A Giveaway....

So last week, I reported that we’d have a giveaway today, rain or shine. Let first assure you that if you’ve stopped by in hopes of scoring some nifty swag, you’ve come to the right place. Yes, this post is a runningwithletters giveaway kickoff…just not the item I previewed last week.

Let me explain. The plan was for me to download some possibly wonderful digital scrapbooking software, play around with it, whip up a cool layout,and post it along with the chance for one of my followers to get the same software. Sounds straightforward and simple, right? Well, because things have been just a little crazy around here lately, I blocked off a couple hours with the hopes of cranking the whole thing out in one shot: download, layout, post. Not a bad plan…except that I hit trouble with the download and the rep with which I was working answered a week old email from me, rather than the 2 desperate pleas I emailed in hopes of getting the bug worked out in time to keep the promotion going as planned. Depending on if, when, and most importantly, what, I hear back from this company, this may or may not be a promotion we re-visit later, but, as you can see, I was left with, at a minimum, a short term conundrum. I promised you all a giveaway…today, on a rain date, nonetheless! What to do, what to do…

Now, before you picture me rummaging through the goodwill bag from my recent closet clean out, or ransacking the pantry looking for an extra pound of coffee or some leftover Halloween candy to share, let me assure you that my backup plan is better than that. See, I had something I was going to share with you next week, and I’ve decided on an early deployment. Some of you may know that I am writing a YA series set at summer camp—stories of first loves, second chances, and lives changed forever. A reviewer for the first book, The Chrysalis, called it “witty, incisive, and a joy to read,” but for me, these books are a collection of distilled experiences from the 16 years of youth work that I shared a couple weeks ago on my guest post for Jade’s Pinnacle Moments Series.

So what am I offering here? How about a pair of the first two books, The Chrysalis, and its sequel, Drink the Rain, which chronicle the humorous misadventures of Christina's first summer away from home, and her resulting adventure to South Africa. These books make wonderful holiday gifts for the teen girls in your lives, and I will happily sign the set to whomever the winner would like. (psst...moms and 20-somethings tell me they love the books, too) To enter the giveaway, make sure you are following this blog, and simply write a comment below. I will randomly select from the entries and announce the winner on Friday morning.

And that’s not all! If you act fast, you can double your chances of winning over at my facebook page (see the little icon over on the left hand side of the screen? I promised to giveaway a set when I reached my first 50 “likes” and, at press time, I am hovering at 46…so hop on over. As an aside, both of these books are available in kindle and nook editions—check out the new cover on The Chrysalis…I pretty much love it.

Thanks for stopping by and for your patience...