This is really TWO contests.
Contest #1, running until Midnight on Thursday, March 11th:
The Prize: A personalized copy of “The Thorn” book one of “The Chronicles of Gan” by Daron D. Fraley, AND a $25.00 gift card to Barnes & Noble. Winner will be chosen randomly (random.org) and announced on Saturday, March 13th.
TO ENTER CONTEST ONE: Spread the word about THIS post in the following ways:
1. Blog – worth 5 entries: Blog about this contest and link back to it. Then see #5 below.
2. Become a Networked Blogs follower – worth 3 entries: Find the “Networked Blogs Followers” section in my sidebar, and click FOLLOW THIS BLOG (it is after the Virtual Blog Tour section, please scroll down to find it). Then see #5 below.
3. Become a FAN on my Facebook Author Page – worth 3 entries: Daron D. Fraley, Author. Then see #5 below.
4. TWITTER – worth one entry for EVERY TWEET: Follow me on Twitter ( @DaronFraley ) then tweet the following text:
Win a B&N Gift Card AND a book by @DaronFraley http://bit.ly/cSBDE5 #thethorn #giveaways #contests #authors #books
To be a valid TWITTER entry, all characters after and including @DaronFraley must be present (i.e. @DaronFraley http://bit.ly/cSBDE5 #thethorn #giveaways #contests #authors #books ). You may change the text before my ID, as long as you stay under 140 characters.
5. For all entry types, please COMMENT HERE, on this post, and tell me that you have done them. I don’t want to miss those entries! BUT, you don’t need to tell me about all of your twitter activity, just tell me your twitter userid so I know who you are. I will see the posts if you followed directions.
UPDATE: Please be sure to leave me a link to your blog post when you comment! Thanks!
There really isn’t any secret to why I am doing Contest #1. My book release is only 7 days away. I want you to help me spread the word about my book. Simple, eh?
Contest #2, running until Midnight on Friday, April 30th:
The Prize: Be immortalized. Be a character in a book.
This contest was previously announced here: Secret-Name-Contest
My book is now available for pre-orders at the sidebar link to the right. Click on the book cover. By this coming Tuesday, March 16th, the book will be available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other major retailers near you. You are going to need the book to participate in this contest. To enter, all you have to do is join my mail-list (also in my sidebar), and give the correct answer to the quiz. If you have already joined the mail list, but didn’t know the answer to the quiz, you are welcome to join again. I will remove the duplicate entries.
Here are the details:
One lucky contest winner will get to collaborate with me, the author, on a character in the second book of my series “The Chronicles of Gan”. Currently, that book is called “Heaven’s Garden”. The winner will be able to help me choose:
1. The description of a new character in “Heaven’s Garden”. The physical description of the character could be similar to the contest winner, if the winner desires.
2. The tribe to which the character belongs. Read “The Thorn” and you will know what the three choices are. Or are there four? 
3. Whether the character is a “good guy” or a “bad guy”.
4. The occupation of the character, if any. What will they be? A potter? An astronomer? A miller? A horse-trainer? A soldier? A mother? A gardener? A shipwright? A printer? Help me out here!
5. The name of the character. (Caveat: The name will have to be an Old-Testament or Hebrew name in order to conform to the rest of the series. If your name is a Hebrew name, just count yourself as extra lucky if we can use it.)
6. Other ideas? I am open to suggestions for minor additions to character background, etc.
Just to be clear, I reserve the right to edit and modify whatever name, occupation, description, background, or traits the winner suggests, but if the winner truly gets a feel for the tone and spirit of the book, this could be a really cool opportunity for them. And I will mention their involvement in the acknowledgments! (That way they get to have their REAL name in the book too).
Now for the puzzle…
It is really quite simple. At the front of the book, “The Thorn”, there is an extensive glossary with names of all the characters in the book. Every single character ever mentioned is on the list. With the exception of one. One name is a name the careful reader will not recognize. It is a name of a character who will be in book two, but is never mentioned in “The Thorn”.
Read the book. Take notes. Figure out which name in the glossary is never mentioned. Then come to my website and fill out my mailing list form so you can get my quarterly newsletter. There will be an extra field labeled “Contest Entry Code”. Put the name of the character there when you submit. All correct entries will be tallied, then a random name will be drawn. I will notify the winner by email, and we will begin to create the character!
More of the prize…
In addition to being mentioned in the acknowledgements for book two, the winner will ALSO win a personalized copy of “Heaven’s Garden” when it is released, and their picture with me at a book signing (if the winner is able to attend).
What do you think? Excited?
One last note: Please don’t post the answer to this puzzle online where others can find it, or you will ruin it for everyone. You will also severely limit your own chances of winning the prize, because other folks who have not taken the time to solve the puzzle can then simply use your answer and enter the contest on the mailing list.
Savvy? (I love it when Jack Sparrow says that… since we are talking about Captain Jack, here is one of my favorite quotes from the movies: “Trust me on this. You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him. Trust me.”)
To make the contest lawyers happy, no purchase is necessary… go to the library if you would rather not purchase the book.
For the next week, you may pre-order the book at a discount here: Valor Publishing Group
The “SECRET NAME” contest will end when I draw for the winner on May 1st, 2010. Happy Hunting!
technorati update: 3Y6B8BDBFKZN
Tags: Book Promotions, Book Signings, Contests, My Books, The Thorn
