Thursday, August 11, 2011

A Double-Nickel Birthday Gift!



This week I will be celebrating my double-nickel birthday. Yes, I will be a grand 55 years old! I sure don't feel or act that old, and I'm very grateful for my good health that allows me to do such things as hiking, biking, sliding down water slides, and dancing the chicken dance--all of which I enjoyed lately (see my blog). As they say, you're only as old as you feel. And, you only have one life to live, so you might as well live it up!



I definitely have an attitude of gratitude because I know I'm very lucky to not only have my health, but also a loving family and to live in an affluent country that allows its citizens freedoms. Traveling internationally, especially to repressed countries like Myanmar (Burma) has hammered home how lucky I am to be a US citizen. Being grateful for our blessings is the key to happiness, I think. Of course, presents help, too. :)





And our publisher, Midnight Ink, gave me a doozy of a gift this week--acquisition editor Terri Bischoff said she'd be sending a contract for the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series starring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner! The first book, Deadly Currents, was released to great reviews in May of this year, the second, Wicked Eddies, is scheduled for May of 2012. This third one, tentatively titled Cataract Canyon, hopefully will be scheduled for a year later in May of 2013.



To celebrate my birthday and my good fortune, I am going to give away a copy of Deadly Currents. To enter the contest, leave a comment here on how you helped spread the word about the first book in the RM Outdoor Adventure series. Some ideas include:



- recommending it to a mystery-reading friend or friends,

- posting a review somewhere,

- adding the book to your to-read list on Goodreads, LibraryThing or Shelfari,

- posting a link to the Amazon or B&N page or this blog post on Twitter, Facebook or Google+,

- filling out a patron request form at your local library asking them to buy a copy,

- scheduling a discussion of the book with your book club (you can ask me to participate via speakerphone, chat room, Skype or whatever, too!),

- putting a sign on your car to "Read Deadly Currents!",

- tattooing the cover art on your forehead.



Wait, I got carried away on those last two! You get the idea, though. Be creative, have fun, and think of your own way to help keep that "word of mouth" going for Deadly Currents. Spread the word, leave a comment here, and you're entered. I think there's no more fun way to celebrate a birthday or good fortune than by giving something away yourself.



Now, here's a question. How do you celebrate "milestone" birthdays? How else do you think I should celebrate mine (besides the book giveaway contest)? Any party-down suggestions for me?

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