Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The WILDEFIRE Olympics Day 3: Pay-it-Forward Day

This is me autographing copies of WILDEFIRE at a toddler table in toddler seat at Brookline Booksmith. I felt like I was in Gulliver's Travels.

When it gets to be one season, or one month, or one week, or one day before your book's launch, it's easy to get swept up in the frenzy of full-blown self-promotion mode. You spend two years of your life writing, and rewriting, and revising, and nurturing this 393-page creature, and it's only natural as you're finally releasing it out into the world to do everything you can to ensure that it soars as high as it can.

But sooner or later you have to take a step back and come to terms with a few things:
1) Even with a few thousand twitter followers and facebook friends, even with the amazing continued support and enthusiasm of the book-blogging community, you're only reaching a microcosm of the people who will eventually read your book. And that's great.
2) If you talk about your book or the craft of writing constantly, all you'll end up with is a hoarse, scratchy voice, and that makes it awfully difficult to do book readings.
3) You're not just a reader, but a writer, and you're time is better spent sharing with others the books that you love.

So today, I give you day 3 of the WILDEFIRE Olympics: Pay-it-Forward Day. All you have to do for today's task is to go out and do something nice for a (non-Wildefire) book that you love. You can do anything: Write a nice review for it and post it on GoodReads, Amazon, and B&N. Go like or comment on a handful of thoughtful well-written reviews for it. Surprise a friend by mailing or ordering them a copy of a great novel. Then just post in the comments below what you did and what book you did it for. (Selfishly, my ulterior motive is to hear some summer reading recommendations from you).

My wholehearted recommendation to you today is one of my favorites from 2011: WITCH EYES by Scott Tracey.

If you want a glimpse into what makes WITCH EYES one of the fall's best upcoming paranormal romances, take a gander at this teaser from chapter 2:

There was a moment where time seemed to fracture, a crystalline snapshot of the world where Uncle Jonathan had started raising his arm, his face full of fear and alarm. Where motes of sunlight lay poised above me, and the westerly breeze was tangible and tangled up against my skin. It was as if the world around me had called a time out.

Then the landscape expanded into something larger than four dimensions, the binding boiled itself down to an alphabet of magic, and the visions swallowed me up.

Elegant prose. Explosive magic. A fresh, seductive romance. And hellhounds. What more do you want?

Witch Eyes won't hit bookstores until September, but one lucky reader who participates in Pay-it-Forward Day and posts below will win a signed ARC. And of course you'll be entered to win one of the two 16x20-inch WILDEFIRE canvas prints I'll be drawing on Sunday.

So go do something nice for a great book, then head back here and let me know what you did. As with the other day, you can comment below anytime between now and Sunday July 31st when I draw the winners. To wrap up, as usual, I give you a flashback video from Karsten's Greatest Hits.



17 comments:

  1. I LOVED Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren. I recommended it to every single one of my Goodreads friends. I also asked my friend to order it when she offered to donate a prize for my Birthday Palooza Blog Event for a giveaway.

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  2. Nice! HaHa. They should have included that pick up line in the movie Hall Pass. It is priceless!

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  3. How strange that you chose Witch Eyes for today's shout out. I happened to review it today. But that doesn't count. Though I did "Like" a bunch of other reviewers reviews on Goodreads now that I can finally stalk reviews.

    For my pay it forward, I am surprising another blogger with a set of Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers books as she hasn't had a chance to read them yet and I know how much she wants to.

    And I am paying forward my ARC of Witch Eyes so it can get another early review, though it makes me sad to say goodbye to it.

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  4. this is not a pay it forward post, but i have to say...I HATE IT WHEN BOOKSTORES PUT A STICKER ON THE BEAUTIFUL COVER OF A BOOK! there, i've said it, although this rant was not meant to yell at u, but the bookstore. becuz your cover is beautiful and the book cover too.;) hehe was that a pick-up line??? (I think it was).

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  5. Okay, now for the "pay it forward" post. I am a HUGE M Stiefvater fan! I love her books. If Scott Tracey needed a copy of his own book, I would say he should win the "pay it forward" competition because he sent me his ARC of Forever, which I am sending to my sister. and therein lies my entry.

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  6. I don't know that I can pay it forward to just one book or even 1 series of books. There are so many good summer reads.

    My first choice is Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. She combines urban fantasy with normal teenage problems.

    But then there is Cinda Chima. Both of her book series are great - a combination of cultures both old and new. Mystery and so much more.

    And then there is Cassandra Clare - another great writer of book series. She has 2 and I adore both the infernal devices and mortal instruments series.

    No - I can't pick a favorite.

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  7. I completely agree to the person above! Too many choices to just pick one!!!
    But for pay it forward, I loaned a copy of "White Cat" by Holly Black to various friends (who all also enjoyed it) and gave it to my sister (though I haven't heard her verdict on it).

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  8. I gifted my mom not one, but TWO Kindle books--one was called Bittersweet and the other, uh, looked good. :)

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    P.S. Love the toddler table pic. :)

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  9. i just sent a package off to my friend containing Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini, Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky AND Wildefire. Because I talk about Wildefire so much she wanted to read it - and I threw in the extras because they're awesome and I think she'll love them.

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  10. I just recently finished Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers. I loved it! I wrote a tiny review for a group I'm in on Goodreads, and I tweeted my love for it. I also pet my book. It's very soft. *eyes Original Sin* Excuse me while I go..... *coos* Who's a pretty book.... :-D

    lyssad87(at)gmail(dot)com

    (It's really cool that you can go around and sign your books. How awesome would it be if my copy of Wildefire was signed!)

    Squeee! I just realized Wildefire loves to be pet too! *whispers to Wildefire* Don't tell Original Sin, but you might be my new favorite. Shhh..... (I'm just glad I don't do this at the bookstore. Haha.)

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  11. I posted on my FB that everyone needs to read Wildefire and The Shining, I tagged you in the post so you can see it, but that is my pay-it-forward.

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  12. I posted a review of Small Town Sinners today by Melissa Walker. I loved this contemp and can't wait to read more from her!

    http://www.bookscompleteme.com/2011/07/review-small-town-sinners-by-melissa.html

    Cindy, NH
    cindythomaswrites (at) gmail (dot) com

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  14. I just handed my ARC of How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr to my friend and fellow book reviewer Lorettajo. So hard to pass it off, but it was such an amazing book, it deserves another review.

    Later today, I will be taking my childhood favorite book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein on a play date with my favorite childhood tree friend Maple, who was also cut down to a stump a few years back. i think the two have a lot in common and they will see that life CAN go on, even after you've lost everything.

    I actually wrote a picture book about Maple when I was little and a blog post about her last year: http://witnessingtruth.blogspot.com/2010/07/trees-whisper-answers.html

    Sera Rivers
    writeloudly@me.com

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  15. I convinced my mom to borrow and read a David Sedaris book. I hope that works out.

    -steve k
    Boston Ma
    Peronist@hotmail.com

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  16. I wrote a review for the last book of the Skinjacker Trilogy: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/137671974

    Naseoul Lee
    naseoullee@gmail.com

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  17. Was WILDEFIRE 90,000 words? What about EMBERS & ECHOES?

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