Friday, November 9, 2012

Autumn Harvest Blog Hop Time!



Autumn! Oh man, my favorite time of year. And no, I don't just say that because this blog hop deals with it. I love the turning of the leaves, the apple harvest, picking out that perfect pumpkin. Going hunting for my own turkey.

Well... okay, so I've never technically done it out in the grassy plains, but any cook will tell you, hunting for that perfect bird in the grocery store is just about the next hardest thing. Seriously, Fall always makes me think about new possibilities. That crisp scent in the air, winter so close on its heels, but staved off for a brief, yet glorious, few months when a sweater and a heavy pair of jeans are all you'll need to enjoy those last few romps through the woods before winter's heavy hand bars the way. (And boy was that some purple prose!! LOL... what can I say, I'm a romantic when it comes to this time of year)

One of my favorite memories involving Autumn was when I was a little girl and my father used to rake the leaves in our front  yard. (Do people even do that anymore??? I haven't seen a rake in years, in case you're as clueless as my boys (because who needs rakes in a place that never drops leaves?) it's a little doohicky with metal prongs at the tip that drags the leaves all into one neat pile in your yard so that you can then scoop it all up into a mulch bag and toss it later) But in my yard, those leaves never went straight into the bags. Nope, those leaves were my personal playground for a few wonderful hours. Jumping in and out, getting itchy and scratchy, and not caring one whit because my cheeks were rosy, my nose was chilly, and life was good.

Course the rashes at the end of the night were never fun. ;) But, Autumn is my favorite time of year. Apart from Christmas, all my favorite holidays happen in it. Which is probably why so many of my books are set in that ephemeral period. 3 short months to cram a story into, but for me, the 3 most magical ones.

So tell me, what makes you most happy about Autumn? The candied apples? Cozy sweaters? Almost too chill breeze at night?

What about reading? Do you think it's a good subject to read? Tell us your favorite Autumn stories! Well, we authors are ready to share our favorite Autumn stories and why we love snuggling in the cold. *wink* Starting on Friday and ending on Oct 22nd, over 200 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about those sexy men we know and love.

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains 10+ paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!


I will personally be giving away one free autographed copy of my Kingdom Series Collection! Now, this is a paperbook, but it's a proof version. Which means, you can't sell it back to a bookstore, but you can swap it around to as many friends as you'd like! Included in this are the first 3 books of my Kingdom Series (Her Mad Hatter, Gerard's Beauty, and Red and Her Wolf), along with the books I've included never before seen deleted scenes, and one of Alice Hu's specialty cupcakes: The Red Queen's Revenge.

In order to keep cost low on this project I went with an 11x8 inch book, meaning... it's about the size of a standard high school text book. LOL... but, on the upside the print is nice and bold, so it's easy on the eyes. Plus, once you finish reading it, you could totally turn the cover into a poster! :p See, I think of all things. :D The book is not yet on sale anywhere, so this is a special prize. :) It should be for sale through Amazon however, sometime next week.

All I ask in return is that you say a quick hello and sign up for my newsletter if you haven't already! :D Easy peasy.

So happy reading all! *Or gobble gobble (as Uncle Tom would say)*

~Marie



23 comments:

kipha said...

Thanks for the giveaway!! Super excited for this bloghop.
I totally had to laugh when you said that your book was the size of a high school text book. That was amazing. I know my eyes went large.

kp_kazamei(at)yahoo(dot)com

e. said...

Thanks for the giveaway -- signed up for your newsletter!

booksconsidered[at]gmail[dot]com

Unknown said...

Actually Kipha, I nearly snorted my tea out my nose when I saw the proof! LOL... it's large... but it adds character, I say. ;)

Autumn is pretty much perfect, Veronika. I agree. :p

Thanks, e. !

Unknown said...

Love you blog title and when I have heard of your books before, they have always caught my attention...cool prize and Happy Release Day soon!

Fall? I love it because it gets cooler meaning more time by the fireplace snuggling and cuddling!

Thanks for the giveaway!

3girlzmama at gmail.com

Unknown said...

I signed up for your newsletter :) thanks for the great giveaway and participating in the hop

kissyjensen at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Love the leaf piles!! I actually have 2 rakes, one for each of the little boys. They make it their personal mission to make the biggest leaf pile in the neighborhood for all the kids to play in. We have enough trees for it! By the time they get done, I don't have any leaves left.

Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

Cassandra said...

My favorite part is the cool and cozy weather :)
I follow by email :)
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

Booklover Sue said...

The best thing about autumn is . . .apples! I love them and all the things they are in, applesauce, apple pie, apple fritters! YUM!
signed up for newsletter

susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I adore autumn because of the amazing colors, bundling up in sweaters, Halloween and my birthday! Autumn also means cuddling up with a good book and a cup of cocoa!

grapeapril75(at)gmail(dot)com

I love the hops cause of all the awesome new books I find to add to my to read list!

magic5905 said...

Love the cooler weather.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

Urb said...

No one rakes their leaves anymore! They are all over the lawns. Leaves are my favorite thing about autumn!

brendurbanist at gmail dot com

Jo said...

I can't think of any autumn-specific stories, but I know I read a lot more in the fall - it's the cooler weather, being able to snuggle on the sofa to read (interspersed with my 22 month old demanding that I read read the Elmo book. Again)...

jochibi AT yahoo DOT com

Belinda G said...

I love the burst of colors! The fall earth tone colors are very festive and beautiful. I am lucky to live where you can see the seasons change. Unfortunately, at this moment I can’t recall a book where autumn was a major focus of a given story. I love reading any time so the season doesn’t matter.

Thanks for the opportunity for both of us to share!

Belinda G
belgre AT Comcast DOT net

Beckey said...

Hello, Signed up for the newsletter (& GFC Joined)

Thanks and Happy Holidays

Beckey

BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom

Unknown said...

where i live i love to watch the mountains changing colors. thanks for joining the hop. Miriam.whitewolf@gmail.com

Patches said...

I love the crisp air as it wraps around you and adds that extra step

staci1964@hotmail.com

Kaci Verdun said...

I love the Fall because of the football games and tailgating with friends and family! And of course having a campfire with roasted hotdogs! Thanks for the chance to win a great giveaway!

kacidesigns AT yahoo DOT com

SheriV said...

I love Autumn for the leaves. I read lots of books as it gets colder.

smurfettev AT gmail DOT com

Tobi said...

I love pumpkin to eat and drink! ALl forms! I love books in all seasons! They all have their own attributes! Fall would be waking in the mountains looking at the changing colors of the leaves.

Thanks for the awesome giveaway! Crossing fingers
tobihelton at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Wow! This is a super prize, a whole collection.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Morebooksthanlivros@gmail.com

LisaRayns said...

I love the colors in Autumn. Thanks for the giveaway!
lisarayns at gmail dot com

Tina B said...

I used to love the changing of the leaves as well as the smell of the air when I lived in the Northeast. Now, I live in Fl, so we don't really see changes of seasons really. I, now, look forward to the holidays.
What a wonderful prize! Thank you for the opportunity.
trb0917 at gmail.com ~ Newsletter email

Sharon Clare said...

I could rake leaves out of my kitchen we have so many leaves blowing in the door. If you want to experience raking, I have a rake for you! :)) Just teasing.

I love that first wood burning fire the most about autumn.

sclare(at)sharonclare(dot)com