Tuesday, November 28, 2017

#CSReadathon (Christmas and Scary) It's mid-event...and prize update! #Readathon


Just wanted to do a quick mid-event (a little past) check in. How are you doing? I haven't been doing too hot, but we still have almost a week so hopefully I'll get more reading in. I did listen to Hercule Poirot's Christmas on audio and I finished another book I've been reading for review, which I highly recommend...The Murderer's Maid by Erika Mailman.

News about prizes

Today is Giving Tuesday so I've decided to go ahead and pick a winner for my charity prize of a donation to an organization dedicated to helping those in need. For instance, Second Harvest Food Bank, Salvation Army, Heifer International, etc. I'm making a $20 donation in the winner's name, and since most charities are doubling (or tripling) donations today, that will be a $40 to $60 donation! I will draw from the sign up/starting line list (and, of course, double check participation). Be watching your email, Twitter and/or the Facebook group to see if you're a winner.


Rhonda Hopkins has generously donated an eBook copy and an audio copy of her books, Survival and The Gift. That's four winners! I will draw for these prizes at the end of the readathon.



Some days, the only plan is survival…

When Sarah escapes from her brutal abductors, she promises to return to rescue her twin sister, but with the walking dead invading Fort Worth, TX, she is forced to rely on a competitive coworker who made her work life hell for years. With her coworker weakened by cancer treatments, her sister still imprisoned, and zombies looking for an easy meal, Sarah’s only plan, if she can pull it off, is Survival.

SURVIVAL is a 14,000 word short story.

Excerpt:

Sarah Jamison's gaze met her twin's fear-filled blue eyes. "I—"

"It's no use. The cuff is too tight. You're going to have to leave me." Dana put her free hand on Sarah's, stilling their frantic motions.

"No. I won't leave you. Maybe I can . . ." She turned, taking in the empty basement—the cement walls, exposed pipes, and her sister handcuffed to one of the metal cylinders. A small amount of light trickled in through the one lone window, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon. Unless...

She strode over to the dangling pipe from which she had managed to extricate herself earlier. Grabbing the unattached end, she tried wresting it clear of its fittings, her own wrist dangling handcuffs which clinked against the metal with each pull. Rust and time made it impossible to remove.

"Sarah—"

"No." Tears ran down her face. "I can't leave you, Dana."

"You have to. It's the only way we're both getting out of here. You have to go for help."

Sarah knelt beside her sister who reached out and wiped her thumb across her cheek, brushing the tears aside.

"I'll be okay until you get back. I won't give them any excuse to throw me out to those . . . ." Dana choked back the word they had both been avoiding, choosing another instead. "Creatures."

Sometimes, the best gifts are unexpected…



When workaholic Robert Chalmer’s wife leaves to take care of her sick mother for two weeks, he is left with all the responsibility… including his seven-year-old daughter. With Christmas fast approaching, Robert must find a way to reconnect with what is most important in his life, or risk losing it forever.

THE GIFT is a 7300 word heart-warming short story set in Fort Worth, TX about family, love, and second chances.

About the author
Best-selling and award-winning author, Rhonda Hopkins, has learned firsthand that truth is stranger than fiction. Her two decades of experience as an investigator provide her characters with a depth and realism that gives truth a run for its money. Having come in contact with the best and the worst that society has to offer, Rhonda's imagination is filled with story ideas. Rhonda writes Horror, Suspense, Paranormal, and YA Urban Fantasy.

http://rhondahopkins.com


I hope everyone is enjoying the readathon! Be watching because the sign up for Winter's Respite Readathon, now all month long in January, will be posted this week.


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Monday, November 20, 2017

2017 Christmas Spirit (Christmas & Scary) #Readathon - Starting line! #CSReadathon


We have officially started! Running behind, as usual. I'm thinking this is how my entire holiday season is going to be. lol

If you're joining us, remember these things:
  • Try to read at least one Christmas book...it is a Christmas readathon, after all. But I won't arrest you if you don't. Also, don't forget the added scary element this year!
  • For full details on the readathon regarding the scary element, etc., visit the signup post here.
  • You do not have to have a blog. Join us from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Goodreads...or in our Facebook group
  • The linky below is the same as the sign-up linky so if you've already signed up and now want to link up your reading plans, just add your link and put reading plans in parentheses (ex. Michelle (reading plans). 
  • If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the contact form, or visit the readathon guidelines page for answers, both in the sidebar menu.
  • If you're checking in on social media (Twitter, Instagram, etc.) our hashtag is #CSreadathon
Regarding our readathon prize...everyone who completes a wrap-up and adds their name to the linky at the end of the readathon will be entered to win. What's the prize?

Since it's the Season of Giving, our prize this year will be a donation to an organization dedicated to helping those in need. For instance, Second Harvest Food Bank, Salvation Army, Heifer International, etc. I will make a $20 donation in the winner's name. This is open internationally.
Have fun!

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If you haven't already, why not join us for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, which runs all season long, you can do so at my Christmas blog, Christmas Spirit. Would love to have you! Also, my season long Christmas event kicks off over there today. I'm looking for guests so if you love Christmas and want to be my guest to tell us why (anything goes...favorite movies, books, family memories, traditions), please stop by over there and leave me a message in the contact form. Can you tell Christmas is my favorite time of year? Yup, I love it!!!


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Thursday, November 16, 2017

Christmas Spirit 2017 (Christmas & Scary) #Readathon - Sign up! #CSReadathon

 

We are once again kicking off the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge over at Christmas Spirit, with the annual Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon...and it's now two weeks long!

The Christmas Spirit Readathon has a twist this year! It's a Christmas and Scary Readathon. Personally, I read scary (horror) books all year round, but I know many people reserve that kind of reading to October. But that's just ONE month! So, I decided to create this twist to give people the excuse to read scary for at least a couple more weeks (if no more!).

What does this mean? Well, you can read Christmas, or you can read scary, or you can read both. For example, A Christmas Carol could also be labeled as scary/spooky because of the ghosts. Dickens also wrote other spooky Christmas tales (check his "Christmas Books"). However, don't think your scary has to have a Christmas theme. You can read non-holiday scary, or you can read a Christmas themed mystery (which can sometimes be scary), or you can choose all Christmas books. It's entirely up to you!

Details:
  • Read-a-Thon dates: Monday, November 20 at 12:00am CDT until Sunday, December 3 at 11:59pm CDT (adjust your time zone accordingly...there's a time zone converter in the blog menu) 
  • You do not have to be signed up for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge to participate (but I sure would love for you to join us!) 
  • I am not requiring that you read only Christmas/holiday books during the read-a-thon, but I hope you will pick up at least one holiday tale, even if it's just to read some children's books with your kids or some holiday short stories...and perhaps some scary fare...
  • to check in on social media, we'll use hashtag #CSreadathon 
  • as usual, you do not have to have a blog to participate...feel free to link up and check in from Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc. AND interact with us in our Facebook group.

If you're interested in joining us for the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, which runs all season long, you can do so at my Christmas blog, Christmas Spirit. Would love to have you!

Readathon prize:

Since it's the Season of Giving, our prize this year will be a donation to an organization dedicated to helping those in need. For instance, Second Harvest Food Bank, Salvation Army, Heifer International, etc. I will make a $20 donation in the winner's name. This is open internationally. 

Hope I haven't forgotten anything. If you have any questions or notice something I've left out, please feel free to contact me via the sidebar menu.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Time to wrap up the #FrightFall #Readathon


Where did the time go? We have come to the end of FrightFall! I hope everyone enjoyed the readathon. Just remember...enjoyment is the topmost goal. If you didn't meet your goals, don't sweat it.

I'd like to thank you all for joining me. Be sure to add your wrap-up link below and please double check that your name is listed in the sign up/starting line linky at this post so you will be eligible for the giveaway. You will also need to fill out the form on the prize page if you would like to win a prize. You have until Sunday, November 5 at 11:59 pm central time to add your wrap-up link and to fill out the form on the prize page. I will draw giveaway winners in the following few days after the wrap-up deadline so keep a look out in your email inbox (or spam folder, just in case) for an email from truebookaddict. (Please be sure to note the system of drawing winners in the giveaway details on the prize page).

Now let's have a big round of applause for the authors, and for Sinister Grin Press, who so generously donated our prizes. Bravo...and thank you!

Also, thank you to Steven Karalash for helping me with the cheerleading duties. And really, everyone who interacts in our Facebook group...you all rock!

Now on to upcoming events and news...

I put up a poll in the Facebook group regarding making all four of the seasonal readathons a month long. I have to say, I really like the month long format. It's so low key...no pressure. Not surprisingly, the majority of voters chose "Yes," followed closely by "fine either way." (If you would like to view the poll, click here. You may need to have a Facebook account to see it. I'm not sure).

So, with that consensus, January's Winter's Respite, April's Spring into Horror, July's High Summer, and of course, October's FrightFall will all have the month long format. Woot! Also, you will see below that the Christmas Spirit Readathon is now two weeks and so SciFi Summer in June will also now be two weeks long.


The Christmas Spirit Readathon is going to have a twist this year! It's going to be a Christmas and Scary Readathon. What does that mean? Well, you can read Christmas, or you can read scary, or you can read both. For example, A Christmas Carol could also be labeled as scary/spooky because of the ghosts. Dickens also wrote other spooky Christmas tales (check his "Christmas Books"). However, don't think your scary has to have a Christmas theme. You can read non-holiday scary, or you can read a Christmas themed mystery (which can sometimes be scary), or you can choose all Christmas books. It's entirely up to you! I will have sign ups for the readathon and the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge (hosted at my Christmas blog, Christmas Spirit) posted by next week...hopefully. 

Well, that's it! Thanks again for joining us. Will be seeing you next time!

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