Welcome to DAY PISCES of 13 Days of THE 13^TH SIGN Preorder Contest! PISCES is traditionally considered to be the twelfth sign of the zodiac. PISCES characteristics include: intuitive, adaptable, romantic, self-pitying, illogical, and vivacious.

(Want to learn more about your 12-sign horoscope, your 13-sign horoscope, and which horoscope sign you ACT like? Take THE 13^TH SIGN quiz!)

From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors is happy to host Day Thirteen of this contest! The Grande Finale!

But before we get to the contest, we must introduce our guest, Kristin Tubb!  What better way to introduce her than with an interview!

Me:  What inspires you most when you write?  A nice slice of chocolate cake to get the creative juices flowing or a mountain lion chasing you to get your adrenaline pumping?

Kristin:  Ha! Coffee plays a very large role in my writing process, and I love looking at paintings and photographs and maps for inspiration. (Pinterest is my latest time-suck, but at least I’m pinning with a goal! Here’s THE 13^TH SIGN board: http://pinterest.com/kristintubb/the-13th-sign/)  But when it comes to hammering out a scene, I have to get moving. Some of my best ideas come while on a hike or blowing bubbles for my dogs (yes, you read that right J). The voice recorder on my phone is full of scene and story ideas so I can get to work right away when back at a keyboard.

Me: Oh man. I LOVE Pinterest.  Talk about a time suck….try a black hole!  Where do you do your writing?  A desk? A cafe? A smelly slimy bog? A beautiful ice castle?

Kristin:  It differs book to book and with each season of this ever-changing life. When my kids were younger, I wrote mostly in libraries. I write at home, now, unless I have a pressing deadline, and then it’s offsite I go (and away from laundry/dishes/pet messes/ringing phones).  I sure would love one of those ice castles, though. Without internet, please. WITH an espresso machine, please.

Me:  I’m so glad I’m not alone in that.  House chores constantly call to me when I’m writing. What is your most favoritest book of all time?

Kristin:  A Wrinkle In Time. In sixth grade, I interviewed Madeline L’Engle by telephone. (I KNOW, RIGHT?!) She told me I, too, could be a writer if I just kept reading. So Wrinkle is my favorite book for many, many reasons.

Me:  No. Way.  Me too!  Well, everything except the interview part….and the career in writing….and the….so yeah, I read the book.  It was my favorite.  Do you have any writing rituals?

Kristin:  I wish I had some tried-and-true rituals! I’ve found that these differ from story to story as well. The one thing I’ve done for every book is to keep a vocabulary list – a list of words that “sound” like that story to me. So for THE 13^TH SIGN, the list included words like “vibrate” and “plipped” and “feisty.” For some reason, doing this really seems to help me find the tone and voice of the story.

Me:  What a cool technique!  I’ll have to try that!  Thanks for suffering through my questions, Kristin!

Kristin:  Thank you, Amie, and all the Mixed-Up Files Authors!

Now….on to the part you’ve all been waiting for!

So. What is this contest all about?

If you preorder a copy of THE 13^TH SIGN by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, you will be entered into a contest! Where you can WIN THINGS! And there are new prizes every day!

And. EVERY preorder will be *matched* by a $1.00 donation to RIF, a literacy program committed to placing books in the hands of kids who need them most.

About the book:

What if there was a 13th zodiac sign?

You’re no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign.

Your personality has changed. So has your mom’s and your best friend’s.

What about the rest of the world?

What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change, and infuriating the other 12 signs?

Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong. Lives, including her own, depend upon it.

What can I win TODAY?

If you preorder THE 13^TH SIGN today, Wednesday, December 5, you could win:

-zodiac charm – sign of your choice

-signed THE 13^TH SIGN swag

-glow-in-the-dark star stickers

-signed paperback of AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

-a 13^th SIGN tshirt

How do I enter?

Preorder THE 13^TH SIGN! You can preorder it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, or through your local independent bookstore. Then email your receipt TO KRISTIN at ktubb@comcast.net. You will be entered into that day’s drawing, the grand prize drawing, and your purchase will be *matched* by a $1.00 donation to RIF!

Are there other ways to enter the contest?

Yep!  You can be entered into the daily prize drawings by doing one or more of the following:

-Each preorder of THE 13^TH SIGN = 10 entries into grand prize drawing and 10 entries into that day’s drawing

- Each person who blogs about the contest = 10 entries into that day’s drawing

-Each person who changes Twitter or Facebook avatar to cover = 5 entries into that day’s drawing (for each day it is present)

-Each Tweet or Facebook status mention of the book and contest = 2 entries for that day’s drawing (must include hashtag #the13thsign)

-Each RT of book and/or contest = 1 entry for that day’s drawing

BUT. You have to preorder THE 13^TH SIGN to enter to win the grand prize and to have your purchase matched with a RIF donation.

ALSO. To make sure you get the correct amount of entries, please let Kristin know if you’ve done any of the above! You can email her at ktubb@comcast.net with everything you’ve done to enter.

What is the grand prize?

A Nexus 7 ereader! BOOM. The grand prize winner will be announced on Kristin’s blog on Friday, December 7. 

How long does the preorder contest last?

13 days total! You can visit these other blogs for each day’s prizes:

DAY ARIES: The Book Vortex

DAY TAURUS:  The Housework Can Wait

DAY GEMINI:  Magnet 4 Books

DAY CANCER:  Abby the Librarian

DAY LEO:  Mother Daughter Book Club

DAY VIRGO: S. R. Johannes/Market My Words

DAY LIBRA: Elizabeth O. Dulemba

DAY SCORPIO:  Citrus Reads

DAY OPHIUCHUS: Young Adult Books Central

DAY SAGITTARIUS: Bloggers [heart] Books

DAY CAPRICORN: – Middle Grade Mafioso

DAY AQUARIUS: Smack Dab in the Middle

DAY PISCES: From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors

Good luck! And don’t forget to take THE 13^TH SIGN quiz!

 

WOW! Talk about awesomeness!  So what are you still doing here??!  Go.  Enter!