We love the writing style and passion of Evie Wyld. She’s written a lovely book called After the Fire, a Still Small Voice: A Novel, and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re in luck! We’re giving it away here at Working Writers!

Here’s a description from Amazon:

Set in the haunting landscape of eastern Australia, this is a stunningly accomplished debut novel about the inescapable past: the ineffable ties of family, the wars fought by fathers and sons, and what goes unsaid.

After the departure of the woman he loves, Frank drives out to a shack by the ocean that he had last visited as a teenager. There, among the sugarcane and sand dunes, he struggles to rebuild his life.

Forty years earlier, Leon is growing up in Sydney, turning out treacle tarts at his parents’ bakery and flirting with one of the local girls. But when he’s drafted to serve in Vietnam, he finds himself suddenly confronting the same experiences that haunt his war-veteran father.

As these two stories weave around each other–each narrated in a voice as tender as it is fierce–we learn what binds Frank and Leon together, and what may end up keeping them apart.

To win, leave a comment by Monday, May 3rd. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

What a great gift for Mom for Mother’s Day. I’ve got a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Love and Good Times to give away to one lucky reader.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Thursday, April 15th. I”ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

Image: Amazon

I’ve got a fabulous book to give away to one lucky reader, and that is Jennifer Weiner’s Best Friends Forever. Here’s a description of the book from Amazon.

Chick lit doyenne Weiner offers airtight proof that the genre thrives with this clever, sad and sweet turn on Thelma and Louise–style rage. Juggling the politics of broken families, heartbreaking betrayal and shaky self-esteem, two girlhood pals—ugly duckling Addie and wounded beauty Valerie—reconnect after their high school reunion, where Valerie exacts a long-in-coming revenge on smug former beau Dan Swansea. But the payback gets more complicated when police chief Jordan Novick, nursing a broken heart and a crush-at-first-sight with Addie, is called in to investigate Dan’s disappearance. Along the way, Val and Addie stage what may be the funniest not-quite-heist ever pulled off as they evade the heat over the missing Dan. The big payoff, of course, is that Addie and Valerie mend the mean-girls misunderstanding that drove them apart as teens and discover the shared pain and loss that bound them as kids and, once again, as adults. This beach read will win readers over with its wit and wisdom.

I also found a quick interview with author Jennifer Weiner about the writing of her book:

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Sunday, March 14th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

I know there are a lot of NASCAR fans out there, and I’ve got a special gift you are sure to love. It’s Chicken Soup for the Soul NASCAR, which has 101 stories of family, fortitude, and fast cars. Here’s a description from Amazon:

Get behind the driver’s seat with these personal tales and anecdotes from inside the race track. Famous drivers and their families, pit crews, and fans share their stories of perseverance, triumph, comebacks, and life on and off the track.

Includes stories by the following NASCAR drivers:

• Aric Almirola
• Buddy Baker
• Kurt Busch
• Kerry Earnhardt
• Jimmie Johnson
• Bobby Labonte
• Joey Logano
• Casey Mears
• Ryan Newman
• Mike Skinner
• Scott Speed
• Tony Stewart
• Martin Truex Jr.
• Brian Vickers
• Darrell Waltrip
• Michael Waltrip
• NASCAR CEO Brian France
• Former NBA player and now NASCAR broadcaster: Brad Dougherty
• Lt. Governor of South Carolina Andre Bauer

With many more to come, including more of the biggest names in the NASCAR world.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Thursday, March 11th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

I have another great Chicken Soup for the Soul book to giveaway. This time it’s about love, and isn’t that the most perfect subject this time of year? This “true love” edition has “101 heartwarming and humorous stories about dating, romance, love, and marriage.” Heartwarming stories are something we all could use a little bit more of.

Here’s a description from Amazon:

Everyone loves a good love story. And we all love stories about how the love started and blossomed. This fun new book about dating, romance, love, and marriage, will make you laugh and make you cry, and is guaranteed to inspire you to renew that search for your soul mate or open your heart a little more to the one you already have. Read about how couples met, when “they knew”, good and bad dates, proposals, maintaining the relationship, second chances, and all the other ups and downs of love, romance and marriage.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Monday, March 1st. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day. Good luck!

Who doesn’t love the Chicken Soup for the Soul books? Seriously, they provide a smile on those days when you really need it. I’ve got the Chicken Soup for the Soul Teacher Tales to giveaway. The book has 101 inspirational stories from great teachers and appreciative students. Here’s a description from Amazon:

This is a great gift for new and experienced teachers, providing them a morale boost and the knowledge they are appreciated. The teaching industry has embraced this book, and more than half the stories are from “celebrity” teachers, including all of the 2009 State Teachers of the Year and the 2009 National Teacher of the Year. There is a lot of buzz about this book in the teaching industry and those teachers who don’t receive it as a gift are sure to buy it for themselves, to read these 101 true stories by great teachers and appreciative students, with lots of laughs, poignant moments, and some tears too.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Thursday, February 25th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or girl the next day. Good luck!

I read the wonderful novel Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel recently, and am happy to say I now have a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your favorite writer. It can be any writer for any genre. Leave your comment by Tuesday, February 9th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

For fans of Tudor and Elizabethan fiction, I’ve got a treat for you! It’s, Martyr, the debut thriller from author Rory Clements.

Here is a description of Martyr from Amazon:

In a burnt-out house, one of Queen Elizabeth’s aristocratic cousins is found murdered, her young flesh marked with profane symbols. At the same time, a plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England’s most famous sea warrior, is discovered—a plot which, if successful, could leave the country utterly defenseless against a Spanish invasion. It’s 1587, the Queen’s reign is in jeopardy, and one man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare. With the Spanish Armada poised to strike, Mary Queen of Scots awaiting execution, and the pikes above London Bridge decorated with the grim evidence of treachery, the country is in peril of being overwhelmed by fear and chaos. Following a trail of illicit passions and family secrets, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people, among whom is his own younger brother, the struggling playwright, Will. Shadowed by his rival, the Queen’s chief torturer, who employs his own methods of terror, Shakespeare begins to piece together a complex and breathtaking conspiracy whose implications are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England’s streets. And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal a madman’s shocking identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to a passion for murder and conspiracy whose terrifying consequences might still be felt today…

I’ve got a hardcopy of the book to give away to one lucky reader of Working Writers. To enter, leave a comment on this post by Monday, January 25th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

Robin Maxwell’s latest book, O Juliet, is coming out next month. Robin will be stopping at our blog on Thursday, but in the meantime, how about a fabulous contest to pique your interest? Robin is giving away a copy of her new book along with a gorgeous heart necklace.

To win, head on over to Robin’s blog and answer this question:

What are the qualities in a lover that are most important to you?

The giveaway is for a carved Thai silver heart necklace and a copy of O, Juliet. It is open to all participants, worldwide. A winner will be chosen and announced on January 18th. In order to qualify for entry, please provide your e-mail address along with your answer to the Love Game question.

In order to enter the giveaway, you’ll need to open a “google account” if you don’t have one already. Look under the “Post a Comment” window where it says “Comment as:’” and just follow the simple instructions.

Further details available on Robin’s blog.

Boy, this is a book we can all use right now. I’ve got a fabulous giveaway for everyone with Deborah Norville’s The Power of Respect. Here is a description of the book from Amazon:

Want respect from others? Scientific research says, try giving it.

There is power in respect. And it comes with multiple benefits.

In business:

* Higher sales
* Lower employee turnover
* Less exposure to lawsuits

At home:

* A stronger marriage
* Healthier family dynamics
* More polite children

In your personal life:

* More self-respect and confidence
* Closer friendships
* Higher standing in the community

In The Power of Respect Norville details the specific dollar savings in business and dramatic improvements in student test scores that are directly attributable to respect. She says, “Now that I’ve seen the research done by some of the greatest minds in the field, I am stunned to see the impact of being respected and giving respect. I am also mystified. Why wouldn’t someone want to put it to work?”

Respect Tips, sprinkled throughout the text, and Respect Reminders, at the end of each chapter, add to the clarity of the message and help reinforce the personal benefits. Start practicing this most overlooked ingredient of success and find out what it means for you!

I love a book that reminds us all of what’s really important, don’t you?

If you’d like to win, leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, January 12th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.