The warmth of a good giveaway

We are to honour our ancestors, but it’s bloody difficult when mine didn’t have the sense to a board a ship headed south. They didn’t end up in the Arctic, at least, but the Canadian East Coast in the grip of a February freeze is a few mitts short of a full house in the game of flesh versus frostbite. As a writer I can let my creative juices freeze where they sit, stay wine-soaked until April, or engage in some creative ways to reach the world without leaving the warmth of my flannel cocoon. As it turns out. there is nothing like a good giveaway to keep the thoughts and brand moving through the darkness of winter, and it is my great honour to announce some recent contests that have brightened my winter and hopefully the winners’ days as well.

Now, those same ancestors who thought settling in a country with four seasons – Autumn, Hockey, Playoffs, and Road Construction – was a great idea would be rolling in their graves at the thought of a good Scotch lass giving anything away for free. To be clear, I’m only part-Scotch. I’m also English, German, and Dutch, among other things, which lead to some interesting battles even before I open my eyes. Those battles, though, are the spark behind my creativity. Thanks to a few contests, my spark has been fanned to glowing in a season that needs warmth – and inspiration – the most.

First, Goodreads. I listed my third book for a giveaway that ended Wednesday (Feb. 6). Over 440 entries. Not a lot to some people but to me, that’s huge. Three winners: east coast, west coast and across the pond to the UK. How cool is that? Today, I will skip to the post office, heedless of the wind chill, at the thought of being able to share my work with new folks far afield. 

Then, Facebook. Our cover artist for the new book allowed us to make three prints of his work, which he numbered and signed. Three Facebook fans were selected at random for these prints: one local, one regional, and one again across the ocean to Ireland. Now my artist is excited, too. Just in time for the cover of book four …

Our local library and radio station helped with the rest. An on-air interview and giveaway put a copy of each of my three titles into the hands of three new readers. A door prize at my library reading provided a set of books to another rwader new to my series. 

Giving things away may not pay for a trip south, but it does pay in offering a pick-me-up in the post-Christmas sag and putting my books and brand into warm appreciative hands rather than the chill of my basement.

Congratulations, winners, and everyone esle, stay tuned. Thi giveaway thing is so much fun, I hope to do it more often. Maybe a spring shower of stories … if it ever stops snowing.