Thursday, April 19, 2012

Celebration Critiques


I'm celebrating some stuff.

First, I'm getting absurdly close to 300 bloggy friends. (Yay!)

Second, it's my birthday tomorrow. (Yay!)

Third, I'm heading to the SCBWI Western Washington regional conference this weekend. (Yay!)

In honor of all these YAYs, I want to have a little giveaway.

This is going to be easy, I promise.

There are THREE prizes, all for writers:
  • One (1) full manuscript critique
  • Two (2) first 10 page critiques
All you have to do to enter:
  1. Make sure you're a blog follower (Can you see your tiny avatar under Friendly Followers in the sidebar?)
  2. Leave a comment.
  3. If you tweet, facebook or spread the word on your blog, I'll give you extra entries. Just let me know in the comments that you shared.
I'll leave this little giveaway open for a week (April 19-April 25) and announce the random winners on April 26. I have a very special interview planned for that day, so you'll want to make sure to check back anyway.

And just for fun, try taking a stab at guessing how old I'm turning in the comments. Don't worry, you won't offend me. Age is practically a virtue and I'm very good-natured. But I will give you some hints (this has nothing to do with winning or not winning the critiques ... just for fun):
  • My oldest child will be eleven this summer
  • I was born in the Year of the Snake
  • The hit song in the US the day I was born was by someone named Thelma Houston
Go have fun in the comments & thanks for stopping by to celebrate with me! 

Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com

49 comments:

  1. Hey, my agent is speaking at that conference! If you see Tricia Lawrence, tell her I say hi :-)

    And I'm guessing you're just a few months older than I am: 35.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm guessing you're about 33. My husband was also born in the year of the snake, but I'm guessing you are a couple of decades younger than he. Happy birthday and have fun at the conference.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy birthday tomorrow! My little sister's is today (she's turning 24), so it's a good week for birthdays:)

    I'll go right in between Adam and Sam and guess you're turning 34.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy upcoming birthday! I'll guess 35. And have fun at the conference - I've been so focused on my latest MS I forgot to watch for registration, and ended up on the wait list. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy birthday! And thanks for the great contest :)

    I'm going to guess 35!

    ReplyDelete
  6. First- Happy Birthday!
    Second- Have fun at the conference!
    Third- I wanna win!!! I'm tweeting this right now.

    No clue your age, but I'm guessing it's somewhere close to mine- greater than 10 and less than 90.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Birthday! My oldest is seven and I'm going to be 32 this year, so since your oldest is eleven I'll guess 36. :-)

    PS -- I don't have a full manuscript to critique yet, but I'd still love to win one of the first ten pages critiques! (I DO have that much!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yay! I'm follower #300! :)

    Happy birthday to you, and thanks for the amazing contest!

    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks so much for your giveaway! I am so excited! I'm guessing 33 as well. I also just tweeted this:

    Check out this cool contest and win a critique! http://alsonnichsen.blogspot.com/2012/04/celebration-critiques.html

    https://twitter.com/#!/AndreaBerthot

    ReplyDelete
  10. P.S. I forgot to mention that I tweeted about the giveaway.

    Oh! And I'll jump on the bandwagon and guess 35, since I'm turning 35 this year, and I think I was also born in the year of the snake (if I remember correctly).

    ReplyDelete
  11. I posted about it on FB as well. :)

    http://www.facebook.com/groups/214635415310230/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great Contest! Happy Birthday and I hope you enjoy your conference this weekend! I'm attending my very first writer's conference this weekend but a different one that you are. I'm excited!

    and for fun I'm guessing you are turning 35.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, happy birthday! Ready for some mind-blowing logic? My oldest child is turning ten this year and my birthday is in about a month. I'll be turning 33. (I think. Yeah, that's right.) Therefore, you must be one year older than I am. :D Except that 1978 wasn't a year of the snake. 1977 was. So you must be turning 35. Wooo!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Also, I shared a link on Twitter and that cake looks delicious even though it's nine thirty in the morning.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy Birthday! Hope you have a blast at the conference!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Amy!

    Heard alot about you through Kristin *waves*

    Happy Birthday and I hope you have a blast at the WA conference!

    I'm going to guess 34. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm going with 33 because I'm turning 34 and I'm the year of the horse! :)

    Happy Birthday and have a great time at the conference! (and thank you for the contest!

    ReplyDelete
  18. What an awesome opportunity! Thanks so much for doing this. I'm going to guess you turned 34 :-)

    I tweeted about the critique giveaway here: https://twitter.com/#!/ashleymaker/status/193014868620742657

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am the world's worst age-guesser either (I think it's the world's way of making me more understanding of people who guess my age and almost always get it off by about 5 to 8 years. No joke), so I'll just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! April birthdays are the best ;)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy Birthday! I'd say you look to be immortally 25 :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm guessing 35, but you don't look a day over 25. :)

    Have fun at the conference!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hmm...cake. MUST...NOT...LICK...SCREEN...

    Amy, you don't look a day over 24. You must have been a mature teenager.
    Sincerely,
    Suckup Sam

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hope you had a happy birthday! (I wish I'd caught your post in time to wish you happy birthday before the actual day, but you.)

    ReplyDelete
  24. WOO HOO!!!! Happy Birthday! I hope it's awesome and wonderful, just like you for offering up such stellar prizes!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congratulations on hitting 300! And Happy Birthday! I'm going to guess 34. (I was going to guess younger, but the age of your oldest made me bump it up.) :)
    Thanks for the contest!

    ReplyDelete
  26. New follower :) Thanks for giving us a gift for your birthday :) I'm guessing 35 (I kind of cheated and googled it). Hope you have a happy happy Birthday :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh and I tweeted about your contest too :)
    https://twitter.com/JuliaKeanini/statuses/193106537147940864

    ReplyDelete
  28. Happy Birthday dear Amy! I'd say 35, you young thing!
    Have a wonderful weekend at the conference.
    Fun post, and giveaway but as I've nothing to critique, please don't include me.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I don't have a manuscript ready for critique, but I had to stop by to tell you Happy Birthday Eve! And wish you tons of fun at the conference. :D
    Catherine Denton

    ReplyDelete
  30. Happy Birthday!! Thanks so much for the opportunity :) I'm really bad at guessing ages, so I'd say maybe 33?
    I tweeted about the contest: https://twitter.com/#!/Nawanda_Files/status/193132752705568768
    I'm also a blog follower: Krista R

    ReplyDelete
  31. All wonderful stuff...congrats on the goodness :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Happy Birthday! And I am guessing 36. Just because. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Happy Birthday, Amy!
    You don't look a day over 29. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  34. My guess based on your clues in 35.
    I also shared your contest on twitter.

    Happy Birthday. April is a great month for a birthday :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. 35 seems pretty spot on considering the Thelma Houston clue, so, I'm going with the crowd on that one.

    Happy b-day.

    p.s. I tweeted. (seems a little TMI-sounding)

    ReplyDelete
  36. I'm in. I'll guess 35. Which I picked before I saw the last few comments--not copying. I tweeted and but a little blurb on my blog. Have a great time at the conference and Happy Birthday.

    ReplyDelete
  37. My oldest (of five :) is turning 12 this summer, so I'll guess you're a year younger than me--35.

    ReplyDelete
  38. 35, because of all the logic everyone else said :)

    You got a new follower out of me! Thanks for this awesome opportunity, and happy birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Oh, happy birthday! And I hope you're having a great time at the conference!
    Hmm, I'd be very surprised if you're older than 35, but I'll guess 33. Actually, you look younger, but your daughter's age and those eighties pictures you posted a while ago made me guess a little higher than I would have! :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Happy birthday Amy, and I'm so sorry that you'll be at my old stomping grounds and I won't be there :(

    You're a spring chicken, always.
    Vijaya

    ReplyDelete
  41. Happy birthday! Congrats on 300+ followers! So glad I found your blog :)
    K-I'll take a stab at your age based on mine :) I'm the year of the dragon so you're not 1976, my oldest is eight but I wasn't super young having kids, I'll just throw out 34...am I close?
    I'm a Washingtonian as well! Hope you enjoyed the sunshine we actually saw today!!!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hello! I would like to enter. I'll guess 37, although you don't really look it. It just seems like 5 kids would take a while! :)

    I spread the word about your contest here:

    http://sharonbayliss.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-2012-contests-and-critique_22.html

    ReplyDelete
  43. I'm guessing you're turning 35. Happy birthday!

    I Tweeted here: https://twitter.com/#!/Anyechka/status/194520513807253505

    ReplyDelete
  44. Amy - You have a great blog! Where in the world do you find the time? From our conversations at the conference I would have to say you are 33... 22 out of college, 8 years overseas and 3 years back in states... I think.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Happy birthday to you! Just joined your site as a follower. Thanks for offering the contest.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hey... I'll say you're 33.
    Thanks, this is fun!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Good day! I simply wish to offer you a huge thumbs up for the great information you've got here on this post. I'll
    be coming back to your blog for more soon.
    Have a look at my weblog : amphora tobacco

    ReplyDelete
  48. I'm truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It's a very easy on the eyes
    which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here
    and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
    Superb work!
    Also visit my web page old holborn giallo

    ReplyDelete
  49. Very quickly this web page will be famous among all blog people, due to it's nice posts
    My site - mac baren original choice

    ReplyDelete

Summer Recap

Summer!! has been a crazy whirlwind.  Are we actually starting school again in a few weeks? UNBELIEVEABLE. In the middle of June I finished...