Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Hanukkah Extravaganzah, Part the Second: Kindle Paperwhite Winner!

Time to pick the winner winner for the second day of Hanukkah giveaway!

The winner of the Kindle Paperwhite is: Kristi Davis, who said the best book she read this year was Slammed by Coleen Hoover.

Congrats, Kristi! Email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom so I can send you your winnings! 

There's more, of course - because Hanukkah is eight nights of total insanity! Today you could win a nook Simple Touch with Glow Light. 

Happy Hanukkah, y'all! 

Hanukkah Extravaganzah, Part the Third!

On the third night of Hanukkah, Smart Bitches gave to me: a noooooooooooooook-(ee). (Note: not actual nooky.)

I'm giving away a nook Simple Touch with Glow Light to one person chosen at random from the comments in this thread.

Just leave a comment saying what you would nickname your digital reader if you won.

Standard disclaimers apply:  I'm not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age and eating dessert. Open to international residents.

You've got 24 hours to leave a comment. There will be more fun and mayhem each night of Hanukkah. Eight straight days of crazy dreams come true, y'all! Pass the latkes.

Hanukkah Extravaganza Part the First: The Winner! Or, Winners! (oops)

Last night, there was fried chicken, latkes, lit candles and presents, and Hanukkah began. It also began here, with the first of eight celebration giveaways. 

Let's crown a winner, shall we?

As determind by the Hanukkah elves at the Random.org generator, the winner of the $100 bookstore gift card - winner's choice! - is: Christy_G!

Congratulations, Christy! Please email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom to claim your prize! 

ETA: But wait, there's more comedy! 

Due to a technical error on my part (which I totally blame on insufficient caffeine and possibly also the chattering five-year-old next to me), I misidentified the winning comment. Which: OOPS. You'd think I'd be doing this long enough that I wouldn't do that, but guess not.

So, my mistake is another person's gain: two winners! 

The Also Winner is: Readsalot81! You also win a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice!

Sorry about that, y'all. I'm going to drink more caffeine. 

There's another giveaway today: a Kindle Paperwhite is up for winning! Happy Hanukkah,… read more »

Hanukkah Extravaganzah, Part the Second!

On the second night of Hanukkah, Smart Bitches gave to me: a WiFi Paperwhite so when I read in the dark I can see!

I'm giving away one supah-sexay Wi-Fi Kindle Paperwhite with Special Offers at random to someone in the comments.

Just tell us what book you enjoyed most this past year!

Standard disclaimers apply:  I'm not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age and open to the possibility of Pajama Jeans to win. Open to international residents.

You have 24 hours to leave your comment, and we'll have a new piece of mayhem each day of Hanukkah. Now, I'm going to figure out how to make a menorah out of nine Paperwhites. Someone pass me the tape.

Hanukkah Extravaganzah, Part the First!

On the first night of Hanukkah, Smart Bitches gave to me: book store shopping money!

Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah, and we have gifts for you! I'll be hosting something different each day, so come on back each day.  

The first night of Hanukkah gift: a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice.

Standard disclaimers apply: I'm not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age and wearing warm socks to win. Open to international residents. Try the latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

To enter, leave a comment telling us which book you'd buy first. I will choose the winner at random. You have 24 hours to enter.

Happy Hanukkah - let's get bonkers in here! Fried food and sugar should make us plenty bouncy.

2012 Gift Guide: Part 1 With Giveaway! And also music!

It's time for the 2012 gift guides, where I go catalog and online shopping for gift ideas that would work for all the avid readers you know. I have a lot of fun building the gift guides, especially when I find something like the Lowood Lacrosse tshirt and so many people go, 'HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS MUST BUY CLICK CLICK.' It's a relief I'm not alone in these things.

I've got a file of a few ideas already, but I wanted to put out a call for submissions. If you have a gift that works wonderfully for romance reading book loving folks in your life, I would LOVE to hear about it. Please email me at SarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTTYcom with "Gift Guide" in the subject line, and tell me about it!

You are welcome to tell me about your Etsy store, your line of handmade fountain pen inks, your knitted slipper business, or your friend's boutique. But please make sure that there is a reason what you're sending to me would work as a gift for a book loving… read more »

Winners: Season for Surrender Giveaway!

My apologies for the delay in posting winners. Was this not the most food-craving-starting thread? I want to invite all of you to a potluck where we can sit around and eat and read books and eat more. Someday there will be epic airfare for all, and potluck plans will ensue.

Are you ready for winners?

The five winners of a paper copy of Season for Surrender are:

And the five winners of a digital copy of Season for Surrender are:

Congrats to the winners! Please email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom with your mailing address (if you won a paper copy) or your email address (if you won a digital copy).

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a copy - I hope you'll grab a copy if you see one, and join us for the book club chat discussion on 27 November at 9pm ET.

Season for Surrender: Giveaway and Chat Date!

First up: the Sizzling Book Club Chat for Season for Surrender by Theresa Romain will be Tuesday 27 November at 9:00pm ET. Theresa will join us at 10pm for Q&A - so mark your calendars!

Need a Google button? Have a Google button:

But wait, there's more! Kensington is so excited that this book is the November book club selection, they've agreed to host a giveaway for y'all. I have five print copies from Kensington plus five digital copies to give away. Yay! The 50% rebate is still on at AllRomance through 15 November, too.

Standard disclaimers apply. This contest is open to anyone internationally. Must be over 18 and wearing a bustle. Void where prohibited. Slippery when wet. Objects in  mirror may be closer than they appear. Close cover before striking. Beware the invisible dog.

Would you like to win a copy? Well, since Season for Surrender is all about a holiday house party - one that's two weeks long, holy smokes - let's talk holiday party! It's nearly time for all the end-of-year get… read more »

Andrea Kane’s Historical Backlist: the Winner!

Time to pick the winner in the Andrea Kane backlist giveaway. These are some seriously fun historical romances, judging by the descriptions, and so many of you want to read the ones I'm curious about, too. So, with no further ado, here's our winner, via the Random Integer Generator, which is never wrong: 

#175: Kelly! Congratulations, Kelly! Please email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom with your contact info (your email address, specifically) and we'll get your pile o'digital wonderbooks out to you. 

Thank you so much to everyone who entered. Now I have to buy one and read it. I'm thinking Black Diamond. 

Andrea Kane’s Historical Backlist: A Giveaway

Last week I received an email from Open Road Publishing telling me that Andrea Kane had published her historical romance backlist and that a whole pile of books were now available.

The problem: I had never read Andrea Kane. I mean, it's not like that's a hard problem, since I can go read one of her books, but there's fourteen of them.

So I asked on Twitter if anyone had read Andrea Kane's historicals, and which they recommended. Mad replied that she LOVED Andrea Kane's books, and was very excited to hear that they were all digital now (though alas, she is sad about their price). Mad's excitement about Kane's backlist being available digitally made me think that perhaps there were more readers who would like Kane - or readers who have been waiting, like Mad, for them to be available again.

I asked Mad what she liked about Kane's writing, and she said:

I discovered Andrea Kane right around the time that I first started reading romance books, which was in 1991, right after… read more »

Sizzling Book Club Pick for October: What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long - Win a Copy!

Announcing the October book club pick: What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long! 

Here's the summary: 

For years, he's been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he'll seduce Ian's innocent sister, Genevieve—the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he'll capture her heart . . . and then he'll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of… read more »

Your Next Bestseller Title Generator: The Winners

Time to pick the winners of the Fifty Shades of Better Colors competition.

First, it appears from one of the comments that the "like" feature didn't work consistently for everyone, and I apologize. I thought that would be an entertaining way to determine the winner, but I won't use that method if it doesn't work for everyone.

Second, winners winners chicken dinners!

Based on your votes and likes and general merriment, the following entry receives honorable mention:

#61: Shal, for 50 Shades of Jasper

Jasper Stone was the CEO of Stones Foundation; the family business dedicated to making the finest jewellery with the most precious stones. Making women swoon and men go bankrupt since 1985. 
But Jasper doesn't believe in love and pities the fools who think jewellery can buy them love...that is until he meets Jade Zircon.
Jade, with her flaming wavy red hair and cold blue eyes that would do Medusa proud. He must have her! All Jasper wants to do is make sweet hot love with her wearing nothing but his best stones....but would… read more »

Your Next Bestseller Title Generator

Putting aside from all the Fifty Shades variations and parodies, we haven't really discussed the possibilities of changes in book titles brought about by the 50 craze.

Really, there are SO many better character names than grey, and so many more evocative color names as well. I have kids, and my kids have crayons, and, well, have you LOOKED at the names of some crayons? The wtfery is limitless, and after a marathon coloring session recently, I started THINKING. 

That is never good, especially when javascript is involved.

Behold! A Derivative Book Title Generator using all the possible crayon color names I could find, plus a few extra colors I love, and a very few things that should be color names if they aren't already. The color names in the generator are actual color names appearing on crayons (where there reside folks who burn a lot of umber, apparently. And I have no idea what Razzmatazz should look like. Perhaps unnaturally red sorbet)? 

Anyway, let's color!

Hit the button until you… read more »

Double Down by Katie Porter: Winners!

Time to announce the winners of a copy of Double Down by Katie Porter! 

The winners of a digital copy are: 

Winners, please email me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOTcom to claim your winnings. I'll forward your email address on to Samhain and they'll hook you up with your copy. 

The rebate is still on, so if you buy at ARe between now and 15 September, you'll get 50% back in eBook Bucks if you use code SBTBARE at checkout.

The book club chat will be September 24 at 9:00 pm ET, and Katie Porter (who is two people, Lorelie Brown and Carrie Lofty) will join us at 10pm ET. Need a button to… read more »

Pimp My Read: The Winner!

Time to announce the winners of the Pimp my Read contest. Here's Ruthie Knox with the winners: 

You guys made this so hard! Your entries made me laugh, they made me weepy, they made me proud. Romance readers are the greatest. I wish I had a zillion dollars so I could buy ALL THE KINDLES, and I promise that if I ever make a lot more money than I need writing romance novels — and let’s keep in mind that my definition of “need”  is “cinderblock bookshelves and two cans of soup” —  I will come back and give away ten of them.

But since I only have one to give away, I had to choose one winner, and I chose Jemma. Here’s what Jemma said:

I would give it to my sister. She just moved halfway across the country with two small kids and a U-haul packed to the brim. She had to give up her romance novel collection in the move to make room for important things like tricycles, strollers and snowsuits. My hard working, super stressed out, financially strapped sister… read more »