04 June 2008

Blog Party Week Begins!

Have you heard? I sold a novel! I know! It's crazy. Who'd've thought it? It's called The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing and it's coming out in one week! Naturally, I'm celebrating. :D How? It's a blog party, baby! Woo-hoo! For the next seven days, up to and including Release Day, 10 June, it's party time here at Just add coffee. What does that mean? That means excerpts, prizes, a guest appearance by the lovely and talented Maria Zannini, and behind-the-scenes stuff you won't find anywhere else. Check back daily for new and exciting installments. What? Oh! Right! I did say prizes, didn't I? More on that in a bit.

First, I'll tell you a little bit about how I got to where I am right now--plugging my first ebook release. In summer of 2007 Samhain Publishing held a Best First Line Contest. They weren't taking open submissions at that point but the contest was open to everyone. This was a great opportunity for us, the great unwashed, to possibly get a foot in the door. It started with one sentence each from 273 people. One week at a time, Samhain's editors narrowed down the entries. And one week at a time, each of those who remained got to add a single sentence to their contest entry. It was harrowing to say the least. Checking back every week to see if you're still in the game can put a strain on even the most jaded, and I'm pretty freakin' jaded. In the end, ten winners were left. The prize: the chance to submit a manuscript for consideration.

If you've read Aislinn Kerry's All that Glitters or Maria Zannini's Touch of Fire then you've already read two other winners' stories. And may I say how pleased I am to be in such good company? ::waves:: Hello, ladies! I don't know if any of the other winners made it to publication. I admit I've been lazy and haven't gone looking lately. If I've missed someone, please do post and let me know so I can wave hello and read your book, too! I'd also love to hear from Samhain's editors this week. Maybe tell us what you looked for during that contest, or what you learned reading and weeding through all those entries week after week.

Now, on to the prizes for this contest! It's way easier to win, so don't freak out, okay? ;)

There are four fabu prizes up for grabs. In no particular order: a wee, leather-bound "Jot-a-thought" notebook from The Literacy Site; a package of musically-themed note cards; and a silver musical measure charm. And as if that weren't enough, there will be one Grand Prize winner who will receive a free download of The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. (I don't actually know how to go about that, but I'm sure I can find someone to explain it to me before the week is out.) All you have to do is leave a comment here on the blog any time during the party. And get this: each post you make is one more entry into the drawing for the first three prizes! In the interest of fair play, everyone who posts will be entered only once in the Grand Prize drawing. Make sense? Good! I'll be posting the names of all the winners on Wednesday 11 June.

So come join the fun! There's wine on the table and beer in the fridge. There are apples and pears, cheddar and brie, water crackers and sourdough bread. It's my party. I get to serve what I like. ;) There might be cookies later. We'll have to wait and see.

Remember to come back tomorrow for the first excerpt!

15 comments:

CrystalGB said...

Congratulations on the release of your book. How exciting. :)

Kate Davies said...

Yay! So looking forward to this release.

Maria Zannini said...

What a great idea this is, Maia.

You go, woman! And congrats!

Unknown said...

Hi Hi!

I don't really know what an "ebook" is but Madison says it's cool so it must be. :-)

Could you pass the cheese please?

Maia Strong said...

Thanks so much for the congrats, crystalgb and Maria! And thanks for stopping by. :)

Kate, I think you're almost as jazzed about this as I am. LOL!

Beta, the cheese is in the fridge. D'you want cheddar or asadero? I might have some swiss, too. Good dog! Tell Madison hi for me!

Anonymous said...

Yay you! :D Where's the chocolate? ;D

Anonymous said...

Party time - huzzah! Congratulations on the upcoming release. :-)

-=Jaunthie

Maia Strong said...

SunKrux, you crack me up. Weren't those cookies enough? ;-P

Thanks, Jaunthie! Glad you could make it to the party. :)

Jane said...

Wow, this blog party is great. Congrats on the book, Maia.

Maia Strong said...

Thanks, Jane, and welcome to the party!

SP98 said...

Congratulations on Ballad, Maia! Can't wait until the 10th when Samhain will actually let me buy it (excerpts are all very well, but...)

Also, looking forward to reading your work in a different genre.

SP98

Maia Strong said...

Thanks muchly, SP98! I hope you enjoy it!

PS. I've declared next month "different genre" month. I hope for great progress. ;)

Anonymous said...

The cookies were fabulous, but you know me...Chocolate is a necessity. ;)

Anonymous said...

Yay you!! Congratulations on your upcoming release. Looking forward to the party next week.

Maia Strong said...

Thanks, carrot-cake67! Me too. :D