A Paranormal Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:05:00 +0000

Words can hardly explain my absence but to all my fans out there, I am alive, I am making my way back to my "normal" way of life, or at least how it was pre- illness, and yes Dawn of Destiny is still going to release. I will post soon with all the juicy details of what was going on with my very long leave of absence as well as things to look forward to for DofD and what the future looks like. Can't wait to share, thanks for not jumping ship when I gave you so many reasons to! :)

Spooktacular Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Welcome all Goblins and Ghouls to this Spooktacular hop!
Thanks for visiting us, A Paranormal romance will be giving away a $15 Amazon.com gift card. All that is is needed is to be a follower and then fill out the form below, yep we are keeping it simple here because we know this hop is a BIG one and you have lots of blogs to hop to. The winner of this giveaway will be emailed and announced here on this blog on November 1st and will have 72 hours to respond and claim their treat!

This contest is now closed,
Congratulations to our winner Linda Harress
Thank you to all who participated!

Dawn of Destiny Delayed

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:41:00 +0000

This post is coming in the 11th hour because I'd been hoping I wouldn't have to do it. But at some point reality has to be faced. I've contemplated this post for the past week wondering if I should go into details or not, but I have come to the determination that details of the why will not make the news any less disappointing so I will be brief and to the point. Dawn of Destiny will not be releasing September 26th as originally scheduled. To all of you waiting on the edge of your seat I am truly so very sorry and I myself am sad and disappointed as well. It really has been the perfect storm of events these past few months which have made me feel like I am working against the universe itself to get this book released. When the date was set back in March everything was on track for Dof D's release in September. Around May I had a dreaded feeling come over me that things weren't the way they should be and with much reluctance I entered into a re-write process. I was hopeful I could make the changes as they were small and still make deadlines for edits and such. Cue the contract negotiations (this is all I can say right now). Though this is exciting news for me it threw a kink in my plans. Did I want to release Dawn of Destiny with the current plan and publisher or do I want to try and go with someone bigger? Do I release it and then change all three books over or do I sign before releasing the 3rd and then deal with other people determining Dawn of Destiny's future? My head was swimming and choices needed to be made immediately. Cue the downfall of my health. I will not go into details but the long story is I got very sick, doctors found several masses in my abdomen which at first were believed to be cancerous. Lots of tests and Dr's later they were determined to be benign but I have been undergoing treatment to shrink the masses ever since. When my health went down hill EVERYTHING came to a screeching halt and has not totally resumed because I have yet to fully recover. This chain of events has definitely put a limp in my step and I have had moments of serious doubt, wondering if I am making the right decisions regarding my books. And I am not just talking about for me, I am worried about my readers. I want all of you who have supported me and loved this series, just as much as I have, to be happy and content with the way the series ends as well as how it is distributed. Though the decision is mine to make I hope you know I am mindful of my readers.
Right now I would love to shift blame and claim that all these above events are responsible for this disappointment and it's not my fault, rather it's the powers that be or something like that but the fact remains the blame is still mine. I had several opportunities to move things forward but hesitated to do so for various reasons. I am the one who commits to take on several things, with overly optimistic expectations and a very small buffer for the surprises life will always bring. However my suspension of realistic expectations is why I am an author, it's what got me to write 3 full length novels, and publish 2 of them in a matter of 3 years. I have kept a grueling pace and I have done it because I often choose to suspend reality and strive for more.

So where does this leave us? That is a good question. I will not be releasing the info for a new date until certain elements fall into place which will make the new date absolutely solid. I would like to think it will be before the year is done but I will not make that promise until I'm certain because I don't want to be writing a post like this again. Please feel free to send hate mail if it makes you feel better, I may write myself a few nasty letters as well. But do not lose hope, Dawn of Destiny WILL be released and it will still be relatively soon, so do what you have to do to do to deal with your frustration and I will do what I have to do to ensure there are no more disappointments!

Thanks for your understanding and your support I appreciate it!

Where I've Been

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:18:00 +0000

I have been absent from the blog world for awhile, well no that isn't true, I have just been absent from this blog but I have been quite busy over HERE , on one of my newer projects and passions. But I have not forgotten the Son of Eden blog nor my avid readers and followers. I have also not forgotten Dawn of Destiny and it's quickly approaching release and I'm definitely feeling the pressure to ensure some of the last minute preparations. I am crossing my fingers I can stick to the date but, let me be honest, I am burned out. Publishing 3 novels in 2 short years is a grueling pace to keep not too mention the other partial novels waiting to be completed, especially when there is no vacation or time out from being mother to 5 young kids. I felt like summer would be my chance to catch up on all things book and instead I find myself drastically behind. I also took on a new project in June called Fit At Home Mom, which WILL eventually be book related but not yet. Some may say that is spreading myself too thin and this is why I am exhausted and though I agree to an extent I must say this new project is hardly a project. It has become my way to relax and feel a sense of release from all the other demands in my life. It has created a much needed vacation for my mind although I believe it did the job too well and now I am fighting to get my momentum going again on all my book projects. There is also some crazy things happening right now with book publishers and specifically Amazon and though I can not say much more about this right now I can say it could be effecting my future books and publishing dates. So lots of new things going on and lots of pressure to complete what I have started. I want to take this chance to say thanks to all my readers out there. You are all so awesome and I truly appreciate the emails I continue to get regarding my novels and your enjoyment of them. It is often your letters of encouragement that provide me with the fuel I need to get things done, so from the bottom of my heart THANKS! On that note I am going to strive hard to be around here (this blog) more often and get some exciting promotions going as we get closer to Dawn of Destiny's release, all I need now is a big swift kick in the pants!

Splash into Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Hooray hooray Summer is here! I love summer because my kids are home, the weather is warm, pools are open, beaches are perfect and vacation destinations are endless. But that is how I feel at the beginning of summer, ask me on Labor Day what I think and my opinion may differ. I am so excited to be taking part in this blog hop and I want to thank our hosts I am a Reader not a Writer and Page Turners for putting this together. So do you want to know what is being given away and how to get it?????

Well . . . . . 2 lucky winners will receive signed copies of Son of Eden and Daughter of Earth for some good reading on your summer vacation as well as a 10$ Amazon gift card because lets face it gift cards are just fun to get.

Entry is super easy, just be a follower of this blog and fill in the form below with your name and email so you can be contacted if you win (all of your information is private and discarded when the contest is over)

You may recieve one extra entry if you leave a comment below telling my either your favorite thing about summer or a great place to vacation during the summer. The 2 winners will be contacted via email (so make sure it is right) and will also be announced on this blog Friday June 1st.

Good luck and keep it cool!

***On a side note anyone interested in getting in shape this summer for FREE in 20 minutes or less a day click here FIT AT HOME MOM, the first workout videos will begin being posted Monday June 4th along with great healthy recipes and health tips. Check it out ***
(You can also find us on Facebook by searching Fit at Home Mom)

Follow the link below and keep hopping!

Amazon Gift Card Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:38:00 +0000

Sorry for the late post everyone but I ended up taking a last minute vacation over the weekend (which was desperately needed) and I did not take my computer because I needed time away from all things book including editing and writing so I was not able to post the winner of the Easter Blog Hop. But I am back and ready to go. There are some exciting things happening right now and I am anxious to get to the point where things will be announced. But enough about me this is supposed to be about you.

So the winner of the Easter Giveaway Hop is...... Jessica H.......our winner has already been notified and claimed her prize! Thank you to all the many, many people who participated (over 400 entries) it was definitely one of the largest hops I have done so far, and so very fun!

Check back again for the next giveaway happening in May and until then .... Happy Reading!

Easter Giveaway Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Happy Easter everyone !!! Easter is one of my favorite holidays, it must be because it is during spring when everything is in bloom and looking beautiful. It is a wonderful time for reflection and re-birth and I love it! I also love these fun hops I get to participate in and I want to thank

I am a Reader not a Writer and Once upon a Twilight for hosting this hop!

Alright I like to keep things simple and easy peezy around here so this giveaway goes as follows,

You need to be a follower of this blog, enter your name and email on the form below and submit, yep it's that easy! One winner will be selected using Random.org and will receive a

free $10 Amazon gift card delivered to you electronically through email and you will be able to obtain and spend it immediately. See.... simple!

The winner will be contacted through email and will be announced on this site on

Friday the 13th ( hope your not the superstitious type )

I hope everyone has a happy and wonderful Easter and good luck with the hopping!

This contest is now closed

Save yourself some GREEN

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 11:48:00 +0000

Happy St Patrick's day to all you fellow people with Irish bloodlines and if you aren't Irish or don't have Irish blood in you ...... who cares! Though I have never participated in the green beer drinking or anything of that sort the Holiday is a good excuse to wear green and pinch total strangers who aren't! Anyway for St, Patties Day I am helping people save some "green" and for today only Son of Eden is available for free kindle download. Just click the image below to be taken to the pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow! Enjoy, oh yes and tell your friends!

Paranormal Activity Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:22:00 +0000

Thanks to all who participated in the Paranormal Activity Blog Hop. What a fun and unique hop! For this blog we had three separate winners who were chosen using random.org and they are......

Liz Gomez .........Kara D.........Thalia..........

Congratulations to our winners, they have each been notified and will be receiving a signed copy of Son of Eden.

Hooray for blog hops and free books !

Check back here soon for more chances to win, have a fabulous weekend

and as always... Happy Reading

Young Adult Paranormal Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Welcome to all you blog hoppers!

Thank you to our awesome hosts I am a reader not a Writer and VVB32 Reads for putting this blog hop together

What a fun and unique blog hop. I have always loved young adult books, especially those with a paranormal element! Does anyone else remember reading the Goosebump books??? Those were my first "paranormal" books as a young reader and my fascination only grew from there. So it didn't surprise me that when I had an idea to write a book it would be a young adult book with a paranormal element to it. With that said it only seems fitting that the book for this giveaway will be my own book, SON OF EDEN, the first book in the Tales of the Guardian series. This copy will be signed and I will be giving away 3 copies, one to each winner, so there will be 3 winners!

Entry rules

You must become a follower of this blog (GFC and email count as well)

Fill out the form below with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win

It's that simple!

1 Extra entry can be gained by

leaving a comment below this post telling me one of your favorite young adult books!

Good Luck and Happy Hopping!!!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

Click this link to be redirected to the linky list and keep hoppin!!!

What the characters look like...at least to me

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:09:00 +0000

This post is a very fun one for me and it began with letters from readers. Fan mail was interesting last week. As always reading everyone's emails made me smile but what I found peculiar was 3 readers asked me the very same question. They wanted to know if I had pictures of what I imagined my characters to look like, or in other words which actors/actresses I would cast to play their role. I have thought about this often but have never posted pictures because I do not want to ruin someone else's fantasy about the way a certain character might look. For instance, when they cast Kristen Stewart as Bella for Twilight I wanted to throw something (well maybe not but I was still frustrated). She was NOT what I had in mind and I am not a fan of her work. It kinda ruined it for me.

With that said, this request for character pictures has been made to me in the past and with 3 readers asking for pictures in the same week I decided it was time to reveal who I feel comes closest to the characters in my Tales of the Guardian series. I will start with the two main characters Alexander and Emily and then post later with some of the supporting characters. But before I reveal these pictures I have to say the actor / actress I have chosen are well over the age which would be appropriate to actually play them in a movie if this series were ever to get movie rights (*crossing my fingers*) When I was looking for matches I was not looking at age as much as I was looking for overall match with their physical traits as well as just the feeling I got when viewing their photo. Also after I show you my photos I would love to hear what all of you think. Do they match for you, do you picture someone else? Tell me, tell me I would love to know.

Alright so since we read about Emily first I am going to reveal her "photo" first. I do not know much of this particular actresses work but her one role I have found where she played a brunette she jumped out to me as Emily. She is far to old to portray her by almost 10 years however there was just something about her features that said Emily to me and so here she is

.....

....

...

Kate Bosworth

Specifically when she played Lois Lane in Superman Returns. Her delicate features mixed with her brown wavy hair are almost an exact match to the Emily I had in my head. What do you think?

Okay now for the really fun one, ALEXANDER!!! This actor was absolutely firm in my mind the second I saw him in a certain role where he was cast as a Roman soldier. I always picture Alexander as very "Roman" looking and it just fits with the entire feel of Eden. So who is the handsome muscular dude I would cast as Alexander?

.....

....

...

Channing Tatum

His physique coupled with those dark brown locks, smoldering eyes and strong but still soft facial features has me convinced he is Alexander.

But if you really want to be convinced check him out in this promotional picture for the movie The Eagle where he portrays a very skilled and sexy Roman war general. When I first saw the movie I could hardly believe my eyes, it was Alexander, not only for his looks but the entire Roman General thing. Can you say yummy?

Or does this not do it for you?

If you have another actor / actress you picture in your mind when reading the Tales of the Guardian books let me know. Feel free to comment below or email me, I really want to hear what readers think!

Love is FREE (on Amazon.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:55:00 +0000

On this very special day we as American's set aside our anger or ill feelings to celebrate, honor and consume Red #40 in excess amounts. Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside thinking of all the things we eat today that are dyed red, words can hardly express how I feel about this product but that is not what my post is about. No this post is about love and if you love paranormal romances then I have a Red # 40 Day treat for you. If you hurry over to Amazon.com you can download both Son of Eden and Daughter of Earth for FREE! This promotion is just for today and will end at midnight tonight. This is just my way of saying I love you on this wonderful Red # 40 Day! Tell your friends!

Oh .......and Happy Valentines Day ;)

YA Giveaway Hop Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:55:00 +0000

Congratulations to the winner of the YA Giveaway Hop.... Jolene.... She will be receiving the signed copies of Son of Eden and Daughter of Earth. Our winner was selected using Random.org and has 72 hours to respond to the email. If no response is given then a new winner will be chosen in their stead. Thank you to all the blog hoppers who participated!

YA Giveaway Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:16:00 +0000

Welcome to all the blog hoppers participating in the YA Giveaway Hop!

A big thank you to our wonderful hosts, I am a reader not a Writer & Down the Rabbit Hole

for putting this hop together!

This giveaway will run through Jan 31st with the winner being announced Feb 1st.

I will be giving away two YA books to one winner. What are the books?

Well of course, Son of Eden and Daughter of Earth. Both copies will be signed!

All you have to do is fill out the form below with your name and email. You must also be a follower of this blog. An extra entry can be gained by hitting the "Like" button on this blog for Facebook.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and enter this Giveaway

Happy Hopping and as always... Happy Reading

This contest is now closed

All you Lovers out there

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Hey this message is for all the lovers out there.....no not like that.... get your mind out of the gutter!

I am referencing people who love the Tales of the Guardian series, or even just like Son of Eden and, or, Daughter of Earth. I have been getting an overwhelming amount of emails this past week from people who want to express their enjoyment of my books. I can't even begin to describe how happy this makes me. I read each and every email I receive and though it might take me a few days to get through all of them and get back with you I will always get back with you (at least at this point) If you send me an email and you don't hear back from me within a week, 2 at the max; then I did not get it. Anyway I just wanted to say thank you to all the people who have taken the time to email me and express their thoughts and feelings about this series. There have been some very touching emails this past week. They have reminded me why I am doing what I do. If a reader really looks into my books I believe they will discover how I put my heart out there as well as my beliefs. I wanted to write a book which would be fun to read but would also leave the reader thinking about some aspects of life, death and happiness. Some of you really are seeing this and it absolutely thrills me!

With all that said I am asking a favor of you. For those of you out there who enjoyed my book, would you please consider leaving a review on Amazon. You might not think leaving a review is that important but it is!!! Amazon's imprint publishing companies look at reviews while considering an author for a contract with them. There are also many other areas where reviews are a factor. I wish I could do some sort of contest or giveaway related to my request but then reviews left on my book could be deemed a "payout review". Also many of you have requested to be my friend on Goodreads and Facebook. And though my initial reaction is "heck yeah, let's be friends!" I am told I really shouldn't do this. Why? Well it goes along the same lines as rewarding people for reviews. If I accepted everyones friend request who has left a review on Goodreads about my book then it would show that like half of my reviews have come from friends thus discrediting the nature of an unbiased review. So please do not take offense that I have not accepted friend requests, it is only because I have been advised not to. Some days I want to say screw the system I want to be friends with these people but at the same time I have worked really hard on my books and I do not want to ever discredit them. Pretty lame if you ask me but alas that is just the way the review system works.

So if you are a "lover" thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope I can continue to produce novels you enjoy and if you find the time please consider leaving your review on Amazon, Goodreads, or feel free to be drastic and put up a billboard or have a sky message written. However a review on Amazon would suffice ;)

New Tabs

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +0000

I want to take a moment and point out the new tab above. I have included a "Meet the Characters" section on this blog that I will be adding to as I go. Give it a click and read up on Emily, Alexander, James and Xavier. Also this is the first of a few changes which are coming to this blog so hang on cause we are about to get crazy around here!

It's Free

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Son of Eden has been available on kindle for 1 year now! So in celebration of this milestone Son of Eden (kindle version) is FREE on Amazon.com for the next 3 days. So all of you out there who have been waiting to try this book now is your chance, and for those of you who have read the book now is your chance to spread the word and let your friends know about this free download. Don't have a kindle? Just download the FREE Kindle app to your PC or iphone or other electronic device and then you can download Son of Eden for FREE. Come on you gotta love all this Freeness going on!

Just follow this link - Free Son of Eden Download

And as always ... Happy Reading!

How is it done?

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:56:00 +0000

When people find out I am an author who actually has books for sale, one of their first questions is "How did you do it?" The problem with this question is I find myself having to go into a very long and complicated explanation. It's not like I woke up one day and thought, "I'm gonna write a book and, by golly, I'm gonna get published" and then wrapped my manuscript up with pretty packaging and ribbons only to receive some letter from a publishing house pledging their undying love and devotion for me. In fact I don't think any author out there has ever had this happen. I also did not dive into the Indie market immediately. I explored many paths, took some of them, wished I hadn't taken a few of them and spent 2 years wandering the book industry until I eventually ended up on Indie Avenue. Why? Well to cut a long and boring story short I came to a realization that if I was going to make money as a "mid-list nobody" when it comes to the publishing world, then I would do it my way and I wanted to actually make money instead of settling for the meager scraps being mindlessly lobbed my direction. The fact is, being an Indie author has granted me complete freedom with my books and though I have not made tons of money doing it, the potential is definitely there and my shelf life is limitless unlike other deals out there. Going Indie has been the best decision I've made concerning my books and I would not change it. Now, does this mean I will never publish with a legacy publisher? Never say never, but more than likely I would rather go with one of Amazon's imprints than any of the Big 6.

So to those of you out there who ask me about getting published, this is my new and condensed answer. Go Indie and never look back. I will no longer give the long and complex explanation of my journey because the only thing worth hearing about it is that I learned my lesson, I know what the smartest choice is and Indie is the answer. Now is going Indie easy? I wish! The road is long and difficult. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent on the computer researching anything and everything about books, their formatting, their marketing, and so on and so on and then attempting to implement them. This has been painful for me because I have got to be one of the biggest idiots when it comes to anything that involves technology and computer programs. I have put a lot of time and hard work into getting my books written and out there and though I do not mind answering your questions, because I can save you some time and effort, the fact is you are still going to have to do a whole lot on your own. Nothing is free in this life and if you want to have your book out there for everyone to read then you must be willing to pay the price. And honestly I don't even think I have begun to fully comprehend this concept. I still consider myself a "newbie" in the Indie world, it was only a year ago I wised up and put my books for sale on Kindle and Nook through KDP and Pubit! . I think I have yet to fully pay my dues but the reality is the more effort I put in (in all aspects) the higher my chances of doing well. I determine my destiny as an author and that is worth it's weight in gold!

If you have a book written or even in your head I encourage you to get going and go Indie. I am more than willing to answer your questions to the best of my ability. Or better yet if you want answers, ones that I would give you but this man says it so much better and is genuine proof that it all works, check out Joe Konrath's blog, or better yet buy one of his inexpensive books, read it, come to appreciate him as an author and then go read about how he does it! He even has a title about Indie Publishing for 2.99 which will basically tell you everything you need to know.

Feel free to comment below or email me questions if you have them, I am always willing to help get someone going on the path to publishing their books and joining the ranks of a rapidly rising phenomenon known as Indie publishing!

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:16:00 +0000

It's new, it's improved and it is available for purchase! Amazon now has Daughter of Earth listed so for all of you who have been waiting for the second edition hurry over and download it today!

Daughter of Earth -Second Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Well my bloggy buddies, I am so very pleased to announce that Daughter of Earth is back with Amazon and will be posted for sale in the next day or so (wish I had an exact time but Amazon is weird like that) I am so excited to have it back out and though I know it is not perfect I feel so much better about the writing and editing. So for those of you who have been holding out, the wait is over. I will post again as soon as I know it is available for purchase but it will literally be a matter of hours, hopefully no more than 24! Yipee, now it is on to Black Tower and getting it ready for release as well as a few other books I am very excited about. 2012 is going to be a great year!

Revised edition of Daughter of Earth set to release!

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:23:00 +0000

Just an update for everyone out there. Daughter of Earth has been pulled on Amazon and the revised version will be released this month in a few weeks. The great news is it will be at a discounted price of 99 cents for the first few weeks. As soon as the revised edition of Daughter of Earth is available I will post here, and as always ...... Happy Reading!

Kindle Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:17:00 +0000

I know I am a day late announcing the winner to the highly anticipated Kindle giveaway but I just wanted everyone to sweat it out. Actually it took a lot longer to check all the email addresses for validity to count the votes because there were SO MANY votes! We had over 400 people cast their votes for this contest, that is amazing! It also made for a tight race and so extra time was needed to ensure each vote cast was legit. So after many hours of work we have the results .... are you ready? ....... the winner of the Kindle e-reader is ..........

KATHERINE !

Congrats Katherine. Even though this Kindle will not save you from doing things like"wipe bums of various sizes and clean copious amounts of snot from noses" it will at least be something of your very own. And now you can do things like get a book to read in your "baggy yoga pants with peanut butter smeared on them" and your "holey high school sweatshirt with spit up crusted on the shoulder. And no one ever has to know."

Thank you to everyone who participated in this event and to show my appreciation to the other contestants, Sarah and Will will each be receiving a $10 Amazon Gift Card for their wonderful essay's.

Thank you to everyone who cast their vote, I truly appreciate the time you took to visit this blog and make someone very happy! Check back here in a week for another Giveaway! Until then .... HAPPY READING :)

Gratitude Giveaway Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:21:00 +0000

Thanks to all who participated in the Gratitude Giveaway blog hop for the $10 Amazon Gift card. Every comment was assigned a chronological number as it was left and then using random.org our winner was selected. Congratulations....... Lisa! Our winner has been contacted and has 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not claim their prize a new winner will be chosen in their place.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to what is sure to be a great Holiday season. How do I know it will be great? Because no matter what, I plan on making it great and that is all it takes! Best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Make sure to check back here for some exciting holiday giveaways over the next month!

Gratitude Giveaway Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:20:00 +0000

Welcome Blog Hoppers,

To the Gratitude Giveaway!

A big thank you to I am a Reader not a Writer & All Consuming Books for being our lovely hosts!

I love the Thanksgiving season but even more than that, I love the spirit of Gratitude. Being grateful for all that we have makes for happy people and happy lives. With that said I want to say how grateful I am for all of you and my dedicated readers, I truly appreciate you. And to show my appreciation I will be giving away one $10 Amazon Gift Card so you can buy a book or two and relax and read over the Holiday season.

Entry is very simple, you need to be a follower of this blog (so I can hunt you down if you win) and then all that is required is for you to leave a comment below this post telling me something you are grateful for.

This contest will remain open through November 27th.

The winner will be contacted and announced here on the 28th.

After leaving your comment below make sure to click this link to be taken to

I am a Reader not a Writer so you can keep hopping!

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!

Round 2 of the Free Kindle Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Brianna Merrill) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:19:00 +0000

I am very tired this morning! Why? Because I was up late last night reading and re-reading essay's for the contest. There were quite a few last minute entries (and by last minute I mean they seriously had minutes to spare with the deadline) but more so it was because there were so many awesome essay's and I was really struggling to pick just 3. I received more essay's than I expected and each of them were unique and so fun to read. The three essay's I ended up deciding on are ones I believe each carry a different appeal. Not only are their reason's different I can see each essay connecting to a different group of people. I liked the diversity shown through these three entries I posted and felt that blog readers would be able to relate to at least one of the contestants therefore making voting all the more fun. A big thank you to everyone who submitted essay's for the contest, it was wonderful to read so many compelling pieces from very talented writers.

The voting begins today and will run through the end of the month. So just click on the tab above labeled "Free Kindle Contest" and cast your vote!