Wandering Wonderful – A Hike and a Giveaway

On Saturday, I ventured out to the dry side of the Cascades for a little hike and exploration. By “little,” I mean 1,250 feet of elevation gain within a single mile. So I guess by “hike,” I really mean climb.

I brought along a copy of Wandering Wonderful, thinking it would be a great photo op for this little giveaway post I’ve been planning – imagine me holding my little book in front of the beautiful vista I’d just earned by scrambling up rocks along the ridge line. But the wind had other ideas – the gusts were so strong up there that I couldn’t hang onto both the book (without it flapping like mad) and the camera. Hence the ground shot. Which is infinitely less interesting than the actual canyon I’d just hiked out of, pictured below.

Still, the hike was breathtaking, heart-pumping, and everything I could have wished it to be. And I am back feeling refreshed and ready to give away a few books.

Normally, I would post a giveaway on Goodreads, but they’ve begun to charge (a rather large amount, in my opinion) to list giveaways. So instead, I’ll post it here and share on Twitter.

Now to the nitty-gritty. I will be giving away three signed copies of Wandering Wonderful. If you would like to enter, all you need to do is comment on this post. I’m not restricting it to U.S. entries only, so if you’re across one pond or the other, don’t hesitate to enter. I will leave comments open on this post until Sunday, June 23rd. After which, I will randomly select three winners.

Best of luck!
Sarah

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Friday marked the end of the pre-sales period and I received the final sales update from the publisher just this morning. Everyone who purchased a copy by the pre-order period end date had their name plugged into an Excel worksheet and a number attributed to their name. Using Excel’s super fun RANDOMBETWEEN function, one name was selected as the recipient of the book’s cover art printed to a 20″ x 30″ canvas.

I am very pleased to announce that the winner is none other than Betty Hayes Albright! Betty is a wonderful poet who blogs over at Seasonings. If you’re not familiar with her work, I highly recommend popping over to her blog. Congratulations, Betty! Your art print will be on its way to you sometime this week.

A very sincere thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past 10 years of writing this poetry blog.

With much love and gratitude,
Sarah

Chapbook Release Giveaway Update – 10 Days Left!

Just a quick post this morning to say thank you! to everyone who has jumped in and pre-ordered my newest chapbook, Wandering Wonderful. Pre-orders have an immense impact during the pre-sales period since this will help to determine the press run (number of copies to be printed) in May. So again, thank you! I am truly blessed.

This brings me to the giveaway update! I wanted to share an actual photo of the cover art printed to canvas, which will be sent to one wonderful reader. Anyone who pre-orders a copy of the book by March 22nd either via Finishing Line Press, or directly through me will qualify. One name will be randomly selected once I receive the final pre-sales update from the publisher.

With much gratitude,
Sarah

uproarious – excerpt from Wandering Wonderful

to say that a landscape
can never be clamorous

disregards the wild
hearts within it,

forgets the crows
and casts no winds

an outlook is only
sometimes peaceful,

and mostly uproarious

© Sarah Whiteley

My newest chapbook Wandering Wonderful is now available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press. Pre-orders through March 22nd will have an opportunity to win a canvas print of the cover art. Click for details!

early snow – excerpt from Wandering Wonderful

an early snow this year

icy and hard, it woke me –
hissing and insistent
through the crack in the sill

the dogs both dig deeper
into my side, settle once more,
and sigh – little heart-furnaces

© Sarah Whiteley

The weather this year has been hard on the dogs and little Angus especially is feeling his age lately. But it’s amazing what comfort a dog can bring into a life – and I am blessed to have both of them for as long as I may.

My newest chapbook Wandering Wonderful is now available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press. Pre-orders through March 22nd will have an opportunity to win a canvas print of the cover art. Click for details!

Wandering Wonderful Pre-Orders and a Giveaway!

In celebration of the publication of Wandering Wonderful, I’ve decided to offer a chance to win a 20″ x 30″ canvas print of the cover art shown above (sans title, etc.) to one lucky person.

How to enter? Simply pre-order a copy of the book by March 22nd via Finishing Line Press.

If you prefer to mail order, you can send a check or money order to: Finishing Line Press, PO Box 1626, Georgetown, KY 40325. The cost of the book is $14.99 + $2.99 for shipping. (Note that mail orders take longer to process than online orders.)

If you would like an autographed copy of the book, I can accept payments via PayPal (see my Available Books page). Include a message that you are pre-ordering Wandering Wonderful for inscription. The book will then be shipped to me for signing, and forwarded on to you at no additional shipping cost.

Finishing Line Press provides me with periodic sales updates and names will be drawn after the last sales update of the pre-order period end date. If you have already pre-ordered a copy of the book, never fear! Your name will also be entered into the drawing.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support. It’s because of wonderful readers and fellow writers like you that this blog has been in action for over 10 years.

With much love and respect,
Sarah

Another Giveaway!

The crows are nesting, the violets are blooming, the dogwood is budding, and I spent part of my Saturday reading on the porch in a glorious bit of sunshine.

It’s Spring! At least it is here in the great Pacific Northwest. And I’ve decided to do another giveaway of my chapbook No Direction But Home in order to celebrate.

This time, the giveaway is being hosted by Goodreads.com, which if you’re not a part of I highly recommend joining. If you’re an author, it’s a great tool to help promote your book. If you’re an avid reader, it’s a wonderful way to find reviews, new releases, follow authors you enjoy, and just generally wallow in bookish heaven.

You can enter the giveaway through March 17th by clicking below or by clicking on the Goodreads Giveaway link in the right sidebar.

No_Direction_But_Home_promo

Best of luck and happy reading! And if Spring hasn’t gotten to your neck of the woods yet – don’t worry, it’s coming!

and the winner is…..

…. Charles from Read Between the Minds! Congrats! You should have an email sitting in your inbox.

For those of you who are maybe unfamiliar with Charles, I would strongly encourage you to go and check out his poetry on Read Between the Minds. His writings are sharp and insightful – and quite often the smack upside the head we all sometimes need.

My thanks to everyone else who entered (especially those who were brave enough to attempt the couplet)! I am eternally grateful for your readership, your feedback, and your support. And who knows? I may decide to do another one of these down the road.

Sarah

Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!

CONTEST AND COMMENTS NOW CLOSED!

Here we are, at the barest edge of the fall season (at least in this hemisphere) and what could be better when the weather turns than sitting next to an open window with a nice hot cup of coffee, wrapped up in a something soft and cozy, reading a book of poetry? Bliss!

I’m here to help you make at least part of that picture happen… that’s right, readers! I am giving away a FREE copy of my chapbook No Direction But Home to one lucky commenter!

Here’s the deal:
* leave a plain old boring comment on this post (one comment = one entry to win)
* OR leave a comment in the form of a rhyming couplet on this post (one rhyming couplet = TWO entries to win)
* comments will remain open until Wednesday, August 28th at 8PM PST
* the winning entry will be drawn from a box (I don’t own a hat – too much hair!)
* the winner will be notified via email! no worries if you don’t have a wordpress account – you will be prompted to enter an email address when you enter a comment (no one will see your email except me and I solemnly swear it will not be shared or used for nefarious purposes)
* out of the country? that’s ok too! if you happen to be one of my British, Australian, or other overseas readers, don’t let that keep you from entering
* sorry, but the mug and the lovely handknit alpaca scarf are NOT a part of the giveaway (you wouldn’t want the scarf anyway – it sheds like the dickens); I WILL however throw in a fabulous bookmark from ALL CAPS PUBLISHING
* GOOD LUCK! and do be sure to check out the other great authors over at ALL CAPS PUBLISHING

Just to clarify: a “Like” does not constitute a valid entry – you must leave a comment to enter

I might sleep better…

if I could unravel the day
at the end of it,
let it hang out the window
and weave itself into the wind

let the crows take what they may
and drag the bits away –
to line nests and tumble down
the sidewalk at dusk,

a curious thread of red
for wandering-hearted walkers
and transient orange cats
to watch and wonder at

© Sarah Whiteley

Check back later this week for a giveaway! I’ll be posting details on how to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of my little poetry chapbook, No Direction But Home.