Weekend Peek In #3

Week 3 of my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway is here. The reader's question I drew today focuses on one of my favorite hobbies: photography.

Have you ever considered compiling some of your extraordinary photos into a book? Having seen a lot of your work I think it would be a FABULOUS idea!

On top of writing more novels, I would love to create books featuring original photographs my husband Steve and I shoot. Since my novel Delivery is set in a floristry and my lens often focuses on vegetation, a book on botanicals might be a great place to start.

Just as I love looking deep into my characters’ hearts and minds, I love examining nature up close and personal.

Working as Hand in Hand Studios, my husband and I shoot a variety of subjects, including weddings.

But macro photography is where my passion lies. The closer I look at God’s creation, the closer I feel to Him. No matter what season, when writer’s block strikes, I like to grab my camera and head outdoors.

Nothing gets my creative juices flowing better than taking a fresh look at the world through my macro lens. Doesn't God make some awesome stuff?

We receive repeated requests to publish books, calendars, etc., with our images, but such projects are expensive. Imagine the cost of all that ink! For free, you can check out photography samples on our Hand in Hand Studios Facebook page. Look us up and “Like” us here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-in-Hand-Studios/129589707071901

While I love taking pictures, I love writing even more. For now, my focus is on fiction--promoting my debut novel Delivery and my exciting Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. In December, one lucky entrant will win a Kindle 3G and choose another person to receive a second Kindle 3G. Will it be you? See details by clicking "Contest" above.

Weekend Peek In #2

So far, I've received dozens of fantastic questions in my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. Have you entered? Click the "Contest" menu item above for entry details.

This week's question:

If you could meet any person living or deceased, who would it be?

Jesus--in the flesh.

I pray I would have the wisdom to sit at His feet listening like the quiet Mary rather than rushing about in preparation like her distracted sister Martha (Luke 10:38-42). That would take some doing, since I can’t resist fussing over details when I’m expecting guests. Can you imagine expecting this one?

If I could gather my wits in His presence long enough to speak, I’d ask Him to share His thoughts on current church practices. Something tells me His response may be surprising. What do you think He’d say?

And if I could choose to meet a second person just for fun, I would pick Walter Cronkite in order to confess that when I was four years old, I narrowed my choice of future husband down to him or Elvis Presley. I know. I was a different sort of kid.

Now it’s YOUR turn. Post your answer to this question in the comment section below because I’d love to know whom you would pick!

Weekend Peek In #1

I have drawn the first reader's question in my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. Drum roll, please . . .

How did you come up with Mom Robinson in Delivery?

Writers draw from life experiences to craft stories and create characters. We tend to write about what we know or at least to use that as a spring board for ideas. When I began writing Delivery, I knew I needed a loving character who could effectively plant seeds in Livi Wilson’s troubled life. Someone whose faith is strong and whose words are wise. Someone whose small acts of kindness could make a huge impact on an entire community. Then, it hit me!

Years ago, an elderly woman in my hometown used to take routine strolls down Main Street, visiting shop after shop to smile at, chat with, and love on everyone she encountered. She loved an entire community into calling her “Granny Lowry," God rest her soul. Her sweet demeanor prompted some shop owners to give her samples and freebies. She’d often shuffle into the flower shop where I work to re-gift them to us. And when we gave her flowers to take home, we knew they’d end up on someone else’s desk at another business in town.

Granny Lowry mastered the art of making a quiet gesture with a loud message—a perfect basis for Mom Robinson.

I also needed a hook to hang Mom’s generosity on. That’s when I remembered hearing a floral convention speaker named Frankie claim that if a floral designer stops loving a red carnation, it’s time to find another profession. She insisted it takes a special woman to be excited about a red carnation.

Bingo! Mom Robinson was born.

She is Mount Helicon's community matriarch, sharing her gifts along Main Street and beyond, loving all of God’s creation—even the mundane red carnation. What better person could Livi turn to in her search for healing and forgiveness?

Mom's generous spirit led me to launch my Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway. The winner will choose a second Kindle 3G prize recipient. Click on the Contest menu item above for entry details.

Sharing our gifts is what it’s all about, folks! What gift will you share today?

Share the Gift Double Kindle 3G Giveaway

Want a chance to win a Kindle 3G for you AND a Kindle 3G for one person of your choice? That’s right—a double Kindle 3G giveaway!

Here’s how it works:

Subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the field to the right. Then email a question about Delivery, my writing journey, my hobbies, my quirks, my life, etc., to diana@dianaprusik.com. Type “Weekend Peek In” in the subject line. To be eligible to enter the drawing, be sure to attach your proof of purchase of Delivery to your email. Receipts for free downloads are ineligible. Limit one question per blog subscriber per day. Increase winning odds by submitting more questions on different days.

The winner will receive one Kindle 3G AND choose one person with whom to share the gift. That person will also receive one Kindle 3G!

Each Friday beginning August 12, 2011, I will draw one question at random and answer it in the “Weekend Peek In” on my blog.

Each daily question a subscriber submits with proof of purchase equals one chance to win. Submit more than one question; earn more than one chance. Deadline for question submissions is Wednesday, December 14, 2011, at midnight, CST.

I will draw one name at random (under the supervision of the staff at the flower shop that inspired Delivery) and announce that winner on Friday, December 16, 2011, on my blog and on my Facebook author page. (Be sure to "like" me there.)

Share these details with your friends, family members, co-workers, neighbors, and acquaintances. Use links below to share on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Who knows? If you don’t win, the winner may choose you as the second Kindle 3G recipient!

Why am I hosting this phenomenal giveaway? To promote Delivery, my website, and my blog? Yes. To promote literacy and to encourage more readers to join the digital book world? Absolutely!

But most importantly, I hope to promote a movement of sharing our gifts, much like my character Mom Robinson does in Delivery—in the spirit of Christ.

Whether or not you win this drawing, I encourage you to share your gifts—your abilities, skills, talents, possessions. Share them with people who least expect it, and do so with a joyful heart. After all, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV).

Let the asking begin!