Harry Potter? Not yet...

So I haven't even started Deathly Hallows yet. We picked it up on Saturday (for $18.00 at Costco) but I haven't started reading. My reasons? Rather than try to beat my brother and dad off of it at the same time, I'm simply waiting until they are done reading. Then it's all MINE!

Meanwhile, I've been using my Potter-free time to catch up on some other reading. Make sure you check out the new writing contest if you haven't already, as I'll be gathering up some lists of great fairy tale books you can gain inspiration from. I've had one person email me to tell me they are participating, but no one's linked yet. So help spread the word!

New Contest- You Gotta Check This Out!

Hello everyone! It’s time for a new contest. The idea for this one popped into my head a week ago today, so it’s only fitting that the details be posted right here, right now, on its anniversary. (Well, sort of…) So without further ado, here’s your new That’s right. This one is for all you creative writers out there. Come one, come all, and participate in this summer’s creative writing challenge. So what’s this contest all about anyway? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Yes, there is a prompt: You have until September to create and submit a short story or poem that retells/revamps your favorite fairy tale(s).

Interested? You should be, because this is going to be great. Plus, you get to help choose the winners! Read on for more information.

Rules
Let’s just get these over with, shall we? Every contest has them, and they’re a necessity in this case.

1. Entry- Your entry must contain these details:

• It must be either a short story or a poem. Length doesn’t matter, but try to keep it reasonably short. Now is not a good time to write your debut novel.
• It must somehow encompass a fairy tale (or multiple fairy tales) in some way. You can retell the story from another character’s point of view, change the events of the story, create a different setting; the possibilities are endless. Just make sure you’re not just re-typing something we already know.
• Your submission must include a title, and a note somewhere (either at the beginning or end) that tells what fairytale(s) you based your work on.
• Please keep entries PG-13. Preferably PG, as this is a relatively kid-friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be disqualified.
• Submit your post to Mr. Linky below before the deadline to be eligible to win. Only post the DIRECT link to your entry, as these links will be used to judge your submission. If you've never used Mr. Linky before, check out this post on how to use it.
• After you have submitted your work to Mr. Linky below, leave me a comment on this post letting me know you have done so. Before you leave your comment, see note for Prizes below.
• After the deadline has passed, a poll will be created to allow visitors to vote for their favorite entries. The entries with the most votes wins, although there may be a few extra surprise prizes thrown in. More details about this when the deadline gets closer.

Questions? Drop me an email, and I’ll do my best to clarify.

2. Deadline- You must submit your entry by September 28, 2007 at midnight (MST) *Edit: It's been extended!* in order to be eligible for prizes. Bloggers can submit using Mr. Linky below. Make sure it is a direct post! Non-bloggers who want to submit something can email their entries, and I will post them for judging. Chances of winning depend on how many entries we get.

3. Prizes-*EDIT*- Prizes have been posted here. Not entirely sure what these will be yet. But there will be prizes. When you leave a comment stating you’ve submitted your entry, I also welcome suggestions for prizes. Would you like amazon.com gift certificates? Book packages of published retold fairy tales (like Sarah Beth Durst’s Into the Wild, for example)? Or maybe a body care gift basket? I’m open for anything! If I can get some more funds from my amazon associates links, then I might be able to afford more. I will post details about prizes as soon as I know for sure.

4. Eligibility- Anyone in the US or Canada can enter, whether or not you have a blog (actually, anyone who lives anywhere can enter, but I may have to modify prizes if you're outside the US or CA). Participants under 13 must have a parent’s permission in order to post their work. The Shady Glade does not allow/condone/approve of information stealing of any kind! Anyone who is caught doing so will be disqualified. Use your own work PLEASE!

Please Help
Now I’ve got you all excited, what can you do to help? Well, here’s just a few suggestions:

• Participate! Only those who enter can win, so what are you waiting for?
• Spread the word. Tell your friends, your classmates, your parents, even your enemies (unless you don’t want them to win…that would be bad). You are more than welcome to use the graphic above in your blog entries, sidebars, websites, etc. linking back to this post. Even if you don’t plan on participating (or if you don't plan on posting your entry for a long time), please consider posting the news of the contest anyway. We want to make this as successful as possible, and there may even be a prize to the person who gets the most participates to join.
• As always, if you have something to donate, please let me know.

Got any other ideas? Just let me know!

That’s it for now. Keep checking back for news as it comes in. I may be setting up a review list for other retold fairy tales, doing additional bonus contests, posting my own entry (ineligible, of course) and more. You never know. So let the challenge begin!

YAHOO!

OMG! Guess what I found out? Tomorrow night, I will be spending the evening watching a private screening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix! That's a whole day before it even comes out! I can't believe it. Look at me, I'm so excited I actually resorted to using "OMG."

Give you more details tomorrow after the movie. ;-)

Harry Potter Quotes

Miss Erin has been posting a Harry-quote-a-day to celebrate the countdown to the new HP book. So I thought it would be fun to jump in with one of my own all-time favorite Harry quotes:

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once--"
"Or twice--"
"A minute--"
"All summer--"
"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.

Gotta love the twins... :-)

June Winner & more news!

Okay, so I know this post is a day late, but things have been a little crazy with the holiday coming up. :-) So without further ado....

The winner of June's contest, and the copy of A Circle of Three is Mary Lee from A Year of Reading. Congrats! Her entry stated that her favorite kind of summer reading was catch-up reading. I couldn't agree more. There is no better time to get caught up on those excellent books you've missed out on because of busy schedules.

For those of you who didn't win, why not try entering July's contest for a second chance? Details can be found here.

Also, stay tuned for a super-huge announcement in the next few days. I've decided to start my own summer challenge, and this will be one you'll want to see!

That's all for now. Happy 4th everyone!

July Contest!

Congrats to everyone who submitted to last month's contest. And now, for something new! This month's prize is an ARC copy of by The Perfect Distanceby Kim Ablon Whitney. If you'd like to know what's what with this month's prize, you can check out my friend Kim's review over at YABC.

To enter send an email to shadyglade@mail.com with the subject line: JULY 2007 CONTEST, by July 30th, 2007. Please include your name, your country, a valid email address and the answer to this question:

What is your favorite animal and why?

One (1) lucky winner will be selected from all entries involved. Remember, answers DO count!

You can read offical rules here, but they boil down to this: Open to all US and Canada residents, entries must be recieved by deadline and have all required parts to qualify. Anyone under 13 needs a parent's permission to participate. Please don't try to find legal loopholes in my contest rules, because I am a poor college student with no money, and you won't get anything if you try and come after me! :-) Any questions can reach me by email, or by posting a comment below. Good luck everyone!

*REMINDER* I've now got prizes lined up for a few contests, but I still need entries. Please email me if you have something you'd like to donate, even if it's just a single copy of a new/near new book. Thank you!