Bryce Moore's Blog, page 278

A New Vodnik Contest and Promo Extravaganza

It's time for another contest to give stuff away. But this time, I'd like to give more stuff away to more people. None of this "many will enter, one will win" garbage. I'm in a giving mood. I'm also in a brainstorming mood, and I've come up with something that will hopefully keep things interesting around this event for the next while.



How interesting?



I'm going to do a kind of "tiered reward system," similar to what they do with Kickstarter. In other words, I'm going to set up a number of tiers. Once certain thresholds are met, then new tiers of prizes are awarded.



I'll use Twitter and Facebook-metrics to keep track of which tier we're in. Points are awarded for Twitter followers or Facebook page "likes." Maybe this will make more sense as I describe the various rewards.



Ready?



Tier 1--The entry tier. We're here right now, without having to do anything. As of today, the Facebook page has 95 likes, and I have 110 Twitter followers. 95 + 110 = 205, so we start the game at 206 points. The reward is that I will give away an electronic Advance Reading Copy (eARC) to one of the participants. If you participate ("like" the Vodnik Facebook page or be one of my Twitter followers), then you're automatically entered in the drawing. So right off the bat, you know that somebody's going to get an eARC. Yay for that.



Tier 2--If we can get to 300 points (total number of FB likes and Twitter followers), I will add in a second eARC. I have two to give away, anyway (in addition to the one that's being given away over in my NCAA Tournament Challenge), so I set the bar for this quite low. 95 more points than we're at right now (and that includes extra credit--see below).



Tier 3--If we can get to 400 points, I will post chapter 5 of the book onto the Facebook page. (Chapters 1-4 are available on scribd even as I type this, so this will give everyone one more chapter to read.) You'll have to "like" the page to be able to read it, but that makes sense, doesn't it? I'm really optimistic we can get to this point. We'll see. (It'll also help that I'm allowing for extra credit--see note below.) Everybody wins with this one, not just a select few.



Tier 4--When we hit the 500 point mark, I'll give away a signed hardcover of the book. Yup, I'm even ponying up the postage. Will we hit this? I have no clue. It means 295 likes or followers (or less, depending on the extra credit.) To me, that seems like a lot. Having never done something like this before, I'm not sure if I'll set it all up, only to see us never crack the 250 mark. But hey--nothing ventured nothing gained, right?



Tier 5--Once we reach 600 points, I'm going to work on releasing chapter commentaries for the entire book. My friend Brandon Sanderson has done this for all of his books, and I think it would be a fun thing to do, too. It's a ton of work, though. Vodnik has 33 chapters. Think of chapter commentaries like the special features on a DVD. They'd include discussions on how the story was shaped, what decisions I made, and extras like deleted scenes or pictures of places in the book. Whatever's relevant to each chapter. And once again, all fans of the book win--not just the people lucky enough to get the eARC or hardcover.



How do you get extra credit? Easy. Share this post on Facebook nets 5 extra points. Retweeting it gets the same. (Limit of 1 share and 1 retweet per person.) That basically boils down to just 80 shares and/or retweets to hit Tier 5. If 40 people both share it and retweet it, we're set. From my blog stats, I know way more than 40 people will read this post. You can do it!



Once you know that, then you see that I really do want to giveaway all of the above. The Tiers are just a fun way of keeping track of how it's going.



However.



I also like a really good challenge, and so I'm going to add in another tier. One that has something I don't want to do. I'm not afraid to embarrass myself publicly for the sake of a few likes and followers.



Tier 6--Enough with the book-related tiers. No extra credit allowable for this tier. We've got to reach it by cold hard numbers--followers and likes. If and when that ever hits the 1000 mark, I hereby formally commit to doing the Truffle Shuffle (Hawaiin shirt, plaid pants and all), videoing it, and posting it here for the world to see. (If you're lucky, my dieting will have been going quite poorly at that point.) Not only that, I'll do my best to recreate the following scene from The Goonies, ideally using Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells as special guest stars to fill in for Corey Feldman and Sean Astin. (I haven't talked to them about this idea yet. Also, I live on the opposite side of the country. But if they're up for it, I would be. Dan? Brandon? How 'bout it? Or would there be too big of a fight over who gets to play whom? Or do I need to rope other authors in to do this, because you guys are too cool. What do I have to do to get you to agree? The Truffle Shuffle?)








Note that this final Tier is a long-standing commitment. If I ever hit 1000 points, I will follow through on this. Maybe I'll wish I hadn't decided to when it comes time to film, but oh well. This is my past self telling my future self to suck it up (or in, as the case may be).



So start retweeting and liking. Participate by March 21st at midnight to qualify for whatever rewards are unlocked by then. Other awards will be doled out as they're reached, to whoever qualifies for them at the time.

Blog Tournament Challenge: Win an eCopy of Vodnik!

March Madness time, baby! And faithful reads of the Ramblings know what that means--time for another tournament challenge. I'm going to be running a separate Vodnik-specific contest (details coming later today or tomorrow, hopefully) that will have 2 eCopies of the book up for grabs (2 winners! Can you believe it?), but I wanted to earmark one for the Madness.



Here's how it works. To play, just follow the link below. Create a bracket, join the group (name: Bryce's Ramblings, password: bryce)



Once that's done, sit back and watch the madness unfold. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on who's winning and what the odds are.



That's it. Short. Sweet. To the point.



So click on over and join today! Spread the word. The more, the merrier!



Get in the action now:

Group: Bryce's Ramblings
Password: bryce

Movie Review: Midnight in Paris

Every so often, you watch a movie where you realize early on that you're watching a perfect film for you. A movie that you're going to enjoy and remember for the rest of your life. I don't mean to talk a movie up to much, but this is something that's happened to me on a couple of occasions. For me, it's the equivalent of watching a perfect game pitched in baseball. You just get that sense of rightness--that the movie isn't going to let you down at all.



Naturally, this isn't always the end result. There have been movies that started out so well, only to go so wrong somewhere in between. Other movies mess up the ending, leaving you with a bitter aftertaste, despite how great the rest of the movie was. Yet others finish strong, but didn't manage to pull off the beginning just right.



Midnight in Paris was a perfect movie--for me. I'm not saying that everyone will think it's perfect, but Woody Allen couldn't have created a better film if he'd sat down with me and I listed off everything I like about cinema. It helps, of course, that I tend to really like Woody Allen movies. Bullets over Broadway, Purple Rose of Cairo, Vicky Cristina Barcelona--all fantastic movies, right up my alley. Yes, he's made some stinkers, but I'm always up for an Allen movie, because they're always at least worth discussing.



For those of you who don't know, Midnight in Paris is about an aspiring author who idolizes the writers of the 20s--Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Eliot. He and his not-quite-in-love-with-him fiance take a trip to Paris. He loves it. She? Not so much. He loves it even more when he discovers a way to travel back in time to the 20s each night--to bump elbows with his idols.



I don't want to say much more than that. This is one of those movies that work both as Film (with a capital F) and entertainment. It's got a theme that weaves well with the plot, and it's all very well executed.



The movie is gorgeous to watch--Bluray had it shining. Allen departs from his traditional old-music-with-credits opening to instead insert a long montage of various scenes of modern day Paris. It really helps set the tone for the movie. If you don't want to visit Paris at the end of this film, you don't have a soul.



Why else was it perfect for me? Because it pushed multiple buttons at once: I also love the authors of the 20s. I'm a writer. I've been to Paris and loved it. It's quirky in the same kind of quirky I like. The message resonated with me. (The only thing off? The main character likes walking in the rain, and I--for those who know me-loathe getting wet.)



I really can't recommend this movie enough. If you have a chance to watch this, do so. Four stars out of four.



Anyone seen it? What did you think?

And the Winner of the Groundhog Haiku Contest Is . . .

After 74 votes over the space of a week, some pretty intense campaigning, and allegations of voter fraud, I'm proud to announce a winner of my Groundhog Haiku contest. Ready?




CONGRATULATIONS, CANDIDATE 1--Debbie Kinney-Dearden




Her winning haiku, in its entirety:




A groundhog I am

Call me Punxsutawney Phil

I'll eat your garden




Debbie gets to have a character named after her in my current book, TARNHELM. In fact, I've already picked out the spot for her to reside, and I'm presenting you with her scene in its entirety, right now. (Debbie, your name can appear however you'd like--just let me know.) To give you all some context, the main character (Vee--a new kid in the school) is going up to talk to a girl (Victoria--Miss Popularity). The book's told from Vee's point of view, and he's patterned his life after film noir. So it's supposed to have a sort of Sam Spade flair to the text.





Victoria was surrounded by a court of cheerleaders, with a select few jocks peppered
around the table to make things cordial. I stood in the doorway behind her,
observing for a spell before I spoke to her.

She
was clearly the alpha cheer. Every detail at the table screamed it. The way the
other girls' eyes would flick to her for approval or cues about what to do, the
way she managed the emotions of the group with a flirting smile in one
direction, a well-placed hand on a shoulder, a tiny frown of confusion. No one
at the table was allowed to forget her for a moment. If she could have it her
way, the whole room would be devoted to her.

Their
table sat right in the middle of the cafeteria. Lines for hoagies on one side
and pizza on the other. You couldn't eat a school lunch and not pass by her
coterie. It was almost enough to make a man want to start brown bagging it.

I
left my post by the door and strode over to the table, tapping the doll to
Victoria's right on the shoulder. "You're wanted in the guidance counselor's
office," I said.

The
girl turned and frowned at me. "Excuse me?"

"Guidance
counselor sent me to get you."

"Me?"

"I'm
pretty sure," I said. "What's your name?"

"Debbie Kinney-Dearden."

I
snapped my fingers and pointed at her. "That's the one. They're expecting you."

"Why?"

I
shrugged. "Didn't ask. Not my business."

Debbie got up and grabbed a few books and her purse and then hustled out of the room. I
sat down in her now empty seat. "What are we talking about?" I asked loudly,
smiling at the rest of them.

I
got a sea of disapproval in return, a wall of disgruntled fake noses and
perfect teeth. Victoria defused the situation by laughing. "Everyone, this is
Vee. Vee, this is everyone. He's doing an article about me for the school
newspaper. Weren't we going to do the interview after school today, Vee?"

"Sorry,"
I said. "Must have slipped my mind."

One
of the cheer squad must have taken that as a sign of weakness—a chance to
pounce. "You're not in seventh period lunch," she said, her lip curled up in
revulsion for who knew what reason.

"Beautiful
and observant," I said. "What a winning combination." I turned to Victoria.
"Now if you don't mind, Princess, you and I need to have that interview."

"Now?"
She was still smiling, but there was an edge around her eyes—I didn't know her
well enough to know if it was panic or fear or something else.

"No
time like the present. Would you like to do it here, or is there some place
more . . . comfortable?"

"I
know just the place." She pushed back from the table and stood up. As we left
the room, I heard conversation start back up in her court. No doubt the rumor
mill about us would be churning away happily by now. To the best of my
knowledge, our school didn't even have
a paper.


So there you have it. I won't tell you what the rest of the book's about, but that's a nice sneak peek there as a thank you to all who voted. I'll make sure to keep everybody updated if the book gets picked up for publication. In the meantime, remember: less than a month until Vodnik comes out!

The "New iPad"

Apple just got finished announcing the new iPad (not the iPad 3, it seems. Just "the new iPad," which could get mighty confusing when next year rolls around and you've got the new iPad and the new new iPad. Maybe it would be the new^2 iPad? New iPad Squared? Who knows?)



First off, a run down of the new features:




Better camera--5 megapixels on this puppy, same as on the iPhone. Should be a really significant bump up.
Faster processor--Plenty faster than the iPad 2
Same price--Actually, they're keeping the iPad 2 around, and it's dropping in price to $399 for the base model. So cheaper iPads there, and the new ones are still $499 (for a non-3G, 16GB model)
Better screen--Better than 1080p HD, actually. About on par with the iPhone retina screens. Word is, it'll blow you away. And cook you bacon, which would be nice. I'll have to see this to appreciate it. The screen, not the bacon.
Still 10 hour battery life--Commendable with all the bump up in specifications. Although the new iPad is slightly thicker and slightly heavier as a result. (That 1.5 pounds will be so much heavier than 1.4)
4G speed--If you use the wireless feature, this is supposedly a huge bump up. I'm too cheap to pay for this, so I can't speak to how good it'll be, one way or the other.
Integrated Voice to Text--Another one of those "I'll have to try it out to evaluate it" features. But could be handy. Not Siri, though.
Same cover as iPad 2--No need to buy a new one


They also announced a new 1080p version of Apple TV (naturally just three months after I bought the old one).




So the question then becomes, "Will Bryce buy a new iPad?"




Seeing as how I initially said I wouldn't last year when the iPad 2 came around, then folded and bought one less than a month later . . .




I'd say the odds are good. I just can't tell  you how much I use my iPad. I love love love it. For games, writing, internet, movies, music--it's an inherent part of me. Yes, that means I'm an uber-Geek, but I've given up avoiding that label and embraced it, instead.


Come on in, the water's fine.


That said, if I do buy one (and it's not a foregone conclusion yet), the question then becomes, "What is Bryce going to do with his iPad 1?" Because the iPad 2 will of course go to Denisa, who now has the 1.




I could sell it. That's a possibility. I could also keep it on hand so that when the kids want to use my iPad or Denisa's, they can use it instead. But then again, I'm not sure how I feel about having my 7 year old have his own iPad. Actually--I do know how I feel about it.




I'm against it.




If I do keep it around, it would still be the parents' iPad. The kids could just use it from time to time, as we see fit.




Any of you interested in buying a well-cared for iPad 1?

Read the Beginning of Vodnik--FREE

You know Vodnik? That book I won't shut up about? (That book that comes out this month?) Well, how would you like a chance to actually read the first four chapters, free of charge?



Right now.



That's right, shoppers. For your reading pleasure, you can now check out the beginning of Vodnik over on scribd for free. All you have to do is click this handy little link.



http://www.scribd.com/doc/83955152/Vodnik




and you'll be whisked away to a world where watery creatures collect souls in teacups and where Death is addicted to throat lozenges. You'll also find out the answer to the age-old question: is Vitazoslav really a name? (Well, I can answer that one for you right now, I guess. Yes, it is. And I did not make it up. Interesting story behind that. Did you know that in Slovakia, there's a name calendar? Basically, it's a list of every name in Slovak, each with its own date. (You could theoretically name your kid something different, but everyone would think you were kind of strange, and quite non-traditional.) So naming the characters in Vodnik was relatively easy, at least on the Slovak side. I just went to the name calendar and found one I liked. End of digression.)



Plus, you can see if all the hubbub I've been making about the book is worth it. So come on--give it a try. You know you didn't really want to file that TPS report or make that sprocket. Click click click!



Finally, if you're on Netgalley, you can read the whole darn book right now. (For those of you who don't know, Netgalley is an electronic Advance Reading Copy delivery service for book reviewers, sellers, and librarians. See? There are perks to being a librarian. Beyond the awesomeness of being able to work with books every day.)



And finally finally, be on the lookout for another giveaway in the very near future. Because not all of you are on Netgalley, and I'd like to spread the eARC love.



Tell me what you think once you've read the beginning!

Moving When Growing Up: Permanent Guest Star

I was thinking the other day--as I do from time to time. I was looking at other people's Facebook friends, taking a trip down memory lane. And it was really interesting to find out who was friends with whom still. Who still  kept in touch. There were some people in high school or junior high that I was surprised to see friends on Facebook.



But why was I surprised?



For a couple of reasons. First, when I was in high school, I made the assumption that the world revolves around me. If I didn't know something, it wasn't worth knowing. (Of course, as everyone well knows, this didn't become a reality until 2002, when the United Nations passed an official The World Revolves around Bryce resolution. Which was nice of them, but really unnecessary.) In other words, it didn't occur to me--and still hadn't until the other day--that people might have lives outside of the life I saw them having.




Case in point. In my never-ending Quest to Find People to Play Games With, I reconnected with an old friend from high school. We hung out quite a bit in high school, but it was almost entirely in a band setting. Marching band, Dixie Band, Orchestra, Symphonic Band. I was in some classes with him, too--but most of our interaction was band-related.



We'd had some back and forth over Facebook over the years--mainly still about music-related stuff. Because that's what he was in my head. All about music. I noticed peripherally that he liked to play some Flash games online, but I'm pretty dense when it comes to making actual observations.



And then I discovered the guy actually liked to game. Not only that, he was a gaming fiend. And he'd been one since high school. When I knew him. But I had no idea he liked to game. And now that we play online regularly, I discover he also knows a lot about tech--works for a university, in fact. We've got a lot in common. But since high school, I thought all we had in common was band.



When I see friends being friends with people I didn't even know they knew, let alone were friends with, I have the same sort of epiphany. It happens in day to day life, but it happens even more when I see or talk to old school friends. I think one main reason for this is that I moved around a lot when I was a kid. Until high school, I was never in a school district longer than three years or so. I came into areas where people had grown up their entire lives. They had History there. They'd been friends with some people in elementary school. Some people in middle school.



Not me--I was the permanent guest star.



Buffy analogy here: I was Dawn the entire time. The girl that randomly got inserted into the plot ex nihilo. (Except I wasn't a girl, obviously.) Everyone else in school had past lives. They had a communal sort of memory that went way past me.



I'm not saying that I didn't fit in or anything. I felt well accepted and popular enough--as popular as a guy who played the bassoon could be. :-) I'm just saying that it's different when you move in to a place vs. when you grew up in that place. Different in ways that I'm still discovering today.



My kids have a fair chance of living in just one place the whole time as the grow up. There are some good things about that. They can have life long friends--people they've know their entire lives, other than their family. I don't have that. Do I miss it? Hard to say, since I have no idea what it's like.



There are some disadvantages, as well. I never had the option of growing into the wrong crowd--meaning that because I moved so often, I just kept hitting the reset button on friendships. I would always find friends with similar values and interest to my own, as opposed to having old friends find new interests for me. I'm not sure how often that happens. Again--hard to analyze a way of life so different than the one that I grew up with.



Not really sure where I'm going with this. In the end, it was a train of thought I felt like riding for a while. Does anyone have anything to add? Any of this strike a chord with any of you? What's it like growing up in the same place? How do you view the people who move in? To an extent, I still see the same thing happening in my life today. In my part of Maine, you're either born here, or you're "From away"--and no amount of living here will ever make you native.



Thoughts?

Movie Review: Being Elmo

I'd heard a ton of really good rumblings about Being Elmo, the story about the man behind the muppet--enough that when I saw it pop up on Netflix Instant Watch, I had to see it. No choice about it. Because as much as I'm an old school Sesame Street kind of a guy, I've learned to love Elmo by watching how much my kids love Elmo. (Well DC loves Elmo. TRC never liked Elmo, because "he has no teeth." I don't know what that doesn't disqualify all other Muppets, but there you have it. Elmo. No teeth. Can't be loved.)



So Denisa and I watched the movie last night, and we both really enjoyed it. It's not a perfect documentary, but it comes close enough to count. Kevin Clash is the man in question, and he always wanted to be a puppeteer. His life is an example of a guy who saw what he wanted, and then just dove in with both feet. Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead. And while they don't make documentaries about the people whose lives go down in smoldering flames after living according to that kind of mindset, then do make documentaries about Kevin Clash.



He started making his own puppets. Learning by doing. He was obsessed, and the movie traces how he went from that obsession to where he is today. If you're a Muppet or Sesame Street lover at all, you owe it to yourself to watch this movie.



What did I learn? For one thing, it doesn't hurt to be passionate about something--to force yourself out of your comfort zone in order to attain your dreams. In fact, I'd be willing to say that if you don't force yourself out of that comfort zone, those dreams won't be attained. Dreams don't land in your lap. You have to work for them--and work hard.



I also learned how important it is to pay it forward. Kevin did a ton on his own, but if it weren't for some very open, nurturing individuals in his life, he wouldn't have gotten very far. I really enjoyed seeing how much Kevin does to help new people in the puppeteer industry now. He remembers what it was like, and he's doing his best to do to others what others did for him.



Finally, I learned that I could never be a Muppeteer. They had a scene where Kevin and Elmo greet and comfort a series of Make-a-Wish children. Children whose one wish was to be able to meet Elmo. And he's so good with them--able to just be Elmo and be cheerful and happy and comforting and nurturing and . . . I think would just be breaking down in tears the whole time. And I'm not a guy that cries. It's ironic that in his devotion to helping other children, his own child suffers some in the process--but I'll let the movie illustrate that.



In any case, it's a quick watch--just 76 minutes, as I recall. A very nice, uplifting watch. Highly recommended. 3.5 stars out of 4.

How to Support Vodnik

It's March, people--and that means that the official launch date of Vodnik is just around the corner. Hard to believe that it's finally here! I've had quite a few people ask me what they can do to support the book, and I thought I'd give a comprehensive answer here.



First off, buy it! (I know--pretty obvious, isn't it?) But did you know there are good ways of buying the book and not-as-good ways?



DISCLAIMER: All of this information is just for people who are really interested in this process. If any of you buy the book, I'm very grateful to you--regardless of how you buy it. I appreciate the support. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.



Got that?



Then onward!



When to Buy



First off, one of the key indicators of how well the book performs is first week sales. If those first week sales are strong, then bookstores perk up their ears more than if first week sales were average. In other words, if I'm going to sell 1000 copies, it's better to sell 750 the first week, then 250 the second week than it would be to sell 500 the first week and 500 the second. Make sense? (Even though it probably doesn't--ours is not to question why the book business behaves the way it does. Ours is simply to smile, nod, and buy the first week.)



Where to Buy



So getting the book the first week is a very good thing. (I believe Amazon pre-orders are counted toward first week sales, for what it's worth--but I'm not certain of that.) However, the next question is where to buy it. The answer? In person, at your local bookstore. Yes, Amazon is very convenient, and undoubtedly cheap. But they are also doing their darndest to put other bookstores out of business, and I'm not cool with that. Just this week, one of my local bookstores has gone under, and that's a very sad thing. If you love reading, you want more bookstores out in the wild, not the opposite.



Another nice thing about brick and mortar bookstores is that they pay attention to what people are actually buying. So if you go and find the book's not on the shelves there, ask them to order it for you. They might buy a couple, and then other people will see it on the shelves, and they'll buy more, and THEN EVERYONE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET WILL WANT ONE. Okay, maybe not really, but you get the point. People can't buy my books if they don't see them on the shelves, so the more bookstores that order copies, the more books can be sold.



In addition, if you'd like to support a local, independent bookstore--but don't have a favorite one nearby to support--I've worked out an arrangement with my local indie (Devaney Doak & Garrett). You can buy the book online from them (here), and I'll go by and sign your copy before they mail it to you. So if you want an autographed copy, you can get one. Just leave a comment in the comments section of their order page when you buy it--where you want it sent, and how you'd like it personalized (ie just my signature, or a "To ______" or anything else you'd like me to write in it). You'll pay for the shipping, but you'll get the signature. And you'll be support an independent bookstore out in Maine.



(And on a side note, while most author's royalties are based off of the cover price of the book, mine are based off the actual sales price. So if you pay more for the book, you can at least be reassured that I get more for that sale. Doesn't that make you feel better?)



If you absolutely want to buy it on Amazon, then buy it through the many links I have to it on my site. Links like this one. Why? Because it links to my Amazon account, and I get extra money from the sale. Money which then allows me to focus on writing more books. Honest. I swear. Hey--if The Man's going to get your money, why not make sure they get as little of it as possible?



What Else You Can Do




Of course, there's always more you can do (besides buying more books to give to all your many friends and relations). For one thing, you can go to your local public library (you do have a card, right?) and ask them to buy the book. A lot of people don't realize that public libraries pay a lot of attention to what their patrons want to read. If you ask them to buy something (not just my book), they often will. They have budgets set aside for just that purpose. More of my books in libraries mean more of my books read. It's a circle of readers, and anything we can do to help that circle grow is a good thing.



You can also help promote the book. Word of mouth is key. Anything you can do to help other people hear about the book is great. Here are some ideas:




Write an Amazon review once you've read it. This is huge. Lots of people and libraries use Amazon to do research for which books to buy (even if they end up buying the books somewhere else). We've all been on Amazon and seen a book with one or two reviews and that's it. If you see a book with a lot of (hopefully good) reviews, then you automatically think more of the book. Go figure. It also helps if the reviews are well-thought out and not obvious shills. I don't want you to lie about the book. But if you read it and genuinely like it, please do review it.
Write a review on the book's Goodreads page. Lots of readers on that site. The more positive buzz there, the better. If you're not a member of Goodreads, sign up--it's quick and easy to do, and it's a great site for people who love reading. Even if all you do is give it a 4 or 5 star rating and don't write an actual review, it still helps. (Though of course you'll give it 5 stars, because it's The Best Book in the History of Mankind. Well--religious holy texts excepted, I suppose.)
Blog about the book
Share the book on Facebook or Twitter
Tell your friends how awesome it is, and how they must buy a copy for them and their dog. (Makes an excellent chew toy!)
See if your local school wants to have me come visit--or do a Skype visit. I'm happy to do either. (Well, if your local school isn't very . . . local to me, then I think I'd rather do the Skype visit. But still.)
Like the book's Facebook page (
https://www.facebook.com/vodnikbook)--and share it on Facebook
Really--anything you can do to make the book more visible helps.


So there you go--plenty of ways to support the book in the coming months. You can start by sharing this post with others. :-)




Thanks again for all the interest and support, people--I really appreciate it!

Groundhog Haiku Finalists--Vote Now!

Here we are. The moment you've all been waiting for. We had twelve Official Entrants for the contest, and it's up to me to pick the top five for you to vote for. Tough calls--some were really good, but I had to disqualify them for failing to follow the 5/7/5 syllable pattern. If I didn't select your entry, it's not because I don't love you. It's because I'm a cold, ruthless individual who has no heart.



The winner gets a named character in my next book (currently in draft form): TARNHELM.



Here's how voting's going to work. Everybody gets one vote. You can only vote by leaving a comment on this post. Rigging the vote is encouraged--get as many of your friends to vote for you as you can. The more the merrier. All I ask is that you respect the one person/one vote rule--you're on your honor. (And yes, you can vote for your own entry.) Voting closes at midnight in one week (March 7th).



Got that? Any questions?



So without further ado, here are the candidates, in random order. May the best haiku win.




Candidate 1

A groundhog I am

Call me Punxsutawney Phil

I'll eat your garden 




Candidate 2

Groundhog Day is here.

Quit messing with my winter,

Brown and furry rat.




Candidate 3

O shadow watcher,

The earth spins on its axis,

But you summon spring. 




Candidate 4

Looking from my lair

Unbroken clouds fill the sky.

Daffos soon will dil!





Candidate 5

Groundhog, take a bribe?

For the love of sunshine warm,

Don't see your shadow!