Shout out for Septimus Heap, preview of goals for 2016, and winner announced!

Since this is my last post of the year, it has to do the work of three–but that’s alright.  Tis the season to multi-task, even if you’re just a humble blog post.

First up, I’d like to announce the winner of The Goblin’s Puzzle!  The prize is a hardcover copy that will be signed by author Andrew S Chilton, and mailed by him.  And the winner is–

Greg Pattridge

Congrats, to Greg!  Look for an email, to get your address.  And, thank you all for entering!  I really do appreciate all the support–I think a secret terror lurks in every bloggers heart, on hosting a giveaway…the fear that no one will enter.  I’m grateful to be a part of this community of supportive reviewers, bloggers and readers!

Second item of attention is a shout out for Magyk: Septimus Heap book one.

Septimus Heap bk 1 cover

At the surface level, this book is rather in the vein of the Harry Potter books, and one would think that’s where it would find its readership.  I think that it’s true the readers will no doubt overlap, but some HP readers would find this a bit too wandering, while other readers who prefer a character-driven book with deeper exploration of family would connect better with this one.  It’s told in omniscient view, so we spend time with quite a few different characters.  It really could be called ‘The Story of the Heap Family’ just as well.  While a bit unusual, I enjoyed it, and recommend it to readers young and old.  There are lots of quirky fun and poignant moments, painted with a light-hearted brush.

Last item on the list is an invitation to all the writers out there to join me or follow along as I participate in the 366 challenge, this leap year 2016.  It’s being organized by James Maxey, and is detailed in his post here, in which he discusses this past year as Piedmont Laureate and what the new year will bring.  James is a good friend of mine, and I think it’s a brilliant way to capture some leap year energy and galvanize my word count.  As I said, details to come, but the jist of it is–join with other writers and James as we strive to average 1,000 words a day this year, totaling 366k!

If you’re like me, and this sounds a bit ambitious, just think–if you make it even halfway to your goal, that’s still an awful lot of words!  Depending on the length of your novels, potentially three books worth.

In the mean time, I join with Apricot-kitty in, um, wishing you a…Christmas free of annoying people who put stuff you don’t like on your head and expect you to wear it. 😉

Christmas Cats 2008 Apricot

Happy Holidays!

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9 Comments

  1. Reply

    What a great gift to get me in the holiday spirit. Thanks so much for drawing my name. I’ll be looking forward to reading every page, and of course passing it on to other readers.
    The Septimus Heap series has been around for ten years and I have yet to enjoy even one title. I have it firmly on my TBR list now and will take care of that little discrepancy in 2016.

  2. Suzanne Warr

    Reply

    Glad you enjoyed it, Natalie, and happy holidays to you, too!

    You’re so welcome, Greg! I’ll pass your thanks on to my daughter, as I had her do the actual drawing. 😉 I hope you enjoy it, as well as Septimus Heap. Hopefully your winter break will include lots and lots of lovely reading time!

  3. Reply

    I remember quite liking Septimus Heap. I know I read at least one sequel; might be worth going back to one of these days to finish the series.

    Wow, 1000 words a day, huh? Not ever going to happen! But maybe it would be useful for me to say I’ll open Scrivener every day for 366 days. They say you should set goals you have a remote chance of reaching! (Except I won’t get 366 days because there will be a few weeks of travel in there. But still. Good goal!)

  4. Suzanne Warr

    Reply

    Yeah, I think it’s ambitious, myself, but I’m excited for the challenge. Your idea is brilliant, too. I find that if I just open up a document and look at a writing project, progress will still go forward at a good pace.

  5. Reply

    Congratulations to Greg! I have been wanting to read Magyk and have had it on my list for ages. I really must get to it soon. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of 2015 and wishing you all the best for 2016. 🙂

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