Coffee Chat 5.0 with Author S.K. Anthony: It's Giveaway Time!

It's Thursday and we're back, this time with coffee and . . . a guest! Author Debra Ann Miller is joining us this week to help us promote our latest and greatest idea: the "Share the Love" Valentine's Day giveaway!

Team Lynda (which is what I've decided to call it since it's my blog) has gotten together and is contributing some wonderful prizes for you to win through a Rafflecopter giveaway that will end at midnight on February 13, 2014.

You'll have a chance—many chances, in fact—at being one of the lucky recipients of goodies from a bunch of people who love me enough to send me money on a regular basis. More details on that (the giveaway, not the money) later in this post.

For now, I'll introduce our guest. Debra Ann Miller is the author of Descended, Ascended, and work-in-progress Transcended, all books in the Fallen Guardian Saga. Although she doesn't drink coffee [feel free to insert a loud gasp here], S.K. and I have decided we like her anyway, and have permitted her to drink tea. Unfortunately, Deb has insisted that we call her Queen Mum every time she lifts her teacup. I suppose it's the price we pay for having such a charming, cultured guest, so I'm going with it.

ER: So hey there, S.K. and Mum! I'm glad to have you both here today so we can talk about fun stuff. 

QM: Of course! I've always wanted to have a princess tea party.

SKA: Hey-hey, Lynda! And welcome, Mum. I'll let you both know that I had a sigh of relief when I found out you were having tea, Deb. I wasn't feeling the "sharing my coffee" thing this morning, to be honest. 

ER: I didn't want to be the first to say it, but yes, I was looking at that coffee pot and thinking, Nope. Not enough for three. I even thought about distracting QM by sending her down the hall for a spoon or something, but she came through and wasn't greedy. Bonus points for the queen!

OK, the giveaway thing. Have either of you ever done giveaways before, or entered any yourself?

SKA: Yes and yes. And I've won! Woohoo! Go ahead girls, celebrate with me. 

QM: I've entered several giveaways but don't have the luck of the Irish on my side . . . only in my blood. On the flip side, I've held one as well. It was really cool to have people enter a contest to win a book that I, the Queen Mum, wrote!

And woot woot to you, S.K.! I'll try to remember my etiquette with regard to your winnings.

ER: S.K., I remember when you won that cool necklace from Brandon Ax's giveaway for Elemental. I wanted that pretty bad. Maybe we should have him over for coffee some week and he'll want to give me jewelry, too.

For awhile, I was on a roll with entering giveaways and winning books on Goodreads. I didn't enter more than a dozen, but I won four books in rapid succession. One of them was D.R. Shoultz's Melting Sand, which I did a review for on this blog.  

Mum, what type of giveaways are your favorite? Would you rather win a book, or a gift certificate, or a year's supply of Turtle Wax or Rice-a-Roni, or what?

QM: It depends. I think it should fit the blog and the topic. If it's a book blogger, then I'd expect to see a book, or a Nook, or a fish on a hook.

ER: I think I'd worry if I won a fish on a hook, but you never know. It might have been a really great contest to suck me into the whole fish-on-a-hook excitement.

QM: Any Dr. Seuss fans in the house? Maybe I should slow down on the sipping here; my analogies are misunderstood. I'm just saying, the prize should complement the contest.

ER: But you know, if I really liked fish, with or without hooks, that might be a pretty awesome contest.

QM: With that in mind, maybe we should check out Trip Advisor and see what kind of giveaways they're offering. Hmm, a plane, or a train, or a sweet ticket to Maine?

ER: Well, S.K. seems to be the contest-winner among us, and I'll bet she has a fish on a hook somewhere in her prize collection. She's won everything else lately. In fact, S.K., didn't you just win two contests in December alone?

QM: Did I mention, I've won NOTHING . . . EVER?? Just checking . . . continue please . . .

[ER looks around frantically to see where SK has gone, while trying to casually slide the teapot out of the Queen Mum's reach.]

SKA: A fish on a hook! I didn't win that, but someone once gave us a fish with a hook holding a tiny clock . . . for our office desk. Umm, no. Sweet, though. I guess . . . Want it, Mum?

Lynda, yes! I won the Fire Elemental necklace during the Ashes release (second book in The Light Bringer's Saga). We can nudge him and see if you'll "win" something. You too, Mum. You've won my heart, but maybe that's not enough. [Shrugs.]

More recently, I won two awesome giveaways. One was from author Tara Tyler: I won a signed paperback of her debut novel, Pop Travel, a bookmark, and a cool bracelet that's featured in the book. And the other one was from our very own Stephen Fender. I won the signed set of the Kestrel Saga (The Army of Light, Icarus, and Second Earth), a custom T-shirt, and some delicious treats from Sisters Baking Company. 

ER: So I'm thinking the best strategy at this point would be to have S.K. enter all the contests for us from this point on, right?

QM: I'd like to second that motion! [Raises tea cup in salute, a bit unsteady but sincere nonetheless.]

ER: We've created a monster!

SKA: But we love it!

ER: About those contests . . .

SKA: You know . . . Now I won't share! I tried winning the lottery . . . and that didn't happen. Bummer. But sure, I can enter for you guys. IF you stop saying I suck for winning!

ER: Ahem . . . the contest, remember? We're doing a giveaway! And we have some really great prizes that will provide something for everyone, from S.K. Anthony, Easy Reader Editing, Raymond Esposito, Stephen Fender, our own Queen Mum, Debra Ann Miller, Sisters Bakery, and YourBetaReader. Why don't you tell our readers what they can win and how they can win it, S.K.?

SKA: Well, I'm not sure how else to say this, but they can win by, um . . . entering? [Laughing hysterically . . . alone . . .]  Sorry, I had to. [Clears throat.]

Okay, so back to business. We have a little Rafflecopter that you can read, click, share, etc.

You can win:

• GRAND PRIZE: 1 signed copy of Descended, 1 signed copy of Kinetic with swag pack, 1 signed copy of You and Me Against the World (limited edition), 1 signed copy of The Army of Light packaged with 1 bag of Rain City Crunch {US only}
• THE EDITOR'S PAY IT FORWARD DEAL: You and a friend of your choosing will each receive a 20% discount on a full copy edit and/or proofreading services from Easy Reader Editing, AND a separate 20% discount on a content/substantive edit from Sarah YourBetaReader.
• (2 winners) FOR THE eBOOK LOVERS: 1 copy of Descended and Ascended, 1 copy of Kinetic, 1 copy of You and Me Against the World and 1 copy of All Our Foolish Schemes 
• (2 winners) The Fallen Guardian Saga, Books 1 & 2: Descended and Ascended {US only}
• (1 winner) The Kestrel Saga: signed copy of The Army of Light and 1 bag of Rain City Crunch {US only}
• (4 winners) The Creepers Saga, Book 1: You and Me Against the World {US only}
• (3 winners) The Luminaries Series: signed copy of Kinetic with Swag Pack (notebook, pen & bookmark) {US only}

Let us know if you're an author or just a lovely reader (authors, you're lovely too; calm down!) so we can make sure we don't end up with a reader winning an editing package. Imagine how confused we'll make the poor dears when we try to edit their thoughts. No bueno. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And if you think these prizes are awesome, wait until you see what you could have won. Ready? Okay, Lynda, take it over!

ER: Well . . . I've got to tell everyone, we had a whole different list of prizes. After searching high and low through our houses, we came up with a pile of goodies that rivaled any ancient treasure. In fact, we came to think of it as the Mother of All Prizes. Had we gone with our first choices, you could have won these lovely things: one like-new VCR; one 13" TV with built-in VCR for Pong; one Pong; one StarTac cell phone; one Walkman that only stops every five minutes when walking slowly; some 1979 issues of MAD Magazine; one JVC camcorder with VHS tapes; one life-size velvet Hasselhoff portrait with Labrador puppies; one unread copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People; one handful of Scrabble letters that spell ERMAGAWD I LUV WINGER TOO; one mix tape of favorite Liberace songs; one empty box of Thin Mints.

This was a terrific group effort, but we came to realize we'd love giving the items much, much more than anyone would love winning them. Thus, the second—and final—giveaway list was created.

What are you waiting for? Share the love!


You can find everyone in the following places:
S.K. Anthony: www.skanthony.com
Easy Reader Editing: you are here. :)
Raymond Esposito: writinginadeadworld.com
Stephen Fender: www.stephenfender.com
Debra Ann Miller: debraamiller.blogspot.com
Sisters Baking Company: www.sistersbaking.com
Sarah YourBetaReader: yourbetareader.blogspot.com