CD Giveaway: ANIMAL HOURS

When I do a giveaway, they are usually books. Books I love. Books written by friends, mostly, because I want to support their work.

But the reality is that we writers are not only influenced by books, but also by music.

Like, I know jónsi is going in my novel acknowledgements. His music has accompanied the majority of my novel writing. He transports me. And helps me connect with myself and words and story. But I am always looking for new music–because there are days I need to unlock another corner of my mind for a scene, a character, setting, or new mood.

The music to which I write has to meet the above requirements.

Someone special and important in my life released his album last week. Orion Letizi’s record, DO OVER by ANIMAL HOURS, is a muse. You can download DO OVER on iTunes or cdbaby–but I’ve also decided to do a giveaway of DO OVER here on my blog.

The music is “indie-pop”–people have compared it to music by Elliott Smith and Beach House. There are days on which I’ve written to the album–and it’s produced some of the following lines in my novel revision/draft:

Migration during wartime is more push than pull. Nothing pulls you forward, nothing guides you, there is no hand outstretched towards your own. You stumble and fall and pass by orphaned children and mothers whose breasts have gone dry and who hold starving children, who cry without tears, because their bodies have no water to waste on sadness and pain and frustration. These people remind you that you are lucky, despite the blood soaking through your socks and shoes and your own stomach turning on itself in hunger, as your body eats muscle off bone.

The above is a rare peek at my novel-in-progress (I don’t usually share my work when it’s in progress) and will likely be revised further. It’s not perfect, but it came out of music. Music is inspiration.

There are some early comments on the album here and there on FB and twitter. Buzz will likely grow. And I hope you’re part of that buzz.

To that end, I’m doing a giveaway of the CD. I hope you win. If you do not, I hope you still buy and download some tracks or the album in its entirety. It’s about starting your life over. I think we can all relate to some or all of that.

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. (I appreciate “likes”–but that doesn’t enter you in the giveaway) You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the album, or share an anecdote about something you had to do over…or just say you want the album because you want the album. Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person. If you tweet about this giveaway (please tag @xtinehlee in your tweet so that I can track it), you get an extra entry.
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.

The deadline to enter a comment/tweet is Monday April 21, 2014 12:00pm EST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced Monday April 21, 2014 by 9:00pm EST.

GOOD LUCK!

UPDATE 4/21/2014:

Before we begin–just wanted to note that ANIMAL HOURS was blogged on The Bay Bridged with very flattering commentary. RAD.

Okay…now we begin.

Each entry was assigned a number (in the order comments were subbed or tweets, tweeted).

Thanks for all who publicized the giveaway!!! (I hope you find your way to a copy of the album–available on iTunes).

I had the Random Number Generator pick a number…

And then I clicked the button…

*drum roll*

*drum roll*

And the winner is Patrick!

Patrick: I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address shortly. I hope everyone else finds their way to a copy of ANIMAL HOURS DO OVER, soon! Thank you all for participating.

Watering Heaven Book Giveaway

I’m giving away a signed copy of Peter Tieryas Liu’s short story collection WATERING HEAVEN.

Watering Heaven is available for purchase now–and I’m proud to say one of the selections, “Searching for Normalcy” was one we published at Kartika Review for our Spring 2010 issue. One thing I love about Peter’s writing is that it is quirky without being precious and self-conscious. And thus, so enjoyable.

The copy I’m giving away is a brand new softcover book signed by Peter Tieryas Liu.

As always, I will sweeten your intrigue with the opening lines of the giveaway book’s first story “Chronology of an Egg,” because for me one of the biggest deciding factors in choosing to read a book are the opening lines. In the end, no one can tell you which book to like–that’s between you and the book.

Opening lines of the story collection:

“March 6: I first met Sarah Chao in Beijing over tequila shots after a game conference. I tell her I think she’s beautiful and she tells me she has an unusual genetic quirk that scares off most men.

‘Every time I have sex, I lay an egg.’

I assume she’s joking, get her email address. She’ll be coming out to the States in a few months and and we agree to hang out then.”

Interested?

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the book, or share a little anecdote from your travels in the world (there is a lot of traveling in this book). Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person. If you tweet about this giveaway (please tag @czilka in your tweet so that I can track it), you get an extra entry.
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.
7) If you are below the age of 13, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

The deadline to enter a comment/tweet is Monday November 26, 2012 12:00pm PST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced here on this blog post on or before Tuesday November 27, 2012 9:00pm PST.

GOOD LUCK! And I hope you all find your way to a copy of Watering Heaven soon!

UPDATE:
There were 15 entries in the giveaway…

Thanks for all of you who RT’d the giveaway! And helped publicize it.

I had the Random Number Generator pick a number from 1 to 15…

And then, I pushed the button.

Which then produced the corresponding winning number (you each had a corresponding number in the order you either entered a comment or tweeted the giveaway)…

The winner is #7, Jamie Martin, whose extra tweeting entry nabbed her the book!

Who says 7 isn’t a lucky number?

Jamie: I’ll be contacting you for your snail mail address shortly. I hope everyone else finds their way to a copy of WATERING HEAVEN soon! Thank you all for participating.

Dopefiend Book Giveaway

I’m giving away a copy of my friend Tim Elhajj’s debut memoir Dopefiend. It is, as the title suggests, a drug recovery memoir, but with the added theme of of Elhajj’s relationship with his son. (And Scarlet the Wiener Dog as you can see above, is thoroughly engrossed. She just wishes she had opposable thumbs so she could hold the book herself).

I first got to know Tim Elhajj after reading his essay in the NYTimes’ Modern Love column. I googled him. Came across his blog…And then of course, we became blog friends.

Dopefiend is available now…and I’m giving away a free hard copy of the book, along with a bookmark and postcard inserts, gifted to you personally by Elhajj, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Guernica, and Brevity.

As always, I will sweeten your intrigue with the opening lines of the giveaway book, because I think readers deserve the opening lines.

Opening lines of the novel:

“After getting booted from high school three times, I joined the military. Three years into my enlistment, the Navy cut me loose. I moved back to Pennsylvania and got married, but soon after our first child was born, my wife split, taking our baby boy with her.

I was a twenty-four-year-old cyclone of poor decisions.

In time, I landed in county jail. At least nobody gets thrown out of jail. Drug treatment followed, but even that didn’t work: I went to recovery meetings high. One night a woman named Wendy R pulled me aside and hissed: “You are going to die!”

I told her the obvious, ‘We’re all going to die, Wendy.'”

Interested?

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the book, or share an anecdote in which you overcame great odds, or a time you signed up for something about which you later changed your mind. Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person. If you tweet about this giveaway (please include/tag @czilka in your tweet so that I can track it), you get an extra entry.
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.
7) If you are below the age of 13, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

The deadline to enter a comment/tweet is Monday July 30, 2012 12:00pm PST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced Tuesday July 31, 2012 by 9:00pm PST.

GOOD LUCK! And I hope you all find your way to a copy of Dopefiend soon!

UPDATE: Winner of the giveaway!

There were 13 entries in the order received–two of you tweeted the giveaway, so two of you got an extra entry. Each of you had a corresponding number as follows…

If you entered into the drawing, remember your number/s!

I used a random number generator to determine the winning number.

And *drum roll*
*drum roll*
*drum roll*

The winner is number 12!

Aka Hope Rohde, whose entry reads:

“Tim and I went to the same small high school in the same small town. I’d love to have his book not because I’ve dealt with addiction but because I work for Children & Youth and come into contact with so many youth with addictions. What a testament this book would be for local children to see how a local man overcame and became someone’s hero. Bravo Tim and blessings to you.”

Thank you, Hope (if I don’t hear from you, I’ll be emailing you for a way to contact you). Thank you *everyone* for your interest and support. I hope all of you find your way to a copy of Dopefiend soon!

Forgotten Country Book Giveaway

The month of book giveaways continues here at 80,000 Words…! I’m giving away a signed hardcover copy of my friend Catherine Chung’s amazing novel Forgotten Country.

Forgotten Country is out in stores now, buoyed by oodles of deserved praise from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, O Magazine, and some of my favorite writers like Chang-rae Lee, Justin Torres, Cheryl Strayed, and Alexander Chee. Cathy’s debut novel went on sale just a few days ago, and more rave reviews are imminent. (And I’ve also interviewed Catherine Chung for Kartika Review, which will have its Spring 2012 issue out in a couple of weeks).

This is the book that I’ve heard called “my favorite novel of 2012” so many times–and even several times during the course of one conversation at AWP in Chicago last week. To which I contributed, “Yes, me too! I loved it that much!” And yes, I am twisted, because I am loving a novel that made me bawl my eyes out at two o’clock in the morning; but why else do we read but to achieve some deep connection with story? This is an author who got it right–Forgotten Country is a novel that gets the technical bits right and yet does not forget heart.

The copy I’m giving away is a brand new hardcover signed by Catherine Chung. Dudes, this cover: I love it. Also, it fits right into my rainbow spectrum bookshelf. Yes, I’m one of those assholes who arrange their books by color. (But that’s only because I’ve only got a few books in NYC–my Berkeley bookshelf is a mad chaos of color kowtowing to alphabetical ordered books).

Berkeley bookshelves…

And the rainbow NYC bookshelf…

So like, if you need pink/light blue on your bookshelf, this will serve an additional purpose.

As always, I will sweeten your intrigue with the opening lines of the giveaway book, because for me one of the biggest deciding factors in choosing to read a book are the opening lines. In the end, no one can tell you which book to like–that’s between you and the book.

Opening lines of the novel:

“The year that Hannah disappeared, the first frost came early, killing everything in the garden. It took the cantaloupe and the tomatoes; the leaves of lettuce turned brittle and snapped. Even the kale withered and died. In front, the wine-colored roses froze, powdered gray with the cold, like silk flowers in an attic covered with dust. My father and I had planted the garden over several weekends, and tended it carefully. Then it had overgrown itself, the tomatoes winding themselves up the wall of our house and stretching out to span the distance to the fence. After the frost we’d left it all winter without trimming anything back. Now we stood on the lawn, surveying the ruin, tracking damp patches of ground wherever we stepped.”

Interested?

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the book, or tell me something wonderful about a sibling, or a trip to the place of your origin. Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person. If you tweet about this giveaway (please tag @czilka in your tweet so that I can track it), you get an extra entry.
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.
7) If you are below the age of 13, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

The deadline to enter a comment/tweet is Wednesday March 14, 2012 12:00pm EST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced Wednesday March 14, 2012 by 9:00pm EST.

GOOD LUCK! And I hope you all find your way to a copy of Forgotten Country soon!

UPDATE: Time to announce the winner!

Methodology:
As always, I assigned each of you a number in the order you commented. If you RT’d my tweet, or tweeted about the giveaway on twitter, I gave you an additional entry, and I assigned additional numbers in the order you tweeted.

There were a total of 18 entries…and I used random.org to generate the winning entry number. I totally didn’t feel like going on camera today, so there is no live drawing, but this is kind of how it went…

• Type in each of the entries.
• Pull up random.org
• Tell random.org to pick a number from 1 to 18.
• Savor the moment. Ahhh. THE MOMENT.
• Still savoring. Who will the winner of Forgotten Country be?!
• Click the “generate” button.
• Wahoo! There’s a winner!

The winnner is commenter #3, aka Naomi J. Williams! Her comment was:

I’d love to read this book. But I’m also curious about why you have *two* copies of IQ84, especially as I know you also have an electronic copy of it…? It’s worth a read & all, but takes up an inordinate amount of shelf space! Anyway, enjoyed this post & the opportunity for a free book & your willingness to share photos of your bookshelves!

I totes have two copies of 1Q84, because my husband dragged home an extra copy. Long story. I know. And I have it on my e-reader. The extra copy is going to a good friend of mine, soon.

Congratulations! And I hope you all find your way to a copy of Forgotten Country soon.

One more Update: Cathy gifted me an extra signed copy of her Forgotten Country! So I did another random.org drawing and the winner was #4…which is rachel!

The Disenchantments Book Giveaway (and winner)

I’m giving away a signed copy of my friend Nina LaCour’s amazing YA novel The Disenchantments! I love this book, and whether you are a young adult or someone who is thirty-eight years old *ahem*, The Disenchantments is pure pleasure to read.

Nina writes books that I wish existed when I was younger, and I’m so glad they exist.

The Disenchantments is out in stores now, with rave reviews from many venues including The LA Times, which proclaimed it “not just for kids.” I totally agree–!

As always, I will sweeten your intrigue with the opening lines of the giveaway book. I don’t know about you, but for me one of the biggest deciding factors in choosing to read a book are the opening lines. Because in the end, no one can tell you which book to like–that’s between you and the book.

Opening lines of the novel:

“Bev says when she’s onstage she feels the world holding its breath for her. She feels electric, louder than a thousand wailing sirens, more powerful than God.

‘I thought you didn’t believe in God,’ I say.

She says, ‘Okay. More powerful than the universe, then.’

Bev is the lead singer of a band called The Disenchantments. They aren’t very good, but they play so loud the speakers crackle and the bass makes your bones tremble. And they look amazing.”

The copy I’m giving away is a brand new hardcover signed by Nina, who has graciously offered up free sticker-tattoos to sweeten the giveaway deal.

Isn’t the book beautiful? And the sticker tattoos, fabulous?

Oh, and have I told you how much I love the sticker tattoos? Here I am, modeling one.

Lately, I’ve been doing, James Lipton-esque, Proust Questionnaire-based interviews with the book giveaway authors via twitter or other messaging (yes, these interviews happen “in real time”). I’m hoping it will give you some insight into the writer behind the book and of course, we always have a bit of fun with these questions. So here we go…

1. What is your favorite occupation?
Nina LaCour: I would love to be a haberdasher so that I could say the word a lot.

2. Where would you like to live?
NL: I would like to live exactly where I live: on the border of two beautiful, urban areas of Oakland, but I would turn my apartment into a house with a huge yard and an attic for writing and a front porch where I could sit all day and spy on the neighbors.

3. What is your greatest extravagance?
NL: Cheese. I buy really expensive cheese, and I buy it at a fancy cheese counter in a gourmet shop almost every day.

Interested?

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the book, or tell me about a roadtrip you’ve taken, or share the name of your favorite music band (and if you’re compelled, why you love them). Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person. If you tweet about this giveaway (& tag @czilka in your tweet so that I can track it), you get an extra entry.
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.
7) If you are below the age of 13, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

The deadline to enter a comment/tweet is Monday March 5, 2012 12:00pm EST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced Monday March 5, 2012 by 6:00pm EST.

GOOD LUCK! And I hope you all find your way to a copy of The Disenchantments soon!

UPDATE…

The winner is announced!

Methodology:
As always, I assigned each of you a number in the order you commented. If you RT’d my tweet, or tweeted about the giveaway on twitter, I gave you an additional entry, and I assigned additional numbers in the order you tweeted.

There were a total of 44 entries…and I used random.org to generate the winning entry number. I taped all of this, and if you’d like to watch it live (with a cameo by my unwilling, but deserving husband)…the video is below…

Otherwise, if you don’t feel like watching the video, the winning number is…

*drum roll*
*drum roll*
*drum roll some more*
*take a sip of water*
*drum roll*
*cough*
*drum rolll….*

The winner is #33, also known as “Vanessa Buzeta (@dayzer389), whose comment was:

“I loved her novel, Hold Still. I thought it was amazing and it completely blew me away. I’d love to read her next novel. Thanks for the awesome giveaway.”

I’m happy a faithful reader of Nina LaCour’s work is now the proud owner of a free copy of The Disenchantments. 🙂

And I hope the rest of you find yourself a copy of The Disenchantments soon!

The Edge of Maybe Book Giveaway!

I”m giving away a signed copy of my friend Ericka Lutz’s book The Edge of Maybe!

Her book will be released in March, and I’m happy and proud to offer it as a giveaway ahead of its publication date!

Opening lines of the novel:

“There were strangers on the porch of their Oakland, California bungalow, a young woman in pink sweats and a small boy in dirty blue pajamas. They waited as Kira and Polly walked from the car to the house, Kira balancing groceries, purse, phone, keys, Polly wearing a backpack too large for her thin, thirteen-year-old frame. The woman sat on the top step, thick-bodied and barefoot; she rested her bandaged right ankle on a dingy canvas bag. The little boy crouched by the redwood planter, breaking Kira’s dendroideum succulent. He held each section between tiny thumb and forefinger–snap.”

Along with the book (signed by the author), the winner of the giveaway will receive a refrigerator magnet, and two postcards all featuring The Edge of Maybe cover.

Lately, I’ve been doing, James Lipton-esque, Proust Questionnaire-based interviews with the book giveaway authors via twitter or other forms of online chatting (yes, these interviews happened “in real time”). I’m hoping it will give you some insight into the writer behind the book and of course, we always have a bit of fun with these questions. So here we go…

1. What is your favorite journey?
Erica Lutz: It’s nature-filled, not too hot or cold, with a friendly and loving companion, in silence, with deep introspection and physical beauty.

2. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
EL: I just found out I’m 2.9% Neanderthal, so: a prehistorical woman artist, carving a mammouth (I saw) on a cave wall in the South of France. That sense of carving in the dark, something you love, that someday somebody might enjoy.

3. When and where were you happiest?
EL: It’s crazy, but I’m insanely happy right now. My novel is being born, my daughter is thriving, I have health, love, and the cutest dog ever.

Interested?

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the book, or tell me something about an unexpected gamechanging surprise in your life, or share what you like/dislike most about the SF Bay Area (the book is set in San Francisco/Berkeley/Oakland). Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.
7) If you are below the age of 13, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

The deadline to enter a comment is Wednesday Friday February 24, 2012 3:00pm EST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced February 24, 2012 by 11:00pm EST.

GOOD LUCK!

Note: I realized I’d incorrectly written Wednesday February 24 and corrected it to the more accurate and more generous deadline of Friday February 24.

Drifting House Giveaway: Winner!

There is now a winner of the Drifting House giveaway..!

Seeing as how I’m still a bit decrepit from my mega-cold (oh, plus there’s no water in my building today! booyah!), I didn’t do a video, but here’s a pseudo-live-blog of the drawing:

12:30pm: Ooh! Time to pick a winner!
12:40pm: Wait. Too early. The drawing ends at 1:00pm.
12:45pm: Last minute tweet urging people to enter the giveaway.

1:15pm: Ooh! Time to pick a winner!
1:16pm: Seriously. Why did only 4 people enter this giveaway? It never ceases to amaze me how some books get 70+ entries, and others less than 10. Please buy this book.
1:20pm: I normally would enter names in a spreadsheet in the order of comment. But ahem, seeing as there are only 4 (y’all got a 25% chance of winning!) here they are:
1. redjim99
2. Alvin
3. Heather
4. Laura

Drifting House giveaway! (and a quickie interview)

My friend Krys Lee’s book Drifting House is up next for a giveaway. Drifting House, Krys Lee’s debut story collection, will be released on February 2, 2012 in the U.S., and has experienced quite a buzz, earning starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. It’s also had countless positive reviews and recommendations–most recently, The Daily Beast named Drifting House a “must read.”

I’m so happy to give away a copy of Drifting House! And stay tuned, because I’m interviewing Krys for the upcoming March issue of Kartika Review.

Opening lines of the eponymous story, “Drifting House”:

“The day the siblings left to find their mother, snow devoured the northern mining town. Houses loomed like ghosts. The government’s face was everywhere: on the sides of a marooned cart, above the lintel of the gray post office, on placards scattered throughout the surrounding mountains praising the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il. And in the grain sack strapped to the oldest brother Woncheol’s back, their crippled sister, the weight of a few books.”

And Krys and I also thought it would be fun to do a quickie, James Lipton-esque, Proust Questionnaire-based interview via twitter (yes, this interview happened “in real time”). I’m hoping it will give you some insight into the writer behind the book and of course, we had a bit of fun doing it. So here we go…

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Krys Lee: A world where no one is in need, which is in theory a communist society, and we all know how that turned out.

2. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
KL: I think accomplishment and intelligence are overrated. Many an accomplished person has committed acts of atrocity. These virtues gain more value when paired with generosity and compassion.

3. If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
KL: I’d come back as a human rights activist, a park ranger in a wilderness area with elk and moose, or a sea turtle in a protected tropical cove.

Interested?

So let’s get to the heart of the matter: the giveaway!

I’m giving away a signed copy of Krys Lee’s short story collection. You can see a copy of the book in the photos of my “wiener dogs reading books.” The collection is debuting in hardcover (as you see here, though you will get a non-doggie copy) and it will be signed by the author.

Here’s how to enter:
1) Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can choose to tell me why you want a copy of the book, or tell me something about your homebase/s in life, or write down your favorite short story collection. Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
2) 1 entry per person
3) The giveaway is open worldwide.
4) If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
5) Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
6) I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, so as to avoid confusion.
7) If you are below the age of 13, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

The deadline to enter a comment is Wednesday February 8, 2012 1:00pm EST. The winner (picked at random) will be announced February 8, 2012 by 9:00pm EST.

GOOD LUCK!

Update: The winner is announced!

Book giveaway: 98 Wounds

I’m giving away a signed author copy of 98 Wounds, a story collection by Justin Chin, which is out from Manic D Press next month.

Along with the book, I’ll be giving away various accoutrements, all provided by the generous Justin Chin: postcards of his previously published books (Harmless Medicine and Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms), and two signed pieces (“Fragments” and “Home”). The items are pictured below:

“A gay, punk-rock Chinese American in the age of AIDS,” the San Francisco Chronicle describes Chin, “[he] confronts all manner of hypocrisy.”

Justin Chin is the reason I slap myself when I veer away from the truth in my writing and dabble endlessly in vague, chickenshit language avoiding the heart of my story (i.e., the aforementioned “hypocrisy”). He’s also the reason I pick myself back up, as he has sent me several well-timed notes of encouragement over the years. All of which I have kept, and still read, from time to time.

Chin writes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction–and I’ve taught more than a few of his essays out of Burden of Ashes, which my students enjoyed as much as I do. Telling the truth has a way of garnering attention and admiration.

Opening lines of “Burn,” one of the stories in the book:

“He has fallen asleep, passed out, is snoring like the last hog on earth, sweating like a lost marathon runner. His white t-shirt is drenched, the sheets and the pillows are drenched with his sweat. I want to sleep but cannot. I paw him, run my hands over his wet body but he cannot wake as I cannot sleep. I wipe his sweat off on m chest, I pull his shirt up and rub my face into his sweaty belly. I adore everything that comes out of his pores, his bitter toxic sweat, his stinky overheated body.

Our love is bound by chemicals. How I hold my arm out to him and let him run the vein into my vein. How beautiful my blood looks as it surges into the syringe, like a rare flower blossoming, and how beautiful it feels as he pumps it, chemical rich, back into me….”

And opening lines of “Sugar”:

“The diarrhea had gotten so bad that fucking his ass was like poking at an overfilled water-balloon with the jagged-edged finger of a chronic nail-biter. He knew this would happen, it always does. He needed help and he needed help fast. No bulking agents for this boy. He wanted something bad, something that would score his ass. He ended up at his dealer’s. At any point of your life, you might have to have sex with your dealer, so it helps to have a dealer you wouldn’t mind having sex with.”

Now on to the heart of the matter: the giveaway!

Here’s how to enter/how I will pick the winner…

1. Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can describe a “wound” in your life, or you can tell me why you want a copy of the book.
2. Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
3. 1 entry per person
4. The giveaway is open worldwide.
5. If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
6. Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
7. I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, just for clarity.
8. If you are below the age of 18, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

GOOD LUCK!!! (and even if you don’t win, I hope you buy the book at an independent bookstore (or Amazon)).

The deadline to enter a comment is Monday November 14, 2011 12noon EDT. The winner (picked at random) will be announced November 14, 2011 by 9:00pm EDT.

Monday, 11/14/2011: A winner is announced!

Book giveaway: Men Undressed!

I’m giving away a copy of the Men Undressed anthology, out from Other Voices/DZANC Books!

I’m particularly psyched about this giveaway, because my piece “Erasure,” is included in the anthology. And I’m unusually delighted about this particular piece having been published, because “Erasure” is an excerpt from my novel-in-progress. A mini-debut, so to speak, of a years-long obsession of mine.

Just so you know, my piece is a sex scene. The entire anthology is comprised of literary sex scenes. All the stories, all written by women, feature male protagonists in sex scenes.[1] I’ve read many of the stories, and they are all amazing, written by writers like Jennifer Egan, Aimee Bender, A.M. Homes, and Kim Addonizio.

There’ll be a bunch of publicity revving up for the anthology; among the many things planned are:

• Interviews with various contributors up at The Nervous Breakdown where my recent “sex interview” with editor/writer Gina Frangello kicks off the series.
• Readings all over the country! I’ll be reading at San Francisco’s Lit Crawl on October 15, and at New York’s Sunday Salon reading series on November 20
• Events at AWP, etc., etc.

Opening lines of “Erasure”:

“Myung-Ja came home from her overtime shift at the hospital before dawn, her tired steps crunching gravel in the courtyard with an unfamiliar tempo that awakened Yong, who then lay tensed on the heated ondol floor waiting for either a key in the door or the brutal sounds of someone breaking in, his morning erection fading with his heartbeat. He wondered if a day would come when he wouldn’t react to sudden noise like this, when he might even sleep through any shift in environment. In the darkness, he vowed to protect any future children from this ever-vigilant state, one that made him aware of survival on a minute-to minute basis. He vowed to spoil them rotten, coddle them, never let them heave into consciousness with great fear…”

I hope that whets your appetite…

So let’s get to the heart of the matter: the giveaway!

You can see a copy of the book[2] in the photos of my “wiener dogs reading books.” The anthology is published in beautiful soft cover, as you see here, and I can sign the book if you so desire.

Here’s how to enter/how I will pick the winner…

1. Leave a comment below. You can say anything you want–e.g., you can describe a moment in which you or someone you know was, or felt, “undressed,” you can tell me why you want a copy of the book, or share with me how you feel about an anthology that encourages cross-gender sexual representation!
2. Do fill out your email address when you fill out the fields in the comment box (it won’t be published to the world, but I will need it in order to contact you in case you win)!
3. 1 entry per person
4. The giveaway is open worldwide.
5. If you win the contest, I will email you for your mailing address.
6. Winners will be chosen by a random number generator.
7. I will be announcing the contest winner on the blog. None of your personal information will be posted, aside from your first name and last initial (or the nickname you choose to list in your comment). If you see that someone else has entered the same name as you, please try to pick a different nickname to call yourself, just for clarity.
8. If you are below the age of 18, please ask your parents to fill out the comment field with their information.

GOOD LUCK!!![3]

The deadline to enter a comment is Wednesday October 12, 2011 12noon EDT. The winner (picked at random) will be announced October 12, 2011 by 9:00pm EDT.

The winner is announced!

[1] About time! Haven’t we read plenty of female-centric sex scenes written by male writers like Flaubert, D.H. Lawrence, and Philip Roth?

[2] I promise, I won’t send you the copy my dogs “read”–unless of course, you wish to have that one.

[3] I hope you win! And I hope you enjoy the anthology. Even if you don’t win, I hope you buy the anthology–in your neighborhood independent bookstore, or online at Amazon