Mad-Eye's Prize Winner

I'm sorry to be this slow announcing a winner.  I had a bit of a family emergency on Halloween that set-off  three weeks full of delays and emergencies, some good, some not so good.

But I would now like to announce the winner in the Mad-Eye's Magical Eye contest.  Congratulations to Heather Faesy of Lost in the View blog!

Heather, I hope you have a good door to nail this on.  Just use it for good luck and not to spy on people like Umbridge! :-)

Thanks to all who entered, and I hope to have another contest around Christmas, so check back soon!

You can follow Heather at her Twitterfeed hfaesy.

Win Moody's Mad-Eye!

Contest is now closed!! Winner to be announced soon.

Halloween is approaching, and with it one of the most special days in the Wizarding World!  It was on Halloween that Voldemort met his match in one-year Harry.

It was also on Halloween that:

• Harry, Ron, and Hermione defeated the Troll
• attended Nearly Headless Nick's Death-Day Party
• the Fat Lady portrait was gashed by Sirius trying to get into Gryffindor Tower
• the Goblet of Fire spewed out the FOUR champion names

To celebrate, I'm announcing a special give-away.  On October 31, I will choose from one of my followers to receive Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye -- or this case, a Turkish nazar boncugu.


Please check out my post at Mad-Eye's Mad Eye for an explanation as to why I think this Turkish nazar boncugu represents Moody's eye.

The nazar boncugu I have to give away is not exactly like the one pictured, but very close.  It's the same colors and style, but measures 4 1/2" or 11 cm.

To enter, all you have to do is follow my blog.  On Halloween, I will randomly pick the winner from my list of followers.

Go ahead, click here and enter now!

Winners Announced!

I want to thank all the people who participated in my first contest! I quite liked celebrating Happy Potter Day with a contest for writers and fans and think I will make this an annual event. Plus, there will be other contests throughout the year. Halloween seems like a very appropriate day for a Harry Potter contest, don't you think? :-)

Three winners have been chosen from this first one, and I'd like to congratulate the winners:

1st place - @meversusworld
2nd place - @siriusismyhero
3rd place - @wRockRevelation

Again, heartfelt thanks to all who entered. And please keep coming back to my blog and join in the discussion on what writers can learn from studying JKR's craft!

Celebrate Harry Potter's and JK Rowling's Birthday Contest!

Harry Potter and his masterful creator, JK Rowling, both celebrate their birthday this Saturday, July 31. To honor (or hallow :-) this event, I am announcing my first contest for the Harry Potter for Writers blog!

With prizes! Three of them!!!!
That's right. Not one, but three winners!

1. A copy of Wizarding World Press' Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter. This book caused a sensation in Harry Potter fandom when it was released, and still is highly sought after today. Not only will HP fans thrill to discover all the clues JKR slyly wove into her text, but writers can learn a lot from this book by dissecting JKR's craft.
   
   
2. An electronic copy of one of my chapters from A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter, "Revealing Wormtail: or How to Bait a Rattrap." This lesson is 56 pages of detailed analysis, with examples, of JKR's adept mystery plotting. It enables the writer to learn new methods to plot their own trail-of-clues mystery, weaving subtle clues and red herrings into the subtext.
   
   
3. A one-chapter (25 page) critique of your own manuscript. Not only have I published editorials, short stories, and a novel over the last several years, I have also worked in the publishing industry as an editor and marketing consultant for smaller presses. Send me your first chapter from your WIP, and I will provide detailed feedback on what I think is working, and where I feel you need improvement.
   

So, the nitty gritty...how do you enter? Follow TWO of these simple steps:

1. Follow me on Twitter: @HP4Writers
   
   
2. RT my contest announcement on Twitter. For your convenience, I've placed it here as well.
   RT @HP4Writers #HappyBirthdayHarry CONTEST!: Win 1 of 3 prizes for fans of Harry Potter & writers. Rules here: http://tinyurl.com/3964dye #HP4Writers
   
   OR, if you do not have a Twitter account:
   
   
3. Post a comment here on my blog, on the comment thread below or any of the other articles, and
   
   
4. Follow my blog!
   

Note:

• I will choose three winners from those who complete either the first two or last two tasks above. Double your chances by doing all four!
  
• The first winner gets first choice of the prizes, the second chooses from the two prizes remaining, and the third the prize that is left.
  
• Anyone local and overseas my enter, but I will only ship the Ultimate Unofficial Guide book to a US address.
  
• Please post any questions you have about the contest on the comment thread below.
  
• The winners will be chosen at 9:00 am EST on Sunday, August 1, 2010 and will be notified through their e-mail or Twitter account.
  

That's it! Have at it. Spread the word. Enter now!

And Happy Birthday Jo Rowling and Harry Potter!

PS: Happy Birthday to my dad, who also celebrates his B-Day this Sat!