Saturday Giveaway

Hello all!

I was recently challenged to define what find of author I am.  Not by genre, because, as you may know, I tend to write a story and worry about the genre later. Romance, humor, mystery, inspirational, suspense, I love them all.  But that was not the question posed to me.  The person speaking at the time wanted all of us in the room to decide why we were writing.  Was it because we enjoyed writing?  Was it because we had stories we needed to tell?  Was it because we wanted to make pots of money?

Well, let me just say, if I were in it for the money, I'd have quit long ago.  The vast majority of people who write and publish do not do it as their main source of income.  All of the published authors I know personally have other jobs:  Teacher, nurse, stay at home parent, airline attendant, lecturer, writers' studio owner, manager, and chief instructor, museum employee, pizza delivery guy, locksmith. Me?  I work as a very small cog in the huge wheel that is workman's comp cases.  

No, if we are in it for the money, most of us are going to be sorely disappointed.  Writing, even in this day of self publishing and e-publishing is still not the sure fire way to make a fortune.  Oh sure, there are the fortunate ones, the J.K. Rowlings, the Stephen Kings, the John Grishams, who have captured the eye of readers across the globe, and their hearts and they can now write what they want

when they want and live their lives the way they want.  For the rest of us, we still write in the wee small hours of the morning, the dark of midnight, or furtively on our lunch hours.

As for my, what kind of author am I?  I'm a story teller.  Would I like to be on a best seller list?  Sure, who wouldn't?  But I've got 11 books out there right now with my name on them and it's not looking like the New York Times is coming to call any time soon.  I'm really okay with that.  I'm a story teller who gets to tell exactly the story I want to tell in the way I want to tell it.  I'm not pigeonholed, I'm not under contract (although I'm not ADVERSE to being under contract), I'm not guided by much more than my own instincts and comments from my writers' group and my lovely critique partners.  I'm free to tell my stories and that's what brings me joy in my work.

To that end, I'd like to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.  While ultimately I would love to see more book sales, I'm really interested in connecting with my readers.  So I've decided to do a giveaway.  This is where it gets good for you, the reader.

I'd like to know what book you think is the most brilliant thing you've ever read and why. This is NOT a request for your favorite book.  (That's easy for me, "Wuthering Heights.")  What's the most
brilliant book you've read and why.  Here's mine:  Room, by Emma Donoghue.  (now a movie nominated for Best Picture.)  I find it brilliant because it is so simplistic: told from the view of a very young boy, set primarily in a single room. How can that possibly be good or entertaining?  It is. It is beautiful, it is mesmerizing. And I really wish my brain worked like that.  "Room"is one of those books that makes me want to write MORE.

So what's the most brilliant book you've ever read and why?  Leave a note for me here or contact me through my website here.  Or, if your prefer, message me at my Face Book page here. Leave your name and the country where you live. That's all we'll nee for now.

Today is January 30.  On March 4 I'm having hand surgery and

won't be able to type for a while. I won't take anymore entries after March 4.  I'll take that time to go through your messages and read about your books.  Then I will enter your names into a blind drawing.  The winner will receiver his/her choice of one of my 11 books, autographed. I will ship anywhere in the world I'm able to. (Clearly, this giveaway is going to take some time.)


So friends, let me hear from you. Someone is going to win a free book. Ready, set, GO!