SUNSET BEACH, Free Books, and a $200 Prize

To celebrate the release of my new novel, Sunset Beach, I'm giving away $200! Yes, I'm giving away some copies of Sunset Beach too, but on August 1 someone is going to win $200!

But before I tell you how that's going to happen, I'd like to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Tina Forkner's Rose House is:

barn1451@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll contact you today for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right in order to participate in future book give-aways!

Now. The contests.

FIRST, I have five signed copies of Sunset Beach to give away this month. I'll draw the winners' names on my last June blog day, June 30. If you're a subscriber, you'll automatically be entered. If you leave a comment after today's post, you'll be entered a second time. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com. And if you check out my column in ChristianFictionOnlineMagazine and tell me via email one stolen item that I mention in connection with the Thoughtful Oblivion blog, you'll be entered a third time. Be sure to send that last bit of info to me via email, not in a comment below. I'll announce the five winners June 29.

SECONDLY, I want to give someone $200 as a way to share God's blessings to me in my writing career. Here's how the contest will work:

For the past several months I've asked my author interviewees for their input on various writing issues, such as point of view, well-rounded characters, and print on demand. My July authors will be addressing the topic of foreshadowing.

For those who aren't sure what foreshadowing is: it involves a writer using hints or clues to indicate events that will occur later in a book or, in this contest's particular case, events that will occur in a following book.

An example of foreshadowing in Romeo and Juliet occurs when Juliet says of Romeo, "If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed." She means she'll die an unmarried woman, if it turns out Romeo is married. But her words foreshadow the fatal outcome of her marriage to him--her grave truly does become her wedding bed.

Sometimes the hints glare, they're so obvious. Sometimes the hints are so subtle you don't see them until someone else--a teacher or even the author herself--points them out to you.

Our $200 winner will find one of my more subtle uses of foreshadowing and be the first one to specifically name it to me via email. I have a particular moment in mind, on a particular page, in a particular novel. No other example will do, but I encourage you to guess away! I plan to give hints every week as we near the August 1 announcement. But the first person to name the specific incident will be the winner, regardless of when they send me their guess.

So, without further ado, here's today's hint: The foreshadowing occurs in my first novel, The Guy I'm Not Dating, and it foreshadows something about my second novel, Too Good to Be True.



Happy hunting--I'm eager to see who wins!

Oh, and remember to check out Shar MacLaren's interview, below, and leave a comment for Shar--you'll be entered into the give-away of Maggie Rose this Monday!

Awesome Contest! The Murder That Didn't Take

Okay, I promised to ramp up my Beach Dreams give-away drawing, mentioned in my August 31 blog post, and Michelle Sutton, Editor of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, is helping me do that. Here's how to improve your chances of winning that free copy of Beach Dreams, but also to improve your chances of winning an entire box of books being given away on the CFOM site.

It starts with my drawing your attention to my humor column in CFOM, called "Real Life is Stranger."

Do you ever read a news item or witness an event and think, "That would make a wild novel!" But when you try to sell the idea to others, they deny such a thing could happen in a novel, because no one would believe it.

"But, it did happen," you say. "I saw it happen!" or "But, I read about it in the news!"

Frustrating, no? But sometimes real life is simply stranger than fiction.

Those are the oddball news stories I address each month in Real Life is Stranger. I hope you'll take a quickie break, stop by the site, and have a laugh with me. Then come back here and leave a comment below, and I'll add your name to my September Beach Dreams drawing, even if you're already entered. Include your email, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

But wait! There's more!

Once you use the above link (it's also at the bottom of this posting) to read my column, cruise around the magazine to find the answers to the following five questions. So, when you come back here, link to my email address (at the top of this page) and tell me the answers privately (Shhhhh! Don't post your hard-earned answers in the comments section of this post!). For everyone who sends me an email with the correct answers to the following five questions, Michelle Sutton will add your name twice to the CFOM drawing for an entire box of books.

So, here are your five questions:

1. Whose column mentions poodle grooming?
2. Whose column mentions a high school sweetheart?
3. Whose column mentions having one's hands in casts?
4. Whose column mentions having a good girly cry?
5. Whose column mentions a dangerous river rafting trip?

Just to get you started, here's the beginning of this month's column, with a link to the magazine at the bottom:

THE MURDER THAT DIDN'T TAKE

Writing a murder mystery? Make sure your victim cooperates!

It wasn't until the next morning, when he was looking for some breakfast in the fridge, that his wife noticed the knife sticking out of his back...

The saying has been around long enough. We all know friends don't let friends drive drunk. But friends who let friends drive drunk after they've stabbed them in the back with a six-inch knife? That's really bad form. More . . ..

Bonus Contest! Beach Bag Goodies!

DEADLINE: AUGUST 22 -- WRITING PROMPT AND CONTEST

Here's another item you could win. I'm in the middle of a blog tour for my latest release, Beach Dreams. You can participate in a special contest related to the tour. The prize is a beach bag filled with a few goodies.

Enter by visiting one or more of the blogs below. Sometime between August 11 and 22, those blogs are featuring Beach Dreams. At any of the blogs participating in the contest, you'll be invited to post a response to the following prompt: How has God used a mistake you made - big or small - for His purposes?

The example may be serious or funny, complex or simple, and you may or may not have realized He was even using it at the time it occurred. Tell your story on one of the participating blogs, and the stories will be forwarded to me. All entries must be received by 5pm CST on August 22.

I will judge the entries and declare my favorite. Go on, we've all made mistakes--here's a chance to win a little something by sharing yours.

A Christian Romance Writer's Journey
A Peek at My Bookshelf
Amber Miller
Artistic Blogger
Behind the Mountain
Blog Tour Spot
Book Junkie Confessions
Book Nook Club
Book Room Reviews
Camy's Loft
Christy's Book Blog
Edgy Inspirational Author Blog
Fictionary
Gatorskunz and Mudcats
Heart Chocolate
His Reading List
I Don't Wanna Blog
Kells Creative Musings
Lighthouse Academy
Lone Star Latte and Libre
Margaret Daley
My Christian Fiction Blog
Mystery, Suspense, and God, Oh My!
Net's Notes
Readin' N Writin' with Patricia
Real Women Scrap
Refresh My Soul
See Ya On the Net
Sips 'N Cups Cafe
So Many Books. . . So Little Time
The Friendly Book Nook
The O.L.D. Blog
The Writing Road
Toni V. Lee
Write by Faith
wandering, wonderings of a whacked-out woman
Writing on the Edge

I Can't Say "No" to That Many People!

I hate to say "no," don't you? There have been plenty of people who have entered my Beach Dreams give-away and subscribed to my blog. Sending a book to just one person out of so many doesn't seem fair. So I'm going to draw four names and send four free copies out.

Just wanted to let you know your chances just got better. Thanks for your comments! They've been fun. I'm ready for more!

And if you haven't subscribed, make a note to check back here Monday to see who won and to read my interview of Michelle Sutton, author of It's Not About Me. We'll start a one-week drawing for a free signed copy of Michelle's book, too!

One more thing: I've managed to secure interviews with many wonderful authors through the end of the year, so this blog has already become a twice-weekly event. I have a feeling we'll be moving to three posts a week soon. I hope you'll tune in and leave questions, suggestions, and comments.

Balloons, Lawn Chairs, and Dreams

You may have heard about Kent Couch this past weekend. He's the 48-year-old gas station owner who strapped more than 150 giant party balloons to his lawn chair Saturday and flew 235 miles, from Bend, Oregon to Cambridge, Idaho, in his third such attempt in as many years. His goal was to fly from home to another state in this unorthodox fashion. His dream, since childhood, had been to "ride on a cloud."

Personally, my stomach flips just imagining being so high and so exposed. But you have to admire the guy's tenacity. He had a dream--albeit a weird one--and he kept at it until he realized that dream. He learned from his failed attempts, made adjustments, and tried again.

Writers must embrace the same attitude. Learn from rejection, adjust what you can, and submit again. What's the worst that can happen--having to try again? That's better than plummeting to your death in a lawn chair, don't you think?

If you'd like to see photos of Ken's takeoff, go HERE. But before you go, you might want to enter the CONTEST I mentioned on Friday. I'm giving away a free signed copy of my new novel, Beach Dreams. Simply leave a comment at the end of any of my blog posts (today's post is only my fourth) and/or subscribe to my blog, using the subscription box on the right. Why subscribe? I'll be giving away books (mine and those of the authors I interview) at least once a week. If you subscribe you'll never miss notice of a give-away.

So you have up to five chances for today's drawing. For each comment and each subscription, I'll add your name to the drawing once. Comment after each post and you'll increase your chances of winning. I'll draw the winner's name on July 13 and announce the winner on July 14, along with my interview of Michelle Sutton, author of It's Not About Me (Sheaf House).

If you'd like to win a free copy of Beach Dreams, be sure to leave your email address so I can reach you. For cyber-safety's sake, enter your address like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com

See you Monday!