Literature and Poetry Reviews, Home of the Virtual Poetry Circle
Out of 16 entrants, Randomizer.org selected #4 Scottsgal as the winner of MAX by James Patterson.
Out of 19 entrants, Randomizer.org selected #7 Esme of Chocolates & Croissants as the winner of Rubies in the Orchard by Lynda Resnick.
Thanks to everyone who entered. I’ve sent both winners an email and look forward to receiving your mailing addresses.
Have a great week everyone.
Out of the nearly 100 entrants to my 2-year blogiversary giveaway, which spanned about 5 weeks, Randomizer.org selected these winners:
#2 Pam won the BEA swag (i.e. Book Club Girl Bag, Garth Stein swag, and surprises)
#27 Rebecca Cox won the scrapbooking kit
#63 Chris won The Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel (click to check out my review)
#38 Keyomi of A Roller-Coaster Called Life won The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (click for my review)
#22 Anna of Diary of an Eccentric won The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris (click for my review)
#69 Katrina of Wakeboarding Mama won Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly (click for my review)
#83 Jennifer of Literate Housewife won Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
# 50 Erica won Cross by James Patterson
#43 Dag888888 won Double Cross by James Patterson
#30 Debb of Debb’s Dailies won Cross Country by James Patterson
Thanks to everyone who participated and entered. I appreciate your comments, dedication, and conversation. I hope everyone enjoys their prizes.
It’s the final few days of the 2-year blogiversary quote challenge here at Savvy Verse & Wit.
All you have to do is tell me who said this quote.
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
Check out some of my recent D.C. Literature Examiner articles and leave a few comments for additional entries.
Deadline for the giveaway is July 11, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
What you need to know:
1. Comment on this post with the answer to the quote.
2. Comment on this post about why you follow/read this blog.
3. Comment on this post about when you first started following this blog–an approximation.
4. Leave a link on this post to one of your favorite Savvy Verse & Wit posts.
5. Stay tuned for a new quote each week for another chance to enter.
Also, check out the Quote Challenge for the blogiversary, here and here and here.
Just two weeks to go in the Savvy Verse & Wit 2-year blogiversary Quote Challenge. I wish everyone luck. Here’s a list of prizes in case you have missed earlier posts or forgotten:
1. Book Club Girl canvas bag with surprise gifts.
2. A scrapbooking kit
3. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
4. The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
6. Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly
7. Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
8. Cross by James Patterson
9. Double Cross by James Patterson
10. Cross Country by James Patterson
OK, here’s the latest quote:
“The kiss originated when the first male reptile licked the first female reptile, implying in a subtle, complimentary way that she was as succulent as the small reptile he had for dinner the night before.”
All you have to do is leave a comment with who said the above quote.
Deadline for the giveaway is July 11, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
What you need to know:
1. Comment on this post with the answer to the quote.
2. Comment on this post about why you follow/read this blog.
3. Comment on this post about when you first started following this blog–an approximation.
4. Leave a link on this post to one of your favorite Savvy Verse & Wit posts.
5. Stay tuned for a new quote each week for another chance to enter.
If you’ve missed the earlier quote challenge posts, check them out here, here, and here.
As part of the continued celebration here at Savvy Verse & Wit for my second blogiversary, I’d thought I would share with you some of my favorite reviews. Check them out, here and here. Have you read these books yet? What’s stopping you?
OK, are you ready for another quote challenge?
“We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.”
Deadline for the giveaway is July 11, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
What you need to know:
1. Comment on this post with the answer to the quote.
2. Comment on this post about why you follow/read this blog.
3. Comment on this post about when you first started following this blog–an approximation.
4. Leave a link on this post to one of your favorite Savvy Verse & Wit posts.
5. Stay tuned for a new quote each week for another chance to enter.
***Update 6/24/09 at 1:45 PM***
Hatchette Group has kindly offered to add to my Blogiversary prize list. Here are the new books up for grabs: Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly, and the following from James Patterson: Along Came a Spider, Cross, Double Cross, and Cross Country
Does this give you more incentive to try your hand at the Quote Challenge?
Here are your other chances to win:
As part of the continued celebration here at Savvy Verse & Wit for my second blogiversay, I wanted to pinpoint some of my older posts.
Let’s start with a couple of poetry posts where I examine a few poems published in Poetry magazine, here and here.
Also check out this post, here, for a couple poems from Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Coney Island of the Mind.
OK, now for another chance to enter the 2-year Savvy Verse & Wit blogiversary. Just leave a comment with who said the following quote:
“My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music.”
Also, I wanted to show you some of the goodies that have been added to the giveaway prize list:
If you missed the first quote entry, check it out here.
Deadline for the giveaway is July 11, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
What you need to know:
1. Comment on this post with the answer to the quote.
2. Comment on this post about why you follow/read this blog.
3. Comment on this post about when you first started following this blog–an approximation.
4. Leave a link on this post to one of your favorite Savvy Verse & Wit posts.
5. Stay tuned for a new quote each week for another chance to enter.
Also, you have about 24 hours to enter the Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn giveaway, go here.
Thanks to all of you who entered to win Holly’s Inbox by Holly Denham. Out of 78 entrants, Randomizer.org was tasked with selecting one winner.
The number selected was #66 and the winner is:
Lisa of Books Lists Life
Congrats to Lisa; I’ve already sent your address to the publisher.
Still interested in some giveaways, check out my 2-year blogiversary giveaway, here, and the Secrets to Happiness giveaway, here.
I bet you’re wondering what those pictures are all about. You’ll just have to keep reading to find out.
Savvy Verse & Wit turns two years old on June 12, and the blog has gone through a number of changes since I began. Why am I making this announcement today? Well, it’s simply because I have two book tours scheduled for June 11 and 12.
Savvy Verse & Wit now has its own DOT COM address, the look has changed, and the content has grown. Thanks to all of you readers that have stuck with me over the last two years, and welcome to those new readers who have recently or not-so-recently discovered Savvy Verse & Wit.
Ok, the photos. These are just some of the prizes up for grabs.
The first is a Book Club Girl canvas bag, which I snagged at Book Expo America, which I have stuffed with some cute little writing helpers, some Garth Stein swag, and some surprise items.
Second is the Scrapbooking kit, which can go one of two ways. You can either provide me with .JPG images and I will create a scrapbook original for you or you can simply win the kit and make your own. I’ll leave that bit up to the winner.
A third prize is still in the works, and perhaps some smaller prizes.
Since the deadline for this giveaway is far off–July 11–I’ve decided to make it a rolling entry.
Each week, there will be a post with a quotation, and you will have to guess who said it.
You get one entry for each correct guess, plus entries for comments on this post about why you follow Savvy Verse & Wit, when you first started following (this can be an approximate date or number of months/years), and a link to one of your favorite posts from Savvy Verse & Wit.
So, here’s the first quote that you need to guess the speaker of:
“An asylum for the sane would be empty in America.”
Deadline for the giveaway is July 11, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
What you need to know:
1. Comment on this post with the answer to the quote.
2. Comment on this post about why you follow/read this blog.
3. Comment on this post about when you first started following this blog–an approximation.
4. Leave a link on this post to one of your favorite Savvy Verse & Wit posts.
5. Stay tuned for a new quote each week for another chance to enter.
Also, check out my Holly Denham Giveaway, which ends tonight.
Good Luck everyone!
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for Reunion by Therese Fowler. There was some stiff competition, but out of 42 entrants, Randomizer.org selected #16:
The winner is Jo-Jo of Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!!
Congrats to you, Jo-Jo.
Check out my current giveaway:
1 copy of Holly’s Inbox by Holly Denham, here; Deadline is June 10, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
Out of 50 entrants to the Hatchette/Savvy Verse & Wit giveaway of Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton giveaway, Randomizer.org selected # 22, #27, #42
The winners are:
Softdrink from Fizzy Thoughts
Marie Lay
Margot of Joyfully Retired
I’ve emailed the winners, so get those addresses in!
Thanks to everyone who entered, there are still more books up for grabs; Check out these giveaways:
1 copy of Reunion by Therese Fowler, here; Deadline is June 4, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
1 copy of Holly’s Inbox by Holly Denham, here; Deadline is June 10, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
I want you to welcome Holly Denham, also known as Bill Surie, to Savvy Verse & Wit. Sourcebooks also is offering 1 copy for one U.S. or Canadian reader of my blog; check out the details below. Now, please welcome Holly Denham, author of Holly’s Inbox.
My favorite character in Holly’s Inbox is Granny. She is very much like my own Granny who was for ever finding new and exciting ways to terrorize my mother. When Holly’s parents moved to Spain, Granny had to be ‘involuntarily re-housed’ as she put it and from there on she made it her duty to cause as much mischief and mayhem as possible.
The book came from the website – www.hollysinbox.com (which is once again live and following Holly’s story). The emails appear in ‘real time’ and therefore give a very real feel to her life.
When the site was first launched we set up email accounts for the characters, and as the story progressed and readers became emotionally involved, we began to receive an awful lot of mail directly through to the characters, some complimentary… some rather abusive. Without giving too much away one character in particular stirred up so much emotion that someone once said they were getting into their car right that minute, heading down the motorway to hunt them down and rip their head off – as no one treated ‘their Holly’ like that. Holly’s Inbox deals with many social issues you would find in offices across the world, it should make you laugh (a lot) (although if it doesn’t make you laugh I’ll now look like an idiot) (Oh stuff it – it’s funny so there you go) but it also takes you on a journey which at times can be very sad. I can’t just sit here typing about how fabulous it is, I could, but I imagine the lovely Lori wouldn’t let me. I hope the angry reader managed to calm down before they reached the motorway because London really is a very big place to be searching for fictitious characters lurking in my imagination. However I’m glad there are nice people out there willing to stand up for Holly.
The idea for the site came one day when we had to trawl through an ex-employees work email account. The woman in question was single, extremely flirtatious and had always loved us to bits. We discovered she was married with four children, and couldn’t stand the sight of us. The life she was leading was so full of mystery, intrigue, romance (and many many lies) that it made me wonder what it would be like to read a story told in this way.
I began writing and quickly commissioned a fantastic website developer and together we began working out a way of getting the story across by emails. All I wanted was a way of attracting more receptionists to our agency, and this seemed to be the answer.
An email went out to 90,000 people telling them NOT to visit Hollysinbox.com because unscrupulous IT hacks had posted a live email account of a fellow employee onto the web in total disregard of our privacy laws.
We said – if she was working for your company it was essential you let her know NOW! Before the world discovered what she really thought about her co-workers.
Holly’s Inbox follows the life of Holly Denham a new receptionist on the front desk of an investment bank in London. She attempts to retain her sanity, whilst juggling some rather surreal characters in both her personal and work life. Between her gossipy co-workers, supervisors breathing down her neck, and some intriguing emails from a flirtatious VP, Holly is in for more than she ever imagined. And when a secret from her past makes an unwelcome appearance, Holly’s unsure if she has what it takes to survive the corporate workplace.
As the story reached it’s climax I began to panic. The site would be over and I had no idea what I was going to do next, so I began emailing as many agents as possible the web link; without knowing what I wanted from them. At last a wonderful fabulous woman replied and told me it would work in a book… and it did. Holly’s Inbox has now been translated into 6 different languages but the one place I had always dreamed about being published was of course the USA, and Sourcebooks have at last let me achieve this dream!!!!
Out of interest the character with the most mail was Granny – as it should be.
About the Author:
Bill Surie is the owner of a placement service for receptionists and secretaries in London. He started the www.HollysInbox.com as a place to serialize his first novel. His second novel is now in the works and currently lives in England and Spain with his wife and daughter. You can also find Holly on facebook and twitter!
Giveaway Information: (U.S. and Canada residents only, no P.O. Boxes)
1. Enter a comment on this post for one entry
2. Blog, tweet, or spread the word about the giveaway
3. Follow this blog or let me know if you already do.
Deadline June 10, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!
Holly’s Inbox was reviewed by:
Diary of an Eccentric (check out Bill’s guest post)
Don’t forget these great giveaways:
3 copies of Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton, here; Deadline is June 3, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.
1 copy of Reunion by Therese Fowler, here; Deadline is June 4, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
Now that I’m back from Book Expo America, I am here to announce the winners for a couple of giveaways.
Out of 42 entrants for the C.M. Mayo signed copy of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, Randomizer.org selected #33.
Congrats to Vera of Luxury Reading
Out of the 53 entrants for George Rabasa’s The Wonder Singer, Randomizer.org selected #14 and #23.
The winners of the two copies are:
Claire of Kiss a Cloud and Pam
I have emailed all the winners.
Don’t forget these great giveaways:
3 copies of Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton, here; Deadline is June 3, 2009, 11:59 PM EST.
1 copy of Reunion by Therese Fowler, here; Deadline is June 4, 2009, 11:59 PM EST
