Friday, March 18, 2011

My First and Only Stab at Poetry... Urgh!

OK. Let me begin by saying I am not one for poetry. I understand poetry can be beautiful and that it is a skill to be able to do it well but I just don't get it. In saying this, I'm going to show you the extent of my poetry career.

In 1991, I was beginning the 12th grade and my English teacher gave us an assignment to write a poem in Emily Dickenson's style. The following is what I came up with as it was printed in the local newspaper. My mom kept this for all of these years. If I were to be honest with you, I'd tell you I don't even remember writing this let alone having it published in the paper. I imagine if I did remember this, I'd also remember my macho guy friends beating me up for it as well. But, alas, here it is. I don't know if this poem is good or embarrassing or what but I figured I'd put it out there for you all to decide. Please, be gentle.














Wednesday, March 9, 2011

"Your Name as a character" contest (Plus some other loot.)

Well, the title says it all. I am holding a contest in which the winner will name a character in my next published novel. Just imagine, if you win you will have a character named after your child, you, your best friend, whoever you choose, forever. It doesn't matter to me who you pick.

When I say naming a character after you, I'm not talking about a character in a bar who says, "Good morning," to the hero as he passes by either. This character's name will be mentioned several times in more than one chapter.

But wait, there's more. How can I make this contest even better? (Imagine my sparkling smile and cheap suit like an infomercial host.) Well, how about if the winner of this contest also wins one of every prize that I offer from now until the release? That's right, win this contest and you automatically win every contest prize from now until launch. If I offer a poster as a future prize, the winner of this contest receives one as well as the main winner. If I give away a signed copy of the book, yep, you guessed it, you will win one too. Bookmarks? Sure thing. (Giveaways by Rhemalda, Goodreads, or any other entity different from www.epertase.blogspot.com not included.)

So how do you win this awesome prize? It's easy but it does take something from you. My fantasy novel, "The Light of Epertase: Legends Reborn," is set to release on August 1, 2011. Here's all you have to do. First, pre-order my novel anytime before its release. (You were going to buy it anyway, right?) I've even included a few links to make it easier for you. (Amazon, Barnesandnoble, Rhemalda) Next, email me a copy of the order receipt before August 1st at epertase@gmail.com.

Upon my receiving your verification of order, you will be entered into the contest. That's it; that's all you have to do.

"Now wait a minute," you might say. "What if I've already ordered your book, Doug?"

Well it wouldn't be fair if I didn't include you, would it? So, if you've already ordered, send me a copy of the receipt or order verification page and you're in.

Throughout the lead-up to my release, I'll have other contests but this will be the only one that you will be required to buy anything. But then, what could be a better prize than this?

Free gift for a little sharing

Now, on top of this wonderful contest, I want to give away free stuff and I want it to be easy to get. A lot of my contests will be announced on Facebook along with my blog and Twitter, so friend me (Facebook, Twitter) or follow my blog (www.epertase.blogspot.com) to be sure to hear about them.

In fact, I want to give something away right now. For the first 100 people who share this contest announcement on Facebook, or Twitter, or your own blog, I'll send you a signed, limited edition bookmark. There will only be 500 of this particular bookmark in total.






I will give the rest of these bookmarks out periodically until they are gone. After these 500 are gone, I will destroy the template and it won't be available again. As I said, this bookmark will be signed and numbered.

So that's it. No contest. Everyone's a winner. All I ask is if you share this blog for me, send me a message or email and include where you shared it and your address so I can get the bookmark sent to you. (I'll send out the bookmarks throughout the month of May.) That's it. Share and win. Everybody loves sharing, right? Just remember, you have to let me know where you shared the link in case I miss seeing it along with your address. Epertase@gmail.com

To recap. 1.) Be one of the first 100 people to share this link: win a limited-edition, signed bookmark. 2.)Pre-order my book and send me the proof: entered to win a bunch of swag and name a character in my next published novel.

So, there you have it. My first-ever contest. What do you think? Worth entering?

Good luck.

Now the fine print. Relax, nothing major.

1.) Stipulations for "Your Name as a Character" contest. Upon being notified of winning (contest will be announced during the launch week of August 1st, 2011) you will need to submit the names of three people (first and middle of each person on your list) in the order of preference. The reason for this is that my next published work is likely to be "The Light of Epertase, Book Two: A Kingdom's Fall." I have to have a little leeway in regards to names because the world is a fantasy world. In other words, Fred might not work. I may need to use a variation of Fred or his middle name. Frederick, for instance, might work better for my world. If I've tried everything and can't come up with something that works in my world, I'd go to your second choice. Now understand, I will do everything in my power to make the first name on your list work. I will contact you and we will go over this together so we are both happy and satisfied.

2.) Unfortunately, family members are excluded but, hey, you're probably in one of my books already.

3.) Due to shipping costs, "Sharing the link Bookmarks" giveaway is only valid in Canada and the US. I'm sorry everyone else.

4.) Winner of "Your name as a character" contest will be by a random drawing.