Winners of the Countdown to The Dark Divine ARC Giveaway . . .and The YA Carnival!!

So I can't tell you all how much fun I had with the first crush contest! Your stories were so amusing, and I can't thank you all enough for sharing with me. I wish I could buy you all a copy of THE DARK DIVINE in return . . .but I think that might make my husband a tinsey bit cranky. But I do have a couple of ARCs that I've promised to giveaway, so let's get to it.

Since we are celebrating 2 contests this month (The Dark Divine Countdown, and The YA Carnival) I decided to choose each winner by a different method. The first winner was determined by the first crush story that amused me the most. I don't know if it was because it was so late at night when I read it, but "Stan, Stan, the Ice Cream Man" made me laugh so hard that I MUST award the first ARC of THE DARK DIVINE to: SARAH STEELE!

I decided to choose the winner of the second ARC (in honor of The YA Carnival) by a random drawing. So I printed out all the comments, cut them apart, and put them in a bowl. Then I let KidA draw a name. And the winner was . . . my mom.

Yeah, so we threw that name out (sorry, Mom!) and tried again. Which makes the second winner: DEBBIE'S WORLD OF BOOKS!


Congrats winners! Please email me at readbree(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address. And if you'd like your book inscribed to a certain name (such as your own :-D) let me know.


Thank you so much to the many people who entered the contest!! I'm sorry that not everyone could win. But don't worry, I'm kind of obsessed with giving stuff away, so there will be plenty more countdown contests in the future (on the 22nd of each month up through December 2009!). Also, I've heard rumor from my publisher that they might send me another box of ARCs, so hopefully I'll have a couple more to give away in one of those future contest.

xoxo,

Bree

p.s. I finally decided to let my parent's read my book, and ended up giving them one of my ARCs . . .so don't feel too bad for my mom ;-)

ARCs . . .or Galleys . . .or Uncorrected Bound Proofs . . .Whatever they're called, they're here!!

So stalking the mailman for the past couple of days has finally paid off. Today, I got a lovely package of ARCs.

(Side Note: For anyone who is unfamiliar with the term ARC, it means "Advanced Reader Copy." Basically, an ARC is a cheap paperback version of your book that publishers send out to reviewers and such a few months before your book comes out. ARCs are typically "uncorrected." As in, they may still contain typos and grammatical errors that will be fixed before the final hardcover copies are produced. ARCs are also referred to as Galleys or Uncorrected Bound Proofs. And if you're lucky, your publisher will send you few to give away on your blog!)

Anyway, when the mailman came to the door, KidA started yelling, "Is it pizza? Is it pizza?" (Which is weird since we haven't ordered a pizza in over 8 months . . .Unless Hubby has something to tell me . . .) KidA was sorely disappointed that it wasn't pizza--until he caught onto my giddy squeals of excitement. (Which made the mailman raise his eyebrows as he tried to coax me to stop jumping around and sign the receipt already!) Then KidA insisted on getting his "crap scissors" (craft scissors) so he could help me open the box.

We were just pulling the ARCs out of the package when KidZ came running up the stairs to see what we were so excited about. When he saw my books he said, "So does this mean you get lots of money now?" Yeah, I laughed pretty hard at that one.













It is so absolutely amazing to hold my words in my hands in the form of something that is so much like a real book. Serious dream come true!













All of my babies together!













Twins: I started the first draft of THE DARK DIVINE before I was even pregnant with KidA, and finished it just a few weeks before he was born. KidA just turned 3. His twin has taken much longer to get here. (But worth the wait!)










Apparently, I'm having a hard time letting my new baby out of my sight. Hubby snapped this pic when he found me putting on my make-up . . .with one of my ARCs in my lap.

And for your viewing pleasure, my older children begged their dad to let them record a message for me. (And it pretty much sums up KidZ and KidA's personalities to the tee.):


Yeah, you heard him right. That is what he said. See what it's like at my house?


Anyway, as hard as it is to let my baby go so soon, I might be persuaded into giving a signed ARC away on June 22nd for The Countdown to THE DARK DIVINE Contest. Come back then!