Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by Review Wire Media and Chatty Patty’s Place!

Look at all those cute pumpkins up there!

It’s Jack-O-Lantern season, which means we’re creeping up on Halloween – no matter what the thermometer says.

It also means that Pumpkin Spice Season has officially begun. OH NO! Pumpkin spice season, the dreaded pumpkin spice season is upon us.

This is an endless debate in our house. My husband is on Team Pumpkin Spice, and I’m on Team Never Pumpkin Spice. Or almost never. Pumpkin spice belongs in pumpkin pie. I could possibly see my way clear to pumpkin spice tea. I like Constant Comment, and it couldn’t be far from that. Could it? I’m not sure I really want to find out. I might get infected with the Pumpkin Spice virus. Or whatever it is.

But Pumpkin Spice Special K is just beyond the pale. I’m also having a terrible time “digesting” the idea of either Pumpkin Spice Pizza or Pumpkin Spice Spam. That is NOT what Monty Python had in mind!

Are you on Team Pumpkin Spice Forever, or are you with me on Team Pumpkin Spice Never? Answer in the rafflecopter for your choice of a $10 US Amazon Gift Card (promise me not to buy Pumpkin Spice anything, pretty please !) or a $10 book from the Book Depository.

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I’m joking about that promise not to buy any pumpkin spice if you win, but I’m not joking that there are plenty of other stops on this hop!


Follow the Yellow Brick Road Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Follow the Yellow Brick Road Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t see that phrase “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” without hearing the song in my head. So if I’ve given you an earworm, sorry not sorry.

But the movie The Wizard of Oz is one of those stories that has passed from being “just a story” to being a part of the commonly understood cultural zeitgeist. If you mention the ruby red slippers, EVERYBODY knows what you mean. Or the Wicked Witch of the West. Or Toto. Or flying monkeys. Or my personal favorite after a long trip, “There’s no place like home!”

I remember being scared of the Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys the first time I saw the movie, on television in the early 1960s. But the moment when the film switches form black and white to color is one of those perfect “Aha!” moments that lives in childhood memories. There’s a cartoon I remember that does the reverse, I think it’s a Roadrunner cartoon, where he races past a sign that reads “Technicolor Ends Here” and then the cartoon switches to black and white. Equally indelible, but I had never seen it again until researching this post and “voila!” there it was on YouTube and it’s Lucky Ducky not Roadrunner. Memory is both fickle and tricksy.

So what do you remember about going “off to see the Wizard”? Answer in the rafflecopter for your choice of either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book.

But speaking of cartoons, as Porky Pig (and occasionally Bugs Bunny used to say, “That’s All Folks!”

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For more fabulous Fall prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

September to Remember Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the September to Remember Giveaway Hop, hosted by The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island.

September begins the unofficial start of the Halloween season, which, bless its little orange and black heart, keeps most people and places from starting to put up Xmas decorations.  (It’s too early, people, the trees still have all their leaves!!!!!)

I’m looking forward to Fall, when it finally reaches us. The high temperature in Atlanta today is predicted to reach the mid 90s, so it definitely isn’t Fall here yet. I took a look at the other cities we’ve lived in, just to see. Gainesville and Tallahassee will both have similar temps to Atlanta, Cincinnati will be in the low 90s this week, Chicago in the mid 80s to mid-70s, Seattle in the high 60s to mid 70s (and rainy). Anchorage is already down to the low 60s and dropping like a rock for the rest of the month. It’s not something I miss.

There are plenty of Fall Festivals around here for the next few weeks – we’ll probably go to one or two.

To help with your Fall Festivities, whatever they might be, I’m giving away the winner’s choice of either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book from the Book Depository.

So welcome to Fall. May all your apples be crisp, and all your leaves be crunchy!

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For more fabulous Fall prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Back to School Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Back to School Giveaway Hop, hosted by Review Wire Media and Chatty Patty’s Place!

This is the second blog hop this month with a “back to school” theme – so it must be that time again!

What’s the best thing you remember about going back to school? Or the worst? I never was a morning person, so on breaks I would sleep late and then stay up late. I always had another book to read. My mother always swore that someday that would change, but it hasn’t happened yet!

I loved learning new things but hated being told that I HAD to read something. So I read a lot, but usually the “wrong” things. Or at least books not assigned. Some things don’t seem to change!

Tell us what your favorite, or least favorite thing is/was about going back to school for a chance at your choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book from the Book Depository!

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For more wonderful back to school prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Oh! the Places You’ll Go! Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the fourth annual Oh! the Places You’ll Go Giveaway Hop, hosted by The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island.

The theme of this hop is back to school. It’s something that seems both appropriate and not. Let me explain…

The schools here went back yesterday, August 5. That just seems OMG incredibly early. (They also get out in May, so it does all work out.)

But, but, but…I remember going back to school a month from now – just after Labor Day. Then again, I remember that schools mostly weren’t air conditioned back in the dark ages when I went, so they had to close during the heat of the summer. Cincy doesn’t get quite as hot as Atlanta – but it does get plenty hot in July and August. The last days in June and the first days in September could be fairly beastly even with that schedule.

When someone says “back to school” when does that make you think of? Answer in the rafflecopter for your chance at your choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book from the Book Depository.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more terrific Back to School prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Sweet Goodness Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Sweet Goodness Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

The picture of that watermelon in the graphic above is a pretty good hint about just what kind of “sweet goodies” make up the theme for this hop. Watermelon still feels like one of the signature treats of summer – even if we can get it all year round now at the grocery store. Eating it in the winter just doesn’t feel the same – not even down here in Atlanta where winter usually doesn’t get very wintery.

Watermelon is for eating outdoors in the hot sunshine while seeing just how far you can spit the seeds. But wait – they grow seedless watermelons now. That just doesn’t seem right.

There are so many sweet and wonderful fruits that come into season during the summer. And even though you can get most of the all year now, it’s just not the same. And there are still a few things that, while you can get them everywhere, still taste better nearer to their point of origin – like Rainier Cherries in Washington State. Yum!

What about you? What sweet treat says (or tastes like) summer to you? Answer in the rafflecopter for your choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book from the Book Depository. (Giveaway open wherever the Book Depository ships!)

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For more sweet prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

All That Glitters is Gold Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the All That Glitters is Gold Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

When I first saw the name of this particular blog hop, the following instantly came to my mind:

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost…”

I first read those lines more than 50 years ago (OMG, OMG, OMG) when I was in the 4th Grade. A friend’s older brother had introduced me to The Lord of the Rings, and those are the words that Gandalf used to describe Aragorn, the last of the Rangers. I’ve been hooked on epic fantasy ever since – and will forever remember the person who introduced me to what become one of the great loves of my life. And by that I mean epic fantasy in general. As much as I loved LOTR, I still have arguments with it. (Not nearly enough women, not remotely enough women with agency, ARRRGGGHHH!)

But this blog hop is all about gold that actually does glitter. Or at least posits that all the things that glitter are gold. I was thinking that silver glitters, but it gleams more than it glitters. Or it glistens. Or something. I digress.

We all have things that glitter in memory. For me, that first introduction to epic fantasy is one, as is the memory of watching the original Star Trek with my dad, at least the final season, as it was broadcast. From thence comes my lifelong love affair with science fiction.

What about you? What was your first introduction to something that turned out to be a lifelong love or lifelong influence? Answer in the rafflecopter for your chance at one of my usual prizes, either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in books from the Book Depository.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more glittering prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on the hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Christmas in July Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop, hosted by Bookhounds!

What do you think of the whole Xmas in July idea? I don’t celebrate Xmas, so to me the whole idea of doing it in July too feels rather blatantly commercial. Potentially a whole lot of fun, but if there’s any holiday that feels like a “Hallmark holiday” instead of a real one, this is probably it.  That Amazon has ganged onto for their Prime Day in July promotions just adds to that impression.

Although there is something ironic – at least here in the Northern Hemisphere – about celebrating a holiday that is normally accompanied by chilly weather and even snow at a time of the year when we’re more likely to be getting record-setting high temperatures than even a cool breeze.

Still, any chance to give or get presents is probably a good one. Hence this giveaway hop, and my usual rafflecopter giveaway of the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate or a $10 Book from the Book Depository. This giveaway is open to anywhere the Book Depository ships.

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For more terrific prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop:

Star Spangled Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Star Spangled Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

To go to the fireworks, or not go to the fireworks, that is the question. It’s July 1, the Fourth of July celebrations are later in the week, and some of us are managing a four-day weekend for the holiday. But Thursday night, or Wednesday night, there will be fireworks somewhere nearby.

For our furry friends, there will be too many fireworks WAY too close. All week. It’s a hard week for the cats and dogs who live with us.

I remember attending the local fireworks display in our little suburb of Cincy when I was a child. Impatiently waiting for it to get dark enough to start the show. The place we went doesn’t exist anymore. But then, I’m not there either, and the shows are bright in memory all the same.

In Alaska we didn’t go, for two reasons. The fireworks didn’t start until midnight, and even then, it wasn’t dark enough to be able to see much. C’est la vie – or c’est la view, as I originally typed.

We’re in a new neighborhood this Fourth, so we may go see the local show. Or we may be close enough to see it from our front porch whether we go or not. We’ll see.

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For more sparkly prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Hello Summer Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Hello Summer Giveaway Hop, hosted by The Review Wire and Chatty Patty’s Place!

Spring is Sprung
Fall is Fell
Here comes Summer
And it’s hotter than…
Last Year!

There are plenty of other poems about Summer, but that one is still my favorite.

There are also lots of songs about Summer, songs that when you hear them, you instantly think of hot days, warm nights, staying up late and school vacations, no matter how far in the past your schooldays might be.

I know that if I name a song, I’ll give you an earworm. Or I’ll date myself. Or both. What about you? What song or what activity makes you think SUMMER! Answer in the rafflecopter for your chance at a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a $10 Book from the Book Depository.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more summery prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!