Tuesday, December 21, 2010

An early Christmas present

WINNERS: The winners of Power Unbound have been drawn, thanks to Random.org. Congrats to Stacy from Urban Fantasy Investigations and Heatwave16 - you've both won a copy of Power Unbound! Email nicole@nicolermurphy.com and send me your address so I can it to you.

Everyone - have a fabulous Christmas!


No, I'm not referring to the time difference between snow-plagued North America and sunny Australia, although think about it - isn't it just a little bit weird that some of you will still be doing your last-minute-shopping on Christmas Eve or trying to finish that last project so your boss will let you go when Aussie kids will be standing at the foot of their parents' bed trying to psych them into waking up?

Well, I think it's weird :)

No, what I'm referring to is the present I received five days ago - the early release of Power Unbound, book two of the Dream of Asarlai trilogy.

I knew it was a possibility - publishing like most businesses tends to shut down over Christmas and so books with a January 1 release date (like mine) need to be delivered early. And if you're a bookseller and it's Christmas rush and you've got boxes of books in the back, would you leave them there until New Years?

Luckily for me, a lot don't and so they're out and about. Already I've had reports of people reading them. My mum said she loved it so much, she stayed up all night and didn't go to bed until 1.30!

Here's the blurb:

For centuries, the gadda have worked to keep their identity secret from the rapidly expanding human race. All this is now at risk - the most terrible of gadda teachings, the Forbidden Texts, have been stolen and the race is on to find them.

Ione Gorton may have got her best friend back from Australia, but Maggie's elevation to the ranks of the guardians means that she's not around as much. So when Stephen O'Malley, almost the youngest - and definitely the hottest - ever candidate for the sixth-order test needs a place to stay after strange and violent happenings hit Sclossin, Ione is all too happy to lend a hand...

But Ione, like Maggie before her, is soon a target for those using the Forbidden Texts. The missing artefact is changing life for gadda and human alike...


Now I know - unless you people folks overseas are prepared to fork out the big money for Australian books (Power Unbound retails for $23 here - convert to your currency, add postage and I don't blame you for not forking out) you can't get your hands on it yet so as a Christmas/New Years present for you, I'm giving away two copies!

Just let me know in the comment thread what your wish is for this holiday season. Open internationally. I'll choose a winner Christmas Eve.

My wish? Right now, all my family and friends are happy and healthy and I hope they stay that way for a long time to come.

From Down-Under - hope the next couple of weeks are fun, friendly and happy :) May 2011 be a rip snorter for us all!

31 comments:

Tehani Wessely said...

My wish is for no bushfires in our area, for a cool(ish) Christmas Day, and the company of friends and family :)

Amy said...

I wish that the floods in Australia would stop.

Casey H said...

My wish is to get more books. I seriously have a page long list of books I want (I even shortened it so no one would really freak out - but they still did).

c4casey(at)comcast(dot)net

Helen Lowe said...

My--somewhat boring, I know--wish is to finish The Wall of Night, Book Two on something approximating deadline! Aside from that--mmmmm--a holiday someplace luxurious afterward ... I know Blanket Bay is right up there, but I've always rather liked the Heritage Hotel in Queenstown ...

Katie Dalton said...

My wish this Christmas is for my to fight her cancer another year, and another. Just keep on fighting and living life with us. Sorry if that was way to deep lol but it's my wish. :) Love you Mom.

Kristen My Bookish Fairy Tale said...

I wish that my kids enjoy the day and I do not burn my christmas Dinner!! lol

kristen_babygurl@hotmail.com

Kristen H

StacyUFI said...

I wish to get a bookcase lol. Most of all I wish my family to stay happy and healthy.

Chllybrd@gmail.com

Stacy
Urban Fantasy Investigations

lady reader said...

My wish is that I can continue to bring the Christmas spirit to my 11 year old daughter for another year. She has so much hope, belief and joy in her, it makes spending our Christmas as a two person family worth it.

Happy Christmas to all of you as well.
Amy
amydelrosso@gmail.com

Bwyatt said...

My Holiday wish is that my family will be happy and healthy, and my dad will find a new job. My parents live in TX and my husband and I are in TN. We will be spending Christmas with his family, but I wish I could be with mine as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Sharon S. said...

happy and healthy family! Last year was such a bad year health wise for my family. This year has been so much better! I want it to stay that way :)

SandyG265 said...

A friend of mine has been going through some legal troubles with his son for the past several months. My wish for them is for their problems to wrap up favorably.

sgiden at verizon.net

Van Pham said...

My wish is for my family to be happy, healthy and to have financially stability. Also, I wish that I can do better and finish school.


van
Littopandaxpress(at)yahoo(dot)com

Kelly said...

My christmas wish would have to be that my Grandma makes it thru this Christmas... She is not doing good at all... :'(

Terri Garey said...

I think it's really sweet how many people had wishes that were for other people. :)

POWER UNBOUND sounds awesome, Nicole! Good luck to the lucky winners!

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

my wish is that everyone is healthy this holiday season.

Anonymous said...

I wish for happy and meaningful days over Christmas with no stress. I have about 14 people to feed and entertain...phew!!!

Valerie
in Germany

Jackie Uhrmacher said...

My wish is for a niece or nephew to not accidentally burn anything down during the holidays. They keep picking on my parent's garage. We're kind of notorious, now. : )

Donna said...

My holiday wish is that husband's aunt, whose one of the most giving person I know, has a full recovery from her ordeal with with breast cancer. So far, she's been going through treatment like a trooper and we all have high hopes that she will be good as new in a few months.

Happy Holidays to you and may your wish come true!

Nicole Murphy said...

Thanks everyone - we've got a fabulous bunch of followers here.

Katie and Donna - my thoughts are with your family. I hope that 2011 sees a full recovery for them both.

Llehn said...

My wish is to have a smooth and uneventful journey while driving on the road back home.

lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

heatwave16 said...

I wish that everyone has safe travels to where-ever they are going this holiday season.

heatwave96(at)hotmail.com

Barbara E. said...

My wish is to spend time with my son. I'm not sure that's going to happen, but I'm hoping.
Happy Holidays!

Barbed1951(at)aol(dot)com

Patricia JL said...

My holiday wish is to find a good job. Leaving my great job behind because my bf got a job in his degree but it requires us to move. =( Oh and to have a safe trip to see my family next week.

Brenda Hyde said...

It's probably mean, and not appropriate for me to wish my 16 year old had a different girlfriend, huh? So, in that case my wish is for all of us to be healthy and happy:) *snicker*

Congrats on the book Nicole, and Merry Christmas!

wayfaringwriter at gmail.com

mariska said...

i wish all my family and friends are happy and healthy and an E-Reader :)

uniquas at ymail dot com

Christine said...

I just wish for some peace and quiet and time together with my family and friends!

Thanks so much for this giveaway and Happy Holidays to all of you!

tine_86 st hotmail dot de

thatonegirlyouknew said...

I wish that my family could be healthy for Christmas. We all have the flu, we each got it a day after each other so it seems unlikely. That's the only thing that would make this Christmas better though. For once it's just the four of us, really low-key and we are having fondue.

Thanks for the giveaway, Secret Ones is one of the best books I've read.

enchantedweakness@hotmail.com

Nicole Murphy said...

Some fabulous wishes there! Health and happiness to you all.

Unknown said...

My wish is for my kids to have a happy Christmas...

Crystal @ RBtWBC said...

My wish is for all these toys to come easily out of their packages on Christmas morning; without having to break out the screwdriver, shears and so forth. hehe
And that everyone has a wonderful & safe holiday, Merry Christmas!

Mysteriousrose said...

I wish for everyone to have a very merry Christmas with friends or/and family. It's my favorite time of the year.