World Book Night Book WINNERS!

As promised, here are the winners of the World Book Night Book Giveaway:

1.  Lauren Gilbert
2.  Janie Franz
3. Sheena-kay Graham

Also, because there was a lot of sharing going on, I decided to give away several additional copies of the book.  So emrose415 and mittensmorgul, you get a copy, too.  To receive your copy, please email me, within the next seven (7) days, at gingerlovinmind (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know the address where you want it sent. 

I appreciate everyone who shared and spread the word.

So, 'fess up, what how did you celebrate World Book Night?

 

World Book Night Give Away: A Handmaid's Tale

April 23rd is WORLD BOOK NIGHT.  This is my second year as a Book Giver, and I am getting excited about the idea of handing over free books, with no strings attached, to unsuspecting people.  As its website explains, "World Book Night U.S. is a celebration of books and reading held on April 23, when 25,000 passionate volunteers across America give a total of half a million books within their communities to those who don’t regularly read. In 2012, World Book Night was celebrated in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, and Germany and saw over 80,000 people gift more than 2.5 million books."

I am proud to be a World Book Night giver again this year, and I will be giving away "The Handmaid's Tale," by Margaret Atwood.  To celebrate, I will be giving away three (3) copies of the book here on my blog.  If you are interested in winning one of the copies, all you need to do to enter is to share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr and then let me know in the comments below.  Three winners will be chosen at random, and I will announce the winners on April 24th and you will have one week to email me your address for mailing.  Any unclaimed books will be donated to the local shelter.

 

If you haven't already read the book, here is the teaser from the World Book Night page:

 In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once a scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force for the mature and adventurous reader.
 

I gave away several books on my blog last year, and I also handed out free copies on my lunch hour to strangers walking around downtown.  It is amazing the suspicion that free things evoke in people.  So many seemed scared to accept a free gift.  Some refused it.  Others, however, lit up when I approached them.  Maybe I was the first person to acknowledge them, to actually see them in a long while. 

So many people seemed to walk with their heads down, reluctant to make eye contact, their hands preoccupied with electronic devices or stuffed defensively in their pockets.  Just getting them to look up took and engage took a herculean effort.  But when they finally did slow down and look up, they seemed eager to talk, to receive my gift and to give back with their time, their own stories, a few even gave hugs--so desperate for human contact. 

See, it isn't so hard, this give and take.  We just forgot how.  We have to relearn--to start somewhere. 

This is my somewhere. 

So take a minute to enter, chose a book to curl up with tomorrow to celebrate World Book Night, and add a comment to share how you plan to celebrate World Book Night and the gift of reading!

World Book Night - Book Give Away!

As I have blogged about before, I am a World Book Night "book giver."  I will be giving away THREE copies of the book The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, here on my blog. 

There are three ways to enter:

1. Comment on this blog. 
2. Become a fan of the T. Z. Wallace, Author Page on Facebook.
3. There’s more! If you share news of this post/giveaway through Twitter, say so in your comment by mentioning your handle. 

The winner will be chosen randomly at 11:59 p.m. on April 23, 2011, and the results will be posted that same day.  The books will be mailed to the winners the following day (or as soon as you get back to me with your mailing information, whichever is first).

The remaining books will be donated in a variety of ways.  So far, am thinking of giving a copy to a local literacy program, a copy to the homeless shelter, a copy to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, but there are plenty more ways to give the books away.  If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them--leave them in the comments section!

World Book Night, a Book Give Away...and 139 Pages

Well, I found out yesterday that I was chosen to be a "Book Giver" for World Book Night.  I have to tell you...I am incredible jazzed about the whole thing.  For those of you that are not familiar with it, World Book Night takes place on April 23, 2012 this year (the date was chosen in honor of Shakespeare and Cervantes who both died on April 23 1616...and it was also Shakespeare's birthday!).

World Book Night is "a charity dedicated to the promotion of literacy and the celebration, sharing and enjoyment of reading amongst teenagers and adults. The first World Book Night was held in the UK in 2011. In 2012 World Book Night will be celebrated in the USA as well as the UK and Ireland on April 23 and will see tens of thousands of givers share the joy and love of reading with millions of non or light readers."

For those of you that want to apply to become a Book Giver, there is still time!  Hurry and head over to
World Book Night and register before June 6th, 2012 at midnight (EST)!  You get to select your three preferences from their list of books (they will try to accommodate one of your preferences), and then you wait for the golden ticket email adivising you that you are the Chosen One (or, rather, one of 50,000 Chosen Ones)!

If  the idea of giving away 20 books to non-reading strangers (and I'm sorry but, if you "don't like to read," I am likely to consider you a bit strange...even if I do actually know you) is overwhelming, you can hang out here and see the various ways I devise to distribute the books which I am entrusted.  You can also leave some suggestions in the comments section below!

I can tell you that at least one of the books will be given away on this blog as part of my World Book Night Book Give-Away!  As World Book Night grows closer, I will let you in on the contest details.

As for my book, I am currently 139 pages along, and I am clearer on what still needs to happen before the first draft of this book will be complete.  I am now also certain that there will be at least one (possible two) books to follow this one.

I have also started  my self-education on all things e-book-ish.  I have been reading up on editting, and book cover design, and other things that I find rather overwhelming...then I set it all aside and get back to writing.  Because, without the book completed and revised, there is no point in getting bogged down by the "other stuff."