Aug

19

Sunshine State Snafu.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

August 19, 2008 |

I was supposed to be in Florida right now, but trust a tropical storm whose name begins with F to force a cancellation of my flight and foul  up my plans. At least Fay only florida1.jpgpostponed my trip. Soon I’ll be on my way to the Southern part that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. I always thought this part was “the panhandle”, but actually that’s up North, where Tallahassee is. For some reason the Southerly part just always looked to me more like a handle, while the straight lines along the Northern border made me think of the bottom of a pan.

While I’m hanging out on my parents’ lenai, why don’t the rest of you send me some entries for the Second Annual Just Write Summer Reading Contest? You may have some questions about it, which would explain why, so far, I’ve only gotten two entries. I don’t know what your questions may be, but I’ve thought what they might be and I’ll try to answer them.

What is it?

You can check out the description by following this link, although you can also check out Do Over. My e-mail address has changed to just-write (at) contentquake.com, and the deadline will be August 30th.

Why are you doing this?

Two reasons. The first is, I thought it would be fun. It seemed like a good way to give people a chance to say, “Hey, I read this book and liked it and maybe you would too”. I realize most people do that already on their own blogs, but reading is a solitary activity. Anything that brings readers together–even people who might read wildly diverse things–is a groovy thing. The other reason is that at least half the books I read are recommended to me by other people. I’m always looking to expand my literary horizons.

What if I don’t want to give out my address?

You’re more than welcome to opt out of the drawing part of the contest and just submit a book and why you like it without including any contact information. If you don’t want your name mentioned in the final article say so and I’ll just call you “Anonymous”. Although I promise any contact information you provide will only be used for the contest and will not be kept, I understand privacy concerns. This is mainly about bringing readers together. The book giveaway is just there to make it a little more fun.

What if I’m not interested in either book?

For one thing the more people enter the lower your chances of winning, so you may not have to worry about it. But you can either opt out of the drawing or, if you do win either A Hungarian Romance by Agnes Hankiss or Here We Are In Paradise by Tony Earley, you could give the book away to someone, or sell it to a used bookstore, or donate it to a library.

I can’t read!

What do you expect me to do? Buy you a copy of Ethel The Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying and read it to you? 

How are you selecting the winner?

Randomly. Everyone who enters gets their name put in a hat, and then, blindfolded, I draw two names.

What kind of hat is it?

That’s a weird question. Who’s writing these questions, anyway? It’s an antique bowler hat made by Dun & Company. I picked it up at a clothing store in Bath, England. Now no more questions! Get writing!


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