The book I'm querying right now is set on Valentine's Day, so it's fitting that I should say thank you to my readers with a
Valentine's Day Contest.
The winner will get either:
(1) Residents of the U.S. & Canada: A $25 gift card to Powell's. They have both online and physical stores, and free shipping for online orders.
(2) Residents of other countries: You tell me what book you want ($25 & under), I'll buy it, and mail it to you. Sound good?
Because I'll be choosing a winner on Valentine's Day (next Sunday, Feb 14) and because this blog has a little bit of an international flavor, I wanted a contest that would embrace all of that.
So, here's how to enter:
(1) Make sure you're a follower. (A networked blog follower is okay, too.) If you're not, go ahead and click the Follow button on the right side bar. I'm excited to get to know you!
(2) Tweet or Facebook or blog about this contest. Mention Valentine's Day Contest and put a link to this contest page as your Twitter status, Facebook status, or in a blog post. OR, you can put my blog on a blogroll on the sidebar of your own blog. That works too. Just let me know as part of your entry which one you decided to do. (Note: My name on Twitter is @alsonnichsen.)
(3) Answer this question: (This is what my husband will be judging -- totally impartially. He is very fair and will not discriminate on any grounds whatsoever, even if you are my sister or my best friend or that jerk from high school who made my life miserable. *grin*)
If you could travel outside your country of residence with your significant other (imaginary significant others are fine), where would you go and why?
(4) Post your entry in the comments below. I'll remain open for entries until Saturday, Feb 13 at midnight Pacific time and announce the winning entry on Valentine's Day!
(Note: The husband will be judging based on originality and creativity. Incorporating humor will also score you extra points.)
An anniversary trip that we'd love to take one of these years is to a picturesque-mountain-hot-springs-village-resort somewhere in Japan. Like this. The kind of resort where you walk around the premises wearing only your yukata (a kimono-like robe) and slippers, where accompanying kids (I really love them, immensely, I do! Just. not. this. trip.) are frowned upon, where full course Japanese fare served in your room is considered "basic" service, where all there is to do all day is sleep, eat, and bathe in your private-garden-springs-tub . . .
ReplyDeleteOr walk around the picturesque landscape in just your yukata, of course.
Still saving for this trip, however. Let me know if you hear of another contest with bigger prizes. The all-expense-paid-round-trip-type. ;)
Well, fly me to the moon! I am actually completely serious on this one. I've dreamed of visiting the moon since I was a little girl, and my equally crazy husband would be happy to accompany me! I'd be busy collecting moon rocks for our daughter's rock collection and taking photos of the Apollo landing sites, while my husband would be pulling a few Evel Knievels with the abandoned lunar rovers still on the moon. A couple of hammocks strung up in the LM may not be the most romantic of accommodations, but it would be a trip to remember! Not to mention the astrophotography opportunities!
ReplyDeleteThere you go, the dream vacation for a couple of absolute geeks! Might be a little odd, but, WOW, would it ever be spectacular!
(This is from the OTHER half of P&K)
ReplyDeleteI would love to take my bride on a tour through the Holy Land. Is this because Israel is an amazing experience for a Bible-believing person?
It is...but, nope.
Is this because everyone should visit the Holy Land, once to understand the rich historical and cultural value that it gives to the world?
That's pretty good, but again, nope!
Is it because this is where Jesus walked, and we can gain a more full vision of what his life and times were like if we stand in some of the places that He stood?
That is a very good reason, also, but still: nope.
The true reasons that I want to take my bride to Israel are (drumroll, please!) chocolate and the Dead Sea.
You may not be aware of this, but Israelis are absolutely obsessed with chocolate. And not just any chocolate...amazing good, rich chocolate in many, many different forms. They seem to take their chocolate as serious as they take things, like say, national security, and if if you love chocolate as much as my wife does that is a very, very good thing.
Oh, and the Dead Sea. It is not only amazingly cool because if its unique place in the world as a scientific phenomenon, but it also provides some of the best spa and skin care products that exist on the face of the earth. The one time I visited, I hoarded all of the free samples in the hotels that we stayed at (and I was a 22 year old guy, what does that tell you? All I can say is that they actually made a difference!) and I know my wife would just flat revel in the pampering she (and her skin) would get in and around the Dead Sea.
So, spa treatment and chocolate lovin' ... maybe if we had extra time, we do some of that other stuff, too.
My husband and I would go to Italy, because that’s pretty much the farthest you can get from Mesquite before you start coming back. And because they have beautiful, B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L, art and architecture. And did I mention the gelato? :)
ReplyDeleteAt this point in my life, my imaginary significant other and I would love to go to Europe! There are so many countries in Europe that are so romantic, beautiful, and "old," filled with so much history! Just being in the midst of all the beautiful buildings, mountains, water, hearing all the accents, and well just walking on green grass would be heavenly.
ReplyDeleteSome of the countries that would be amazing to be in are Ireland and Scotland - wow, all the green and fresh air. A wonderful, refreshing change from Tianjin.
I know that my imaginry significant other would love to go with me on a tour through the United Kingdom that would trace some of the great poets and hymnwriters such as Isaac Watts, and those who have contributed so much to the gteat hymn texts, like John Newton. I would like to know more about the places they lived and the history of their lives and times, within the setting of the environment in which they lived.
ReplyDeleteJudy Bates