Thursday, March 20, 2008

Pay it Forward Contest

OK, quite a while back I won Sarai’s “Pay It Forward” contest and now I need to run my own. Like Angie, who also won, I’m going to do it a bit different.

The Rules:

Comment to this post between now and April 6 and include the following information: the words “Contest Entry,” and your favorite “title” of a book, story, or poem. That's all! My favorite title, for example, is, “I have No Mouth, and I must Scream.”

After the deadline, I’ll put everyone’s name into a hat and draw two winners, and will announce them on this blog. Winners pay it forward by running some variation of this contest on their own blogs.

The Prizes:
Each winner can select one of the following:

1. Support New Writers -- Pick a writer whose book was first published in either 2007or 2008. Either mass market or trade paperback. And I’ll send it to you. $20 dollar limit please.

2. Try Something from Me -- Pick one of my novels, and I’ll send it to you. That would be Cold in the Light, Swords of Talera, Wings Over Talera, or Witch of Talera. Cold in the Light is a horror thriller. The others consist of a fantasy trilogy, so if you haven’t read any of them you might want to start with “Swords.”

3. Try Something Sallis – Pick anything by James Sallis under $20 bucks and I’ll send it to you. His books are listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I will purchase the book from Barnes & Noble unless it is unavailable there.

4. Pick something under $20 bucks from the following writers and I’ll send it to you. Wayne Allen Sallee, C. S. Harris (or Candice Proctor), Farrah Rochon, Laura Joh Rowland, Sidney Williams, O’Neil De Noux, James Reasoner, David Lanoue, Bret Funk, Rexanne Becnel, Del Stone Jr. If you’re wondering how I generated this list, well I know a lot of writers so I had to limit the list somehow, and these are all folks I’ve met face to face and have had a beer, or other type of beverage, with. They’re all fine writers, as well as my friends.

46 comments:

  1. What a good idea! I'll give it some thought.

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  2. My favorite title has got to be "The Mote in God's Eye." But there are so many books and so many titles. I'm sure there are many others that would instantly become my fav if I just could remember them!

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  3. Oh I will have to post that your contest is up. I love the idea!!! Can't think of a fav title but when I do I will post!

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  4. Excellent idea.

    Contest Entry

    "Wuthering Heights"

    Because I just love the book, the words and the sound!

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  5. Love the idea but have to give it a miss. Too busy.

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  6. Contest Entry:

    "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"

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  7. Okay, maybe I'm not getting this. Do we have to make up a title, or choose one from something that's already been written?

    (Oh, and if I entered and happened to win and wanted one of your novels, could I get it in hardback? Yes. I'm a snob. I know. ^_-)

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  8. Contest Entry:

    A Canticle for Leibowitz

    I like it because it's mysterious and because "Canticle" and "Leibowitz" don't seem like words that go together.

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  9. What a cool idea. :D

    I like that one too -- Ellison comes up with some great titles. I also like "Repent Harlequin, Said the Ticktockman." I mean, doesn't it just make you want to know what the heck it's about?? LOL!

    Oh, and not entering the contest. :)

    Angie

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  10. Lana, Julie, thanks.

    Writtenwyrdd, that's a good one. I just read that book not long ago.

    Sarai, thanks for mentioning it. Sorry it took me so long to get it going.

    Miladysa, that is a great title.

    Monique, you have until March 6 to enter if you get some time.

    Lisa, I liked that title when I first heard it.

    Gabby, actually either way, although I was primarily thinking of a title from something already published. As for hardbacks, I'm afraid none of my books were published in hardback. Woe is me.

    Shauna, that is one of my favorite books and I love the word canticle.

    Angie, "Repent Harlequin" is a good one too.

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  11. Contest Entry

    "You Suck: a love story"

    This is a really cool contest!

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  12. wheeeeee!


    Contest Entry

    Everybody poops


    I know it's a kids book, but come on. How can you not laugh??

    ok, to be serious, I'll go with

    Catcher in the Rye

    It evokes curiosity as well as visual imagery.

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  13. Ok my favorite title has got to be A Confederacy of Dunces followed closely by To Kill A MOckingbird.

    Love the idea! Hope I win cuase I know exactly what I would ask for!

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  14. Contest Entry

    "All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers"

    That's just the best title I've every heard of, evocative and very much to the heart of the novel itself, as well as the life of many artists. Wonderful read if you ever get the chance.

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  15. Runner up:
    Something Wicked This Way Comes

    That is likewise a wicked title, but I have to give the nod to McMurtry, since the title means more to me personally.

    Honorable Mention:
    To Mock A Killingbird

    Oh wait--that's a thrash metal album...

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  16. My contest entry is "Come To Dust."

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  17. "contest Entry"


    "Title"
    Zen/how to regain yours

    If selected as a winner I would like either the $20.00 in cash or donated to the nearest hospice in your area.

    Peace

    mark

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  18. Christina, how romantic.

    H.E. either of those is fine. I didn't say it couldn't involve bodily functions.

    Ello, although I didn't particularly love that book, "A Confederacy of Dunces" is a wonderful title.

    Eric1313, I've not heard of that book. Will have to google it. "To Mock a Killingbird" is a pretty good title.

    Bernita, simple and yet with legs. I like it.

    Mark, just for you, I'll take that under advisement.

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  19. Yeah, it's a great novel, actually, and a very quick read. It is very much about zen in the life of a young author, and how it becomes derailed and where it drives him to.

    The "Something Wicked..." title is of a Bradbury novel. Also some great reading.

    "To Mock A Killingbird", well, I have no idea who made that album, but the name stuck with me.

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  20. Oooh, this is a tough one...

    Contest Entry: The Church of Dead Girls

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  21. Excellent! I swear The Mote in God's Eye was bandied about today in a conversation (a la writtenwrdd) but instead I'll go randomly with:

    CONTEST

    Title: Journey to the End of the Night.

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  22. Actually, if I had a second entry, I'd have to use "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" because it's really the oddest title evarh. (See what I mean about given time to think about it?)

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  23. Charles,

    Love the idea! I'll go for a Carver one: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Also love the Amy Hempel title: In The Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried.

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  24. eric1313, I really like "Something wicked this way comes," but have to give credit originally to Shaikespeare for that one. The Bradbury book of that title is great reading, though.

    December/Stacia, appropriately morbid.

    Erik, both are great titles.

    Writtenwyrd, "Androids" is one of my top five favorites.

    Michelle, very nice.

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  25. Shouldn't do this while sick, but I'ltry anyway.

    Contest entry.

    The Magus

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  26. My contest entry: "Atlas Shrugged." It's an oldie but goodie, I think.

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  27. I have given it some thought and I am torn between two titles...

    1. Empire of the Senseless

    2. Requiem for a Dream

    In order to choose, I had to resort to a coin toss...best out of three.

    It's tied.

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  28. Charles, just to let you know that episode twelve is posted on Middle Ditch

    lol

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  29. Ivan, good un.

    Greg, that is a good title as well.

    Miller, in my judgement "requiem" is the better title.

    Monique, thanks. I'll check it out.

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  30. Love this idea!!!

    Contest Entry:

    "Nobody's Fool."

    Loved the book, and love the author.

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  31. Contest entry:

    Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, collected works of Lester Bangs.

    I've always liked it for being a weird collection of words.

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  32. Oh, I agree with Ivan. Why didn't I think of that?

    Charles, you might be interested in David Caddy's blog (also on Mipo Radio) where he discusses poetry. He is also on You Tube reading from his book Man In Black. You find all the links on my blog. He is an intellectual (how did I end up married to him?) and loves a challenge, something I think you can do.

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  33. Sorry, on My Space, Man In Black and on You Tube, The Willy Poems

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  34. Christine Eldin, cool entry.

    X. dell, thanks for stopping by and entering.

    Monique, I'll check it out.

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  35. Contest Entry:
    "Froth on the Daydream" by Boris Vian.
    I like the title because it reflects the book: odd, profoundly beautiful and oh so delicate.

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  36. Okay..favorite title: "At The Mountains of Madness". Some titles just grab us. They have this resonance. That title and "The Call of Cthulhu" have always captured the imagination.

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  37. This is a very hard question to answer, but I am going to Have to go with "As I Lay Dying" seeing how Greg already used my first choice.

    _j

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  40. One of the great literary classics: So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish.

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  41. I'm entering your contest. THE LIVING BLOOD is one of my favorite titles. It's by Tananarive Due.

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  42. My contest entry for favorite book title would have to be, "There's a Wocket in my Pocket." It just opens so many questions right off the bat.

    My second best would have to be, "Fat White Vampire Blues," by Andrew Fox. The name says it all.

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  43. Contest Entry

    Great idea! I'm game!
    My favorite title is:

    "A Canticle for Leibowitz"

    (and it goes with one of my all-time favorite books!)

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  44. Contest Entry -
    Guess I'm under the wire. I will go with "The Light of Other Days" by Bob Shaw, the short story that introduced the idea of "slow glass," which I always thought was cool. It was the framing device for Marvel's comic magazine "Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction" which my dad would buy for me on lazy Sunday afternoons in the '70s.

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  45. All right. Contest is officially ended so no more entries will be counted. I'll announce the winners soon.

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