another now and then, and I believe it’s good karma to jump in and offer assistance. Very often it is the small things we do for which we are most appreciated, loved, and remembered.

And now the big announcement. I'm giving away an autographed copy of The A-MAZE-ing Book of Mormon by Arie Van Degraaff (who is a GUY, despite my late-night-typing-finger-blunder) to all those who commented on my changing the world post. And the winner is…(drum roll please)

Keith Fisher

Cheer, dance, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, whistle, clap, cheer. Yahoo, Keith!

I’d instruct you to send me your mailing address so I could get this awesome maze book in the mail, except I’m pretty sure I’ll be seeing you before I’ll see the guy at the post office anyway. Plus, I already have your address. Enjoy!

For those people who are dying to get their hands on this book, you can find it at your local bookstore, or click here to buy it online.

*Don’t forget to scroll down and leave a comment on my review of Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce DiPastena. Each time you comment, you’re entered into the drawing for an autographed copy or one of three gift cards. This is a great opportunity, so don’t miss out!

Until next time, write on!

Nichole