12/20/09

A real time AUTHOR with a great giveaway...



Typically I do not do book reviews. No, it’s not because I’m all hoity toity, or too ABOVE doing reviews - I’m right down here in the gutter with the rest of all you sleazebags.

No, it’s because I FORGET. I receive wonderful books, I read them, and then my LIFE GETS IN MY WAY and I forget to post the review. I hem, I haw, I try to WORK for a living, some people here insist I do laundry, I TRY to cook for God’s sake and I CAN’T KEEP UP. Well, that and the fact that it’s only the trashy romances that grab my attention. Those, and my boyfriend Steve King’s books. (I might be one of his 14 mistresses. But I’m not coming out until the rest of them do.)

However, I am always a sucker for children’s books, and am constantly on the prowl for books that my own flesh and blood might be bribed to read. (They claim they know HOW to read, but I have yet to witness the actual act of reading. This is one of the many reasons I might NOT be their actual birth mother. Had I not actually BEEN there each time, I would definitely argue the point.)

I stumbled upon Barrie Summy’s blog at some point last year, and discovered that she was not only a fabulous writer, but a wonderful person as well.

I was intrigued by her YA books called “I Don’t Do Mysteries” because I was OBSESSED with Nancy Drew books when I was young. In fact, when I was fifth grade I used to pretend to be sick so I could stay home and READ. Yeah, read. I was one SICK child.

She sent me one of her NOT YET PUBLISHED books (I’m special) and I loved it. I, in turn, passed it on to my school librarian (she’s a DOLL) and SHE loved it.

Barrie has generously offered a SIGNED copy of the NOW published book, along with a cool, cool shirt. Let’s get down to some details.


In order to win you must do the following.

1. Leave me a comment. (Preferably one that makes me laugh out loud- but I’m not picky.)

2. Do something nice for someone today WITHOUT them knowing it was you. Either slow down while they pull out of their driveway, let them in front you on the road, leave someone a treat- you get it.)

3. Save your Box Tops for education and either send them to ME or take them to a school in your town. They really DO work, and we have a darn nice See-Saw on our playground to prove it. (Here in Oregon.)

4. Find me another 1200 followers. I am STILL in shock that people come here to read about my crazy life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. (I know I'm the poor white Oprah, so I'll try to get my hands on a few thousand matchbox cars and get them in the mail. YOU get one, YOU get one, and YOU get one.)

5. Go visit Barrie here.

6. Do one or all of the above. You can enter as many times as humanely possible.

Winner will be announced when I get around to it. (Or tomorrow).


(Wal-mart provided me with TWO gift cards to give away. Go here for that!)

52 comments:

Captain Dumbass said...

In my new life in retail books I've seen this book moving, so Barrie, you're selling in Canada. Congrats.

As Cape Cod Turns said...

I did something nice already today. I didn't shovel snow onto my kids who were sitting in snowbanks watching me shovel. I count that as extra nice!
Happy Sunday!!!! (PS, I would love to win this book!)

Captain Dumbass said...

And do something nice for someone? I have to smile for the next eight hours straight! Something nice will be not smacking somebody with a book, and we have some big books.

Julie D said...

It's too damn early for a funny comment. Is there coffee?

Unknown said...

If I change my 1yo's crap diaper while putting a blindfold on him....does that count as doing something nice without someone knowing it's me?

Pseudo said...

I don't mean to sound hoity toity, but I am the mom to a 17 year old boy who's waxing on the self-absorbed side these days... and a 20 year old girl who I let use my car to drive to college everyday because we cannot afford the dorm and I feel guilty about that. So I bum rides to work. This all adds up to me being NICE more than I had ever planned on when I, myself, was their age.


If I win the book I will read it in front of my classes and get all the 15 year olds interest.

BTW. Isn't one of the coolest things about blogging getting to cyber meet authors with the coveted published books?

MysteryChick said...

I also pretended to be sick to stay home from school to read and Nancy Drew was my favorite (I still have the original set of 54 that my grandmother helped me collect).

To this day I'll go to bed and promise myself I'll only read one chapter and the next thing I know I'm finishing the book and my alarm clock is going off, ugh!

As I get older I realize the library is my best friend because books are my crack and Barnes & Noble is an expensive dealer!

plainolebob said...

VM,
my children can't read neither, thats why i stopped letting them walk me to reading class, my youngest
decided to go to LSU instead of Tulane because it was easier to spell. I do something nice for ever one each day, I keep my politics and religon to my self. them box tops are too hard to rip off the beer labels for me, but i will try. I think I found you the followers you want, they all work for the local Vodka still ditributor, i will visit Barrie, if by chance my response is drawn, please donate it to the homeless reindeer shelter, they are having a rough year with the migrating moose this year.
Thanks,
Plainolebob

Hollywood Farm Films said...

SOrry if this isn't a comment to offer a chuckle, but I wanted to commend you for giving "Box Tops" a shout out. I was working on a post where I was about to beg for people to send me theirs. DOes this work?
Do they send them?

My son's teacher who was forced out of her 25 year teaching position due to small town politics 2 weeks before school started. (I was livid and wrote to the local newspaper after they slandered her. They printed my letter to the editor to replenish her rep) SIne she has opened her own school and I wanted to encourage others to collect these to help get school equipment for her new space.
Thank you for bringing Box Tops to others attention!! They are a big help. Also Campbells has their own version of Box Tops for education.

Lori P said...

You're not the only sicko. My 16 yr old daughter, aka Smart Ass, has been sick and we pulled her out of school to do her junior year online. She's normally a driven child, one I NEVER have to watch over, a straight "A" student. After a month I started to get emails from her online teachers asking why she wasn't online. Dad and I asked her and she nonchalantly told us that she took a month off off to REREAD the entire Harry Potter series for, I believe, the seventh time. So, I think that qualifies as ditching school to read. She is now working her little tail off so that she can get her cell phone back. Teens - don't you just love them?

SurferWife said...

Well, isn't this fun. And let me hop right on those additional 1200 followers! How did you do that anyway?!?! 1200 followers is wild!

http://howtobecomeacatladywithoutthecats.blogspot.com said...

I used to stay up late with saltines and a flashlight under the covers to read. And I loved Nancy Drew! (Turns out my brother-in-law's grandpa was one of the ghost writers of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books. He wrote all of the Happy Hollister books, if anyone remembers those.)

I still enjoy reading kids' books for all ages and there are some amazing YA books out there! Thanks for the introduction to Barrie Summy!

Rachel Cotterill said...

If I had 1200 followers, you'd be welcome to share them :p

As for box tops, it's Brit-question time... what are they?? Some kind of coupon?

ChiTown Girl said...

I had that same disease as a child, but I NEVER skipped school for it. THAT'S only because I wanted that perfect attendance award at the end of the year. I got it every year, K-8!! (Part of the prize was our choice of Cubs or Sox tickets. Naturally, I always picked Cubs!)

I have a niece who is exactly like I was as a kid. (I've been telling her for years that I'M her REAL mom, but I felt sorry for my sister because she wanted another baby, and I gave her to her!) I'm going to have to look into getting these books for her. And, if I happen to win one, well, it'll be that much easier to introduce her to them! ;-)

Let's see...my something nice...I just let the dog live after finding out he chewed his way through the bathroom garbage AGAIN! I just made my son Rice-A-Roni for breakfast (gag!) because that's what he wanted. Do either of those count?

Does your school do Campbell's soup labels, too? I may be able to hook you up with some box tops.

Carrieann said...

I just packed up all of my Box Tops and put them in my daughter's backpack to take to her teacher. Does it weird anyone else out that they are on the top of the Kotex box? The nice thing that I did for someone today: deleted my (now ex) boyfriend's phone number from my blackberry after he dumped me last night (after I made him dinner, too!). The nice part is that I will not barrage him with phone calls wondering why I am not good enough for him. Hmmmm....that's all I got right now.

Carrieann said...

Oh yeah, and I probably like Nancy Drew more than Captain Dumbass. So there.

Kyddryn said...

I just listened to Someone play chess with the Evil Genius. I can't begin to explain how funny it was...in part because the Evil Genius has never played chess before and in part because the Evil Genius has his own sort of six-year-old logic that baffles my mind, and hearing him use it to explain why he's sacrificing his bishop because that other piece is guarding the king...well, it made me laugh.

And for something nice...I made plate of cookies and baked goods for the fire station and left it on their doorstep this morning with a card telling them "Thank you for your service" but no signature. I don't know how nice that is, though - those cookies are loaded with butter and sugar and other stuff that'll go right to their arteries and stay there...but somehow, I just don't think it's as festive to leave an anonymous plate of holiday crudite for the lads...

Shade and Sweetwater,
K

Irish Gumbo said...

Hey! I am not in the gutter! I am on the curb, thank you very much! (grin)

And as a kid, you stayed home pretend sick to read? My inner boy is in love with you. Very cool!

Laura Marchant said...

Cab driver.

Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...

All right, I have nothing clever or funny to say. I do work in a bookstore, so I'd love to find out more about the book.

Diane said...

I would love to win this book. Because I love to read. I've read most of the books my kids have to read for school. Because I love to win. It feels so good. (and I don't mind doing something nice for someone, as long as I don't have to own up to it publicly.) About making you laugh: My husband had major surgery in Sept. While on pain killers and bored he decided to cut some trim with a mitre saw and accidentally cut his wrist. Right before going into surgery for 2hr repair to damaged joint and nerve the doctor asked him what he does for a living. I looked him straight in the eye and quipped, "He's a brain surgeon so do a good job." The look on the surgeon's face was, "I wonder which hospital he practices at?" Btw, he's actually a programmer/analyst and now a powerful lesson to our kids that drugs really do impair judgment. This may not make you laugh but perhaps your grass will look greener for a moment.

S3XinthePantry said...

I went online in the middle of the night and bought my dtr a silly (but not expensive) "as seen on tv" cooking thing because last night she was playing with dh's magic 8ball on his phone and the BLANK 8ball told her it was certain.

But maybe that is more like spoling a kid or buying into consumerism than really being nice.

The box tops are in...by my oldest does that.

Ummmm.... how about this - I ALWAYS have a house full of other people's kids & I pretty much love it.

going to chek out the author's blog now - the book looks great!

Brian Miller said...

nice. i like childrens books too, they are easier to read...

i failed at the being nice thing...when the snow plow refilled my just shoveled drive. sorry.

WeaselMomma said...

I actually saw this book on the shelf of Borders yesterday. Now I wish I had taken a closer look.

Hmmm, do something nice for someone without them knowing it. I could do something nice for hubby, but he would get quickly suspicious (because he damn well better figure out who is doing it for him) I'll think of something.

I'll tell the world to follow you. I already do that anyway. They listen as well as my kids.

I save box tops and send them to the Weasels School. Those things can be a real pain to clip somedays.

Linda said...

I LOVE reading kids' books. Do you know how high my Scholastic stack is? I try (I repeat, try) to read every book I buy for my classroom before I put them on the shelf. I just finished sneakily reading one of my sons' Christmas books. It's a good thing he doesn't believe in Santa anymore, or I'd be trying to explain why I'm reading a book "delivered" by him!!

I have been practicing my "nice voice" for a week, trying not to yell at IDIOT, I mean, unaware of how to drive drivers. I even let some of them go in front of me without swearing at them!! Surely that deserves an entry.... And, my child decided to snow blow three other driveways, and only got paid for one. (The other two still don't know it was him.) Of course, he is now snowblowing the BACK YARD, so maybe he just likes the machine...

I challenged my class to collect 1,000 box tops by the end of January for a math project... Keep you posted on that!

I've suggested your blog to numerous people, and even put your link on my facebook page! I can't be a "follower" because I don't have my own blog. : (

Have fun reading your entries!!!

Another Smythe teacher & fan

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

My daughter Summer is a huge fan of Barrie's and feels that since her name is Summer which is close to Summy, she deserves to win. Ok - that's not true. But her name is Summer which is close to Summy... Plus she did do an awesome interview with Barrie last year which is linked here. http://elloecho.blogspot.com/search?q=oldest+book+review

Plus we did a very nice thing. We shoveled out the driveway and path to our neighbors who were snowed in with our 23 inches of snow and now we are all aching with sore muscles. Muscles that would feel so much better if we won this book...

And we always send in box tops to our schools.

And holy moly you have a lot of followers!!!

And you have beautiful eyes.

And you have a lovely smile.

And you smell nice.

And you look marvelous...

DId I mention you have beautiful eyes?

Coco said...

I guess that means she won't do me. My nickname is spooky. Cause I do LOVE spooky.

Zen Mama said...

I have been saving my boxtops for a while now - keep forgetting to send them off with the kiddos to school. I think instead, I will send them to Hollywood Farm - I am a sucker for a good cause, and I loved her comment to this post.

I'll be waiting for that matchbox. Can you make it a pink convertible?

Kate said...

I faked sick to stay home and read too. I may or may not do that NOW.

Susan Higgins said...

I did something nice today - baked 3 batches of cookies for my neighbors who's house burned. They are living in a trailer on their property until their house is rebuilt.

Anne said...

I listened to my husband dry heave this morning as he cleaned the carpet from where my middle child puked last night. That was the funny part... the nice part is ~ I didn't make him get out of bed to help me scoop up her vomit at 1 am. (Sorry to all of you with weak tummies too.)

Laura said...

I'm with Chi-town Girl...I read constantly, but wouldn't miss school due to the coveted Perfect Attendance award (which I now hold over my eldest daughter's head when she wants to stay home & read all day in her bed)...damned strep throat ruined it for her this year!

Something nice: I went to THREE different stores to find the ornament my daughter wanted, & she'll think it's from Santa.

I'm all over the box tops...I hound my husband & kids "did you clip the box top??" before they throw away Kleenex box, diaper (Huggies) bags or boxes, Kotex packaging, and all the food products they're on...I'm a maniac about it, & I have my mom sending me hers as she has no kids at home, & we don't live near her, so I guilted her into doing it for her long-distance grandchildren!

How do I become a follower? Do I have to have a blog (b/c I don't).

Hope this made you at least chuckle a little bit!

Joanie said...

My very favorite, all-time children's book is called Come And Have Fun by Edith Thacher Hurd and Clement Hurd. It's an I Can Read Book and I can probably still recite a lot fo it by heart. I read that damned book 100 times! It's the one book I made sure was not passed on to anyone else.

Joanie said...

I let Dani use my car tonight and I also let her buy kitty litter and fill my tank with gas (I did pay for the stuff) Does that count as something nice?

Anonymous said...

Kids need to be made to read until it becomes something they love. Then we have given them one of the greatest gifts.

Secretia

Vodka Mom said...

you do know that I have always read to my kids, right? Every single night. xoxoxo

Serendipity said...

Cool giveaway! I was also the kind of kid that would stay home to read :) Visiting from SITS, hope you have a great holiday!

Sherrie Petersen said...

I read Shogun when I was home sick one week in high school. I loved staying home sick. And I owned a lot of those Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys books, too.

But I'm afraid I don't know how to make you laugh. I'm just not a funny person. You won't hold that against me, will you?

Unknown said...

Let's see how many of these enteries I can get. I made my daughter a REAL breakfast this morning. Complete with eggs and bacon and I still managed to brush her hair and get to work on time.

I always save my box tops and currently have a huge canister of them waiting for Christmas break to be over. I save soup labels for the same reason.

I already follow you because you are awesome.

I follow Barrie too and plan on purchasing said book as soon as someone gives me money just because I'm hawt.

I don't know 1200 people but if I did I would give them to you for Christmas. I swear.

How'd I do? Do I pass?

Charmaine said...

I left a box of potatoes on my neighbours doorstep with a note, "Many people struggle during these hard economic times, Meals on Wheels."

My neighbour lives in a 5.7 million dollar mansion.

Beth said...

I love reading children's books. It helps to relate to the kids. As for being nice, I cooked for my husband tonight and then I cleaned the kitchen.

See? I'm a nice girl.

blognut said...

I want to win! I don’t ask you for anything, and I rarely take up space on your blog, so I think that should count for something.

Also? If it helps? I never got to play see-saw when I was a child because all of my friends were bigger than me. That small rule of physics turned every game of see-saw into a game of catapult and I never got over it.

Melissa B. said...

Hmmmmm...The only funny thing that comes to mind is that Captain Dumbass would be a great name for Principal Man...ya think?

Sharon Rose said...

You want funny, do ya? Well sing this jingle to "Let it snow" and it might make you laugh. . .

Well the weather outside was frightful,
But the kids were so delightful,
When Johnny came out to say,
"Lick the pole, lick the pole lick the pole"

Little Sammy didn't no any better,
He had just wrote Santa a letter,
without thinking he opened his mouth,
and. . .
licked the pole, licked the pole, licked the pole.

When he finally got unstuck,
Mrs. Deb even hate that it snowed.
If that boy had any sense at all,
He would've known that the pole was froze.

Now the afternoon's kinda crummy,
In the corner sits little Johnny,
Cause he knew Sammy would take the dare. . .
and lick the pole, lick the pole, lick the pole.

There, that's the best I can do on such short notice. Now, about being nice:
Today, because it was the right thing to do, I sat on the bed and chatted with a really cool guy who just had his rt. leg amputated. He cant shoot hoops anymore, so we went to therapy and bowled on the Wii.

About the boxtops, I'll start collecting.

Regarding 1200 followers, gurl. . . I'm a pastor and I only have 75 disciples and only a few of them are faithful readers. . . so, I don't think I can help much here.

Unknown said...

I am leaving a comment and assuring you I try daily to do at least a few things nice for other people.

Being nice is.. nice :) So very rewarding to be a giving person and put it out there. Selfish really.

Carolyn...Online said...

So um... like six of the South Americans building my garage saw me naked. Again. Does that count as doing something for someone else?

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Ooh! Enter me, please. And I did something nice today: I didn't wring ANY of my kids' necks. I know. I know. I'm a saint...

justsomethoughts... said...

it's prolly too late.
and with my being colorblind and all, i'm sure the shirt is pink.

but.....

1. done (HA! that was easy)
2. done
3. i dont recall the last time i had a boxtop. well, i think i have some hefty styrefoam plates somewhere...
4. they'll be over shortly.
yeah it's them. oh, so now you're picky...
5. done. and i even left a comment. and it was a FUNNY one.

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