It’s been so much fun talking to new and old friends on my blog, I’ve made a decision. I’m going to give away TWO Kindles. To qualify for the second Kindle, however, you have to do some work. I want this thing to go viral and I need your help. If you blog about my Kindle Giveaway or mention it on Facebook (with a link back to my blog) and tell me about it, I’ll enter you in a SECOND hat for a SECOND Kindle. Obviously, more people will be in the first hat than the second one, so your chances of winning the second Kindle will be much greater. Both Kindles will be given away on December 22 by a random drawing done by my three-year-old. Since many of my fans are family and friends, everyone is eligible to win but no one will be given preferential treatment. My three-year-old can’t read and the names in the hat are all written on the backs of my business cards (thus everybody’s name is on a card of the same size!). If you have already posted about my Kindle Giveaway somewhere, please let me know so I can enter you in my second hat.

Also, please let people know that all my royalties from November and December will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation. To purchase a copy of SECRETS OF THE LOTUS, you can go to any of these links, and I’m sure it’s listed with many other ebook retailers:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise

Finally, to celebrate the last day of NaNoWriMo, I must post one more of my winning badges!

I’m working hard on getting my flabby writer’s muscles back in shape. It’s really easy when your entire focus is on one goal to forget about others. I realized that this month. I wrote almost every single day this past month, but I maybe exercised three times in a week. Not a good balance, really.

So now, while I work on getting WINTER SOLSTICE into shape for publication next summer (yay!), I’m also working on getting me into shape. I walked three miles yesterday and today in preparation for my January 1 5K. For those who don’t know, five kilometers is roughly 3.1 miles. I figure I’ll start out walking it and start running when the walking gets boring.

On the bright side, November paid off. Yes, I’m going to use another one of my NaNo Winner badges now:

Ah yes! That’s the stuff! Don’t forget to register to win my Kindle by leaving me a comment or emailing me at michellegflye@gmail.com. My hat is far from full, so throw your name in. Also, if you’re into romances, buy my book and I’ll donate all my royalties from November and December to The National Wildlife Federation.

Enough said. Have a great day!

Yep. Missed a day. Sorry about that. But have a look at this:

I finished the marathon! Yay!

Well, I feel like I finished a marathon, anyway. I wrote 50,000 words of a novel (notice I did NOT say I wrote a 50,000 word novel) in 27 days. DUCKS IN A ROW now has 50,000 words and an outline of the rest, and I’m tired of it, so I’m putting it on the backburner. Plus, I’m eager to get to work on the edits of WINTER SOLSTICE so I can get it back to my editor.

I’ve been wondering why I finished this year. The last time I finished NaNoWriMo was 2005. I’ve tried several times since then, and though I have completed novels, it’s never been during the month of November. I think I know why. My writing has a sort of rhythm to it when it’s going well. It’s truly something I feel, like if I stop for a minute and feel the beating of my heart, the air going in and out of my lungs. At the beginning of November, I was ready to write. I wanted to create.

Now I’m ready to perfect. This month I’ll work on editing and rewriting. When I’m done with WINTER SOLSTICE, I’ll get started on ALWAYS FAITHFUL. Oh, and I’m going to run a 5K on January 1st. This is a big deal to me since I haven’t run anywhere or anything since I was a teenager. So I go from a virtual marathon to a literal run.

And of course, December 22 is a big day for me! I’m giving away that Kindle. My friend Andrew sent me this picture in an attempt to tip the scales in his favor:

Just kidding, Andrew. I know you’re not trying to get an unfair advantage, plus it’s a great example of the enormity of print books in our lives. Remember, to enter my Kindle giveaway, you only have to leave a comment on my blog or email me at michellegflye@gmail.com. And I’ll go ahead and tell you guys, I’m very protective of my computer. Because I know Andrew, I had no qualms about opening an attachment from him, but if you send me an email with an attachment and I don’t know you very well, I may not open it and post it on my blog. Sorry about that, but it’s the kind of person I am.

And of course I can’t let the post end without reminding you of my plans to donate all royalties from the sale of my book SECRETS OF THE LOTUS during November and December to the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. If you want to know a little more about my book before you buy it, you can find the publisher’s blurb on any of these links, plus, on my Home Page you’ll find blurbs from three positive reviewers and my good friend Ellen Meister, who was kind enough to read and offer her (also positive) opinion about the book. Check out SECRETS OF THE LOTUS:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise

Okay, I don’t want you guys to forget that I’m giving away a Kindle. Just leave me a comment or send me an email at michellegflye@gmail.com. Everybody is eligible: friends, family, people I’ve never heard of, fellow writers, whatever. I’m just trying to spread the joy of the ebook this holiday season.

That said, I want to focus on my other giveaway. It’s something we can all work on together. I’d love to give a great deal of money to the National Wildlife Federation this holiday season. I’ll be getting my November royalty statement from Lyrical Press in early December. They’re very good about getting it to me quickly. As soon as I know how much it is, I’ll post on here to let you know how much we’re giving to the animals.

Did you know the Gulf Oil Disaster of 2010 is still a problem for wildlife? National Wildlife Federation volunteers continue to locate and rescue oil-damaged wildlife in the area. They’re also studying the long-term effects of the disaster. Just because it was (finally) capped and is no longer in the news doesn’t mean it’s gone.

So my plan is to donate November and December’s royalties to the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. I feel deeply that this is an area of national concern, and I hope you’ll join me in supporting them. You can do this on your own, of course, by clicking on the link above. Or you can purchase my book for $5.50 or less at one of these retailers and know my portion of the sale is going to a good cause:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise

NaNo update: Almost 46,000 words at last count. The marathon is almost over.

Hey y’all! Just a quick check in to say Happy Thanksgiving and I hope it’s a wonderful one for all of you. I’ve gotten more entries, but my hat isn’t full yet! And if it gets full, I’ll get a bigger one! Remember to enter all you have to do is leave me a comment here on my blog or drop me a line at michellegflye@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Also, don’t forget all my royalties from SECRETS OF THE LOTUS will be donated to The National Wildlife Federation. Get yours now from your favorite ebook retailer. Here’s a list of suggestions to get you started:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise

NaNo update: I’m over 44,000 words now!

Hey y’all! Getting more and more names in that hat! Yay! I’m so happy to hear from new people. I know I still need to provide you with a picture, but right now they’re just in a baseball cap. I’m looking for the perfect hat to bring you guys luck.

A little reminder that you can purchase SECRETS OF THE LOTUS at any of the following fine retailers (and probably some that aren’t listed), and I’ll donate my royalties from November and December to The National Wildlife Federation:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise

NaNo update: I’m at 41,000+ words and going strong. Got a second wind last night and wrote more than 2,000!

In the spirit of the season today, take a breathing moment before tomorrow’s feasting begins. Look around and find something you’re grateful for and focus for a moment. And breathe.

Your chances are still pretty good at winning a Kindle if you leave a post on my blog or email me at michellegflye@gmail.com. I really am giving this thing away, guys. I’ll take a picture of the hat I’m putting the names into and post it later. My three-year-old will draw the winning name, so you know there’ll be no foul play on her part.

Also, don’t forget, I’m donating all royalties earned during November and December to The National Wildlife Federation. I’d love nothing more than to write them a really big check or two, so buy my book and let’s make this donation huge!

Okay, off to NaNo for a bit. Only seven more days in November! Only 10,500 words (at last count) to go!

Places to purchase SECRETS OF THE LOTUS:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise

The spirit of the holidays is upon me and I’m giving you two chances to help me give back a little. Read on!

MY FIRST GIFT

Anybody who’s ever been in my house knows I love books. I have books in the living room, kitchen, my office, my bedroom, and in the children’s rooms they’re stuffed in every nook and cranny. I have old books, new books, books I’ve read a thousand times, books I’ve read once and books I’ve planned to read for years. Some of the books were given to me and I bought some. I have the first hardback book I ever bought: Black Beauty and Other Horse Stories. I have paperbacks I bought when I was kid, read a thousand times and haven’t been able to pass them on. I have the entire Harry Potter series and I have a respectable collection of signed books from authors I’m proud to know.

And I have an iPad.

I love my iPad. You know what program it has on it? Kindle for iPad. It’s so easy to use. And I still can’t get over the free books I can get through Project Gutenberg. Too cool.

Yes, I am slowly converting my way of thinking from needing a paper book in my hands to enjoying the convenience of an ereader. So much do I enjoy that convenience, I want to share it. Do you want a Kindle?

If you do, post a comment on this entry or email me at michellegflye@gmail.com. I’ll enter your name into a drawing for a free Kindle to be announced in one month: December 22, 2010. I’ll announce the winner here. To make it even more attractive, I’ll throw in a “What are the Secrets of the Lotus?” tote bag to use to carry around your new Kindle and give me a little free advertising.

MY SECOND GIFT

Every month I get a royalty statement from my superb publishers Lyrical Press, Inc. Every month I look, not at how much I’ve made, but how many people are reading my book. It has been a little underwhelming. I can’t swear I’ve sold a single book to anyone I don’t know. And I know you’ll like my book if you read it. Well, if you like romances. If you don’t like romances, you might not be that crazy about it. But I digress.

Because I want to boost the number of people reading my book, I’m giving you this opportunity. Whatever my sales are during November and December, I will donate my royalties to my personal favorite charity The National Wildlife Federation. And I’ll post on here how much you and I together are raising for them. So to give a gift to the animals, all you have to do is buy my book. Buy it from any number of your favorite retailers, including:

Lyrical Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books on Board
Mobipocket
Fictionwise
All Romance eBooks

Wherever you buy my book from, if it shows up on my royalty statement for November or December, my cut of the sale will go to The National Wildlife Federation. So if you’ve been thinking about buying my book or even if you haven’t, now’s the time!

Oh, and if you think you might want to wait to see if you win the Kindle because you don’t have a way of reading my book, check out my blog entry from a couple of weeks ago: Four ways to read SECRETS OF THE LOTUS without a fancy ereader.