!! April X !!

Congratulations April: You’ve won the entire WONDROUS STRANGE trilogy by the fabulous Lesley Livingston–and it will be personalized!

Thanks to everyone who entered and spread the word. Better luck next time…

And not to worry, next time is right around the corner. I have another awesome contest starting up very soon featuring a hot debut YA–

So stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a great time welcoming in 2011. And what better way to continue the festivities than with a wondrously awesome contest!

My friend and amazing writer, Lesley Livingston‘s new book is out, TEMPESTUOUS! It’s the 3rd book in the fantastic WONDROUS STRANGE trilogy.

So I got to thinking, let’s have a contest that runs up to Lesley’s official release party on January 20th, where I can then get the ENTIRE trilogy SIGNED and PERSONALIZED by Lesley to one lucky person.

This is the book description:

“I don’t love Sonny Flannery.”

That’s the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn’t know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats—to a haven for Lost Fae that’s hidden deep underneath New York City.

But Kelley’s not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she’s got to find out who’s after his magick—and how to use her own. She’s got to uncover who’s recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She’s got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she’s got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he’s around Kelley.

The intrigue and romance that began with Wondrous strange and Darklight come to a stormy head in Tempestuous, the breathtaking conclusion to Lesley Livingston’s ravishing urban Faerie trilogy.

Does that not sound AWESOME?

Now, you must be wondering, how do I enter?

Simple.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below.

Leaving a comment will give you +1 entries.

How do I get more entries though?

Easy.

Sign into my site via Google Friend Connect for +3 additional entries.

Facebook me for +3 additional entries.

Follow me on Twitter for +3 additional entries.

Re(Tweet) the contest for +1 additional entries.

Anyone who was already a member of Derek Molata Online, a friend on Facebook, or following me on Twitter prior to the contest start date will receive 1+(3,6,9) entries when you leave a comment.

And that’s all there is to it. But YOU MUST TALLY YOUR POINTS WHEN COMMENTING so I know how many entries to mark you down for.

The contest will run from Saturday, January 1st until Thursday January 20th at 12:00pm EST. Once the contest closes I will tally up all entries, add them to a random number generator, and randomly select the winner.

Good luck!

Totally hit the chaos whirlwind over the last 10 days or so. It’s been crazy. A good kinda crazy, but crazy nonetheless.

Last Sunday I flew out to Seattle for 6 days. As mentioned in previous posts etc., I really enjoy traveling out to the west coast for day job shenanigans. They prove to be very busy trips with very full days in the office. But it’s great to see people in the flesh that I work with on a daily basis via email and phone conferencing. And it just so happens some of my dearest friends also live in the cities that I travel to for work. Which means after work tom foolery takes place as well…usually revolving around a drinking establishment, and usually involving several nights.

My latest trip to Seattle was no different. It disappeared in a blur but was a ton o’ fun as well. I only wish I can remember more of it so that I can give a more detailed account of the events. Maybe it’s a good thing I can’t. Bottom line: I’m looking forward to my next trip.

I flew in last Friday and was home for dinner. It was great to be able to see my girls. They were so happy to have me home, running to greet me at the door (well, my wife didn’t run, but she was glad to have me home again, believe it or not). We all went out for a great dinner and then I read the kids stories and put them to bed.

Saturday was Ad Astra. I felt horrible having to leave everyone for the day/night since I just flew home the night before, but Ad Astra is a once a year thing and I’d been planning to go as always. The work trip was a much more last minute thing.

And it was a lot of fun as usual. Got to hang out with the usual suspects: Karin Lowachee, Leah Bobet, S.K.S. Perry, Caitlin Sweet, Lesley Livingston, and many, many others. I was also able to chat with the talented and awesome Adrienne Kress (and yes, she’s a sweetheart too).  We talked about MG/YA writing, pirates, spices (it’s Fen-ELLE, not Fennel!), Pixar goodness and the copious differences between Antz and A Bug’s Life. She’s pretty cool, so go buy her books, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman or Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate, or both.

And while I’m at it, if you haven’t picked up Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange yet, add that one to your order too.

One cannot go wrong with “dark power and mouthy cleverness”.

Right. Saturday disappeared in a mad rush while at Ad Astra, but it was a great time even if the Memories of Japan are memories worth forgetting (stick to the teppanyaki, not the sushi). There was also lots of talk about Worldcon in Montreal as well, in which I will be attending (and many other people!). And no, that wasn’t a bottle of red wine in the brown paper bag… not at all.

Sunday morning brought some pleasant news (none of which I can talk about obviously), and the rest of the day carried on the same bright spirits. Other things are in the works too (and no, I can’t talk about those yet either), but I finally feel as if things are starting to fall into place… or are at least moving into a more positive direction.

But it is getting late and I still have much to do… so very much to do that it is a wonder that I get any sleep at all. So on that note, good night.

Here I am, late again with an update of weekend festivities and cool up-and-comings.

First off, Saturday night was spent out-and-about with some wonderfully great friends. I picked up Karin Lowachee and braved the winter weather so we could head into Toronto to meet up with S.K.S. Perry and Leah Bobet at Spring Rolls. Crazy amounts of pad thai, dim sum, and mango salad (blah!), was had by all. Conversation was lively, minus the roofie talk, which was, of course, not so lively, unless you take into account the laughter. After dinner we were off to Cafe Volo for drinks and dessert. Karin and I once again stormed through the gelid weather and made it to our homes before the sun began to rise.

Sunday was spent with family, watching football (Dolphins! 10-5!), and making pierogies — from scratch. Yup, Erika and I made the dough and filling and spent the evening stuffing those little pockets of goodness. Only 3 broke in the water, which gave us a taste of what is to come on Christmas Eve. This year, due to time, we only made cheese-and-potato. Usually we also make my favourite, sauerkraut, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

Tonight is cabbage roll making. Meat has been purchased. Cabbage heads prepped. Speck and rice acquired. Erika and I have become quite good at making these as well, and so it shouldn’t take much time. And we’ll have a Christmas movie on in the background while we make them. What Christmas movie you ask? Why, Die Hard, of course!

I will take pictures of the pierogies and cabbage rolls when they are served tomorrow night.

And last but certainly not least, today is release day for Lesley Livingston’s WONDROUS STRANGE!

If you love danger, romance, faeries — and Shakespeare, then you’ll love this book. Go get a copy — or three!

Congrats Lesley!