Lots and Lots of Contest Winners!

There were three contests this week and I hope you all managed to enter all of them in time because they are now closed for entries! That means it is time to announce some winners!!! Good luck :)

Author J.K. Beck (a.k.a Julie Kenner) was here this week as the first book in her new Shadow Keepers series hit the shelves. When Blood Calls is next up on my to be read pile and I can't wait!

Have you read it yet? Ordered it? Well the winner better get hold of a copy because they get an advance copy of WHEN PLEASURE RULES, Book 2 in the Shadow Keepers series. Congrats to -


BeyondJenna!!!


Also here this week was author M.K. Hobson. Her debut novel The Native Star is out now and one lucky person gets a copy direct from the author! Congrats to -


Kalynnick!!!


Last but not least, my third guest last week was author Ann Marsh-Florres. Ann was here talking about her life since becoming an author. She was also giving away a signed copy of THE HUNT (her first book)! So who won? Well done to -


Randominities!!!


You are all very lucky winners!!! However the winners don't end there! Can you believe that some people don't come back and check if they won? Well it's true and one unclaimed prize was the tote bag with books offered up by author Artist Arthur!! There are apparently 4 really cool YA novels in the bag and I really want to know which ones! However Arthur isn't telling and nobody claimed the prize!

So it is time to pick a new winner! Congratulations to -


Sue Brandes!!!


Oh but there a few more winners to announce! Do you remember a few weeks ago I guest blogged over on Literary Escapism? Well to compliment my guest blog I decided to do a big giveaway! The contest is now over and because there were over 180 entries there are two prizes!!!

Here is the first prize :

- Mage in Black by Jaye Wells
- The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
- an ARC copy of Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
- an ARC copy of Werewolf Smackdown by Maria Acevedo
- Stacey Kay cap with Undead Much? Logo
- 4 Harry Dresden badges
- Strangely Beautiful badge
- ‘What’s your sin’ armband (from Stacia Kane)
- Jeanne Stein pen
- Various bookmarks, postcards, leaflets and cover flats (as seen in photo) at least one of them is signed by the author…may add more!

And the winner is -


Cathepsut!!!


The second prize is three books, my choice, from the books I have read in the last month! And that goes to -


Dawn M!!!


A big YAY for all the winners today! If you didn't win this time then keep trying! There are always new contests and the Monthly Giveaway.

How to claim your prize!

Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address.

If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker!

If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.

Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.

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Contest Reminder! THREE Author guests = THREE contests

This week there are THREE author contests!!! I don't know how that happened but I am sure you aren't complaining? Especially as all three are giving away some great prizes! Have you entered all of them?

All three contests close on Sunday so make sure you enter before 4pm Central European Time! Here is the info -

Author J.K. Beck sent me a guest blog and is giving away a copy of her new book 'When Blood Calls'. Click here to enter!

Author Ann Marsh-Flores also sent me a guest blog for you all and she is giving away a copy of her first book, The Hunt! Click here to enter!

And author M.K. Hobson came by to tell us about her debut book, The Native Star! She is also giving away a copy! Click here to enter!

Oh and the Monthly Giveaway is coming up soon and the results of the Literary Escapism contest will be coming soon! I think you still have a few hours to get your name in on that one if you are quick!

A minute with author M.K. Hobson (includes contest)

A Minute with M.K. Hobson

M.K. Hobson is the author of THE NATIVE STAR, a paranormal historical which is receiving great buzz from the likes of Gail Carriger, Madeleine Robins, and C.C. Finlay. Camille Alexa of Green Man Review calls it "a real ride" with "rich, tightly-woven magical, social, and historical detail."

Welcome, Mary. Tell us about your debut novel.

THE NATIVE STAR is set in an 1876 America where magic is a mostly-accepted part of society. It follows the adventures of Emily Edwards, a timber-camp witch from California, and Dreadnought Stanton, a snooty New York City warlock with a past. Together, they travel across the country having magical adventures and trying to stay one step ahead of murderous blood-sorcerors who are trying to reclaim a magical artifact from Emily.

You say that magic is a "mostly accepted" part of society. What do you mean?

Well, just as most things were in the 19th century, magic is a man's game. While Warlocks are considered upstanding businessmen, women who practice magic for a living (as opposed to dabbling in it as a hobby) are derided as skycladdische—basically, on a par with a prostitute. Also, just as in the real 19th century (and on to this day, as a matter of fact) there are religious groups who take exception to the practice of magic. Both of these elements—sexism and intolerance—play a role in THE NATIVE STAR.

Sexism and intolerance? Those seem like heavy themes for a fantasy romance—especially since your short fiction has often been humorous.

Well, I definitely wanted to try and capture the flavor of the era, both good and bad. I also touch on racism and the rise of mass media and consumerism. The interesting thing about the 1870s in America is that they were dealing issues similar to those we're dealing with today. A lot of people were moving from the country into the cities, which meant increasing social tensions. There was a lot of corporate swindling, rancorous partisan politics, and a huge gulf between rich and poor. But at the same time, there was this drive to mythologize America, to celebrate its accomplishments and sweep the bad stuff under the rug. A lot of lessons from that time are still relevant today.

But despite some of the heavy themes, there's a lot of humor in the book. I can't write anything without a bit of slapstick creeping in. One poor character gets thrown into the blackberry bushes a lot.

Tell me about your hero and heroine. Why do you think readers will like them?

Emily and Dreadnought are definitely a case of opposites attracting. Madeline Robins, in her blurb for the book, described Emily as "outspoken, brash, loving, and true; a delight to spend time with." When I was writing Emily, I found myself imagining what my mother's mother must have been like when she was young. My grandma came up through the depression, raised five kids, taught school, and was active in women's clubs and organizations. She had a vibrant extroverted energy that I tried to capture for Emily. Stanton, on the other hand, is an introvert. He keeps secrets and protects himself with a snarky, elitist shell. It's up to Emily to pull him out of his shell, which she does by tweaking him every chance she gets. His cool rationality, on the other hand, is a good foil for Emily's more impulsive nature.

So what's next for you?

THE NATIVE STAR is the first book in a duology. The second book, called THE HIDDEN GODDESS, follows Emily and Stanton's continuing adventures in New York City and comes out in April 2011.

Contest Time

M.K. Hobson is giving away a signed copy of her book THE NATIVE STAR and a handmade lavender sachet. This is only open to US mailing addresses.

How To Enter

What are you reading?

No book = No Entry

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 5th of September 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.