Tuesday, August 19, 2014

The Big Fat, Better than Anything, (US only) Bigger than Your Head Giveaway

This giveaway has now ended! Thank you. http://mazarkis.blogspot.com/2014/08/big-fat-giveaway-winners.html

"No-one - priest, scholar, or king - knew who or what had drawn the stone from the mountain and shaped it into an arch. It had been standing on high for hundreds of years before the godhouse was built below. Perhaps thousands. Its origins were no longer considered as important as its message, a warning that in sunlight gleamed for miles and in starlight flashed and sparkled. For beyond the arch solid mountain sheered off to a mist, shielding both sight and sound. The Edge of the World." More on that later.

So from my overflowing boxes I have pulled out the following to give away:



  • 2 Jo Fletcher Books (UK edition) Tower Broken hardbacks
  • 2 Jo Fletcher Books (UK edition) Tower Broken trade paperbacks
  • 2 Night Shade Books (US edition) Tower Broken hardbacks
  • 8 Night Shade Books (US edition) Knife Sworn hardbacks
  • 4 Jo Fletcher Books (UK edition) Knife Sworn paperbacks
  • 2 Jo Fletcher Books (UK edition) Knife Sworn trade paperbacks

That's twenty books! TWENTY!! That has to be the biggest, big fat, better than anything, bigger than your head giveaway ever. (Even though unfortunately my wallet can afford only to send within the U.S.)

"But how do I win?"



Here's how to win. In the comments below, write the next paragraph to my unfinished story from 1998. Since it's impossible for me to choose the BEST answer, I will have to choose randomly. In your comment, please indicate which book you would prefer to win.

Good luck!



23 comments:

  1. Thinking back, my first memory of the Power was when I was 6 years old. My father, drunk once again, stumbled over my kitten, Cuddles, and got angry, so angry that he kicked, with his steel-toed boots, Cuddles, sending the tiny kitten all the way across the living room. My father then turned away, grabbing my mother and dragging her to the bedroom. I ran over to Cuddles and found him limp and lifeless. As the tears flowed down my cheeks, I held Cuddles tight to my chest and wished that he was alive once again. I felt a curious warmth in my hands and then heard the soft purr of Cuddles. He lived!

    If I win, I would prefer one of the Night Shade Books (US edition) Tower Broken hardbacks.

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  2. Josial contemplated it from her vantage point on the Seeing Stone. She had to keep her balance carefully, centuries of worshipers, sightseeers, the devoted, the curious, the mad had worn the oblong rock to a smoothness that was slippery. It was traditional, though, to contemplate the arch from that spot, even if there were a few spots that were better suited for seeing it. She shook the thought away from her head; she was not here to sketch the view before her. She was here to make an oath.

    If I win, I'd like one of the Tower broken hardbacks (UK)

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  3. "Occasionally from beyond the Worlds End Gate would come a sound, sometimes a whisper, sometimes a roaring sound. Visitors to the Gate agreed however, that the most disturbing things were the shadows that occasionally moved through the formless mist."

    Knife Sworn us hardcover by preference.

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  4. The closer one moved towards the arch the more their very soul screamed with the power emitting from the vortex only visible from close by. The feeling of a thousand lightening worms moving through my flesh at the same time surged through me as my focus fell on the man standing before me who stepped from the arch, there before me stood myself but not me all at once.

    I would love any of the tower broken books, not picky between soft and hard bound and if needed it could be sent cod.

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  5. Being only a child, I did not understand then what I now know to be true - it was calling to me. Each time I gazed upon the arch, I would clutch Mother's hand tighter, fearing it would pull my through. No one else seemed to fear it so, nor understand my trepidation. But even then, my soul yearned to pass into the mists, to see the other side. Now that all I have is lost I am free to journey beyond...

    If chosen, I would love any of the available titles. I have preference for US hardback, but I would be happy with any book.

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  6. Max cautiously continued forward towards the arch. The mist was formidable, intimidating, growing significantly closer with each step. He spun around nervously, jumping at every sound, every breath of wind across his cheek. Braxin had warned him, always warned him. As always, he didn't listen. He reached the base of the arch, and with a deep breath, stuck out one scarred hand, placing it against the stone. As soon as his skin touched, however, Max's felt the world spin around him, and fell into blackness.

    If chosen, I'd like any of the hardcovers - US or UK are both great. That said, I'd love any of them! Thanks!

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  7. "Also, the arch was pretty."

    I have no preference on the books. Would be happy to read either series.

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  8. On the rare sunny day, due to the reflective nature of the mist, a ghostly echo of the arch appeared, seeming like two arches rising in the sky. And no one remembered, in the distant past, a time when there actually had been two arches, before one tragically fell. I remembered, of course. I had seen them. And when the sunlight hit them both, it had been a sight to behold. Two golden arches. A beacon of hope to some that would become, in time, a beacon of despair. I knew all the stories because I had lived them. Tales of glory and courage. Tales of treachery and betrayal. Tales of woe. Tales of gastro-intestinal distress. Tales of the dark times known as the Thousand Years of Unhappy Meals. And all of these tales I will teach to you.

    - Hamburglar the Decrepit, exiled Vizier to the God-King, Ron'l' McDon'ld

    Excerpted from the Journal of the McNuggets Cosmic: Tales of the Gods of Trans-fat.


    And if I win, one of the Knife Sworn hardbacks would be my preference.

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  10. The Greys were the first to go. Man's greatest folly was his tendency to forget the warnings from those before. It happened overnight - by next morning, there was nothing to suggest the Greys had ever been there. Vanished into the mist. Centuries pass, and the Hoche's were the next to leave, to see for themselves the Beyond the Edge. Again, they disappeared. The cycle continued - the Byads, the Lunachs - and not a peep from any of them ever again. There finally came a time when there remained one clan only - the Mearns.

    Should I win, I would like Knife Sworn, US Hardcover, please.

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  11. I moved forward to inspect the stone. It was too big, too strong, for even my hate to topple. Reinforced by the very mountain it pierced, that damned arch stood as it always had. A mocking promise that no matter how much we prepared our warriors, the killing breach is forever imbedded in our world. One day, those who moved in the mist would come calling, perhaps a few had already stepped through, investigating, discovering our weaknesses. It's what I would do. It's what I WILL do........... Wrapping myself in my anger, I stepped through the archway.....

    I would like Knife Sworn, Hardback or trade paperback. Or anything left if those are taken. Thank you.

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  12. "But was this "Edge of the World" truly an edge? For the world is spherical in shape, then it lacks any true edge. That would cause this so called edge to be the edge of some sort of plateau, or perhaps a cliff. There! A cliff-edge! That is what the edge truly was. But semantics aside, while the overbearing white entity known as mist blocked the clifftop from both sound and sight of what was below, the same could not be said of taste. A magnificent flavor covered the clifftop, inspiring chefs from all across the land to attempt to recreate that sour yet spicy, bitter yet sweet, salty yet bland flavor. Our story details the adventures of a young, aspiring chef and his attempts to recreate the flavor of the cliff-edge in order to devise a recipe for a signature dish that would one day be the most famous and most delicious meal ever to grace a tabletop with its glorious presence."

    I would prefer a hardback book. I don't care which title/edition but I would prefer a hardback book please. Thank you so much for the opportunity to get my creative juices flowing and to showcase my writing

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  13. For years my father had told me stories about the arch. Stories of people brave enough to face the unknown and those to afraid to live in the world they knew. I was always told to stay away from it. That the arch was a symbol to mankind that our world could easily fall into nothing. Despite all of the warnings and superstitions that I recieved it only made me want to know why it was there and what was beyond. I knew that no one ever returned after passing through the gray stone arch but I felt in my heart that the mist was calling me to pass through it. I answered that call 7 years ago when I was just 14. Nothing prepared me for what was really on the otherside of the arch. Nor did I realize the true danger of it's secrets.

    If I were to win this amazing prize I will be thankful for any awesome series books! US edition please!

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  14. The problem was that the language of the message was lost with the knowledge of the builders. A warning, clearly it was. For no one who dared venture beyond the arch had ever returned to tell of their travels. The Linguist-scribe sighed, wondering if the scrolls would be deciphered in her lifetime.
    I suppose I should read the second book before the third! If there is a choice, I prefer hardbacks over TPB, and TPB over MM.

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  15. I called out to the stray puppy that had been following me for the last day or two. I'd tried not to encourage or feed it but the little guy was damn persistent and I was only human. Even I could not resist that cute face and those adorable big eyes but the harsh truth was I was running out of food and as much as I hate to say it seeing the End of the World and the drop off that led to it, gave me an idea that would make things easy on both us - writing in the style of Mark Lawrence....sorry if this is a report but my others have not come up yet.

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    1. BTW would love either of the Hardbacks....like everyone else :)

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  16. "The child arrived at the base of the Arch, her hands reaching up to study the cracks and crevices with the tips of her fingers, exploring upwards as far as her small frame would allow her to reach. On the tips of her toes she felt for a small stone and pushed it, felt it give and, with some resistance, slide inwards. Kneeling down she dug around the arch in a small spot between two particularly large cracks and pulled out a key she had hidden previously. As she slid the key in to the small opening she had created a rumble began to stir. It sounded like a thousand giants a thousand miles away were suddenly heading in her direction"

    I am a bit of a collector so I would love either of the Hardbacks in particular the UK hardback. Thanks for making a fun comp.

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  17. No one knew the power that lay between the arches. If you were completely silent and you focused only on the beats of your heart, you could sense the deep current of ancient magic radiating from this stone structure. It is because of this magical current that I was drawn and those before me. Only a member of the Order could access this magic. An Order of Magi that has seemingly all but disppeared...or so was thought. A few of the arches remain in remote parts of the world.

    I would prefer one of the hardback Knife Sworn books

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  18. The treachery of the edifice to claim its new prize poured forth as blood from misguided soldiers. I had naught taken steps three back when its dark arrow found me and made it's scar, four fingers' width above the sternum plate and two astride the throatknot, piercing not flesh, tendon and bone, but soul and solace. I felt its tentacles gather strength as it traversed organ to organ through my slight frame, taking its tally of my resources. Mouth agape but frozen, stricken, plagued, my lips struggled to shape the words to being, but all that found life were "Again. More. More."

    I'll take a hardback US Tower Broken.

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  19. There was a longstanding tradition amongst the younglings of the village. On the twelfth anniversary of a brave child's birth, the children would make the trek up the ragged path to the godhouse. All but the birthday child would gather some few dozen yards from the arch as that lone, brave soul finished the journey alone. Any courageous enough to touch the arch would be lionized for years to come. The sun is just breaking over the distant horizon when she wakes. Today's the day.

    Any of the books would be fine if I win. Thanks for running a great giveaway!

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  20. It's past Wednesday and you have 17 entries! What happens next?

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  21. I thought I had been advertising this everywhere! http://mazarkis.blogspot.com/2014/08/big-fat-giveaway-winners.html

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