The Lucky Boy at VROMANS -PRIZES

Caroline Gerardo Author of The Lucky Boy,
will appear at Vroman’s Bookstore,
695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena,
 on Sunday, June 24th at 4 PM.

Gerardo will be reading and signing her book
for Local Authors Day.
To celebrate Caroline is offering prizes.
The event is free and open to the public.

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lucky-Boy/249273628455524

 

 

1^st PRIZE:  New Apple iPad 2 32gb Wifi 720p HD Tablet PC Black Color - iPad 2nd Generation

2^nd PRIZE $25.00 Gift Certificate to Vroman’s

This contest is open to residents of USA and Canada.

Contest begins on Sunday, June 24th, 2012 at 12:00pm ET , and closes on Saturday, July  28, 2012 at 11:59pm. Vromans and Caroline Gerardo are not responsible for entries that are lost or misdirected. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on Sunday July 29th, 2012 and will be notified by email as well as by online posting to this site.

http://carolinegerardo.blogspot.com/

 and The Lucky Boy Facebook Page and Twitter Caroline Gerardo’s  @cgbarbeau handle account. If we do not receive a response to your email within 7 days, a new winner will be chosen.

How to Enter:

During the Contest Period, complete the registration form in full following all online instructions. To win contestants must remain on the contest mailing list, “Like” the contest Facebook page, or provide proof of purchase of The Lucky Boy on or before 11:59 PM July 28^th, 2012. Proof of purchase described as follows: copy of receipt and entry form below; or pdf. copy; image of receipt to Caroline Gerardo either on The Lucky Boy Facebook page, or follow and supply to @cgbarbeau twitter account, or here in the comments below.

By entering this contest, participants agree to be bound by these Contest rules and the decisions of Caroline Gerardo. All entries become the property of Caroline Gerardo, the Contest Sponsor.

You may enter the Contest as often as you like by multiple purchases. Entrants may use only one Facebook account or e-mail address to enter.

Entries made using multiple social media accounts, email addresses generated by script, macro, robotic, programmed, or any other automated means are prohibited and will be disqualified.

The winners whose names are drawn will be emailed by as soon as reasonably possible after the contest closes to the email you provide.

Entrants are required to “Like” the The Lucky Boy Facebook page:

  THE LUCKY BOY NEW FACEBOOK

or copy and paste this into your browser:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Lucky-Boy/249273628455524  

or provide proof of purchase of the book to be eligible to win.

  Purchase is not necessary to enter the contest. 
   The odds of winning the contest depend on the number of entries received. 

   Prize must be accepted as awarded. The approximate retail value of the prize is $527/ and $25. US.

Caroline Gerardo and Vroman’s will not be responsible for telephone, technical, network, online, electronic, computer hardware or software failures of any kind, misdirected, stolen, incomplete, garbled or delayed Internet/e-mail computer transmissions on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant’s or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this contest.
Vromans is not a sponsor or an administrator of this contest. 

The winner will be posted on The Lucky Boy Facebook Web site at the end of the contest period.
Entering the contest constitutes consent to the use of the winner’s information as submitted to: http://www.carolinegerardo.blogspot.com/

All publicity and promotional purposes on behalf of Caroline Gerardo no compensation or further permission to winner will be offered (except where prohibited by law).

All work (including but not limited to data, words, photographs, text, images, audio, video, trade-marks, service marks, trade names and other information) (collectively, the “Content”) contained in this Website are owned by Caroline Gerardo.  

Copyright © Caroline Gerardo 2012

Win The Pulitzer Fiction Prize

"Writer as Circus Dog Howling Stories"


No one wins in fiction?
It seems Un-American.

As a writer, I sometimes feel the marketing, competitions,

and ranking is contrary to creating art.

Winning a Pulitzer is after all, big business. A Pulitzer sells through your next couple of books, aligns paid speaking engagements and lines up the glory of tenured professorship. Thank you very much Columbia.

All three are shortlisted books are five stars.  However, I am going to speculate on why none of the front runners actually "won." My opinions here are as from the mind of a judge, wringing their hands on making the right decision. I believe failing to make choice is wrong, bad and flawed .

Three books were "shortlisted" Swamplandia by Karen Russell, Train Dreams by Denis Johnson, and The Pale King by David Foster Wallace. It is not that there were no good books to read in this past year, I believe the problem is in the three choices. 

First, Russell's (I loved it- the southern topic and the dazzle of her writing) -but book is quirky right from the cover. It is an American story, but a tad too contrapuntal with the ordinary and the bizarre the first person narrative jumping to third. The Pulitzer for fiction is ultimately supposed to represent the best American telling a great American tale. Second, Johnson's Novella though beautiful and moving is just too short to win. I can only fault the number of pages as the reason why it cannot stand in history with some of the other big boys  (save two exceptions) And finally The Pale King, Wallace's look into the dull soul of the IRS and the lonely secrets of mindful moments. It is a wonder. Again I add my hat on head as Pulitzer judge, it is unfinished and I dare say having met the man and read the other works some of the voice is "over-edited," (may not all be his ?).

Pony who leads the show

In the light that no choice was made I ask all my writer, reader, and friends with opinions to vote for the Pulitzer. You may nominate your own work, you may vote as many time as your little heart desires. Open your heart and your brain to vote in my comments section. Vote for one of the three above.

You ask - Prizes?

Winner with most votes (comments) will be mailed the Not a Pulitzer trophy ( being created from duct tape as you read this), $20 Amazon gift Certificate hopefully you will be buying books, and some nice brain cactus ( if your country of origin allows me to ship).  

Copyright ©2012 Caroline Gerardo

All photographs are Caroline Gerardo's and not to be used in any format without written permission

Writing in an Airport

You can win: Tell me types of both cupcakes, where on earth they came from or your winning story about sick person on your outbound airplane to something important:

Free copy of my new book, autographed and a free link to anything you heart desires. http://carolinegerardo.com/

Things I learned about my first day on the writing tour in no special order:


• A guy on the plane near you is going to be coughing and orange as an overripe persimmon 103 temperature ( and smell just as astringent rotting).

• You will have the scratchy throat day two and cough from the guts of Auschwitz on the day you have to give your first speaking engagement.

• No worries they either like your first two sentences, or they tune you out. and move crumpling wrappers from Chic A Fil near the microphone.

• Don’t be too funny or a lump on the log. Turn on the a light up your spine and remember the joy of writing at home dreaming you are connecting with this abstract idea of 'writing audience'.

• Other writers suffer most the same delusions, worries and joys even if you don’t agree with their work – don’t add input because it seems no one wants to hear what Lucy Ricardo thinks,

(me being Lucille Ball)

Be smiling, be informative, have some extra free paper junk to give people – I have no idea why people want something free, because --- HAS MOST ANYTHING you ever were granted FREE seemed worthwhile? Well except: the love from your family,  & Santa and God who listen to my prayers 'sometimes'.  They say never give away a stray kitten for free, charge ten dollars then they (They who are they?) will value the pet?

“Never mind” as Rose Ann Roseanna Danna would say, “give them some crap.” God hold Gilda in your hands, for understanding that making us laugh gets us through the trials (- I can tell you about the tests). You: author, novelist, e-book writer, poet, story teller, publisher, or short story expert- What are you offering? The moment in our time and our lives that we believe has some record to share. They want more.

What I learned this weekend: Authors are too shy to ask a great artist that they already know to help them with their cover. We need to match up. Match.com for artist/photographer/ computer wizard/ salepersonship (not a typo).
 No, no wait… I just watched the Social Network at four in the morning when I could not sleep. Please produce my fifty million dollar idea given to you for FREE: link up with a great photographer. a college computer guru SEO and website prophet and maybe your Mom to be the lead of the marketing team.



O.K. tomorrow post that I have gone out there, and you are mad that I didn’t buy your book.

When /I am not hacking hurting with a fever I will post all the Flannery O'Conner posts.