Random Vegetable Contest #43

If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be, and why? Deadline: Sunday, February 1st at 5pm EST Prize: A signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs and a VOG. (very odd gift.) Leave your answer and your email address in the comment area below. Last contest starts tomorrow at noon! Have you signed the guest book? ----------------------------------------------------> Here are the other two ongoing contests if you feel like winning a SIGNED COPY of The Dust of 100 Dogs! D100D Mad Libs - Deadline TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT EST. Haiku Contest - Deadline Sunday Feb 1st NOON EST.

Who is A.S. King?

Recently, I've been called mysterious, arcane and even genderless. (Though the genderless part was a compliment about my writing, more than a comment on my knack for shopping at the Target men's department.) I think the use of initials throws people off, and I apologize for that. I didn't intend it to be mysterious. It just unfolded that way. The A and the S stand for my maiden name - Amy Sarig - which is who I was in the beginning. Lately, thanks to a high school reunion & the phenomenon that is Facebook, I've been meeting up with a lot of people who knew Amy Sarig when she was still driving the Big Wheel around back in the 1970s. Several of them have tagged me in a 25 random things about me game and I figured where better to do this but in a post that's meant to reveal more about this A.S. King person? The bonus here is - I'm including a few pictures.

1. I used to be 5'11" but now I'm 5'9" and my feet are a size bigger.
2. I love rice.
3. Even though I've worn glasses for 5 or more years, I still can't figure out the proper balance between my reading prescrition glasses & my driving ones.
4. I was once a decent basketball player.
5. I am a swimming addict in the summer.
6. The reason I added "in the summer" above is because indoor swimming pools give me the willies.
7. I can't wear perfume, or even hair stuff that smells.
8. I have a tattoo or two or...
9. I have two awesome kids.
10. I met my husband when I was 17 - and I spent only about 4-5 months with him (in person, as opposed to through love letters) before we got married. Next month will be our 17th wedding anniversary. This is my favorite picture of us circa 1993 and I have it on my desk.
11. I used to smoke a pack of cigarettes per day and quit 2 years, 4 months and 22 days ago.
12. I no longer miss smoking.
13. I just started to like beer.
14. I'm finding this much harder than it looks. 25 is a lot of random facts.
15. I love roller coasters.
16. My first novel was about a character named Penelope Pink. I invented Penelope Pink when I was in art school and building a body of self portraits. This is her. That is a plastic cap gun.
17. I ruined my first pair of Levis by trying to sew them into a skinnier style when a guy in high school told me I should stop wearing men's jeans, because I'd "look better" in tighter jeans. I've worn men's Levis 501s ever since. Asshat.
18. The guy who designed my book cover had no idea that I have a weakness for red boots.
19. I have wonderful friends who understand that I have to be a workaholic right now - and I appreciate that. xoxo
20. I've always wanted to meet Prince.
21. I am a lover of great painters because no matter how hard I try, I'm pretty rotten at painting. But I love trying.
22. I am a hopeless optimist.
23. I have been robbed at gunpoint.
24. I live in a winter wonderland.
25. I totally haven't made dinner yet.

If you made it this far, I commend you on a downright smashing attention span. I'm supposed to tag 25 people, but I'm going to leave that off because I'm not sure I have 25 people left to tag! I will be back at 9pm for the day's last game, but do come around and mingle. I'll be hanging out drinking the bubbly Mr. King bought for this long-awaited occasion. Cheers good people. Nice to meet you. Here are the two ongoing contests if you feel like winning a SIGNED COPY of The Dust of 100 Dogs! D100D Mad Libs - Deadline TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT EST. Haiku Contest - Deadline Sunday Feb 1st NOON EST.

Party Game #1 - D100D Mad Libs

Here's the deal. We're going to play a round of D100D Mad Libs. (The game where you fill in the blanks of a story with your own words, and we see who can come up with the silliest story passage.) The tricky part is: you give me the words first, and then you find out the sentence they fit into. So - I need 15 words from you in order to play this game. In the comment area, leave me a list of words in this order. Don't forget your email address!

1. Time period (like two days or two centuries or two hours)
2. Verb
3. Plural noun
4. Adjective
5. Noun
6. Verb
7. Noun
8. Noun
9. Adjective
10. Adjective
11. Noun
12. Adjective
13. Noun
14. Adjective
15. Plural noun

DEADLINE for the Mad Libs Contest is Midnight TONIGHT! (That's 11:59:59 EST Saturday Jan 31st.) Tomorrow morning (Official D100D Launch Day) I'll post the passage, and figure out who made the silliest sentence with their words! PRIZE: A signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs. There's another contest going on, too - go here to enter! Good Luck! I'll be back at 5pm with a post you won't want to miss. And have you signed the guest book yet? ------------------------------------------>

Party on Dude.

Welcome to the D100D Online Launch Party! Thanks so much for coming. Have you signed the Guest Book? --------------------------------> I was up late last night devising ridiculous schemes to keep you entertained and happy while you're here, so I'll start today with the easiest part to give my brain a chance to wake up properly -- the winner of the last contest. As always, thank you all so much for entering - especially you guys who keep coming around. I hate that there can only be one winner. I really do. Stay tuned - there will be contests all weekend to win copies of D100D and other GREAT BOOKS! WINNER: Jonathan Quist (I've emailed you.) WINNING ENTRY: (Which actually combines two contests, and consists of three eleven-word sentences. Kudos, man.) A mighty lass died in the sand, cursed a cur's existence. One hundred times she died again, resurrected by a Royal Pen. Returned, she now does lay her claim, through dogged sheer persistence. (This actually continues in true sea chantey style and has a refrain, but I will stick to the actual entry for the sake of moving this party along!) Top Ten: Liv, Enward, Summer, Terri, Alexander, AmandaKMorgan, Kitten With a Whiplash, jocelyn, pseudosu and Janet Reid (who came in a very close second.) Now look - don't be blue. There's another chance to win. How are your haiku? You remember how it goes, right?

FIVE syllables SEVEN syllables FIVE syllables

Example:

Not enough coffee in the coffee pot today to make me perky.

Can you write me a fitting haiku for this occasion? DEADLINE for HAIKU CONTEST is NOON SUNDAY Feb 1st! (That's 24 hours.) PRIZE: a signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs! Leave your entries in the comment area with your email address. Good Luck! Back for our first party game at 2pm! (Yes, that's me over there to the right, getting ready for party games.) More prizes! Until then, have you signed the Guest Book? ------------------------------> (AN ADDITIONAL NOTE TO THOSE HEADING OUT TO BUY THE BOOK THIS WEEKEND - SOME STORES MIGHT NOT STOCK UNTIL MONDAY! CALL FIRST!)

Party Starts at Noon Saturday!

I'll be the one in the cool hat.

The Dust of 100 Dogs Online Launch Party Sat Jan 31 Noon - Sun Feb 1st 11:00pm Games, Prizes & Mayhem

Sign the Guest Book!------------------------------------------------------------------->

.

The Snowy Day

So you're sniffing around for a winner, eh? Well, I'm afraid I have bad news. First - it was really hard judging this week. You guys are all way too good at these challenges for me to go on much longer. This week, I was actually moved by a few of your entries. This bout of uncontrollable emotion, mixed with a significant snowfall and a quarter mile of driveway means I'm going to be late. As late as Saturday. But have no fear! There are other things! Did you know The Dust of 100 Dogs launches on Sunday? Did you know there's going to be a party here this weekend? With Games? And Prizes? (Like maybe another book or two?) Until I come back and tell you more, here are a few D100D things. An interview with Saffron exploring the basics of pirate etiquette, involving ninjas and feminism. A review at Omnivoracious - "It's disheartening and terrifying one minute and twisted and fun the next." Hey Krista! There we are circa 1989. Two very very very hip ladies. Miss you! xo

Wagging on Wednesday

Wagging on Wednesday is brought to you today by my best friend Krista and her dog, Lucy. I've known Krista for 20 years and she ROCKS in every possible way there is to rock. Krista wrote: We adopted Lucy from a shelter about 4 yrs ago, and we think she is now about 6. We guess she is part Lab/part Shepherd, but it really is anyone’s guess. I consider Lucy to be the BEST dog in the history of dogs. OK, OK, so she is the first dog I have ever owned, but she just ROCKS! She knows she cannot go on the stairs if any of the kids are climbing up or down. She sits by the back door looking up at me waiting to say “OK” before she goes out even if she reallllly has to go out. Since we have no sidewalks here, when we are out walking and she hears a car, she herds the kids off to the side, and is more vigilant than I am about it. She puts up with our insane dog , Maisy, who is very cute, but lacks the ability to learn. Lucy is a GREAT dog. Where did Lucy's name come from? She was adopted from a shelter and they named her. We considered changing it, but she was at the shelter for about 6 months and already had BECOME Lucy. She had a broken leg when she was found, and the staff kept her in the office with them until her leg was healed. What are some of her quirks - and bold moments? Quirks: She really only has one, he sleeps with her right front paw over her head and behind her ear. I have never seen a dog sleep like that before, but it is the only way he can sleep. Bold moments: She has been known to eat a whole stick of butter off of the kitchen counter in about 2 seconds, while making not a single sound. She really is a well behaved dog, unless you leave unattended food somewhere in the kitchen. Then, all bets are off. Look at Lucy right now. Tell me what she's thinking. It is usually one of 2 things, get off the computer and rub my belly, or I wonder what kind of food the kids will drop on the floor today! Does Lucy have any super powers? If yes, what are they? Well, she can climb fences. 3 Days after we got her, she climbed a 6.5 foot fence and got out of our yard, while I was out with her. She is an escape artist. She can also jump our baby gates on the stairs. What book/s is Lucy most looking forward to in 2009? D100D of course. She cannot wait to hear all about Saffron! (Aw thanks Krista.) Thanks for bringing Lucy around to see us today Krista! Anyone else out there looking forward to some books? Tell us about them! And thanks so much for all of your WOW entries - you'll be hearing from me as Wednesdays come and go. If you came here looking to see if you won a signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs in yesterday's contest, then you need to come back tomorrow (Thursday) because that's when I'm announcing the winner. But if you're bored and want to see something cool? Have you stopped into the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks lately?

MORE Free Stuff!

Have you seen Linda Gerber's Dust of 100 Dogs contest? Win some very cool Doggie Earrings or a $10 B&N gift certificate! GO CHECK IT OUT! Entering is easy and fun. And Linda ROCKS.

(TRPoDPI) + Contest

It's five days until The Dust of 100 Dogs starts hitting shelves near you. When better to share a totally random piece of dorky personal information with readers? Totally Random Piece of Dorky Personal Information (TRPoDPI) You might already know this about me, but I have a thing for numbers. Nothing too academic or complicated - just a thing. Maybe it's a writer's OCD, but I like things to be balanced numerically in my books. The Dust of 100 Dogs has three parts, and used to have nine Dog Facts. But as I hacked away at the book over the years, some Dog Facts got cut, some new ones got written and in the end I landed with eight. Since I like things to be balanced, I always felt the gap of that missing Dog Fact. And so, I created this blog and named it Dog Fact #9. Story = Beginning + Middle + End Contest Challenge: Can you write a story in three sentences? Winner chosen by 4 anonymous judges and announced on Thursday. Please leave your sentence in the comment area - don't forget to leave your email address! DEADLINE: Tuesday Jan. 27th 2009, 11PM EST (TOMORROW.) PRIZE: A signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs and a VOG** Good Luck and Thanks For Playing! (**VOG = very odd gift)

Winning is Like Rainbows

You lot are awesome. Thank you all so much for entering - especially you guys who keep coming around. (And old friends like Kathy, Donna and Terri.) I hate that there can only be one winner. Please play again next time! WINNER: Cora Zane (I've emailed you.) WINNING SENTENCE: Wished to GOD for an evil eBay seller deathray button. (Man, Cora - I have been there.) TOP TEN (in no particular order):

• Stephanie F - Vet appointment, then work. Haunted all afternoon by lunch's excessive garlic.
• Liv - Skiied down snowy green circle hills while screaming my voice hoarse.
• Janet Reid - Tweeting; Reading; Tweeting; Speaking; Tweeting; Eating. Yay! D100D Contest Entry Creating! (Your enthusiasm is like rainbows!)
• Kitten With a Whiplash - Briefly traded cyberspace for reality; everyone I met was an idiot.
• Terri - Drove past junked VW bugs and thought of Amy and Krista. (Aw. The junkyard. Fond memories.)
• Joanne Levy - Went to work, hid screen from co-workers, read Janet Reid’s blog.
• Alea - Yesterday, we were robbed, didn't realize for an hour, felt stupid. (Bummer. Glad you’re okay.)
• Hillary - Why does school have to start so early? I hate mornings. (I agree. I always have and always will.)
• The Compulsive Reader - Got ditched by friends and drowned my sorrows in Mexican food.
• Lisa Schroeder - Learned of a new book that sounds fantastic and entered contest! (Thanks Lisa! Welcome!)
• (And Happy Belated Birthday, NotaMeanGirl! 40 is the new 25! Trust me!)

A HUGE Thank you again to all of you who entered. I have something extra special planned for next week. Now, I'm off to work for the weekend. Feel free to share your evil eBay seller (or buyer) stories in the comment trail.

Wagging on Wednesday

Wagging on Wednesday is brought to us today by the awesome Hillary from The Book Reader blog, who writes:

My dog's name is Diera (pronounced Dee-Air-Ah). She's an eight year old black and tan German Shepard and one of my five dogs. Her hobbies include eating, thinking of food, and sleeping on the furniture when no one can see her. I've had her my entire life and we're best friends. I give her food and she makes a good pillow for me when I'm reading.

Where did Diera's name come from? I did not chose Diera's name. The people who had her before I got her chose the name. It's pronounced Dee-Air-Ah.

What are some of her quirks? Diera LOVES food. She freaks out every time I mention food or feeding her. She's got some extra weight, as you would expect from someone so addicted. She's also very fond of lying on her back and barking at my other dogs.

Any particularly amusing bold moments? Whenever I walk near her food or treats she starts sniffing at them and whining. She stares at the treats, glancing me every few seconds, until I give her a treat. If I don't she lays underneath them until I do. I always give in because she looks so pathetic.

What book/s is Diera most looking forward to in 2009? Diera is very much looking forward to Chasing Fire by Suzanne Collins, The Dust of 100 Dogs (she loves dog-ish books), The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and Stephenie Meyer's next book.

What do you think Diera could teach alien species if she were abducted by aliens? I think she would be able to teach them the perfect technique to get anyone to share their food with her. It has never failed.

Thanks a million for bringing Diera around to Wagging on Wednesday, Hillary!

Anyone else out there looking forward to some books? Tell us about them!

And thanks so much for all of your WOW entries - you'll be hearing from me as Wednesdays come and go. Next up - my best friend Krista's dog. If you came here looking to see if you won a signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs in yesterday's contest, then you need to come back tomorrow (Thursday) because that's when I'm announcing the winner. But if you're bored and want to see something cool? Have you checked out the D100D book trailer yet?

Eleven Words Contest

In honor of the 11 day countdown to launching D100D, tell me about your day in eleven words. Yes - your day. (Today, tomorrow, so long as it's true - and yours.) EXAMPLE: Woke up sick, tried to do stuff, went back to bed. This will be another 24 hour contest. Winner chosen by 3 anonymous judges and announced on Thursday. Please leave your entry in the comment area - don't forget to leave your email address! DEADLINE: Tuesday Jan. 20th 2009, 11PM EST (TOMORROW.) PRIZE: A signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs and a VOG.** Good Luck and Thanks For Playing! (**VOG = very odd gift)

This Is Awesome.

I have this amazing friend, Torrey Meeks, who's one of those people who does millions of things really well. (I think they call that an evil genius - or - I do, anyway.) I met him as a novelist - which he does seriously well. And in the last year or two, he's started making killer videos. He made me this amazing book trailer for The Dust of 100 Dogs that has me plotzing like crazy over here. Do you want to see it? Really? No...really?? Tomorrow we will vote on what I will give Torrey for this. A. 300 trillion camels. B. A large yacht with crew. C. An underwater city. D. A spaceship.

And the Winner is...

You guys are WAY TOO GOOD. This contest was impossible to judge because there were so many really top-notch entries. Thank you all so much for entering - especially you guys who keep coming around. (And friends like Susan and Keith and Angel and Janet and Dev.) I hate that there can only be one winner. Please play again next time! WINNER: Penny Roth WINNING SENTENCE: My kids always outshine distinctly unremarkable contemporaries. TOP TEN (in no particular order): * StephanieF- My wary German Shepherd threatened vociferously. * BloggerJulie Butcher-Fedynich - To live longer levitate appendages. * Anonymouspepsivanilla - The rowdy pirates displayed fluctuating dependability. * BloggerVanessa - I say, peace without ruination. * Devyn - As John walked, Johanna promenaded. * Keith Cronin - I was never serious regarding philatelist flagellations. * KB - Librarians pinpoint actual data. (KUDOS for backwards and your Starbucks & workaholic entries, too.) * Angel Young - I can write several shameless manuscripts. * Liviana - The child thieves minuscule hushpuppies. * The Not So Closet Geeks - I saw shady cronies murmuring secretively. A HUGE thank you again to all entrants. Stay tuned - there's another contest coming after next Sunday and there might be an EXTRA BONUS THINGY later today. For now, I'm going to work.

Wagging on Wednesday

Today's Wagging on Wednesday is brought to us by Tracy Belsher and her two awesome Labradors, Higgins and Willow. (Higgins is the Chocolate, and Willow is the Yellow.) Tracy writes paranormal YA under the pen name Judith Graves. Under My Skin, a werewolf tale, will be available soon from The Wild Rose Press. (You thought high school was bad? Try it with fangs and fur.) She also writes edgy YA fiction under her own name. Losing It, an edgy YA manuscript, placed first in the 2008 Toronto Romance Writer’s Original Golden Opportunity contest. (Her description of the novel, "Sex, drugs and adult diapers – the perfect family drama blend." made me spit out my coffee when I read it the first time.) But enough about Tracy. We're all here for the dogs, right? Where did the names Higgins & Willow come from and what are some of their quirks? Our first fur-born, Higgins, was so named via a “name the puppy” contest my husband held with his students (he teaches high school social studies). Out of sixty or so entries, we picked “Higgins”. The winning student (who chose the name from the butler/millionaire character in the TV show Magnum PI – go figure) got a free lunch and bragging rights. Quirk: likes to “groom” you and will do so with such intensity he will gnaw through jeans if you let him. I named Willow on my own – told my husband I named her after the beautiful willow trees in our backyard…only took him a few days to realize the truth – once again my Buffy addiction had made itself known. Quirk: likes to sleep on top of you when you lay on the couch – doesn’t appear to realize she’s 70lbs. Any particularly amusing bold moments? Higgins (aka Hurricane Higgins) makes Marley (from Marley and me) look like a model canine citizen. Higgins has done some serious crate time and lived to bark about it. He had shoulder surgery at six months (two months in a crate recovering, sedated so he didn’t injure himself trying to get out). He ate an entire – repeat an entire 14 inch long BBQ brush (plastic handle chewed into chunks, metal bristles and all) and survived, although the vet thought his insides would be perforated more than a cheese grater. Willow is the opposite of Higgins. (Thank you, Jesus.) She’s a rug and we love her. Look at both dogs right now. Tell me what they're thinking. Higgins: Why is she looking at me like that? Does she want to play? Does she? Do I? Yes! Yes, I do! I do! Or I could eat this scarf I just found. Willow: I love you, too. Now, let’s go nap. What book/s are they most looking forward to in 2009? Higgins: How to Make Friends with a Stranger’s Crotch in Two Easy Steps, and When Your Human Won’t Perform: A Lab’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Lameass, Couch Potato Owner Willow: Channelling Your Inner Bitch, and The Good Girl’s Guide to Human Manipulation No, seriously. The Dust of 100 Dogs - of course. Girl pirates! [Me: Oh stop it, and thanks!] Dead is So Last Year by Marlene Perez - love this series. Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby - Zombies! Can't wait. Evermore by Alyson Noel - secrets and powers and romance. Whoot! The Hollow by Jessica Verday - Graves, tombstones, ghosts and love. Nice. Thanks a million for coming around! Thanks for letting me go on about my pups. ;) Anyone else out there looking forward to some books? Tell us about them! And thanks so much for all of your WOW entries - you'll be hearing from me as Wednesdays come and go. If you came here looking to see if you won a signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs in yesterday's contest, then you need to come back tomorrow (Thursday) because that's when I'm announcing the winner. But if you're bored and want to read something cool? How about you go and buy this AWESOME book by my fellow hardy pirate lass, Adrienne Kress? It launched only yesterday and if it's anything like her debut, it's a seriously awesome book!

Totally Random Contest #2+2=4

Here's the challenge: Write a sentence made of words that increase by two letters. (Each word has to be two letters longer than the word before it.)

Example: We have twelve exercise assistants. Word length: 2, 4 ,6, 8, 10 Example: I had seven pickles yesterday. Word length: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

How long can you make yours...and still make sense? (Coherent sentences only, please. Excellent sentences encouraged.) Winner chosen by 4 anonymous judges and announced on Thursday. Please leave your sentence in the comment area - don't forget to leave your email address! DEADLINE: Tuesday Jan. 13th 2009, 11PM EST (TOMORROW.) PRIZE: A signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs the minute I get it (which might be 19 days from now...or might be a little bit earlier.) and mini package of VOGs** now. (Or, opt for the endear-yourself-to-the-struggling-author package, which saves postage and comes all at once!) Good Luck and Thanks For Playing! (**VOGs = very odd gifts)

Good Review & A Guest Blog

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was full of more snow than we got, because let me tell ya - two (lousy) inches after a forecast for six is a complete letdown. I have a few things I want to share. #1 - Here's a great review of The Dust of 100 Dogs by the awesome Lenore at Presenting Lenore. Some highlights:

"...epic and intimate at the same time." "If you are looking for an original, genre bending, mind-blowing read... Buy this book when it comes out on Feb 1st..."

And Lenore has a BONUS character interview at the end - with Saffron Adams - one of the main characters in the book. Very cool! #2 - Are you an aspiring writer? If so, you might get a kick out of my Writer's Middle Finger series. Part Two is up at mystic-lit today. #3 - There will be another random contest to win a signed copy of D100D starting in the next 20 hours. Keep your eyes open! There will be a fast deadline again because I'm tricky like that. Until then!

That is All.

Winning Isn't Everything

50 entries in 25 hours! That's awesome! It makes me want to give away more VOGs* and books** in random contests. How about a book a week until launch day, February 1st? Stay tuned and thanks a million for playing! There were a lot of great entries and it was hard to pick a winner. The winning sentence: "Knowing the fate of humanity depended on his performance in this bizarre staring contest, Roger quailed the first time the alien lizard licked its eyeball." Winner: OneSheep (I've emailed you.) The Top Ten: susan259 chris mclean Kitten With a Whiplash lex shelburns Efreak penny roth jonboy1969 Jess Congratulations! If you didn't win this time, stay tuned for another contest in the next 120 hours. Time for me to go underground for the weekend and work! See you then! *VOGs = very odd gifts. **books = signed copies of The Dust of 100 Dogs that I don't have yet, but might have soon.

Wagging on Wednesday

Welcome to our first installment of Wagging on Wednesday, which is really just a great excuse to discuss books and dogs - two of my favorite things. This is Kia. She belongs to Joanne Levy, a great friend and a wicked-good writer who rocks at earth-shattering levels. Joanne describes Kia as: a crazy Shepherd/Husky Mix who loves the snow and her red rubber ball. Dislikes: rain and squishy earth between her toes. On to the questions. Where did Kia's name come from and what are some of her quirks - and bold moments? She came with the name. We rescued her about 2.5 years ago and she was about a year and a half old so we didn't change her name, although the original spelling was Kiah and I hated the h so I dropped it. She has a lot of quirks - she has separation anxiety (although much better now) so she has a lot of trouble being left alone. We have to leave her with several puzzle toys (like Kongs strategically stuffed with treats) but there are times when we get an unpleasant surprise when we come home. Like that she's eaten a whole bottle of Tums or ripped up the couch trying to get a stray cookie that slid underneath. We tried doggie day care but she got kicked out and asked to never return. Marley's got nothing on Kia. Oh and another quirk - she is part Husky, so she LOVES the snow, but yet refuses to go out in the rain. Look at Kia right now. Tell me what she's thinking. She's staring at me, wishing we could go play with the ball in the snow. Playing fetch with her red rubber ball is her favorite thing in the world. What book/s is Kia most looking forward to in 2009? No brainer: The Dust of 100 Dogs. She's been looking forward to this one for some time. [Aw, thanks, Kia.] Also, Fade by Lisa McMann, Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender. After these, her next choice is some book about juicy soup bones. Thanks, Joanne & Kia for stopping by Dog Fact #9. Anyone else out there looking forward to any upcoming books? Which ones? And thanks so much for all of your WOW entries - you'll be hearing from me as Wednesdays come and go. If you came here looking to see if you won a signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs in yesterday's contest, then you need to come back tomorrow (Thursday) because that's when I'm announcing the winner. But if you're bored and want to read something cool? Here's a post by my editor about what it's like to hold my book in his hands for the first time. Can't wait to do that myself.

I Will Never Apologize for Being a Math Geek

It's officially 25 days until D100D Day. You have 25 hours (from 10PM EST) to construct one sentence of fiction, 25 words long, about anything you like. (Please be reasonable, and stay on the upper side of classy, thanks.) Keep in mind what you think makes a good sentence in fiction. Take care stacking your words. Winner chosen by 4 anonymous judges and announced on Thursday. Please leave your sentence in the comment area - don't forget to leave your email address! DEADLINE: Tuesday Jan. 6th 2009, 11PM EST PRIZE: A mini package of VOGs** now, and a free signed copy of The Dust of 100 Dogs the minute I get it (which might be 25 days from now...or might be a little bit earlier.) (Or, opt for the endear-yourself-to-the-struggling-author package, which saves postage and comes all at once!) (**VOGs = very odd gifts) Good Luck!

Crazy Fun 2009!

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope this blog post finds you all well and rested and happy. My apologies for disappearing. I have been suffering through that damn sinus thing everyone in the country has, as has my entire family. It's snot pretty. (get it?) There is URGENT BUSINESS!

• First off - the winner (picked from a hat by my trustworthy cabin girl with a cute new haircut) of a BONUS small care package of VOHGs is: Diana Dang! Diana, I am about to email you for your address and will send on Monday, K?

There is NEW BUSINESS! We have 29 days until The Dust of 100 Dogs arrives on the shelves of fine booksellers near you and so, I figure now is a great time to announce a new addition to my blog. Since D100D was partly inspired by the many dogs I have known and loved, I figure it's only fair that I include dogs in my weekly blogging. I'm going to call it Wagging on Wednesday (WOW) and it's going to be a dog-of-the-week sort of thing. I want you to tell me about your dog/s and send me a picture. If I choose your pooch, I'll send you a short list of questions about you and your dog. Questions may include:

• What inspired the dog's name?
• Look at your dog right now. Can you tell what he/she is thinking? Please share.
• What books is your dog looking forward to in the coming months?
• If you were a dog, whose dog would you want to be?

So please! Send me a picture of your dog and tell me a bit about you guys. Here's the email address: WOW (at) thedustof100dogs.com There is the BUSINESS OF NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS! Lastly, I want to talk to you about what you are doing for others these days. As some of you may know, I spent the last ten years working and volunteering in adult literacy. Teaching people how to read was the best job I ever had. It was also the most rewarding. Nothing compares to helping another person, or helping people through work in your community. When I moved to the US, I had a lot to do, as a virtual stranger in a new community. But now that I've been here four years, I think it's time to do some things to help. So, that's my New Years Resolution. I'm not trying to be a goody-two-shoes, and I know we're all busy, but look - Kindness Matters. Positive Involvement Matters. And not just to the people you may help - but to you, and the you inside of you. Let 2009 be the year you find that one issue you care about and offer even a tiny hand - one day volunteering, or blogging about that cause, or recruiting members for your favorite cause at Facebook, or well - you get the picture. Let 2009 be the year you DO IT. Because I've covered so much here, I'll wait until Sunday or Monday to post my NEW CONTEST. Stay tuned mates!