Friday Fives -- Winner, winner!

Time to join the gang over at Paper Hangover for another Friday Fives!  This week's topic:

 

1) WriteOnCon is having a spectacular contest right now -- you could win $1000 and consideration for representation by Catherine Drayton of Inkwell Management!

2) Writer's Digest is having both a short story and poetry competition right now.

And that's all I know about, so I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to offer!

Have you heard of any other contests?

Blogoversary Giveaway Winners

It's Monday.  Do you know what that means?  Yes, that it's time to trudge back to the day job and consume dangerous amounts of coffee.  I mean, no!  It means I have winners!!

The $15 gift certificate to an online book retailer goes to:

Marynellie

The preorder of SUPERNATURALLY by Kiersten White goes to:

Yahong

The Preorder of WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Foreman goes to:

Amie Kaufman

I'll be in touch with our winners on the details.  Thanks to everyone who entered, tweeted, and blogged about the contest!

Blogoversary Celebration!

Today, lovelies, my blog turns one!  Naturally, to celebrate the occasion, I want to give YOU a few gifts.

 

I've got THREE prizes to give away.

One winner will get a $15 gift certificate to the online book retailer of their choice!

Another winner will receive a preorder of WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Foreman!

And a final winner will receive a preorder of SUPERNATURALLY by Kiersten White!




Preorders will get a choice of ebook or hard copy.  *Update*  Thanks to Claire for cluing me in on the Book Depository, the contest is open internationally!  Everyone can enter!


To enter?  Submit this form!  Extra points for tweeting/blogging, but it's not required at all.  You must, however, be a follower to enter.  Because this is meant as a thank you to the people have stuck with me over the last year, and the ones that will into the future.  :)  Muah!  You guys are the best blog buddies ever!

Contest closes at midnight on April 1.  Ha.  How's that for an April fools day?  I'll announce the winners on April 4th.  Good luck!

Attention!! I have an announcement!!

Today is THE day!  What day?  Well, it's the grand unveiling of a secret project I have been working on with some AMAZING people!

Are you excited yet?  You should be!

I am happy to announce to you: Paper Hangover.  A group blog dedicated to bringing you fresh, informative content on the publishing industry.

To kick off our first week, we're hosting GIVEAWAYS today through Thursday!  Today we even have for you an ARC of DIVERGENT, a copy of LIKE MANDARIN, HAVEN, and UNEARTHLY! 

*SQUEE!*

With each day of giveaways, we will also be introducing you to our contributors.  And we have some AWESOME contributors, guys!  I'm so excited to be part of such a talented group of writers.

Head over, check us out, and enjoy!

Road Trip Wednesday and More!

First of all, lovelies, if you haven't seen, Susan is giving away a copy of LEVIATHAN on her blog!  Go!  Enter!

Also, Ali Cross is hosting an event on her blog!  Ninja Novel Revising Month aka NiNoReMo!  I joined (see the cute button in my side bar? Over there -->) and can't wait to get my revising on with Ali and the others.  So jump over there and check it out. 

Now, I'm ready to hit the road.  It is Road Trip Wednesday after all.  ;)

Today's topic on the YA Highway is:

Who are your favorite literary couples?

 This is tough.  I mean, there are so many that I love!  

  

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, for one.

 

Need I say more?  Really?

 

 

 

link

Katniss and Peeta.

Who are your favorite literary couples?

We Haz Winnerz!!

The winners of the 100 Follower Contest are here! 

Thanks to Random.org the prizes are going to...

Prize pack #1 (the critique pack) goes to SARAH!!

Prize Pack #2 (the box of books) goes to LOGAN!!

Prize Pack #3 (the snack pack) goes to ERINN!!

And the three inspirational quote frames go to: Mrs. DeRaps, Jamie, and Abby!

All the winners please email me at holly (at) hddodson (dot) com to claim your prize!  Yay for winners!

The 100 Follower Contest!

Okay, lovelies.  After much pounding of my head against a wall, I've come up with a contest.

First the prizes!



Prize pack #1 consists of:  A 25 page critique from me, a query and synopsis critique, a pink and green pen (for your revisions), a pack of post-it flags, a lined sticky note pad, and sweettarts!  Plus a lovely journal to take notes in.

Prize pack #2:  A box of books!  I will include some of my favorite books I've read through the last year, and maybe even a couple ARCs.

Prize pack #3:  Snack pack!  Cookies, chocolates, sweettarts, and jolly ranchers.  Because every writer needs snacks close at hand.




 
AND!

Three people will receive (one each) a framed message meant for inspiration, made by me!



The rules:

You must be a follower to enter.

You must comment with your email address.

Here's where it gets tricky:  In your comment, I want you to tell me who of your fellow writer friends inspires you.  You guys know I'm all about spreading the love, so let's share.  If they blog, leave us a link so we can visit them.

That's it!  I'd appreciate it if you spread the word by tweeting or blogging about the contest, but that's not a condition of entry.

The deadline to enter is January 31st at 11:59pm.  I will announce the winners on Friday, February 4th.

Who's The Ninja?

 

 

 

 

Today the ninja brings us a query and synopsis critique for you, my lovelies!

First follower to comment with their email address wins! 

 

Road Trip Wednesday

Today YAHighway says: Blurb it!  In which we blurb our favorite books or our own work.



So, I give you:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver:  An edge of your seat race for the right to love that will leave you drooling for more.

XVI by Julia Karr:  A shockingly beautiful coming of age story that will keep you up at night.

Meh, okay, I'm no good at this.  lol  (By they way, my review of XVI is coming tomorrow.)

And...wait..what was THAT?  Did you see it?  I think it was a NINJA!!

The first follower who comments (with their email address) today will win:

 

A collection of Bath and Body Works products!  Twilight woods lotion, body spray, hand sanitizer and the holder thing.  ;)

GO!

Freaking NINJAS!!

I am really never going to get tired of this game.  lol

 

 

 

First follower to comment (with their email address) is going to win:

A FIFTEEN PAGE CRITIQUE from me!

Ready?  GO!

I thought I saw a NINJA!

SURPRISE!!!

Ninja attack!  Hiiiiiyah!!

First TWO followers to comment (with their email) on this post will win (1 set each):

 

A super cute mini notebook (Perfect size for your purse.)

Two matching mini pens (Perfect size for your notebook and purse.)

And two magnetic bookmarks (Which are really useful for revisions too.  Just sayin')

Have I ever mentioned how much I love things with punctuation on them?  LOVE IT.

I don't know about you guys, but I never go anywhere without a notebook and pen!  Ideas creep up on me at the strangest times, so I've always got to be ready.  Like a ninja, right?

Sly like a NINJA!

Huzzah!  The Ninja Games attack!  *Make sure to read the comments, us Ninjas are tricky*

 

The first follower who comments (with their email address!!!) will win: 

A pack of revision essentials!  Well, the things I find essential when it comes revision time anyway:

Colored pens!                                                                                                  Sweettarts!

 

Post-it flags!

And...AND...a 10 page critique from me to get you going!

I'm in the middle of some super serious revisions myself.  The best method I've found (for me anyway) is to get a pink and green pen, some post-it flags, and my favorite candy (yes, sweettarts are really my favorite) and go to town.  I use green to revise, pink to note things to carry forward, yellow flags show where I left off last, red flags mark the pink notes, and the other colors mark things to use in the sequel.

It's a whole system!  It works!  I love it!  So, I'm gonna share it.  Who will be ninja enough to win today?!?

The Ninja Games

So, I thought I'd liven things up around here.  With contests.  Enter: The Ninja Games.  Holidays tend to make things draggy on the internet, and people need a little prodding to get back on the work wagon.

Consider this your prod. 

 

Periodically through the month of January I'm going to include contests in my posts.  Flash contests.  None of this waiting for answers stuff, we get enough of that from our writing pursuits. We're doing this Ninja style.

Here's how it'll work:

I'll say something to the effect of:  The first person to comment on this post wins a free five page critique from me!  You must be a follower to win!  Ready....GO!

And that's it.  The first follower to comment with their email address...well, they win!  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

YOU MUST PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT TO WIN EACH TIME.  Every time you enter, put your email address.  Seriously.  My game, my rules.  Putteth the emaileth.

What do you think?  Super spectacular?!  I know.  I'm cool like that.  The prizes may vary...different lengths of critiques, could be books, could be something completely random.  You'll have to stick around to find out!  I'm going to be tricky.  I'll post things when you least expect it.  (I like being tricky, it makes me feel all ninja.  lol)

So...today!  Let The Ninja Games begin!

The first person to comment on this post wins a free five page critique from me!  You must be a follower to win! 

Ready....GO!


Fine print stuff:

The winner will receive a content critique -- not grammar, I'm no editor -- for up to five double spaced, TNR 12pt font, pages.  And you should know that I write YA, I read YA, and I crit YA.  I may not be the best crit choice for an adult or non-fic. piece.  (Unless it's on food allergies, I read lots of those books.)

For prizes that must be shipped -- I'll even send it internationally, so everyone can enter.

We Have A Winner!

First of all -- what an AMAZING trip I had! Seriously, it was so fun. We got to the park as it opened at 9am and went straight for Hogsmead. It was rather cool surprisingly, though the humidity could choke someone. The crowds were not bad at all for the first few hours. We wandered from shop to shop taking pictures and drinking butterbeer. (Butterbeer is suuuuuper sweet, but yummy!)

While in Dervish and Banges we happened upon the Sorting Hat, who kindly obliged to pick our winner!


That's my cousin in the pink. ;)

Oh, wait, you want to know the winner? Well...okay then.

KRIS!!

Our lovely Hufflepuff friend Kris is our winner! So, shoot me an email (holly at hddodson dot com) and let me know which ARC you'd like and your address.

Kris also got a special prize straight from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter...




It's a Hufflepuff key chain! You can't see it well here, but the detail on this thing is amazing.

So congrats to Kris, and I promise to share more pictures later. We're having computer issues this morning.

Friday Fun

Something that made me giggle:

Not a single person that entered my contest claimed to be a Slytherin! Not a single one! Maybe that's because my blog is for writers, and let's face it, us writers -- we're more Ravenclaw material. Although, there were more Gryffindor than anything. A few Hufflepuff too. Gotta love the Hufflepuffs.

Guess what --

I LEAVE TODAY FOR THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!

Erm...yeah. I'm sorta stoked.

Other awesome news --

My glorious crit partner, Susan, is nearly done with Emerald's Keeper! I'm all tingly in anticipation. I just finished rewriting the very last scene for the 100millionth time and I can't wait to see what she thinks. Naturally, I think it's brilliant. Also naturally, she'll help me make it even better.

Exciting things on the horizon, lovelies!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White is released next week (8/31). I've already pre-ordered it on my Nook. Kiersten's blog is one of my very favorite to follow, so I can't wait to get my hands on this book. I just know it'll be awesome.

Also, on September 7th, The DUFF by Kodi Kepplinger is released! Another one I'm super excited about. But I haven't figured out how to pre-order it on my Nook. Maybe it's not starting out in e-format. Not sure. I'll get it one way or another.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I'll be back on Monday with a full report and the contest winner!!

One last reminder!

Today is the very last day to enter my Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest BONANZAAAA!!

Get your entries in (on the original post) by 5 pm today!!

FYI- I am SO SUPER EXCITED about this weekend! 3 days and counting 'til I leave!



And just in case you forgot: Mockingjay released today!! I've already downloaded it on my Nook ;)

Don't Forget!

Don't forget to enter my Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest BONANZAAAA!!

Prizes!!

One lucky winner will receive:

A surprise from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Your choice of an ARC: The Wave by Susan Casey, The King's Mistress by Emma Campion, or Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy.
My copy of Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
AND one of my favorite pens- Uniball Signo


The winner will be chosen on August 28th (my birthday) in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I'll post the winner on Monday August 30th along with pictures!

Entries close tomorrow at 5pm EST! (Leave your entry comments on the main post, not this one).

CONTEST TIME!!

It's time for the Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest BONANZAAAA!!

Prizes!!

One lucky winner will receive:

A surprise from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Your choice of an ARC: The Wave by Susan Casey, The King's Mistress by Emma Campion, or Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy.
My copy of Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
AND one of my favorite pens- Uniball Signo


So how do you enter?! Easy!

1. You must be a follower to enter.
2. In your comment tell me which Hogwarts House you belong in.
3. Tweet about it for 1 extra entry per tweet (just leave your @ in the comments)
4. Blog about it for 3 extra entries (leave a link to your blog)

You do not have to tweet or blog about it to enter, just tell me which House you belong in. The tweets and blogs are just for extra chances to win!

Then on August 28th, on my birthday, in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter a winner will be chosen! I'll post the winner on Monday August 30th along with pictures!

Entries open today! Good luck!

I'd like to thank the Academy...

And LTM for my blog award! hehe



6 Lies and a Truth:

1. I have the biggest sweet tooth ever.
2. My favorite type of food is Italian.
3. I cannot stand going to the beach...the sand sticks to you and creepy crawlies in the water...yuck!
4. I have inspirational sayings plastered across my office walls.
5. I do nothing by a schedule -- wing it all!
6. I do not, in fact, have an itinerary already set for my trip to HP world.
7. Super Spawn is actually an evil genius in disguise as a 3 year old.

LOL Okay, that was hard! So, which one do you think is the truth? Can you figure it out?

And OMG you guys! I hit 50 followers last night!! Yay me! (and a couple more !!!!!!!! for good measure).

Now, I'm going to spend the weekend plotting and planning. On Monday I will have the official rules (and PRIZES!) posted for my Birthday/Follower contest bonanza!!!!!!!! (That needs an echo to sound as cool as it did in my head)

Aren't you excited about Monday now? I know I am!!

Friday Fun

So, what did you all think of the Critique Party? Was it useful?

I know my query is going to sparkle and shine now!

Thank you all so much for participating, I had a lot of fun reading everyone's pages and responses. Even seeing people's critique's on someone else's work can make a light bulb go off in my head. "Hey, that's what my story needs!"

Well, I'm at 49 followers, and my birthday is this month. Sounds like it's almost time for a CONTEST!

I'm actually going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for my birthday.(SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!) Aside from my overwhelming excitement, I think I may just bring a prize back for a contest!! I've got some ARC's to give away, and paired with Harry Potter prizes? Well, I'm not sure it gets much better.

So, that's coming! My birthday isn't until the 28th, so I think I'll tie the contest around that date...somehow. OOH! Maybe I'll get my lovely cousin to pick the winner IN HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!!!! ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

OMG. I'm a little excited at the idea.

Dates and rules will come soon. Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!