You Don’t Know Nick – Day 6
Last night's question: In Shoofly Pie, what was the full name of Nick's research assistant? No nicknames, please
Answer: Eustatius Tedesco
Winner: Jill Corbitt
You Don’t Know Nick – Day 5
Last night's question: In Ends of the Earth, what type of insect threatened to destroy Kathryn's tomato fields?
Answer: Tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta)
Winner: Ashley Stangl
You Don’t Know Nick – Day 4
Last night's question: In Chop Shop, what color were Riley McKay's eyes?
Answer: One was green, one was brown
Winner: Cale Zaugg
You Don’t Know Nick – Day 3
My apologies to those who have been awaiting the 9 pm release of each night's question. It seems the questions have been appearing a bit early! After informing WordPress about the proper time zone, future questions should now appear as scheduled--at 9 pm EST.
Last night's question: In Less than Dead, what was the name of Alena's smallest dog?
Answer: Ruckus
Winner: Kyle Dewaal
You Don’t Know Nick – Day 2
Last night's question: In First the Dead, what was the name of the organization of forensic specialists that Nick was in New Orleans volunteering with?
Answer: Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team
Winner: Hannah Williamson
“You Don’t Know Nick” Contest! Free books to winners!
Last month Simon & Schuster released a bind-up of my first two Bug Man novels, Shoofly Pie and Chop Shop. "Bind-up" is the term publishers use to describe two separate novels published under a single cover; the term you and I might use is "bargain." (Christmas shopping tip: There's no cheaper way to buy my first two novels.)
With the holidays fast approaching I'm in the mood to give things away, so I've decided to host a contest to give away some free copies of the new book. I'm calling the contest, "You Don't Know Nick." It's a trivia contest for you current Bug Man readers to find out if you were paying attention when you read my novels or whether you just skipped to the end to see how the story came out. (Some of you did, didn't you? Now aren't you sorry?) Here's how the contest will work:
Tomorrow night at exactly 9 pm EST I will post a single trivia question on this blog. There will be a form for you to use to enter your answer. A free copy of the Shoofly Pie/Chop Shop bind-up will be awarded to the first person to accurately answer the question. How will I be able to tell who's first? When you enter your answer it will be marked with a time stamp. The wonders of Internet technology!
The following night, again at exactly 9 pm EST, I will publish a post announcing the winner of the previous night's contest and giving the correct answer to the question. Then I will ask a new question and the process will repeat.
For you Bug Man scholars out there: You can only win once. And I'm sorry, but the contest is only open to those with a U.S. mailing address.
The contest will begin tomorrow night (Tuesday, Nov 10) and will continue for 14 consecutive evenings, concluding on Monday, Nov 23rd. Each evening's "You Don't Know Nick" question will be posted at exactly 9 pm EST, so be ready.
Think you know Nick? Then dazzle us all with your knowledge. See you here tomorrow at 9 pm eastern.
The Polls are Closed and the Votes are Counted
SPOILER ALERT! THIS COMMENT DISCUSSES THE SURPRISE ENDING OF ENDS OF THE EARTH! READER BEWARE!
Midnight last night marked the final deadline for voting for the conclusion of my latest novel, Ends of the Earth. If you followed the voting results along the way (by clicking on the gigantic red-white-and-blue link on my website that said “VOTE RESULTS,” in case you overlooked it) then the outcome is not exactly a surprise to you: Alena Savard shot off to an early lead and never lost it. After more than two months of voting, Alena managed to capture 51% of the total votes with Kathryn Guilford managing only 29%. Almost 13% of you thought that Nick Polchak was actually clueless enough to propose to both women at the same time, while 8% concluded that Nick is just not ready for marriage at this point in his life.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” to all of you who voted and especially to those who took the time to post comments and voice opinions on this blog. Leaving a story hanging like that was a creative experiment for me and I really wasn’t sure what kind of response to expect. I knew that everyone who read the book would have a strong opinion, but I wasn’t sure how many would bother to visit my website and cast their vote. But the response has been overwhelming, and I appreciate those of you who joined in the fun.
Now for the two questions on everyone’s mind: What happens next—and when?
As for what happens next, I’m not sure. Like any good writer, I like to keep my creative options open. I can tell you this much: If you’re counting on my next Bug Man novel to open with a wedding ceremony, you’re bound to be disappointed. All your votes have determined is that the Bug Man saga will move forward with Alena in the romantic picture. But how long will it take them to reach the altar and what hurdles will they have to overcome along the way? That’s hard to say, and I haven’t decided yet. (This is what’s known as “wiggle room”.)
As for when, I begin work on the next Bug Man novel December 1st –but I want you to know that my next novel to be published will not be a Bug Man story. My next novel is something different—something very special. It’s a story I’ve waited five years to write, and I can’t wait for you to see it. It’s called Wonders Never Cease, and it’s scheduled for release around Mother’s Day—but that’s all I can tell you for now. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you more about it just as soon as I can.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work. I have a wedding to plan, and you know how complicated that can be—especially when the bride is a witch and the groom is an insect.
Last Chance to Cast Your Vote
Tomorrow at midnight (Tuesday, November 3rd) is the final deadline for casting your vote to determine the official conclusion to Ends of the Earth. I hated to have to set a deadline, since comments continue to come in from readers who just finished the book and barely cast their votes in time to be counted. I know there are lots of other readers who won't pick up the book until a month or a year from now (or a decade, thanks to libraries) and those readers will feel just as strongly about how the book should end as the readers whose votes were tallied.
But a deadline had to be set, if only because I need to know where the story will go from here. Hey--I need some closure too, you know. For the sake of those readers who come to the story later, I plan to leave the two alternate endings up on my website and also leave the voting function up and running to give them a chance to at least express their opinion. And if they want to express themselves further, this blog will always be here to allow them the opportunity.
For the rest of you, you have one more day to express your opinion--while it still counts. So tell your friends, it all ends tomorrow at midnight. Get that vote in!