"Keep my Books" Giveaway

My recently retired hubby is in the throes of cleaning out our garage, and he is urging me to get rid of one box each of my books "His Children" and "Awaken Your Spiritual Power." The "His Children" ones are new from the very generous publisher, but the "Awaken" ones are seconds, though still quite readable.

Last night it occurred to me that, rather than just donate them generally, I could see if any of my readers might want a copy of one or both books for free. You would have to spring for the mailing materials and postage (approximately five bucks), but other than that it would be a little gift to you from yours truly.

No pressure. The local library and my favorite village book store will happily take them off my hands. I just thought I'd see if any of my readers have an interest before I send the treasured tomes (heehee) off to relative oblivion.

Just leave a comment if you're interested, specify what you would like to receive, and then email me your address so I can send it along.

Cheers!

=)

for more K posts, click below

Magpie in the Mist and Giveaway Winner

The darkness was crowding in again.

Her mind’s eye spun from clarity to shadow, but it was she, standing on the brink of a large body of water. The evidence of her own tears stretched before her...brooding, beckoning…a salty taste on the lips that threatened to engulf all she was.

“The choice is yours,” the voices said. They lied. Those tears were hers; she could not help but own them. And owning them, it seemed they owned her, too. Their murky depths called out to her like sirens…soothing, sending her soul deep. Breathless, she fought her way to surface, gasping.

Was it true? Could the wounded walk away?

∞§∞

Congratulations to Karen of Still Crazy After All These Years for winning the I Am Learning plaque! It will be making its way to you shortly, my friend. =)

Celebration and Congratulations!

Today I am celebrating my 1000th post blogiversary and congratulating the lucky winners of two rather lovely quilts. Rumor has it that said quilts will be winging their way to a couple of new owners in the very near future. How's that for cool?

Before I announce the results of our drawing, I did want to remind the winners that they will need to email me ASAP with their mailing addresses. Also, the first place winner should let me know which quilt is her favorite.

Without further ado, the winners are:

First place - Linda @ a la carte

Second place - Jen @ Denton Sanatorium

Congratulations, quilt owners! And consider yourself hugged.

{I hope the rest of you will consider yourselves hugged, too.}

And thanks for supporting my blog!

=)

click here for more C posts

BIG Blogiversary and a Birthday Boy!

A week from today, I will celebrate my 1,000th-post blogiversary. This feels like a significant milestone, so I want to mark the day by reaching out to all of you who visit and comment here at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse. I value not only your readership but your friendship, and I appreciate both more than I can say.

Because mere words won't get the job done, I've decided to express my thanks through a giveaway...and I've given the prize quite a bit of thought. This 1,000th-post gift needs to be meaningful, something that represents the way I feel about the cool people who populate this little piece of the blogosphere with me. If I could offer all of you a hug, I would, but teleportation (sadly) is beyond my reach. Therefore, I will be presenting each of two winners with a handmade quilt, the closest thing to a hug that I can still send through the mail.

Pictured below are the quilts I have purchased for your prize-winning pleasure...one homespun and the other flowery. The first name drawn will (of course) choose first. (I'm glad you have to make that choice instead of me...I'd probably have to flip a coin.)

Okay. Let's get down to details. To enter (ie. to get your name in my big red bowl for the drawing), all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and be (or become) a follower. Easy, right?

Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, November 16th, at 11:59 PM. The two winners will be announced a week from today (November 17th). Good luck everyone! And thanks again for being such GREAT readers.

I also need to shout out to my grandson Jeremiah,

who is 10 years old today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDE!

(Kinda good-lookin', ain't he?)

click below for more B posts

700th Post Giveaway Extravaganza

My 700th post blogiversary giveaway makes me happy!

(And my granddaughter, too...)

(Just wanted to reassure you that her eyes

did NOT get stuck in that position...)

Yessiree, folks. It's time for one and all to come to the party and celebrate the occasion of my 700th blog post! To commemorate what is (to me, anyway) an amazing accomplishment, I am going to be offering up three pretty cool prizes...

The first place winner will get to choose among these three items:

The "I blog" necklace, the pure pewter (larger) tree of life earrings,

and the (smaller) copper tree of life earrings.

Brand new and truly lovely.

(Second place winner will get second choice, and third prize will take what's left!)

If you'd like to throw your hat in the ring, all you need to do is be (or become)

a follower and make a comment telling me something you enjoy about

Sue's News, Views 'n Muse. Easy, right?

Thanks for celebrating with me! My 700 blog posts make me happy.

And so do all of you wonderful readers who are kind enough to read them!

The contest will close on Saturday night at 11:59 AM.

Winners to be announced on Sunday.

Good luck to one and all.

=)

Yellow Is the Color... (And the Winners!)

Yellow is the color of soft moonlight

Of stars that twinkle in the night

Of noonday sun with shining rays

To warm and brighten all our days.

Yellow is the color of children's joy

photo by peta photography, used with permission

A twirling girl, a whirling boy

A golden store of memory

That shimmers where the eye can't see.

Yellow is the color of a fading page

A sweet reflection on life's stage

An ember glowing deep within

'Til life sets it ablaze again.

And the winners of the 600th Post giveaway are...

Karen of Still Crazy after All These Years - necklace

Carolyn of Fruit of the Carolyn - book

Cherie of Bakow's Babble - book

Please send me your addresses, everyone (click profile for my email), and let me know which necklace suits your fancy, Karen!

Congratulations to all...I just wish I could give something to every single reader!!

600th Post Anniversary Giveaway!

Listen, my readers, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere fun and fabulous 600th Post Anniversary Giveaway Party for Sue's News, Views 'n Muse (established in August of 2008 and still going strong). This blog experience just keeps getting better and better, which is why I want to celebrate all of you...my valued readers...with the opportunity to win a prize that you will value, a prize suitable to your own worth. To me, I mean. Because I think you're worth quite a lot.

Needless to say, finding an item of this caliber took some searching, but I think I've managed to come up with exactly the right thing. I hope you'll agree.

In the event you don't agree (i.e. the "i blog" necklace doesn't appeal to you aesthetically; you are a blog reader only, or you are a blogger who doesn't care to wear that information), then you may opt instead for the nienie necklace, pictured below.

Hopefully, one of these two beauties will appeal to everyone, because these are the only choices you get! And two runners-up will win a copy each of my most recent book, His Children. Which means there will be three winners in all! How's that for exciting?

What do you have to do to throw your hat in the ring? Two things. Make a comment below, and be (or become) a follower. Pretty easy.

By the way, if you put a link to the giveaway on your blog, I'll add your name an extra time into the big, red bowl from which I draw the winners.

Entries will be accepted until Wednesday (August 11th) at 11:59 PM, and winners will be announced Thursday morning.

Good luck, everyone! And many thanks for the support, encouragement, and comments that make me a happy blogger.

=)

PS. One more thing...If you've won my giveaways before, don't let that stop you from entering. This is a whole new ball game, so take a swing at it!

PPS. Guess what...I just won Freakshow Friday again, over at Leigh vs. the Laundry. This is my lucky day!!

The Die Is Cast: Giveaway Winners at Last!

Hear ye, hear ye! The winner of three Jane Austen special edition classics is Kiurious, and Lisa from The Davis Dialogues has won the tote from Ronna.

Congratulations to both of you! (Here's the kicker...These two are a mother-daughter team with the luck of the Irish...and maybe a few other nationalities as well!!)

Thanks to everyone else who participated, and may fortune smile upon YOU when giveaway time rolls around again...

=)

Sue's 500th Post, Penguin Classics Giveaway!

HURRAY for (short-but-not-so) little old me!

Only FIVE more posts to go until I reach the 500 mark!! (Well, four actually, now that I've written this one.)

z o u n d s

THIS IS B-I-G.

Yep, on the day this contest ends (Saturday at 11:59 pm), 500 bloggy offerings will have been provided here for your reading pleasure (or not) over the past one and a half years, and I am ready to party down with the coolest giveaway ever. What say you? Would you like to be the one to win the grand prize, a three-volume set of special editions from Penguin Classics, with lovely fabric covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith? There's even a ribbon book marker in a coordinating color. What more could a Jane Austen-loving blogger want? Or give, for that matter?!

Yessiree, you could be the very one who receives these copies of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma for your own personal library. You certainly could!

And aren't they cool?

(Including the close-up?)

I LOVE THESE BOOKS

they are simply beautiful

So much do I value these lovely volumes, in fact, that I have already purchased a set for myself. After all, the crazed writer who has subjected you to 500 posts since September of 2008 deserves a little prize too, right? (You don't have to answer that...especially if you find your thoughts moving more in the direction of "straightjacket" than book jacket.)

cough

There will be a second prize given, too––for whichever reader successfully invites the most people to click on over here and leave a comment below. One caveat: your newcomers must mention you as their "referrer" by name in order for their comments to be counted in your favor. (Of course, any and all newcomers are free to participate as contestants in the giveaway, too.) The delightful prize for the mightiest referrer of like-minded people will be this really fun tote bag from Rockin Ronna Accessories. I think you need it!

Okay, back to the matter at hand. Here's how to enter. (By the way, each "entry" equals one slip of paper with your name on it, carefully placed in the large red bowl from which I will draw the winners' name):

1a. Leave a comment (1 entry) or for an extra entry, you can

1b. Leave a comment with constructive feedback for improving this blog (2 entries).

2a. Link to this giveaway (3 entries) or for an extra entry, you can

2b. Blog about and link to this giveaway (4 entries).

3a. Become a follower (5 entries) or you can

3b. Become a follower and remain one (still 5 entries, but lots of blog love, too!)

In other words, if you play your cards right, you can end up with your name in my infamous red drawing bowl as many as 11 times or as few as 1 time. And it's all up to you!

Again, the contest closes on Saturday (the momentous occasion upon which I will offer up my 500th blogalicious post) at 11:59 PM. You may think that "blogalicious" is too strong a word. You're right. But this is my day, so I will use hyperbole.

What's more, I will announce the winners right here on Sunday morning.

Thanks for playing...

And GOOD LUCK out there!

=)

PS. I always like to take the opportunity when these anniversaries roll around to thank those of you who visit my blog regularly and make my blogging experience so much richer. I look forward to your posts and comments when I sign on every morning and enjoy the very real friendships that I've found here. Who knew?!

We've Got Winners!

After a wonderful day of Christmas revelry (hope you enjoyed the same), I am here to announce the winners of the 400-post giveaway. drum roll please

1. Zachsgran

2. Katie

3. Lisa

4. Jen

5. Our Family Chaos

Congrats to all of you! Just let me know which of the five prizes you would like, and we'll get this show on the road.

=)

Sue

PS. I'll need your addresses, so be sure to send them to me via e-mail!

Sue's 300-Posts-and-Counting Giveaway

Can't believe that today's post brings my Sue's News, Views 'n Muse total to 300! I started this little blog o' mine a year ago, which means that I haven't always averaged one post a day as originally planned. In the last few months, though, I've definitely come closer to that goal. And what a fun ride it has been.

I recently thanked you guys for being such faithful visitors, readers and commenters, but I feel like I need to go there once again, because writing to an empty house could never fill my cup the way writing to old and new friends like you does. I appreciate each and every relationship I've made, and I enjoy reading your blogs as much as I enjoy having you read mine. After all, everyone needs a good listening to now and again, right? And how often do we really get heard?

So, because I'm all about the blogging and the bloggers, I am hosting another giveaway in honor of my 300th post. This time, each of my 5 winners will be able to choose one of the following prizes: an autographed copy of His Children, a copy of the 3-CD set of my favorite tunes that I burned for Lisa, a gift of your choice from Cheeky Cards, or a gift of your choice (except for the wedding pack of picture frames) from Junky Heirloom. How's that for a super deal?

Here's what you need to do to qualify:

1. For one entry in the drawing, simply make a comment about Sue's News, Views 'n Muse.

2. Followers, old or new, will receive an additional entry.

3. Two additional entries for anyone who posts about and links to the giveaway.

4. And one final entry for anyone who can introduce me to a really cool blog that I don't already know about.

In other words, your name can be entered from one to five times. Good luck, gang. I wish you could ALL be winners!

(Well, in my book...you are.)

=)

PS. Winners names will be drawn on Thursday night at 11:59 PM and announced on Friday morning!

Sue's One-Year Blogiversary Giveaway!

Sue's News, Views 'n Muse debuted on August 5, 2008, exactly one year ago today. Little did I know back then that blogging would become one of my favorite occupations, from posting and commenting to......drum roll, please......hosting giveaways.

That's right, my friends. It's time for Granny Sue's One-Year Blogiversary Giveaway, and I intend to make participating worth your while. (Consider it payback!) After all, last August I had no idea how many of you I would come to know and love through your beautiful, poignant, funny, sensitive, spiritual, zany, thought-provoking, revealing and greatly esteemed posts. Now that I fully appreciate the blogging community (especially my little corner of it), I want to express that appreciation––and this giveaway seems like the best way to do that.

Consequently, here are the five prizes available:

1. a custom poem for the special occasion of your choice

2. a signed copy of my book entitled, "At the End of Your Rope, There's Hope" (Deseret Book)

3. a freshly-burned CD of my favorite personal iTunes mix

4. a set of magnets from Junky Heirloom

5. a set of note cards from Cheeky Cards

What could be better?? (If numerous possibilities leap to your mind, let me amend my question to read, "What could be free-er?".)

Here's the deal: Your name will go into the drawing one time for each of the following four actions:

1. leaving a comment on this post telling me which category of last year's posts you prefer (ex. spiritual, family-related, birthday tributes, poetry, holiday, general musings, reviews, etc.)

2. following my blog (or becoming a follower if you haven't already)

3. putting my loverly Sue's News, Views 'n Muse button on your blog (or already having it there)

4. linking to this giveaway on your blog

In other words, your name can be entered as many as four times, considerably improving your chances of winning a prize. (Oh, and be sure to mention in your comment how many of the four things you have done, so that I will know how many times to enter your name.)

Good luck to all of you, with a special thanks to each valued visitor for reading my random ramblings. Your interest provides a big part of my motivation, and your comments make this whole blogging business feel more like a conversation. A highly enjoyable one!

=)

PS. The contest will officially close at 11:59 pm this Sunday (the 9th), with all five winners announced on Monday morning, August 10th.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo! 200th Post Giveaway

On the illustrious occasion of this, my 200th post, I am officially announcing my second book giveaway!

Beginning today and for the next three days, simply post a comment below (naming your favorite of my last 100 posts), and you will qualify to win a copy of my second book. The resident organizer of all things (yes, that would be my husband) is threatening to donate an entire boxful of this literary masterpiece in order to clear out our garage, so this is not a great sacrifice. Having said that, I'm told it's a pretty good read.

The title is "Awaken Your Spiritual Power: The Fairy Godmother Isn't Coming," and I will be drawing 10 winners at random from the comments section below. Those who follow my blog will be given two chances to win, so if you haven't signed on for the ride as yet, this is the perfect time to do so! What's more, if you mention my giveaway in your blog and provide a link, your name will go into the pot an extra time, making you a triple threat to win.

NOW FOR THE EXCITING BONUS: The very first person whose name I draw will also receive a set of papergild notes (in the color of your choice) from Junky Heirloom. Go take a look at the colors and drool a bit, if you like. I love them so much I am buying a set or two for myself.

Good luck to everyone! You have until Friday, May 22nd at 11:59 PM to respond. I will announce the winners Saturday morning.

=)

HIS CHILDREN: A Big, Beautiful Book Giveaway

Today marks my 148th post, which means, taking into consideration my current level of blogomania, that I should hit 150 before the end of the week. In fact, I will probably write the 150th post on Wednesday, but I will be giving you until Friday night at 11:59 PM Pacific time to respond before the contest closes.

The prize is a brand new copy of His Children, a beautiful, award-winning art book that I collaborated on with photographer Anita Schiller. Anita is a gifted artist who served as the still photographer for The Other Side of Heaven, produced by Gerald Molen (of Schindler's List fame) and based upon John Groberg's account of his (Tongan) mission, entitled In the Eye of the Storm. In other words, her photos are exquisite, and the ones in His Children are particularly compelling.

Which is why I agreed, when Anita approached me, to write a poem for every photograph that would be included in the book. This turned out to be a rather more difficult assignment than I had anticipated. Never having written a poem to fit certain parameters before, even those established by an intriguing image, I found the process somewhat constraining. Happily, this initial discomfort soon gave way to pure enjoyment as I responded to Anita's photographic glimpses of the human spirit in all its myriad shades and textures. Eventually, a book emerged, and I hope all of you winners will enjoy it.

Yes, I did say winners, because there will be ten of you! That's right...TEN. And all you have to do to win is tell me which of my soon-to-be-150 posts is your favorite.

The first ten people to respond will get a book in the mail, and I will send these books out on Monday, a week from today. I will even autograph them, how's that for a deal? LOL.

Feel free to comment on this post, the 149th post, or the 150th post...but remember, only the first ten of you will receive a book. So, hurry!

And happy 150th post-day!

NOTE: We've got ten winners. Congratulations to all of you! I'll send the books on Monday. Be sure to use my email (in my profile) to send me your mailing addresses. =)