Friday, July 11, 2014

What's in the mail...plus a giveaway


**Giveaway is now closed**

Melissa A:

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid from BookSparks PR
A Pinch of Ooh La La by Renee Swindle from Penguin (Miriam got this too)
Now I See You by Nicole Kear from St. Martin's Press
She Sins at Midnight by/from Whitney Dineen



Amy:

The Unimaginable by Dina Silver from Amazon

Kathryn:

A Heat of the Moment Thing by/from Maggie Le Page (e-book)

Tracey:

Finding Mr. Righteous by/from Lisa De Pasquale



Becky:

A Place for Us (Part 1) by Harriet Evans from Headline Review
Your Beautiful Lies by Louise Douglas from Black Swan
A Fete to Remember by Julia Stagg  from Hodder & Stoughton
Low Expectations by Elizabeth Aaron from Quercus
Courting Trouble by Kathy Lette from Bantam Press
First Sight by Danielle Steel from Corgi
The Longest Ride and The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks from Sphere


What could be in YOUR mail?

Now I See You by Nicole Kear
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have TWO copies for some lucky US readers!

You’d never guess Nicole C. Kear is blind. The black designer sunglasses she wears look like nothing more than a fashion accessory. After years of practice, she’s skilled at concealing her vision loss. But when she realizes her secret is starting to affect her three children, she’s forced to take a good hard look at herself--and the truth she’s been hiding.

In her scintillating debut memoir, the irreverent confessional NOW I SEE YOU, Nicole steps out of the “blindness closet,” putting an end to a cycle of shame and secrecy. With the raw emotion of Wild and the whip-smart humor of Bossypants, Kear explores the impact her deteriorating eyesight has had on her life choices, and how becoming a mother forced her to surrender the lie she’d been clinging to like a life raft.

Kear is a carefree nineteen year-old when she realizes, on a romantic night at the beach, she can’t see the stars her boyfriend points out. What follows--the diagnosis of a degenerative, incurable retinal disease the doctor says will render her sightless by thirty--doesn’t fit into her life plan. Dreading pity and pep talks, Kear keeps her vision loss hidden and focuses on devouring beauty and adventure while she still can. She joins circus school, travels, tears through boyfriends and becomes accustomed to flirting with disaster.

When she falls in love and gets pregnant a few years shy of her vision’s expiration date, she amends her carpe diem strategy, giving up recklessness in favor or relishing time with her children. Her secret is harder to surrender, yet as her vision worsens, harder to keep.

As her world blurs, one thing becomes clear: she can’t escape her blindness. But if she asks for the help she needs, and learns to accept it, her happy ending might just be within sight. (Synopsis courtesy of St. Martin's Press.)

How to win:
Since Nicole steps out of her "blindness closet," tell us something about yourself that you're not afraid to admit to people. (If you don't feel comfortable doing this, just tell us which of the five senses you could deal with losing.)

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted (and we do NOT count "Google +" as contact information).

Giveaway ends July 16th at midnight EST.

35 comments:

Melanie Montgomery said...

I was diasgnosed as having Asperger's.


clarkmurdock at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

bonlyn55 at yahoo dot com

I am 65 and never had a mammogram.

Nova said...

I have Crohn's disease.

sparkle40175@hotmail.com

Robin Driscoll said...

I am extremely shy. pp92596 at gmail dot com

Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields said...

I have terrible eye sight and have always had a fear of losing my sight!

missamberljohnson at gmail dot com

Jenny said...

I've had gastric bypass.

Jen811999 at yahoo.com

Janine said...

I don't know how to relax. I am always nervous and have panic attacks.

kinini01@hotmail.com

Bridget T. said...

I am hard of hearing. Have a hearing aid, but don't like to wear it.

iambtinrb@aol.com

susieqlaw said...

I have small hands and do hand exercises to make my hands stronger when I play the piano.

Sendsusanmail at gmail dot com

rhonda said...

I 'm an introvert even though I seem outgoing.lomazowr@gmail.com

Carl Scott said...

I have hearing loss from my old job but I don't want to get a hearing aid.

Carl Scott said...

Duh - carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx

Bonnie K. said...

I'm hearing-impaired and blind in my right eye.

bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am 64 and have social anxiety disorder but no one believes that.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

jennifer.essad said...

I'm not afraid to tell people that I'm not perfect. I also am a procrastinator

Mrs Mommy Booknerd said...

I saved my brother's life through stem cell donation and I was terrified the whole time.

Mrsmommybooknerdsbookreviews@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I have a really hard time with names and faces . I can see someone hundreds of times and still sometimes have a hard time clicking where I know their face from and what their name is . Thanks for the giveaway! Amymays53@gmail.com

Donna E said...

I'm 67 and only recently had a colonoscopy. And I'm to have another in 3 years. Also I have had both hips replaced.

donna {dot} durnell {at} sbcglobal {dot} net

Kayla Book Lover in Florida said...

I have a tendency to organize when im at places that have an unorganized feeling to them, stacking up peoples mail, folding blankets, straightening the counter, etc.

Kaylagothier@yahoo.com

Jenny B said...

I worry about everything but always appear like a strong person.

Jenny_bix(at)yahoo(dot)com

Melanie Backus said...

I don't keep house as well as I should.

mauback55 at gmail.com

bn100 said...

Wouldn't want to lose any of them

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Margie said...

The sense of smell would be the easiest to lose. Thanks for the giveaway.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Unknown said...

That I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31.

Bjoneill@hotmail.com

Kimberly Sue said...

I have suffered from depression since I was 16.

kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com

Kimberly Sue said...

I have suffered from depression since I was 16.

kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com

Unknown said...

If I had to lose one of my five senses, I choose smell, but I'd hope it wouldn't also wipe out my ability to taste. I'd never have to catch a whiff of any unpleasant odors again (which wouldn't be a bad thing), but I'd be afraid of gas leaks. kateivan {at} aol {dot} com

Unknown said...

I grew up with an hearing impairment and thought since I can't hear, I would hate to lose my vision. Well, lord behold, at the age of 23 was diagnosed with a degenerative vision loss! So, now I say smell!

swanson_amanda@hotmail.com

Viv V. said...

When I was first diagnosed with a disabling condition, I tried so hard to hide it - even going so far as to practice walking in front of a mirror so I wouldn't limp. My condition has deteriorated as well as multiplied into several other painful, disabling conditions. I now have a service dog, and every time I go out, I am asked about my disability and what my dog does for me. Even though these are very personal questions from strangers, I very patiently and as simply as I can, answer their questions.
vjvereeke@hotmail.com

Don't want to say. said...

I've not even admitted this to my family, they may suspect. I have a eating disorder. Wheeeeew

germansbeauty@gmail.com

Meg Munson said...

I have major anxiety and panic attacks, but don't take my medication.

megmunson at me dot com

TinaB said...

I have a fear of meeting new people.
Brannanflooring@aol.com

Rhonda g said...

rhondajgothier@yahoo.com

I have MS. Diagnosed in 2008.

Melissa said...

Thanks for participating and coming out of your "blindness closets." I'll be open here too: I was born without a thyroid. It was caught early, thankfully, and I've had to take a thyroid pill every day since I was a baby.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sharing the book with our winners.

Random.org chose TWO winners from all entries with contact info (one entry per person).

Congrats to Emily Lewis and Amanda Swanson!

pascale said...

If I had to lose a sense, I suppose it would be smell. My mom lost hers... it did not effect taste.

pascale.poitras@verizon.net