Zoe Archer
Vivian Arend
Lauren Dane
Tessa Dare
Megan Hart
Courtney Milan

Until now, we didn’t have the particulars. But now we do! First, the when & where:

Chapel of the Flowers
1717 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Las Vegas, NV 89104 USA
Party starts at 9 pm.

From the awesome, amazing manager from BN, who is responsible for all of this brilliance:

“We will start in the La Capella Chapel. It is the largest and is very Tuscan in feeling. Someone from the festival will introduce the event and then we thought that we could have each of you read a little from one of your books. After the readings, the winning couple will have their vow renewal. Then, everyone will head outside to the Glass Garden for book signings and a reception.”

There will be cake and sparkling cider and treats from the Las Vegas book clubs. Along with us, the authors, and our books, of course. There will be brides and newlyweds and wedding parties all over the place!

The city of Las Vegas is sponsoring a contest, where you submit an entry about the most romantic thing you’ve done while married, and you could win a vow renewal at our event!

So… seven awesome authors. Books. Romance. Cake. Readings. Free vow renewal. Has any event ever been so epic? Thank you, Crystal, BN, City of Las Vegas, Chapel of the Flowers, and all the book lovers who made this possible! I am so excited I want to scream!!

Rules: You must contact me within one week of this announcement with your full name & shipping address, or I will redraw on your prize. E-reader winners, tell me what brand you want: Sony, Kindle, Nook, etc, and I will buy it and ship it to you.

And away we go. Here’s the list of winners!

Jamie (username Jamie on Amazon, #51 in numbered comment) won the Enclave faction e-reader, plus a $25 Amazon gift certificate from Alison Kent.

Lisa O. (username O. Lisa /Nightreader on Amazon, #104 in numbered comment) won the Grimspace faction e-reader, plus a $25 Amazon gift certificate from HelenKay Dimon and a copy of of the Carina holiday antho, Holiday Kisses, in choice of e-format

The Deuce Rocks T-Shirt: WickedLilPixie (pls include size in email)

The Jax Rules T-shirt: Kimberly Bea (pls include size in email)

Books!
Signed copy of Too Hot to Touch by Louisa Edwards
jaymzangel

Signed copy of Truth and Dare by Candace Havens
rissatoo

Signed copy of Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe
Jackie U

Signed copy of Blood Rights by Kristen Painter
Aurora m

Signed copy of Intertwined by Gena Showalter
Bethany C

Signed copy of Face of Danger by Roxanne St. Clair
erinf1

Signed copy of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Deborah Previte

ARC of Control Point, signed bookplate, and a challenge coin, courtesy of Myke Cole
Charles Le Blanc

A copy of Kindling the Moon (anywhere Book Depository ships, some countries may not be served), courtesy of Jenn Bennett
Adrianne

Copies of God’s War & Infidel, courtesy of Kameron Hurley
Sullivan McPig

Signed book of winner’s choice from available backlist, a gift certificate, and a charitable donation in winner’s name, courtesy of Shiloh Walker
Lisa Stafko

Five ebooks in reader’s format of choice (any of author’s backlist), courtesy of Moira Rogers
E.L.F.

A copy of Season for Temptation, courtesy of Theresa Romain
Kenneth Simon

Two e-books of reader’s choice in any format from author’s backlist, courtesy of Sierra Dean
Kara

Signed copy of FLESH AND FIRE and HARD MAGIC (1st book of each series), paperback, courtesy of Laura Anne Gilman
Qwill

Signed copy of Cargon: Honour & Privilege, courtesy of Kimberly Gould
Eva P.

One ebook from author’s backlist, reader’s choice of title (formats include mobi, epub or pdf), courtesy of Nadia Lee
Michelle Lovejoy

Signed copy of The Cloud Roads, courtesy of Martha Wells
Erica

US / Canada only
A copy of Devil’s Kiss, courtesy of Zoe Archer
rissatoo

The Crystal Locket series, courtesy of Julia Nielsen (US only)
Anne R

And that’s all. Winners, you have seven days to email me or the loot goes to a new winner. If you don’t like your luck, blame random.org. Maybe next time! And happy holidays to all.

I know you love the title of this contest. Who doesn’t? So here’s the scoop. The holidays are awesome and what-not. It’s been a long time since I did one of these mega-giveaways, and this is the right time of year for it. This will run from now until Dec 15. Why? Because it’s a random date in the holiday season, kinda smack in the middle of everything, regardless of how you celebrate your happy days or what you call them.

Let’s get down to the the nitty gritty.

Part One: Thunderdome

First, I’m offering a chance for Jax fans to go head to head with Deuce fans. That’s right; I went there. Who do you love? It’s time for some girl on girl action, a regular cat fight! Right now, Grimspace has 88 reviews on Amazon. Enclave has 182. If you can get Team Jax to 100 or Team Deuce to 200 before December 15, a random commenter from the winning faction will receive … the ebook reader of his/her choice. For real.

Kindle
Nook
Sony

I’ll also have a custom T-shirt printed up that reads DEUCE ROCKS or JAX RULES, depending on which faction wins. If BOTH factions reach goal by Dec 15? Then I guess I have no choice but to give out two e-readers, one to each faction, and two winning T-shirts. Feel free to trash-talk each other in the comments. Yeah, girl fight is gonna get ugly. There’s gonna be hand-slapping and hair pulling… ehm. Anyhow.

The rules are simple. If you already posted a review for one of these books, that’s one entry. If you posted for both, well, you’re a bi-factional reader (and I adore you and think you’re cute), plus you get TWO entries. Obviously I don’t mind if you’re bi-factional, and it increases your chances to win. Likewise, reviewing one or both books nets you one or two entries after the contest starts, for a total of two. DO NOT create dummy accounts to post fake reviews. If you rally people in support of your faction, that’s fine, but don’t spam people’s Facebook walls or inboxes, please. Reviews should be honest. Post a comment telling me which book you reviewed (or both) and what your username is on Amazon. That’s all to enter! Oh, and mark your total entries for me.

+1 if you tweet about the Big Honking Holiday Contest
+1 if you put it on your Facebook wall (but don’t put it on other people’s, please!) So final tally could be, like so:

Reviewed Enclave & Grimspace. Username: Imtoosexyformypants. 2 entries. Tweeted for +1, Facebook for +1. Total of 4 entries.

And that’s it for part one. Which brings us to…

Part Two: Electric Boogaloo

Prizes:
(International shipping)
Signed copy of Too Hot to Touch by Louisa Edwards
Signed copy of Truth and Dare by Candace Havens
Signed copy of Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe
Signed copy of Blood Rights by Kristen Painter
Signed copy of Intertwined by Gena Showalter
Signed copy of Face of Danger by Roxanne St. Clair
Signed copy of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
$25 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of Alison Kent
ARC of Control Point, signed bookplate, and a challenge coin, courtesy of Myke Cole
A copy of Kindling the Moon (anywhere Book Depository ships, some countries may not be served), courtesy of Jenn Bennett
Copies of God’s War & Infidel, courtesy of Kameron Hurley
Signed book of winner’s choice from available backlist, a gift certificate, and a charitable donation in winner’s name, courtesy of Shiloh Walker
Five ebooks in reader’s format of choice (any of author’s backlist), courtesy of Moira Rogers
A $25 Amazon gift certificate & a copy of of the Carina holiday antho, Holiday Kisses, in reader’s format of choice, courtesy of HelenKay Dimon
A copy of Season for Temptation, courtesy of Theresa Romain
Two e-books of reader’s choice in any format from author’s backlist, courtesy of Sierra Dean
Signed copy of FLESH AND FIRE and HARD MAGIC (1st book of each series), paperback, courtesy of Laura Anne Gilman
Signed copy of Cargon: Honour & Privilege, courtesy of Kimberly Gould
One ebook from author’s backlist, reader’s choice of title (formats include mobi, epub or pdf), courtesy of Nadia Lee
Signed copy of The Cloud Roads, courtesy of Martha Wells

US / Canada only
A copy of Devil’s Kiss, courtesy of Zoe Archer
The Crystal Locket series, courtesy of Julia Nielsen (US only)

Damn, that’s a lot of loot.

Here’s what you need to do for part two. Answer the following question in comments: What’s your favorite holiday memory? (Yes, it can be any holiday. Feel free to wow us with Arbor Day awesomeness.)

Yes, you can enter both contests, but the part one entries should be posted in a separate comment from the part two. Part two will have multiple winners, obviously. Part one, a single winner gets the e-reader. Unless both make goal. In which case, TWO big winners. ZOMG, it’s too much excitement.

Yes, you can use the +1 for contests tweets and +1 Facebook wall posts. The same NO SPAMMING rule applies. Tell people about the Big Honking Holiday Contest but don’t annoy them.

Sample entry for part two:

My favorite holiday memory is when Uncle Albert drank all my mom’s cooking sherry and set his toupee on fire. I tweeted & facebooked the contest. Total of 3 entries.

———————-

Veggie-chili

150 grams (or to taste) dry textured soy
1/2 a package of chorizoy (soy based chorizo)
2 large containers (cans or boxes) of vegetable juice (V-8 or similar)
6 cans of red or chili beans
4 large, soft tomatoes
1 large onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 hot peppers, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cilantro

Combine the canned beans and veggie juice. Turn on the burner, so it warms up as you’re adding ingredients. Add the soy proteins. Mix well. Cut the ends off the tomatoes and onions. Drop in blender or food processor and turn into juice / finely minced veggies. Add to pot. Add seasonings, including peppers, (these can be varied to taste). Simmer on high heat until the pot’s about to boil over, then reduce to low and simmer 45 minutes to an hour. If the beans have cooked down too much, add more. Serve with light sour cream or a sprinkle of low-fat shredded cheese.

Yum!

And here it is! What do y’all think? Leave a comment to enter to win a signed copy of Shady Lady. Winner in one week.

Shady Lady winner – David7118. Awesome!

Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Author of Grimspace and Aftermath, Ann Aguirre’s new trilogy, pitched as Prison Break in space — on a prison ship filled with warring factions, hostile territories and savage retribution, only the strong survive, to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a three-book deal, for publication in beginning Fall 2013, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency (World English). Translation: Taryn Fagerness at the Taryn Fagerness Agency

Ann Aguirre & Andres Aguirre writing as A.A. Aguirre’s BRONZE GODS, a steampunk fantasy wrapped around a whodunit, where gaslight detectives solve ritual slayings and magic is a shameful secret, to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a two-book deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency (World English). Translation: Taryn Fagerness at the Taryn Fagerness Agency

Next, I have a few comments about the book, responding to the three biggest questions I get.

Why did you make it a stupid love triangle? I hate triangles!

The romance is not a triangle. Deuce doesn’t understand relationships the way a normal girl does; she doesn’t realize what’s causing Fade to pull away or that Stalker is pursuing her. Her emotional intuition is pretty close to nonexistent, and she misses cues that seem obvious to us because she’s very underdeveloped in that regard. Yes, it’s obvious to us that Fade digs her and that Stalker does too, and that by training with him, she’s making Fade think she doesn’t like him. But Deuce doesn’t think in those terms. Stone and Thimble were her closest friends in brat-hood, and she never encountered an either/or situation with them. And that’s really her primary source of social experience. She has no romantic history whatsoever.

How can you care so little about abuse victims? What Deuce says to Tegan is unconscionable!

First, this question assumes that I, personally, have made some statement–that I think victims should “get over it”. This is not the case. However, my modern sensibilities have no place in a dystopian novel, where the continuation of the human race is threatened. That’s part of the conflict, in fact, between kindness and survival, compassion and callous strength. It is impossible for Deuce to have the kind of understanding that I do in regard to Tegan’s situation. I wrote the character as true to her world and her upbringing.

How can Deuce like an evil monster like Stalker?

He’s an amoral survivor who lives in a dystopian society where horrible things happen every day. You’ll find out more about his past in book two and what Tegan suffered… and why. (Oddly nobody has asked why she was beaten. As a breeding female it makes no sense that she would be as the Wolves needed her to keep the population up.)

Stalker cannot be judged by our yardstick of what’s acceptable; he is a product of the society in which he was raised. How can he possess our sense of right and wrong until he’s exposed to different ways of thinking?

By that same token, Deuce and Fade are not nice people, either. They left an innocent child to die. In the Razorland world, certain mores fall away. And that provides the fulcrum for the question that I’ll try to answer before the end of the series. How far is too far? How much of our humanity can we yield in the name of survival before we become the monsters?

The whole trilogy is dark, though it ends on a hopeful note. Some people can’t roll with my story choices, and that’s all right. No book is for everyone. That said, I promise plenty of ass-kicking, more world-building goodness (you find out about the Freaks’ origin), more romance, and more heartbreak in Outpost. My beta reader said it was ten times as intense as Enclave.

Ingredients:

1 box of tofu (soft or firm, doesn’t matter)
2 packages of light panela cheese (or any firm, white, low-fat cheese will do)
1 carton of cottage cheese
1 tin/jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 big bag of grated low-fat, skim mozzarella cheese (about a pound)
1 package of lasagna pasta
1 lb of mushrooms (fresh, tinned or frozen, whatever you have)
salt
garlic powder
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

If you want to microwave this, as I do because I don’t have a working oven, precook half the box of pasta so it’s softened, but don’t cook it to shreds. That’s about five minutes in a pot of boiling water. You need 18 pieces of lasagna to do three layers in a big pan, so count them to be sure you have enough as you put them in the pot. Otherwise, you can use “no precook needed” pasta, layer it dry, and do it in the conventional oven. If you can’t find the “no precook needed” type in your local market , then you’ll still need to precook even if you have a proper oven.

Put tofu, cottage cheese and one pack of panela cheese in the blender. Season with garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and dash of olive oil. Blend. This should yield the yummy creamy cheese filling. Set aside. Cube up the other package of cheese, set aside. Drain and prepare your mushrooms as well; those steps will vary according to what sort of mushrooms you’re using. Set aside.

Layer your lasagna pasta (dry or soft, depending on how you’re finishing the dish) in the bottom of the pan. In my pan, it takes six pieces to cover. Pour your creamy cheese mix in first. Spread it out. Cover in cheese cubes and mushrooms, remembering to split 1/3 in each layer. Then pour some of your spaghetti sauce over it; then spread it out. Not too much as you don’t want it all to be runny. Finally add a thin layer of mozzarella. Repeat all steps twice more, until you’ve used all your pasta, cubed cheese, mushrooms, and mozzarella. You will likely have pasta sauce left over. This can be saved for another dish.

You can microwave this lasagna just fine. It takes seven minutes in mine and tastes delicious. In a conventional oven, it would be 15-20 minutes at the common baking temp (350 F, 180 C), just enough to heat through and melt the cheese.

Serve with green salad, dressed with olive oil & balsamic vinegar.

Let me know if anyone tries this! It was a big hit in our house today. It’s already gone.

You might have to friend me on Facebook to comment.

If/when we hit 100 reviews (but it’s later than the end of April) I will send out three signed copies of the book instead of five. I don’t want all the effort to go unrewarded. I’d really appreciate anyone who has reviewed the book on GoodReads or on a personal blog reposting their thoughts on Amazon. Tell your pals! Thank you!