Okay… I still feel a little over my head, here, but it’s time to stop my obsessive study of how to do this, and just do it!
So, without further ado…
I am giving away an author autographed copy of The Shack, by William Paul Young. As I had mentioned in previous blog posts, the author was the keynote speaker at the Oregon Christian Writers conference I attended recently. You can read more about it & see some pictures here. (Again, if you can ever get to one of his speaking engagements, GO—he’s an excellent speaker!)
Since my blog is fairly new, it has a core group of wonderful, loyal readers, but hasn’t yet come to the attention of many others. So, I thought a giveaway of an autographed copy of a best-selling book (that’s a bit of an understatement where The Shack is concerned, isn’t it? :-)) might draw a bit of attention. The fact that this book has touched so many people (including me) AND that it is also both Christian and speculative made the idea of giving it away through this blog even more appealing!
SO—when the OCW convention came around, I bought a new copy of The Shack, and took it with me along with my own copy I had brought for the author to sign. I told him what I had in mind, and he graciously signed (and included an extra note in) the second copy for the blog, as well as my own personalized copy. (If you happen to read this, thanks, Paul!)
Contest Details:
--It’s open to everyone. I'll ship the book anywhere in the world as long as the winner provides me with a valid shipping address.
--Entries must be received by 11:59 pm (Pacific time), April 30, 2009.
--The winner will be selected using an online randomizer. The name of the winner will be posted on this blog. (He/she will also be notified by email.)
--For your original entry, just fill out the first two (or three) boxes in short entry form below. That's it!
The information you provide on the form will NOT be made available publicly or provided to marketers!
To find out how you can get EXTRA ENTRIES, scroll below the form.
EXTRA ENTRIES- If you’d like to increase your chances of winning, here are some ways to get extra entries.
Limit 9 extra entries per person (10 entries total.)
1. Discuss The Shack.
Like it? Dislike it? Did it change you? Bring you closer to God? Click on the comments button at the bottom of this post to share your opinion.
Please keep posts “family friendly” and relevant.
On the Extra Entry line mention Shack and the username you used for the comment.
2. Comment On Other Posts.
Post a comment to the comments section of any of the other posts on this blog.
Again, please keep comments both relevant and family friendly.
Oh, and if you’d happen to be interested in reading a bit of my fiction, the following “Fiction Friday” postings are all short stories (750 word limit) I’ve written for FaithWriters challenges:
On the Extra Entry line mention Comment and include your username and the title of the post on which you commented.
3. Promote this giveaway.
Tell about it on your blog or website! Tweet it! (Or Digg, Technorati...)
Include this link: http://the-veil-thins.blogspot.com/2009/03/first-giveaway.html
And/or -snag the book picture link at the top right hand column and post it.
On the Extra Entry line mention Giveaway and tell what you did. Include a link to where you promoted it.
4. Promote this blog.
Add it to your blog roll or links list or promote it in some other way.
Include this link: http://the-veil-thins.blogspot.com
On the Extra Entry line mention Blog and tell what you did. Include a link to where you promoted it.
5. Follow me on Twitter.
If you have a Twitter account, click this link, then click the "follow" button on my Twitter page: http://twitter.com/ShelleyLedfors
On the Extra Entry line mention Followed and include your Twitter username.
6. Surprise me!
If you promote this giveaway or blog in some other way you think deserves an extra entry, let me know. If I agree, you'll get another entry!
On the Extra Entry line mention Surprise and tell me about it. Include any usernames or links.
Posts
13 comments:
Shelly, I keep hearing about this book. This is Deb from facebook and faithwriters. I love your blog and will be back to visit. God bless,
deb
Thanks, Deb! Thanks, too, for your comments on my photo album on Facebook!
God Bless,
Shelley
Thank you for your note, I'd never have found you otherwise. This sounds like an exciting giveaway and I will definitely mention it on my blog. I love promoting "The Shack" because, just as you wonder, it DID change how I think.
Again, thank you!
My Book Club just reviewd this book. Check out our site here: http://abcanteaterbookclub.blogspot.com/
Enjoy the review!
Book by William Young
Review by Jessica DeSalva
After spending 39 weeks on the New York Times best seller list and currently holding the #1 spot, one would have to admit that The Shack by William Paul Young has swept the nation. What was written as a story for his children, with no intention of being published, has soared into selling over 5.5million copies and will soon be appearing in over 30 languages around the world. Not bad for a guy living a simple life in Gresham, Oregon, working three jobs (janitor, general manager, and sales representative), raising 6 children, expecting two grandkids and maintaining a marriage.
One must first recognize that the novel was written as theological fiction. This makes it difficult for the reader to discern what the author is saying and decipher whether it is holds evident with Holy Scripture. Keep in mind that the novel isn’t meant to be a Bible lesson. With that being said, The Shack is written as a personal testimony of the protagonist, Mackenzie (Mack) Philips, coming to terms with God. His youngest daughter, Missy, was abducted three years earlier during a family camping trip. Although her body is never found, police find evidence in a shack hidden deep within the forest that reveals she has been viciously murdered by a notorious children’s serial killer. Mack immediately dispatches into “The Great Sadness”, the constant guilt he holds for not saving his beloved daughter. At the height of Mack’s “Great Sadness” he receives a letter from God, inviting him back to scene of the crime or the shack. Although skeptical, Mack goes and experiences the unbelievable: a weekend-long encounter with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. From this point on, the dialogue focuses around topics that theologians have debated for centuries. Young provides anthropomorphism of the Trinity. God is a vivacious African American woman whom goes by the name “papa”, Jesus is a middle-aged man of Jewish descent, and the Holy Spirit is a sylph like Asian women by the name of Sarayu. At this point, the reader feels the urge to close the book and be done with it , but if that’s the path they choose then they are truly missing out. Once you get past the personifications, the reader dives into deep stimulating ideals that surround the Trinity, submission, free will, forgiveness, redemption, love, salvation, and judgment. Most of the communication between Mack and the Trinity focuses around his inability to trust God. One of the most touching parts in the novel is when Mack is working in a garden that is a complete mess; full of weeds, dead flowers, just plain ugliness. Sarayu reveals to Mack that, “this garden is your soul. This mess is you! And it is a wild and beautiful and perfectly in process.” Whether one reads this as a religious lesson or not, it’s a nice metaphor of how every once in awhile we go through periods of time where we have to first internally cleanse ourselves in order to make our external world enjoyable.
Even for non-religious readers, The Shack is a great read because it opens you up to topics you may not usually contemplate. The author provides answers without forcing his opinions upon the reader and stimulates one’s own morals and beliefs. At times I found myself setting the book down and pondering what I just read, internalizing it, thus re-discovering myself. When reading this book it’s all about openness. It’s not about whether you believe in God or not. Allow Young’s creativity and imagination to take you on a journey into self discovery and dap into the divine.
The story line isn’t truly original, yet again this novel wasn’t written for the purpose of simply telling a story. Rather the content and teaching it contains sparks a deep, spiritual and emotional impact upon the reader.
What makes us want to leave the book at this point? Are the characters not believable? Is the theology over out head?
This is the first book that I have ever truly loved. I read sections of it again and again. I love the way Mr. Young explains every day things we all experience but seldom talk about like how snow storms interrup our routine, or how Mac hugged the mail box like a long lost friend. Mac reminds me greatly of my husband. This book touched me in a way that no other book has. I know I'll read it yearly for the rest of my life. I think God touched you as I know this book touched me. Thank you sincerely for writing this book, Peggygirl
I just happened to buy this book at Wallmart one day. I opened it up and started to read and right from the forward I was hooked. I love this book...I've never said that about a book before, but this book was like a shock to the heart. I lost my heart when my son died 7 years ago but as I read this book, I felt my heart open a little, bit by bit. Thank you for writing this book, it's meant so much to me. Peggygirl
To "peggygirl" --Just to be clear, I am NOT the author of the book. The author was kind enough to autograph a copy for me to give away here. If you'd like to contact William Paul Young (he goes by Paul) he's on Twitter (wpy2009), or you can contact him through his website www.windrumors.com Hope this helps. God Bless! -Shelley
I
This was my bookclub read this month but I did not get a chance to read it yet. I did attend the discussion however, and most opinions were very favorable. However, I am slightly worried that as a mother to a young child, I may not be able to handle the beginning. Would love to own my own copy. Thanks for the giveaway.
HEARD ALOT ABOUT THIS BOOK SO WOULD LOVE TO READ
sign me up
Count me in :)
ktgonyea at gmail.com
I haven't read it yet but I sure want to!
Post a Comment