Thursday Edition of Contests Galore

Welcome to another Edition of Contests Galore!

Each day brings new contests from around the blogosphere and sometimes beyond.  If you would like to be included in one of the Editions of Contest Galore, please use the Contact Form to send me your giveaway/contest information.

If you love these daily editions of contests galore, put me in your feed reader or sign up for to get my post via email so you don't miss the new roundup.

You MUST visit the contest links below to enter.

No entries are accepted on this post.

If you are unsure if you've entered a contest already, do a search for your username.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for another edition.

Thanks for stopping by and Good luck!

Laura

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Chic Galleria and Modofly are giving away a book to one lucky Chic Galleria reader.  How do I win you ask? Just visit www.modofly.net and check out all the incredible artwork.  Come back here and leave a comment.  Which book design is your favorite? Bet you can't pick just one!

Ends  June 29th midnight EST.

http://chicgalleria.com/men/artists/there-is-rarely-a-time.php

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just wanted to give you a heads up that Starz On Demand premiered High School Musical 3: Senior Year on June 12 and to highlight this special event they're hosting a national “Watch to Win” Sweepstakes giving one lucky viewer and three guests a chance to win a Disney Celebration Vacation and spend a night in the Cinderella Castle Suite at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida!
In order to be eligible to win, Starz On Demand viewers should watch High School Musical 3: Senior Year (by July 12th). A question will be revealed at the beginning of the movie and at the end, the answer will be given for the viewer to enter the sweepstakes.

Viewers can enter the sweepstakes via mail or online @ http://www.starz.com/hsm3senioryear!

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3Boys&aDog - Executive Gift Shoppe Giveaway - ends July 03 http://tinyurl.com/lds4oc

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3Boys&aDog – Hana Mini Flat Iron Giveaway – ends July 03 http://tinyurl.com/mhwgkr

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My Moms View -

Organic T-shirt from Zehn Naturals

Ends July 2

http://mymomsview.com/index.php/2009/06/zehn-naturals-review-giveaway-coupon-code/

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dkmommyspot.com

Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art - Book Giveaway

You have until midnight EST on Thursday, June 25, 2009, to enter.

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dkmommyspot.com

R.W. Knudsen Pure Juice Giveaway - Win a Case!

You have until midnight EST on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, to enter

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dkmommyspot.com

Nonie of Beverly Hills HIS! Skin Care Giveaway

You have until midnight EST on Monday, June 29, 2009, to enter.

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iLunchBox and Spice Hunter Announce a Year of Great Spice Basket Giveaways

June 24, 2009, Livermore, CA---Starting today, June 24, 2009 iLunchBox will be hosting monthly giveaways with Spice Hunter. The prize, a basket of the best spices you have ever used. To kick off the program iLunchBox will be giving away one basket a week for four weeks in the month of July. Then the rest of the year we will be giving away one basket theme per month, with the exception of November. During November we will give away one basket a week for four weeks filled with all you need for great holiday cooking.

For July, you can enter in four ways to win the Best Backyard BBQ Spice Hunter Basket:

· comment on the contest blog posting

· submit your favorite backyard BBQ recipe or recipes

· sign up for the free iLunchBox newsletter at the top right hand corner of this page

· forward your copy of the newsletter to a friend if you already get the newsletter

Then once a week a good natured four year old will choose a winner from the list of entrants.  It is that easy.  During the month of July we will be giving away four (4) of these BBQ Spice Hunter Baskets, one (1) per week.  You can start entering on June 24, 2009.  Last entry will be on July 21, 2009.  You can enter as many times as you want…so spread the word.

“Here at iLunchBox, we are thrilled to bring this promotion and giveaway to our readers. We did this with Spice Hunter back in November 2008 and the readers loved The Basket of Holiday Spices,” said Beth Ann Bentley, president of iLunchBox. “Working with Spice Hunter for a whole year and getting great products into the reader’s kitchens is going to be fantastic.”

Want to know what is going to be in The Best Backyard BBQ Spice Hunter Basket?  I mean GREAT!  All you need for the best backyard BBQ ever.  Check it out:

· Chile Pepper, Red, Crushed (1.3 oz. jar) Try this hot item in Mexican, Southwestern, Italian...and even Indian favorites!

· Barbecue Spice Blend (1.6 oz. jar) Incredibly versatile; stars in marinades, sauces, dressings and entrées.

· Cajun Creole Seasoning Blend (1.9 oz. jar) Create classics like gumbo, jambalaya and blackened meats.

· Greek Seasoning Blend (1 oz. jar) An exciting Mediterranean blend for lamb, fish, green beans and salads.

· Mesquite Seasoning Blend (2 oz. jar) Rub on meats and shake on vegetables for a taste of Southwest camp cooking!

· Cowboy BBQ Rub, Blend (1.7 oz. jar) A dry marinade with Southwest flavor, perfect for meats and vegetables!

· Poultry Grill & Broil Blend (2.2 oz. jar) A versatile blend that doubles as a rub or marinade base for flavorful poultry. Delicious!

· The Zip Blend- Mild (1.8 oz. jar) Adds zing to your entrées, sauces, vegetable juice cocktails, spreads and sauces!

· Grill Shakers Seafood (3.9 oz. jar) A fragrant, tangy blend that gives seafood a fin up.

· Grill Shakers Steak (4.2 oz. jar) A bold full-bodied blend that kicks steak up a notch.

· Grill Shakers Vegetable (Lemon Pepper) (4.2 oz. jar) A lemon pepper blend that adds a zest to grilled veggies and more.

· Grill Shakers Hamburger (4.1 oz. jar) A hearty, all-purpose blend that gives a boost to burgers.

· Grill Shakers Ribs (4.5 oz. jar) A perfect blend of all the tantalizing flavors rib lovers love.

· Grill Shakers Hickory (4.3 oz. jar) A tangy blend that uses natural hickory to spice things up.

· Onion Mix (0.65 oz. jar) Pairs well with chicken, beef, pastas and salads.

· Spring Salad Mix (0.64 oz. jar) Pairs well with cucumbers, salmon, vegetables and chicken.

· Garlic (1.4 oz. jar) Pairs well with potatoes, stir-fry, shrimp and pasta!

· Chives (0.26 oz. jar) Pairs well with salads, spreads and baked potatoes.

· Peppercorn Medley (2 oz. jar) Peppercorn Medley is a perfect combination of four distinct peppers.

· Fiery Chile Fusion (1.5 oz. jar) Fiery Chile Fusion imparts a hot, smoky flavor to jazz up marinades, pizza, pasta sauces and more.

· Brazilian Sea Salt (4.7 oz. jar) Brazilian Sea Salt is harvested from the pristine waters off the eastern coast of South America.

· Duke's Regular Mayonnaise (32oz) Enjoy the smooth, creamy and one-of-a kind flavor of Duke's mayonnaise in your coleslaw, potato, egg and tuna salads, deviled eggs and dips as well as on your favorite sandwiches.

· BBQ Sauce -- Original (4 pack)(18 oz. jar) Sauer's Barbecue Sauce is a tangy blend of vinegar, tomato and spices that will make your meat dishes tender and delicious.

· Grilling Tools

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Technorati Tags: contests, giveaways, daily contest roundup, bloggy giveaway, bloggy contest, blog giveaways, blog contest

Freecycle

Freecycle.Org is a great way to keep "stuff" out of landfills while being able to bless someone else with the item(s) who are in need of it.

When you are in the throngs of decluttering, don’t toss those still useable items in the garbage, pass them along to someone else whether you use Freecycle or donate to some place like Goodwill thrift stores.

Another neat thing about Freecycle is that you can also post for item syou are looking for. 

So click on the link above or the banner below to find one or more freecycle groups in your area. “Changing the World One Gift At A Time"

FIRST WILD CARD BLOG TOUR: Wildcard by Robin Shope

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Robin Shope

and the book:

Wildcard

The Wild Rose Press (April 1, 2009)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In Robin's words:

I am the Special Education Coordinator for Denton County Juvenile Justice Alternative Program. For our first two years of marriage, my husband and I traveled overseas as missionaries before pastoring a church for six years. Rick and I have been married for over thirty years and have two grown children. We live near Dallas, Texas.To date, my literary works include approximately two hundred articles in magazines such as: Live, Lookout, Mennonite, Christian Reader, Decision, Breakthrough and Today’s Christian. Other short stories appear in the books: Stories from the Heart, The Evolving Woman, and in the New York Times bestseller, In The Arms of Angels by Joan Wester-Anderson. Ann Spangler also used one of my stories in her book, Help! I can’t stop Laughing. Another two-dozen stories have been published in the Chicken Soup books. One story, Mom’s Last Laugh, was re-enacted for a PAX-TV program: It’s a Miracle. I co-authored three thrillers; The Chase, The Replacement, and The Candidate. I am writing The Turtle Creek Edition series, The Christmas Edition Nov. 2009, The Valentine Edition Jan. 2009. More Edition books will come out in 2010. 2009. Wildcard is a thriller/romance stand alone and the release date is late April 2009.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $11.99
Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press (April 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601544871
ISBN-13: 978-1601544872


AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

He stared at her with superb green eyes the color of a calm sea, but it was his slow smile that pierced her heart. Eyes and smile. Together they pulled her into the deep waters of wild imagination. The six-footer awkwardly tugged on his collar and no wonder, he seemed totally out of place at the theater’s cast party. Ivy Dillon was ripe for romance. She had to meet Whatzhisname.

“Here’s your fruit punch.” Jordan nudged. “I snagged you a cup before the alcohol went in.”

“Thanks.” Ivy turned toward her roommate. “By the way, who’s that?”

“Who?”

“The great looking guy near the window.” Ivy tipped her head in that direction.

“You can’t mean Martin?” Jordan snorted.

“Martin?” Ivy whipped around and squinted. Sure enough, the man she set her sighs on meeting had disappeared and in his place was Martin, still wearing his stage makeup. He waved at her. Ivy waved back, disappointedly. “No not him.”

Ivy cruised through the stage director’s apartment, trying to catch sigh of the man with the interesting angular features, the hair that curled up along his neckline, and, oh yes, those eyes—those amazing eyes.

On the way by the dessert table, the chocolate covered strawberries distracted her. She bit into one, enjoying the meeting of two rivers of flavors, and just like that Whatzhisname appeared in front of her. A miracle!

“You have a bit of chocolate right there,” he told her pointing at the corner of her mouth.

“Thanks,” Ivy croaked.

“May I?” he asked permission to touch her skin and wipe the chocolate away.

Ivy moved closer and felt the gentle stroke of his touch. Just like strawberries and chocolate, Ivy knew they were meant to be.

“There, you’re perfect again.” He licked his chocolate finger and then glanced around the room scanning faces. “Great opening night for the play. Do you know the cast?”

Ivy nodded. “Yes, in fact, the leading actress is my friend.”

“Jordan Belle is your roommate? Interesting.”

“How did you know she was my roommate?”

Just as Whatzhisname opened his mouth to answer, Martin swayed up and held out a platter of canapés. “Would you help pass these for me, doll?” he asked Ivy.

No, no, definitely no. No way did she want to do anything that would take her away from a promising evening. It was hard to resist the urge to shove the food back toward Martin. Politely, Ivy accepted the canapés and offered them to the guests. The next time she looked up Whatzhisname was heading toward the front door. Running after him would be way too pathetic so she let him go. She had to. He went one way and she went the other way to the balcony where she hoped to catch one last glimpse of him as he left the building. Ivy leaned over the railing and waited. And waited.

An unexpected hand on her shoulder made her jump back, dropping her purse as she did so. The contents flew everywhere. “Oh no!” Ivy chased her belongings, hoping to save them before they rolled over the edge.

“Are you all right?” a male voice asked, as she saw hands scrambling to help pick up the loose items—lipstick, business cards, inhaler, loose change and billfold.

She looked into his face and sighed. “It’s you!”

Whatzhisname was back, with the perfect stormy eyes and that slow smile. It was enough to melt the ice sculpture on the buffet table. She shivered with delight.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“You didn’t frighten me.”

“I hate to contradict you, but you looked quite frightened.”

“Startled may be the more appropriate word choice, but I assure you I ain’t frightened,” Ivy panned.

“Ain’t ain’t a word.”

“I know. I used it for effect.” She loved the color of his eyes.

“I guess that makes it all right then.” One at a time, he handed back he items However, he held tightly onto her business card. “Is this your card?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then I must keep it,” he sweetly added as if he had no other desire than to know her.

Just like that, Ivy let him pull it from between her fingers. “I think I have everything now, thanks to you.” She snapped her purse shut.

“That’s good.” He straightened, slipped the card into his jacket pocket and turned to leave the party.

His abrupt exit made Ivy dizzy. Nonchalantly, she strolled through the party, smiling and nodding at the guests hoping to find Whatzhisname again. She had a dozen things she wanted to know about him, among them his name. However, they all drained from her head when Jordan hooked her by the arm.

“Catch a cab home. I’ll see ya in the morning.” With the toss of her long hair, Jordan skipped out of the party with a man on her arm.

Just then Whatzhisname sailed right by on his way out the front door, without even so much as a goodbye. Her window of opportunity had shut. After a few more chocolate covered strawberries eaten over deep sighs, it was Ivy’s turn to go home.


****

Ivy sat at the end of the pier with her feet in the water. She stared up at the oversized moon. The reflection of the heavenly constellation floated across the bay toward the shore on a parade of ripples. Suddenly, they turned into hands that leapt toward her, cold wet finger wrapped about her ankles. With a jerk, she was pulled beneath the lake. Frantically, she fought to free herself but she was no match. She lay motionless at the sandy bottom. Something poked her. Slowly, Ivy opened her eyes and inches away lay a body with hair swirling around the head. A skeletal hand reached out to her.

A dog howled outside on Washington Street.

Ivy bolted straight up in bed and pulled at the constricting button on the neck of her nightgown. She couldn’t breath. Mechanically, she swung her arm toward her prescription inhaler and accidentally propelled it across the room. It smacked the wall and ht the floor.

She knew it would be impossible to find her inhaler in a room draped in shadows so she staggered to the window and yanked open the shade. With daylight now sparkling on the floor, she found her inhaler on its side beneath the green cushioned chair alongside her bed. She dropped to her knees and snatched it. Ivy rocked back on her heels and opened her mouth. Several blasts of medicine sprayed her throat, allowing air to rush into her lungs. Slowly she counted her breaths as her eyes settled on a single rosebud in the pattern of her curtains. Bit by bit, she recovered.

Now all she wanted to do was fall back into bed, drag the blanket over her head and sleep for ten hours. Instead, she mustered her strength and latched onto the arm of the chair to pull up. It didn’t matter how sick she felt, she had to go to work.

She took off her nightgown and tuned the radio to a news talk station. Two political analysts from opposing parties were doing what they did best—arguing.

“Slow down, men,” she told them on the way into the bathroom. “The next presidential election is still two years away.”

Ivy stepped into the shower. The whoosh of the water in her face resurfaced the nightmare of the moonlight, the fingers, and the feeling of not being able to breath. Ten years later and she was still haunted by finding her best friend dead in the lake shallows. She felt thankful that during the day she was able to skate above the thoughts, but sometimes at night, when her defenses were down, they returned. Ivy shut her eyes tighter but the memory of Karin’s pale skin and dead eyes was all she could see. It weighed her down making her weak with terror. Ivy leaned against the tiles until she regained her balance.

The phone rang. Ivy didn’t move. On the third ring, she reached turned off the stream of water. After she slipped into her robe, she made her way to the phone. The caller ID read anonymous. She shouldn’t answer, she knew this, but she couldn’t stop herself. Her hands shook as she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Erin, thank goodness I finally found you.” As usual the ‘Voice’ was calm, so in control.

“No one by that name lives here,” Ivy pushed out the words in a whisper and then slammed down the phone. She waited for it to ring again since it always did. The sound of his creepy tenor seemed to drip from the bathroom walls. Ivy kept staring at the phone, trembling. This time, there was no second call.

Now all Ivy wanted to do was to get out of the apartment and on the street where she felt safer and not so isolated. In her hurry, she nearly broke the zipper on her skirt as she struggled to get dressed.

Then, just as she reached the door, she heard someone fiddling with the doorknob. Ivy set her briefcase and purse down and peered through the peephole. In the hallway was the unmistakable form of her roommate who was now digging through her bag. Ivy turned the lock on the door and Jordan sailed into the apartment.

“Thank goodness you’re still here. I can’t find my key again.”

“Its lucky you caught me. Another minute and I’d be gone.” Jordan hugged several copies of the theater critic’s section to her chest. “Do you have time to read my reviews before you leave?”

“I always have time for you.” Ivy took a paper and read the metro section. “Jordan Belle Stands Out Among a Talented Cast. The only way it could get better is if people knew who you really were, Erin Lowe.”

“My theater name is Jordan Belle. Never, ever refer to me using my given name again.”

“What’s the harm” There’s only the two of us here.”

“Because you might slip up when it really matters,” Jordan said dramatically with a lift of an eyebrow.

“I can’t shake the feeling that there is something more you are not telling me.” Frustrated, Ivy needed to know. “What is it?”

Jordan bit her lip.

“Jordan, we’ve been though a lot since your sister Karin’s death. You owe it to me to let me know what it is you’re hiding from. Help me to understand.”

Jordan dropped into a chair, crossing one leg over the other. “All you need to know is that it involved the ‘Voice’. As long as he can’t find me, I’ll be happy.”

“Well, Jordan Bell, prepare to be sad. The ‘Voice’ called this morning asking for Erin.”