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My real, live contest with prizes 'n everything!

I'm being inundated with requests to see the book. Basically that's just not going to happen for a couple of very valid reasons, but I've decided to run a contest in lieu of having this discussion... again. Details? Read on. Want to know why I'm not just putting it out there for everyone to read? Read on.

First) it's what they call a Pre-Alpha-Draft™ (okay, maybe that's just what *I'm* calling it). Second) it's chick-lit. No seriously, it reeketh of chick-lit which should automatically turn off a good percentage of you (and make the rest of you want to run out and buy a giant tub of cookie dough ice cream). And third) the (and I use this term loosely) plot took a seriously serious nose-dive around 35,000 words because I stopped caring and just wanted to get the damn thing over. Don't blame me. It's NaNoWriMo and I was totally allowed to do that because that's what re-writes are for.

But I'm definitely getting my month's work printed for free because I can... and if I have anything to say about it (which I do) it's going to have a decent cover. Enter Sir Christopher's comment suggesting that I could run a book-cover design contest, where I give you, my wonderful readers, the option of "designing" a cover for my book. He probably just thought it would be funny to see all the MS Paint and Microsoft Word entries and I don't entirely disagree... which is why I started doing some serious thinking about his idea and have concluded he's on to something. So without further ado I introduce Sophie's Book Cover Design Contest, 2005™.

The prizes (as in, multiple prizes...) for the winner:

1. One pre-alpha-draft of my book in a state of non-revision, non-spell-checkedness, and non-grammar-checked goodness. I'll even sign it if you want me to.


2. One 8x10 print of your choice from my personal collection of photographs


3. And for the runners up (should there be any) I'm offering 1 or more of the 8x10 prints on the right. I've had them delicately packed away on a shelf for some time... and have decided it's time to find them a good home. Or even just any home will do.

Yeah, I don't know if the decision to let anyone read the book is a smart move but I guess all this holiday season joviality is starting to kick in. Anyway, there's prizes to be had and I'd love to be the one giving them.

The rules...

• You may enter as often as you like


• Dimensions for the cover: 1913 x 2925 pixels (6.375" x 9.75") at 300dpi (I'll help you with this part if the design is rad and you're all, huh?)


• Use whatever you like for the design - MS Paint, Word, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. - so long as it can be transformed in to the above dimensions


• A matching back-cover design is encouraged, but optional


• It's my contest, so I might distribute some of the prints for good effort. Don't be discouraged - if you do something clever in Word you have a fantastic shot at a print! (Clean and eye-catching is highly encouraged though)


• Entries can be submitted to my email address, through the comments, or if you're still completely clueless drop me a line here and I'll help you out


• Contest begins *NOW* and runs through next Tuesday, December 6th


• And basically if I get little or no response I have the option of cancelling the entire thing - so get designing!

What else do you need to know? How about a little about the book!

• The title is Blink


• It's chick-lit


• But smart chick-lit; my characters are smart-mouthed and sassy, but they still like their shoes and tall, dark, and handsome men


• Main character is named Sophie; she's a photographer who's approaching 30 and makes some drastically drastic decisions that completely alter her life


• Some time is spent London and Crete


• My characters, they like their alcohol


• The men, they are foreign

That's really all I've got for you. If you have any questions, let me know. If I get no response, the whole thing is yanked. If you want some book cover inspiration, look here or here. But I have that warm and fuzzy feeling deep in my stomach so I'd really love to give away some prints. Not so much the book, but I'll do it if that's what you want.

Now get designin'!