Saturday, December 18, 2010

Holiday Contest

I have the strongest need to go indoor rock climbing today. I don't know why. I haven't been indoor rock climbing in a couple of years and I know that I would pull every muscle in my body, but I still really want to go.

I think it's because I want to get out of going to a family Christmas party today. It's not that I don't love my family or love seeing them. I guess I'm just not in the party mood and would much rather do something physical and slightly dangerous. Does that make sense? Good, I didn't think so.

The "Coffee Chat" poll has been closed and it looks like we have enough people to come that it would be lots of fun. I am searching out a place to have it now. The little get together would be in January on a Saturday in the afternoon -- probably around 3. Bring books for me to sign and lots of questions and comments. I will bring swag and answers.

In the meantime, I thought I would have a quick contest to celebrate the holidays. I will be giving away a signed Nightwalker, a pair of signed Pray for Dawn and Wait for Dusk, and an entire set of signed Dark Days books. So that's 3 winners!

Just leave your name and comment in the comment field about what you like most about the holiday season. The contest will close at midnight on Sunday, December 19. I will announce the winners on Monday. The sooner the winners reply, the sooner I can get the stuff in the mail. The contest is open to International readers, but shipping will take longer. Good Luck!

42 comments:

Vanetta said...

Hi, Jocelynn,

I meet you at the booksigning in Boonsboro and bought your book for my daughter she loved it! So now is my chance to try to win some for her. :) My favorite thing for the holidays is my family all together. With my daughters living in NC it doesn't always happen, but with my SIL home from Iraq (USMC) they are all coming home! So this will be a great special Christmas! Merry Christmas to your family too! ENJOY!

Kristen My Bookish Fairy Tale said...

Hi Jocelynn!! My Favorite thing about Christmas actually happened this year. A family member gave me a link to this website where you can receive a personalized video message from Santa himself. So I tried it out and I showed my Oldest son and he loved it! He was so amazed that Santa took the time out to send him a message. The look on his face was priceless! That has been my Favorite Holiday moment so far

kristen_babygurl@hotmail.com

Kristen H
My Bloody Fairy Tale

cynthia garcia said...

Thank you so much for a wonderful giveaway!
What I like most about the holidays, is that my family gets to spend time together. My husband takes a week of vacation from work and the kids are out of school so we get to catch up on missed family time. Another thing that I like is every year I make peanut butter and my son (who is 9) helps me. :)
Hope you have a wonderful holiday! Now I want to go indoor rock climbing lol. I went about 6 months ago. It's a lot of fun

Izzy said...

Hello Jocelynn................

My Favorite thing about Christmas is my girls. I enjoy spending time with them when they all come home. Christmas Eve is a special treat because we all sit and watch to see where "Santa" is and when he gets here on the East Coast close to our state the girls run to their beds and try to fall fast asleep! :)

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thanks for the contest!

susan harris said...

i am a massive fan of ur books and its nice to have a chance to win books internationally as not many contests r open to irish reader!!!
the best thing about the holidays for me is now dat my nephew is ols enough to enjoy it and its snowing we get to create many memories that will last a lifetime..... over the years with no children around xmas can b quite boring and average but having him around makes it more enjoyable.... because children really do make xmas!!!
merry xmas and a happy new year to you and yours!

Elisa said...

Hi
I just saw this post, so I thought I would drop by and say that my favorite thing about Christmas is seeing everyone get along... it doesn't happen that much in the world but it seems like Christmas Day things go smoothly with everyone in my family.. No hustle bustle ---the time just seems to stand still.... I look around and I love it! I love the time with my family.

I have always wanted to go rock climbing... only indoors though I would be too afraid to do it outside... LOL... Hope you have fund and let us know how it goes!

Antonia said...

Happy Holidays to you Jocelynn!
I love the holidays, but family issues and complications always seem to arrive with the holiday visits. What I like most about the holidays are the quiet moments between parties, and family visits. When it is just My husband my children, and I. There always seems to be that moment when we all seem to realize how lucky we are to have one another.
I hope you enjoy your Christmas, and have a fantastic New Year.
Thanks,
Toni Smathers

Safesound said...

My favourite thing about the holidays is probably all of it =D I love buying the tree, baking cookies, making a Christmas pudding to share, buying gifts that I know love ones will appreciate.. ALL of it, even the wrapping.

Eva Coppersmith said...

Christmas is not as much fun as it used to be because I don't get to spend time with my boys because they are in other states. I prefer a nice quiet Christmas at home curled up with my hubby reading a good book. I am just tired of the commercialization of Christmas. Just want to spend time alone with my family.

Claire (Cem) said...

Hey Jocelynn :) Thanks for the giveaway!!

My favourite thing about Christmas is the chance to spend time with family and friends without everyone having to dash off to do other stuff. Particularly excited to see friends this year because all 3 of my best friends are off at Uni and I've seen 2 of them once since September, and the other I've not seen at all since she left. So a proper catch up is in serious order!

Happy holidays!

StacyUFI said...

Awesome contest. PICK ME PICK ME ;)

Would it be sad that the thing I like most is being off of work?? lol For real though I love spending and seeing my family. We usually go home to Chicago (we are in NC now) but we arent able to make the trip this year and its sad that we will miss out on seeing everyone.

Stacy
Urban Fantasy Investigations
Chllybrd(at)gmail(dot)com

Jolene Allcock said...

Hi Jocelynn

I love love your books! Now on to the answer to your question. The holiday season is really stressful and being a stay at home mom and on one income sometimes makes it hard and even harder that I can't get my kids everything they want. What makes it worth it is watching their faces light up when I bring out our decoration boxes. My favorite part is decorating the house and tree with them. As we are pulling everything out of boxes and hanging ornaments it's fun to sit back and watch them laugh at some memory of how or why we got this ornament or what this decoration represents. I save a lot of their artwork they make at school and hang up their seasonal art so when those get brought out it is a big tear jerking memory for me to see their little hand prints on a tree they made in preschool. They are laughing at how little their hands are or how bad they colored, but I am tearing up. That is my favortie time during the holidays, it's like being bombarded with memories and is very heartwarming
june111@att.net

Just_Me37 said...

My favorite thing about Christmas is the Christmas tree :) but it's a little depressing because my family hasn't had time to do it yet :(

Lexie said...

Hey Jocelynn!

My sister was just bugging me about your books. Its a funny story--we were in the bookstore and she asked me about the 'book with the chick and the kind of purplish tint and background was gothic' and I thought about it before saying 'Drake? Are you talking about the Dark Days books?' to which she replied 'No! The ones with the chick!'

So I marched over to the UF/Paranormal section and picked up the books and she's like 'Yeah those!' I smacked her upside her head and pointed to the series title.

As far as the part of the holidays I enjoy the most...the FOOD. Between Hanukkah and Christmas so much good food--and this year I was watching my Mini-me, who's Indian, and I got to have some delish food from Diwali (totally spelled that wrong I think) so yeah. The food!

Lexie
Lexie.Cenni(@)gmail.com

Mitchell Parker said...

Good morning Ms Drake, What do I like best about the holiday season? I like riding to work in the darkness, singing with the radio those wonderful holiday tunes that you only hear once a year.
I like going to the mall during my lunch hour, listening to the carolers, watching as strangers leave packages for the needy under the Angel Tree.
I like the scent of cloves and nutmeg tickling my nose, the colorful attire of the bustling crowds.
I like driving home at night, suddenly coming upon these little oases of light and color, twinkling and sparkling against the blackness.
I like that during the holiday season we all seem to try to put aside our differences and share something special together.
And lastly.....I love going from Barnes and Nobles to Borders to Books-a-Million redeeming all the gift cards from my family!

Crystal @ RBtWBC said...

Hi Jocelynn! Thanks for the amazing giveaway, I'm crossing my fingers. =)
My favorite thing about Christmas is seeing my kiddo's so excited about it. They love the decorations and the songs and are counting down the days until Santa comes. It's a lot of fun with them.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

folksohana(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

One thing I love about the holiday season is taking walks to look at all the Christmas lights. :)

Happy Holidays!

Anonymous said...

My favorite thing about the holidays is how happy it makes my daughter.

I also love making gifts for everyone. This year we have even less money than usual and except for a few bought things for my daughter I made all our gifts to give to family. :)

Oh the excuse to do a lot of baking is nice too!

Happy Holidays

Kt Clapsadl said...

My favorite thing about Christmas is getting to see my entire family, as well as my husband's. We both have pretty big families so it's always a little hectic traveling everywhere but I still love getting to see everyone within a small time frame.

Thanks!
Kt

Heather Mitchell said...

The thing I love the most about the holiday season is getting to spend it with my entire family. I love to watch my niece's face as she opens all of her gifts. We always have a great time at Christmas.
Heather Mitchell
heathermitchell(at)bellsouth(dot)net

Jackie S. said...

Happy Holidays Jocelynn!! :) My favorite part of the holidays is EATING! :) Cakes, cookies, pies, cobbler, peppermint bark, chocolate, oh man. Delish! :)
Wish I could attend the coffee shop get together :( Bet it'll be super fun! Have a very merry xmas and excellent new year! Thanks for this contest! :)

Natalie @ Book Lovers Life said...

Thanks for the awesome contest! My favorite thing about Christmas is seeing my boys faces when they get up and see what Santa brought. They shake because they are so excited.
natcleary at gmail dot com

TiaMariaMix said...

Hey :D Merry christmas Jocellyn. Well, at the moment i'm ill unfortunately and I hate it when that happens in the run up to christmas but the good thing about it is that I get to watch christmas films while curling up on the couch with a blanket. But, I digress. Haha. When I first read NIghtwalker it wasn't enough for me to be hooked but I also got my neighbour hooked as well :D We both absolutely love the series.

My favourite thing about christmas would probably have to be homemade christmas cards. As far as I am conserned their is nothing better than knowing that someone has taken the time to make you a card that shows they really care :D

Hope you have a great christmas.
xxxx

YzhaBella's BookShelf said...

Lol, Rock Climbing? You are BRAVE!

My favorite time of Christmas is spending time with our family! Sometimes this is the only time of year we get to see each other!

Thanks!
Kate
mleger0546(@)rogers(.)com

elaing8 said...

Great giveaway.
My favorite thing about Christmas is all the food we cook/bake. The turkey and pies. The shortbread,the cookies,nanaimo bars,cheesecake bars,coffee sticks etc..I make so much we have tons left over.

Happy Holidays!!!

Steven said...

I'd love to go to the coffee chat if I lived close enough, it sounds fun.
Hey, here's an idea - maybe a rock climb day? =)

susan60625 said...

Merry Christmas, Jocelynn! My favorite part of Christmas is the feeling that everyone seems to get. Everybody seems to relax more, and everyone tries to go out of their way to do things for others. This holiday "feeling" just doesn't seem to be as evident the rest of the year.

Dani said...

Hi, Jocelynn. Yhank you so much for the contest! =D

On holidays, i LOVE eat ice-cream. A LOT. Swim. hang out with friends. Blogging and READ A LOT OF BOOKS!

Jaz.parks

Unknown said...

Hi Jocelynn,

What do I like most about the holidays?
Well, I have a friend and no matter how busy she is or how long it's been since we have seen each other, she always makes the time to go get coffee or get lunch or dinner.
I also love reading by the tree. (Well, before we got a fake one.)

Shalaena

lingeorge said...

I love the Holiday season. Getting together with family and friends is the best part. However this year is really special. My grandson (only grandchild0 is 3-years-old. what a magical year for him. Three is when the magic of Christmas shines everywhere. At two, they love the attention, but this year the lights, the decorations, the presents under the tree... I am so enjoying watching him as The Day gets closer and he is so very excited about it. It is just such a great experience, and I am enjoying it so very much.

Sara C said...

My favorite part is giving gifts to everyone! I love finding something that brightens their day even if it's small. Also Iove to have an excuse to bake cookies...and eat tons of them :) great contest!

Sararcummins at gmail dot com

Cheryl U. said...

Thank you for the great contest! I loved every one of the Dark Days books!

My favorite thing about the Christmas season is seeing all the colorful lights decorating the neighborhood and businesses. I think it's great that people go through all that trouble and expense to set up beautiful displays that everyone else can enjoy!

Vinny K said...

Hello Jocelynn,

I love your books and I've bought every one of them. Anyway, what I like most about the holidays is the bringing together of family in celebration. You get to see family members who either live far away or that you just haven't seen in a long time. This year is going to be quite special because a cousin of mine is recently pregnant and plans to reveal that fact to the rest of the family this Christmas. Needless to say, I'm very excited. Well, happy holidays! May fortune smile upon you.

Best Wishes,
Vinny K

BreiaB said...

What I like most is the time I get to spend with my kids and husband. Granted its not much time but at least we are making memories as a family.

bbricke at yahoo dot com

Book Chatter Cath said...

Hiya
I absolutely love my 3 girls and the mischief that they get up to but I gotta be honest. My fave thing at Christmas is that last hour before I go to bed on Christmas eve when everyone is asleep, the last of the presents are wrapped and under the tree, I've been Santa and his reindeer and eaten the snacks and milk and I can FINALLY sit down with a wine and relax, watch the twinkling Christmas lights and have just a moment to get a little teary before all the excitement and madness of the following day:)
Cath
cbcowley@gmail.com

Sheree said...

Hi, Jocelynn! What I absolutely love about the holidays is the carols. I love singing Christmas carols!

ironss[at]gmail.com

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

Hey Jocelynn! So wish I was in the area to meet up with you for a chat, but I live too far away.

My fave thing about the holidays? There's a lot! I love decorating our house with decorations. And for some reason I have a thing for gingerbread men, might be because of Shrek.

I also love buying gifts for my friends and family and seeing their reactions when they open them, which is always good or surprised!

I love baking holiday cookies that we usually only bake at this time of year.

And I also love watching the 24 hours of A Christmas Story marathon for it's my fave xmas movie followed by Elf!

Happy Holidays Jocelynn!

GracieA said...

Happy Holidays!! My favorite thing for Christmas is the tree, love going out to pick it out and then cutting it down then home to decorate it.

whitewolfreads said...

My favourite part of the holidays is the food! I come from a big Italian family so there is always tons of home made food lying around this time of year!

Thank you for the giveaway and Happy Holidays!

toreg00 said...

My favorite thing about christmas is being with family and setting up the christmas tree.

Nancye said...

I love all of the decorations at Christmas time, especially the lights. My little girl and I love to spot new lights and decorations in our neighborhood. I am alsways sad when the season ends and the decorations are taken down until next year.

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

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