Trick or Treat

As trick-or-treating is winding down in my neighborhood, it looks like I'm going to be left with A LOT of candy...and I'm not just talking about the snack size candy... I'm talking about lots of full size candy bars:


That's right, I'm one of the full size candy bar giver-outers -- the same candy goldmines I dreamed about finding on Halloween as a kid. And I think it's super fun to pass on my full-size-candy-bar-house dreams to other kids now.

Are there any Halloween traditions/fun memories that you've continued through the years?


Before I go, I want to send a BIG thank you shout-out to Jen, the awesome blogger/writer @ Unedited! She went on a scavenger hunt to track down my Hallmark Halloween card in her hometown... not only did she find it & buy one, she sent me these FABULOUS pictures below! Thanks, Jen! You're awesome!!






Hope everyone is having a very Happy Halloween!

Spooky-Good Writing Contest & Giveaway! Calling all Writers!

Spooky-good writing + spooky-good fun = spooky-good writing prizes!

I've held a bunch of signed book giveaways for readers on my blog, but I think it's about time to hold a contest/giveaway for fellow writers. October is the perfect month to hold such a writing contest; not only is it a spookerific time for fun contests, it's also right before NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts, which I know a lot of writers in the blogosphere participate in. I will be giving away two prize packs that are sure to help your writing!



*Please read entire post & entry instructions before entering!*

So here are the Spooky-Good Writing Contest details:
To enter, you must create a fantastic first line of a potential book using at least FOUR out of these 30+ frightfully fabulous words:

*All words can be modified to plural, past tense, adjective, adverb, verb or noun forms when appropriate*
Blood
Bite
Cold
Terrifying (can be modified to terror or terrorize)
Witch
Pumpkin (can be modified to jack-o'-lantern)
Ghost
Skeleton (can be modified to bones)
October
Trick
Treat (can be modified to candy)
Midnight
Moon
Monster
Mask
Ghoul
Dead (can be modified to corpse)
Dark
Grave (can be modified to graveyard or gravestone)
Evil
Boo
Haunt
Demon (can be modified to devil)
Murder
Panic
Shiver
Scream
Victim
Nightmare
Knife

Even though this is a Halloween contest, your first line entry DOES NOT have to be scary and/or intended for a horror novel; in fact, the more creative and surprising you are with the words, the better. Your first line could be funny, mysterious, intriguing, creepy, adventurous, informative, romantic, fun, etc. It can be the first line for any age group and book genre, just remember to make it PG (or PG-13). Also, make sure to create a line that will leave me dying to read the rest of the story... and even better, will make you want to WRITE the rest of the story!

And now for the prize details:

I have purchased four reference/writing books that have helped me a lot with my own writing and publication process to give away as prizes (all books are brand new!). These prizes will be broken up into two prize packs (2 books each); one is a writing prize pack, and the other is a publishing prize pack. The two best first line entries will win ONE of the following packages:

Writing Prize Pack

Wild Ink: How to Write Fiction for Young Adults by Victoria Henley - Filled with great writing tips, info & helpful interviews from successful editors, agents & authors! It's a wonderful reference!
And
Revision & Self Editing by James Scott Bell - THE BEST BOOK on revision that I've read!!! This book is a self-editing lifesaver!


Publishing Prize Pack

Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Chuck Sambuchino - Provides detailed information and visual examples for submitting your manuscripts(s) correctly and professionally in various genres and types of writing (including but not limited to: children's, nonfiction, magazine articles, scripts, poetry, etc).
AND
Be Your Own Literary Agent: An Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Richard Curtis - Will teach you the ins and outs of the publishing world & book contracts!!! This book is a must-read for anyone who hopes to be published, whether you plan on having an agent or not.

*IMPORTANT*Please indicate which ONE prize pack you'd like your first line(s) entered for in your comment!!! Each participant can only be entered to win ONE of the two prize packs.*

Special Spooky Surprise
Each prize pack will also include one of my GOOD GOURD Halloween cards being sold by Hallmark now!


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Complete Contest Entry Details Breakdown
- You must follow my blog to enter.

- Enter once by creating a first line for a potential book using four out of the long list of words listed above.

- Indicate which ONE prize pack you'd like to win in your contest entry (writing package or publishing package).

- You can create and enter more than one first line to increase your chances of winning your chosen prize pack by doing any or all of the following:
*Tweet about this contest - +1 extra first line entry
*Blog about this contest - +1 extra first line entry
*Vote for The Lipstick Laws on any goodreads list that you have NOT already voted on found HERE. - +1 extra first line entry for each vote (up to +3).

- Please leave links to your online shout-outs/votes in your comment

If you do all of the above, you can enter up to SIX creative first lines to be considered for the prize pack you want to win.

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This contest is open to international participants. The two winners will be chosen and announced on Tuesday, October 26. Good luck and happy writing!