Thursday, February 14, 2013

Books for Writers Giveaway!

Here's a shocker for you: I own lots of books about writing.

Sometimes, for whatever reason (such as when an unexpected gift or review copy shows up), I find myself in possession of two copies of the same title.

Well, guess what! In my hot little hands at the moment are extra copies of [imagine a crisply dramatic drum roll, please] . . .


(1) Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers by Mary Kole


(2) 2013 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market by Chuck Sambuchino


I couldn't possibly bring myself to toss these in-demand books into my donation pile. They're too good. People need these. MY PEOPLE need these. So because I'm already in a sharing mood, I've decided to give away these gems in a little contest that starts NOW.

To be eligible to win one of the featured books, you must:

1. Write for, or sincerely aspire to write for, children and/or young adults. I will rely on the honor system.

2. Maintain your own website and/or blog. It does not need to relate to writing for children.


3. Leave a comment on this post. All comment conditions listed below must be met.
  • In your comment, please share something you absolutely love about any one children's or YA book of your choice. It can be anything — a character, scene, theme, quote, dialogue snippet, setting, storyline, relationship, conflict . . . whatever makes your heart race with love for that particular work. There are no wrong answers. Any big or little thing that contributes to your kidlit book love is fair game!
  • Link to or list your website/blog and tell us what kinds of things you write or hope to write for kids.
  • Specify which ONE of the two giveaway books you hope to win.
  • Note: If you wish to be considered for both book prizes, YOU MUST ENTER TWICE. To do so, leave two separate comments, with each one featuring a love moment from a select title — and each comment specifying your contest book selection. For example, if entering twice, you could mention a Mockingjay plot twist you love in your entry comment for Writing Irresistible Kidlit and then, in your entry comment for 2013 CWIM express your love for the magical visual world in David Wiesner's Flotsam.

The fine print: This contest kicks off at 12:00 p.m. Pacific on Thursday, February 14, 2013. It ends at 12:00 p.m. Pacific on Monday, February 18, 2013. The two winners — one for each featured book — will be selected from all qualified entries using an online list randomizer. Winners will be announced on this blog during the day on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, after which I will contact winners to make shipping arrangements. Postage is included in the prizes; the glass hearts and overhead-office-light spots pictured on the book covers are not.

I'm excited to run this contest (the first-ever for my blog!) and I hope you enjoy the thrill of the entry and seeing what makes other writers like you fall head over heels in love with books for young readers.

Remember to enter by noon Pacific on Monday, February 18, 2013 — and please share news of this contest with all your writer friends!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

16 comments:

HelenL said...

I love the deceptive simplicity of the prose in BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys. I write YA myself, though realistic contemporary rather than historical. My website is at www.helenlandaf.com. I'd love to win Mary Kole's book - thanks for the giveaway!

Lisa said...

Thank you for warming up the comments section, Helen — good luck!

Tricia Lawrence said...

I am in love with nonfiction right now (thanks to a nf class) and Cynthia Levinson's WE'VE GOT A JOB just blew me away. I felt as if I was watching with my own eyes during those sad and courageous days. I'd love to win the CWIM 2013!

I am thinking about writing a nf picture book. ;) You can find out if creativity wins (I write it) or not (I chicken out) by following my blog at http://www.trishlawrence.com.

Thanks for a fun contest, Lisa! Happy Valentine's Day! I'm feeling the love for sure!

Teresa Robeson said...

What a lovely (no pun intended) giveaway, Lisa! I'll tweet it for you. :)

One of the books I love the most is "Little Women," and my fondness of it stems from the fact that it was the first novel I read after learning English at the age of 8 (from immigrating to Canada from Hong Kong). Not only does it hold a special place in my heart because of that, but the character Jo inspired me to write.

My blog http://homesteadnotes.blogspot.com chronicles both writing and my daily life trying to homestead and raise kids in Indiana. I run the gamut of ages and genres in my writing, from toddlers to adults, and from non-fiction to science-fiction. I just want to do it all...and I see from your website that you do too!

If I win, I'd love to get the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market since I already have Mary Kole's book.

Thank you so much, and a happy Valentine's Day to you!

Sylvia Liu said...

I love everything about Shaun Tan's THE ARRIVAL, but the one thing I most love is the strange creature that shows up in the story.

My blog is Sylvia Liu Land and I'm hard at work writing and illustrating children's picture books. I'd love the 2013 Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market, because I already have a copy of Mary Kole's book.

Thanks for running this giveaway and happy Valentine's Day!

Ryan said...

Cool contest. The thing I love most about YA is the pacing. The speed at which the story is laid out. Fun to read and fun to write.

I would love a a copy of "Writing Irresistible Kid Lit"

My blog is https://ryanjamesburt.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

Fun! One of my faves this year was Kim Baker's PICKLE, because it made me laugh so hard I cried.

I write mostly nonfiction for kids. My first book (which doesn't have a title yet) is a picture book biography and will be published in Spring 2015 by Schwartz & Wade. You can read more about my writing at http://lauriethompson.com.

I'd love to win Mary Kole's book!

Happy Valentine's Day, Lisa! :)

Anonymous said...

Another of my faves this year was Cynthia Levinson's WE'VE GOT A JOB, because it makes me cry every time I read it, and I'm in awe of what Cynthia was able to do in that book.

In addition to nonfiction, I also write fiction picture books.

My website and blog are at http://lauriethompson.com.

I'd love to win the 2013 CWIM, since I'm a slacker and haven't bought mine yet. ;)

Thanks, Lisa! :)

Lisa said...

Love seeing everyone's book selections AND sites/blogs!

Faith Pray said...

Wheee! It's been fun to find your blog! I am newly smitten with Annie Barrows' "The Magic Half" a sweet, middle grade fantasy about twins.

I write middle grade fantasy fiction and picture books.

My blog: www://faithpray.blogspot.com

I'd love to win Mary Kole's book.

What fun! Thank you!

Amy-Baskin.blogspot.com said...

Lisa, thanks for the fun competition! Very generous, by the way. Right now, I'm enchanted by "Twelve Kinds of Ice" by Ellen Bryan Obed and illustrated by Barbara McClintock.

I write magical realism for young adults, picture books, and k-12 nonfiction, and have been so busy scribbling that my blog (www.amy-baskin.blogspot.com), while "maintained" is sorely neglected.

I'd love to win Mary Kole's book, but am happy just to learn of it from you. Thanks!

Amy-Baskin.blogspot.com said...

Ooh, I've got another book to recommend. This one is non-fiction. Chuck Close: Facebook, by Chuck Close. A fascinating autobiography of a most impressive artist, who seemed to have used pixels to create art with his hands and his eyes before the word existed. Before 'digital art' was a concept. My kids and I ate this one up.

So I guess I'll throw my hat in the ring for the 2013 CWIM too.

Hope you're having a great day, Lisa!

Lisa said...

How fun to see a few more entries this morning! Two hours to go before I use the magic list randomizer to see who comes out on top.

Trudi Trueit said...

When I was a kid, E.L. Konigsberg's book, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, (whew!) made me fall in love with books, because it was the first book that I read where the friendship between two the main characters seemed real - flawed, honest, difficult, heartbreakingly real! I loved that! It made me want to become a writer and remains one of my favorite books to this day.

My website is: www.truditrueit.com and I write fiction and nonfiction for children and tweens (80+ books).

I would love to win Mary Kole's book, because I adore writing for middle grades. Oh, I hope I win!

Lisa said...

Woo-hoo, a last-minute entry!! Wonder if anyone else will join the fray? Good luck to all!

Lisa said...

This contest is now officially CLOSED to new entries. xoxoxoxo