Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Huge Halloween Giveaway! (CLOSED)

So I had been planning on writing a free, slightly creepy story and putting it up (for free!) on Halloween to celebrate my favorite non-religious holiday.

However ... I ran into, shall we say, some problems with that plan.

Since I've been meaning to do a ginormous give away and I figured Halloween would be as good a time as any to do it. 

As witnessed by this very blurry photo, taken far too early in the morning, I will be giving away real paper and ink copies of:

Private Dicks: Undercovers
Blood and Lipstick 
Like Fire Through Bone

Like Fire Through Bone is my new novel length fantasy story about a baby eating demon and the eunuch trying to stop it. It, I think, has enough creepy to make it a good Halloween read (I also need to get it off my bookshelf)

Plus do you like stories about steampunk detectives and the slightly mad scientists/engineers they fall in love with?

Who doesn't really.

Luckily for you and your steampunk detective/mad scientist needs I have two stories about just such pairings in Private Dicks and Blood and Lipstick.  

Private Dicks includes "Regarding the Detective's Companion" my sweet and less than explicit story about a private detective and the genius inventor he falls in love with, set at a steampunk Cambridge University.

Blood and Lipstick includes "Business Makes Strange Bedfellows" my pretty damn explicit story about a genius scientist trying to reanimated the dead and the vampire detective she falls in love with, set in a steampunk New York City.

All these you can have in paperback form.

Speaking of vampires I do have a Halloween story out this year and it is a whopping book sized one:

The Memory of Blood and Lotuses: 
Thousands of years ago Neferhotep was struck with a curse that turned him into a shroud eater, one who lives with the dead and devours the living. Fleeing to the desert, he preys upon the unsuspecting travelers who wander too close. Then one of them turns out to be seeking him in order to save a Pharoah. Neferhotep is intrigued enough to agree to go with him, returning to civilization he has not seen in centuries ...

Also known as that story where I got to write Set, the Ancient Egyptian God of chaos, secrets and storms, as an actual character who gets to have sexy times.

I will be giving away a ebook copy of this vampire themed Halloween read.

I will also be giving away an ebook copy of last year's Halloween read:

Changeling Moon:


Dyer has a secret, and the only one who can help him keep it, and thereby help keep him alive, is the beautiful changeling whore that Dyer visits whenever he's in town—the changeling that Dyer wishes could be so much more than a man with whom he has struck a bargain.

Do you like early 19th century rent boys? Do you like stories about faeries? Do you like blowjobs in allies ....?

If you said yes to one or all of these than Changeling Moon may be the sexy, fun-sized story for you to read between eating candy, making Halloween themed martinis, and marathoning scary movies (or maybe that's just me.)

Halloween means fall, the weather getting colder, the leaves turning and falling off the trees ... generally this time of year I want to either read horror-esque books or fantasy (lets be real I always want to read fantasy) usually with a real mythological feel to it.

That being said I think it is also an aproprate time of year to give away copies of my troll books. I will be giving them away as ebooks but also as a set so both copies will go to the same person.

Heart of Water and Stone and The Kraken Lord and the Eater of the Sun:


In Heart of Water and Stone: Girin is a troll, content with his simple, quiet life in the forest—a life thrown into chaos when he stumbles across an unconscious human on one of the mountain paths. The human is not an ordinary one either, but a witch—tortured, branded, and mere steps from death when Girin finds him. Unable to leave him there to die alone, Girin takes the human home to nurse him back to health. But he quickly learns that keeping one stubborn human alive is a far more difficult task than he first surmised ... 

In The Kraken Lord and the Eater of the Sun: Egrill spends his day cloistered in his mountain home, unable to leave behind memories of the brutal war he fought and the lover he lost in the fight. But his peaceful solitude is interrupted by a strange creature that claims to be a mythical Kraken, and Egrill can't deny that he is certainly like nothing Egrill has ever encountered ...

Set in the same universe both stories deal with main characters who are my re-interpretation of the troll from Norse mythology. Both are slow paced love stories about people who feel outcast and alone finding each other and falling in love. These are excellent books to read on a cold grey day with a cup of hot tea and a plate of cookies.

 ~~~
Okay so:
-The giveaway runs until Midnight of October 30th (EST)
-I will be contacting winners and getting ebooks to them the morning of the 31st. Unfortunately for those of you who want a paperback you won't have it to physically read on Halloween, for which I am sorry.

-To enter: comment with 1) which book (or in the case of the troll books bundle) you want 2.) a way for me to contact you. 3) why you are choosing this book as one of your Halloween reads (even if you will not be reading it on Halloween.)

Bonus: some other nice things you can do are:
-Friend/Follow/Like me: on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads
-Tell me in your comment what you favorite Halloween themed mixed drink is and give me a recipe
-Tell me what movie/book is a Halloween tradition for you.


EDIT: the give-away is now closed! Thank you everyone who left a lovely comment, about the books, what movies you watch on Halloween and a least one drink recipe.


14 comments:

  1. Hello hello, I do think Like Fire Through Bone is a good book to read for Halloween, so that's what I will choose. :) A baby eating demon? You can't get creepier than that (okay, you can, but with what I've read on Twitter, you'll make it pretty creepy). My email is tenismoresonic@gmail.com (tenismoresonic on Twitter), contact me either way if I'm lucky enough to win. ^_^

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  2. I love paperbacks, so please count me in for Private Dicks. I would also love to read Memory of Blood and Lotuses. Ancient Egypt is absolutely one of my favorite settings for a story so I'm very excited to read that one. I also think vampires are a great read for Halloween. I periodically reread Robin McKinley's Sunshine around Halloween because vampires are perfect fun.

    I follow you on twitter and goodreads. mell88@nycap.rr.com

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  3. Oooh! I choose Private Dicks...I have a thing for cops, PIs, mysteries, noir...you name it I probably love it :)

    I follow you on twitter (@littleflicker) I've liked you on FB (Crissy MOrris) and I am a GR fan (I'm pretty sure that's Crissy Morris too...*shrugs*)

    Okay...I love margaritas...I love new and fun margaritas as well...meet the Blood Orange Margarita :)

    Ingredients:

    Kosher salt
    Crushed ice
    1/2 cup(s) fresh blood orange juice
    2 ounce(s) tequila
    1 ounce(s) triple sec or Cointreau
    Blood orange wedges (optional), for garnish

    Directions: (It's super easy)

    Moisten rim of 2 margarita glasses and dip in kosher salt. Fill a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Add orange juice, tequila, and triple sec. Shake well and strain into glasses. Garnish with orange wedges, if desired.

    And favorite Halloween movie is easy...Hocus Pocus...has been for the past twenty years (I can't believe it's been out that long!) But I watch it every Halloween :)

    Geez...that was a long comment...sorry :)

    morris.crissy @gmail.com

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  4. I still enjoy paper books, so I would choose Private Dicks. I love steampunk and would dress like that for Halloween if I were talented enough to make such a costume. My favorite Halloween movie is Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I bought on video as soon as it was available. I just followed you on Twitter.

    Susan
    skadlec1@yahoo.com

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  5. Hi, I'd love to read your troll books because it's 2 books! And they interest me the most. Thanks for the giveaways and happy early Halloween!

    followed/liked: FB and Twitter (Books on Silver Wings) and Goodreads (Cynthia Chen)

    schan26.wisc(at)gmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. I would love to host your giveaway on my blog, Books on Silver Wings. You can check it out: http://onsilverwingz.blogspot.com/
      Let me know if you are interested.

      Cheers
      schan26.wisc@gmail.com

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  6. I've run out of room for all my paperback books, so I'll go with an ebook. I would love a copy of your troll books. Halloween is always a time for me to dig out my fairie and things that go bump in the night to read. I'll stay away from horror thank you very much. Additionally, I like to listen to (and play for trick-or-treaters) an audio copy of the original 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast.

    For movies I have 3: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum (don't ask), Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic.

    dreamseeker331(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Hmmm! I might have to go with Private Dicks because I've read your story & have the eBook & I like to have physical books of stories I love. Would love to reread and also it opens up to a few different authors I haven't read in there. Nothing like a good re-read. <3
    I do follow you on Twitter (which is how I found out about this).
    And I'd totally give you my favorite mixed drink, but unfortunately I'm 20 and do not drink so I am useless there, but I will say that about this time of year (not necessarily for Halloween), I start to get nostalgic and pick up my favorite books to reread. <3

    raelynnmarie at live dotsandcoms

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  8. Ooh, a paperback of Like Fire Through Bone! I just recently finished reading my electronic version, and it was awesome. ^__^ (Do I remember there being rumblings about a sequel? Because I would read that in a hot minute.)

    Also super excited to read the finalized version of The Memory of Blood and Lotuses. It was pretty fantastic as a rough draft; I can't wait to see how it turned out as a final!

    Yeah, either of those has about the right amount of gore/horror for me for a Halloween read. It's not my favorite genre, but yours are great.

    You know multiple ways to contact me, I do believe. Pick your favorite :)

    As for mixed drinks, I don't know many (I'm not a huge fan of the taste of most of them), but my family has a traditional "Swamp Punch" we make, invented by accident for my oldest brother's graduation open house. It involves two packets of blue Kool-Aid, a can of pineapple juice, a can of orange juice concentrate, a 2-liter of ginger ale, and a few scoops of lime sherbet floating on top. Ice rings with gummy rats frozen in them are also a nice touch. :-)

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  9. You mean I can't pick all of them?! :D Okay, so I'd probably go with Like Fire Through Bone, because that just sounds amazing and I love paranormally books as well as fantasy (which is why they all sound so good!)

    I love watching The Nightmare Before Christmas around Halloween, even if it's not "technically" a Halloween movie. It's close, right?

    ashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com

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  10. I'd love to read The Memory of Blood and Lotuses, as I've already hoovered your catalog :-)
    My favorite Halloween movie is April Fool's Day - probably due to nostalgia. I prefer the costuming part of the holiday, rather than the horror part! That's my holiday tradition - I'm a costumer, so I go all out!
    My contact info: elementalelves[at]yahoo[dot]com
    Happy Halloween!

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  11. Ooh, I'd love a copy of Like Fire Through Bone. Are you able to send this stuff to the UK? You may have said but I'm kind of out of it right now :P If not I'd quite like to read Blood and Lotuses too.

    Favourite Hallowe'en film? I really, really couldn't choose. I love horror and don't have a tradition. Maybe Sleepy Hollow or From Hell (who doesn't love a bit of Johnny Depp?) Although one year we went to see Casino Royal ... *facepalm* Lamest Hallowe'en film ever (unless you count the cartoon version of Sleepy Hollow I was forced to watch another year because I was 'too young' for the proper version. So embarrassing, man.)

    Contact info is - crystal_serpent[at]hotmail[dot]com

    Have an awesome Hallowe'en and an excellent winter.

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    Replies
    1. Ugh, I missed the bit about why I was choosing the book.
      I mean, really, isn't it obvious? 'Baby-eating demon'. What's not to love there?
      Also in the case of my second choice, vampires, Egypt. Yus Please.

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  12. I would love The Memory of Blood and Lotuses! Ancient Egypt ftw. <3

    You can contact me at TalyaAndor@gmail.com. ;)

    I'm choosing it because I really love ancient Egypt, though it's been a while since I visited. I really loved Mara, Princess of the Nile back in the day.

    I...think I am already following you pretty much everywhere?

    This time of year, my girlfriend loves to re-read "Night in the Lonesome October." And we almost always watch Hocus Pocus and/or Nightmare Before Christmas. This year we're watching Scary Movie and we might watch Sharknado on Friday.

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