WRITING CONTEST

The More Than A Few Good Men website is sponsoring a writing contest - for men only.

Writer Tom Matlack has assembled a stellar group of male writers to contribute essays about important events in their lives—everything from becoming a father, losing a father, losing a job, failing in love and much more—to an anthology that has yet to find a home with a publisher.

More Than a Few Good Men is an anthology of essays about what it means to be a man in America today. The authors, a wide cross section, draw upon their experiences with either childhood, coming of age, work, relationships, fatherhood or death and explore the perspectives they have gained from those moments.

Contributors include such accomplished writers as Mad Men creator Matt Wiener, Memoirs of a Geisha novelist Arthur Golden, and Not That You Asked essayist Steve Almond. An NFL Hall of Famer, a former Sing Sing inmate, a one-time Wall Street wunderkind, and a photojournalist imbedded with U.S. troops in Iraq are among the other contributors.

More Than a Few Good Men will be published in spring 2010. All proceeds from the book will benefit the Good Men Foundation, a charitable organization founded to support men and boys at risk.

Until May 1, they are accepting essays from anyone, anywhere, to be considered for one more slot in the book. People can submit their essay here: http://www.goodmenbook.org/writing-contest.html.

There is a $1,000 prize for the chosen essay which will be included in the book. There are two runners up who will each receive $500 and publication on the website. All money made from sales of the book will go to the Good Men Foundation, which has been established to help at-risk men and boys across America.

Personalized books

I love this idea.

"Penguin Group USA is pleased to announce the availability of nine new titles in our Penguin Personalized program. As part of Penguin 2.0, a suite of digital services developed to offer readers new and innovative ways to interact with Penguin content, Penguin Personalized allows readers to insert personal dedications directly into select Penguin Group adult titles.

In addition to the previously available Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings, the following titles are now ready for you to personalize.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Walden & Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
The Wonderful World of Oz by L. Frank Baum

For all the details, visit the Penguin 2.0 website.

Guest Blogger: KRISTIN CALLENDER

Hi Bookbitch fans and readers. I am Kristin Callender, author of The Truth Lies in the Dark. Thank you for joining me on my Book Blog Tour, and thank you Stacy for having me as a guest on your blog.

Read through to the end to find out how you can win an autographed copy!

The Truth Lies in the Dark is a mystery about a woman who finds out she had been raised with a dead girl's identity. Who is Amanda and who will stop at nothing to make sure she never finds out? As dark secrets from her past are exposed, so are the connections to the very people she loved and trusted; including her loving husband. Nothing is what it seems and everything is at stake.

During this Book Blog Tour I have discussed different parts of my writing process, characterization, publishing and marketing journey. Today I want to talk about how the main character, Amanda Martineau used public libraries as a resource in her journey for the truth.

Amanda, devastated by the loss of both of her grandparents and desperate to get her and Nick's life back on track, joins him on a business trip that takes them from Connecticut to San Bernardino, California. Nick's long hours working and an unfinished letter left by her grandfather push her to find answers to the many questions surfacing about herself. Where does she begin? At the library, of course.

Amanda goes to the public library in San Bernardino to look for clues to her past. All she knows is that she lost her memory after surviving a plane crash that claimed her parents in Nevada. Her grandparents then moved her across the country to start a new life, but reoccurring nightmares of an unknown girl were haunting reminders of the one she had forgotten. Her grandfather leaves her a letter that seems to confirm her worst fears and doubts; that she is not who she thinks.

Amanda is sure that the truth is locked in her own mind and goes to the library to look up her parents in an effort to remember and reconnect with them. Her search leads her to the same articles that she had been shown by her grandparents, with one exception. Amanda finds that a familiar article had a picture attached; one that she had never seen before. The following is a brief excerpt of this.

"...Her heart began to race as she read the caption underneath, which simply stated: Gregory and Charlotte Morgan with their daughter Helen Morgan. (she goes by her middle name Amanda) Although the picture was black and white and a little grainy on the computer screen Amanda could not see any resemblance between this girl and herself. Her grandparents had said that her features were changed by the accident, but this dramatically seemed impossible. Besides the difference in facial features; which could have been altered, this young girl had unmistakably dark hair..."

Later in the story, feeling she has hit another insurmountable wall, Amanda finds herself in front of another library, this time in Henderson, Nevada. With the librarians help she gets closer to the truth, but inadvertently exposes herself to the one person who has the most to loose if she continues.

I would imagine that Amanda's process of research is similar to those interested in genealogy. I would love to know how many people don't know anything about their roots past their parents or grandparents. It has sparked an interest in my own family's history. I plan on heading to the library for my own research. Maybe that will find its way into a future book, hopefully I won't uncover anything like Amanda :)

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by. If you would like more information about me, the book, or the tour you can go to my website: http://sites.google.com/site/kristincallenderbooks/

Thank you for your interest,

Kristin Callender

The Truth Lies in the Dark by Kristin Callender is available on http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Lies-Dark-Kristin-Callender/dp/1604520140 and on www.bluewaterpress.com

If you'd like to win an signed copy of The Truth Lies in the Dark, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with "THE TRUTH" as the subject. This contest is only going to run for one week so act quickly!

You must include your snail mail address in your email. Mailing addresses may NOT include a Post Office box or your entry will be eliminated.
All entries must be received by April 7, 2009. One name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. The book will be sent directly from the author. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age who reside only in the United States only. One entry per email address, please. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone. All entries, including names, e-mail addresses, and mailing addresses, will be purged after winners are notified.