The Final Step

If were following along through each of my blogs last week, you know I’m hosting the Chance-To-Win-A-Copy-of-DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS Challenge for my readers. You also know that I asked a different question each day (for a total of 5 questions) and asked you to keep track of your answers, setting them aside until today.

If you did that, you’re in good shape.

If you didn’t, you mind want to start scrolling down to past posts.

Now, for those of you who think you’ve got all five answers, here’s the final step you need to take…

Send ALL five answers (numbered 1-5) to me at:  ElizabethLCasey@aol.com no later than midnight tonight (CST).  Tomorrow morning, I will go through everyone’s answers–pulling out those who answered ALL FIVE CORRECTLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY. Those names will then be put in a hat and swished around. The hat will then be given to DEAR DAUGHTER # 2 who will no doubt do a bit more swishing before she reaches her hand inside and pulls out TWO names.

Those TWO people will each receive an autographed copy of DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS!!!

Cool, huh?

Now send me those answers…

And I’ll post the winners tomorrow!

~Elizabeth 

Question # 5

Looking for Question # 5 in my Chance-To-Win-A-Copy-Of-DANGEROUS-ALTERATIONS challenge?

Rules and Question # 1 can be found in my Oct. 17th post, while subsequent questions can be found in my Oct. 18th, 19th, and 20th posts.

Today’s question also comes from DEADLY NOTIONS (Book 4):

Q: Which of Melissa Davis’s children is having a birthday party and where do they end up having it?

**Remember, don’t put your answer in the comment section. Simply add it to your answer from all four of my previous questions and set it aside until next Monday (Oct. 24th) when I share the final step in the challenge!

Good luck!

~Elizabeth

Question # 4

Looking for Question # 4 in my Chance-To-Win-A-Copy-Of-DANGEROUS-ALTERATIONS challenge?

Rules and Question # 1 can be found in my Oct. 17th post, while Question # 2 and # 3 can be found in my Oct. 18th and 19th posts.

Today’s question comes from PINNED FOR MURDER (Book 3):

Q: There are three images that make up the Sweet Briar town flag.  Name two of those images!

**Remember, don’t put your answer in the comment section. Simply add it to your answer from the three previous questions and set it aside until next Monday (Oct. 24th) when I share the final step in the challenge!

Good luck!

~Elizabeth

Question # 3

Looking for Question # 3 in my Chance-To-Win-A-Copy-Of-DANGEROUS-ALTERATIONS challenge?

Rules and Question # 1 can be found in my Oct. 17th post, while Question # 2 can be found in yesterday’s post.

Today’s question also comes from DEATH THREADS (Book 2):

Q: What was the special ingredient Margaret Louise added to her Sweet Potato Pie recipe?

**Remember, don’t put your answer in the comment section. Simply add it to your answer from the first two questions and set it aside until next Monday (Oct. 24th) when I share the final step in the challenge!

Good luck!

~Elizabeth

Question # 2

Looking for Question # 2 in my Chance-To-Win-A-Copy-Of-DANGEROUS-ALTERATIONS challenge?

Rules and Question # 1 can be found in yesterday’s post.

Today’s question also comes from SEW DEADLY (Book 1):

Q: Milo Wentworth (Tori’s love interest) is a school teacher.  What grade does he teach?

**Remember, don’t put your answer in the comment section. Simply add it to your answer from yesterday’s question and set it aside until next Monday (Oct. 24th) when I share the final step in the challenge!

Good luck!

~Elizabeth

Question # 1

In preparation for the upcoming release of DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS (book 5 in the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series), I thought it might be fun to have a treasure hunt of sorts. This hunt  will take the form of a daily question with answers that can be found in the previous four books.

A question will be given every day this week (including today). Keep track of your own answers as you go. Then, come next Monday, I’ll tell you where to send them. Then my part kicks in.  I’ll go through the answers sent to me, putting the names of folks who have ALL FIVE CORRECT ANSWERS into a hat.

From that hat, I will select TWO winners–each of whom will receive an autographed copy of DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS.

Sound good?

Today’s Question is based on SEW DEADLY (book 1):  

Q: One of the sewing circle members gives Tori a very special gift.  Who is that circle member AND what did she give Tori?

**Remember, do NOT put your answer in the comment section.  Just write it down somewhere near your computer and hold onto it, adding each day’s correct answer to your notes.  Then, next Monday (Oct. 24th), I’ll tell you where to send all 5 of your answers!  If you do…and they’re correct…you might be one of the two people randomly selected to receive an autographed copy of DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS!!!

Good Luck!

~Elizabeth

Special Delivery

Look what the UPS man just brought me…  

One Hot-off-the-Press copy of DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS!!!

Yes, Launch Day is getting closer (November 1st)!!

Want it the day it comes out? Well, DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS can be pre-ordered in print or e-book right now!

~Elizabeth

Home

After spending a few days away from home for the Bouchercon 2011 mystery conference, I’m now back–ready to write (I better be), ready to blog (I’m here, aren’t I?), and ready to try and find the motivation I’ve been lacking for just about everything.

This year’s conference was in St. Louis. The moment the plane touched down at Lambert, I felt this overwhelming sense of happiness. And it wasn’t hard to figure out why.

I was home.

Despite having been raised in the northeast and making many subsequent moves to places like; Ohio, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, St. Louis is the place I consider “home.” 

Now, when I say “home,” I’m not referring to the actual structure where I put my head at night–that’s in New York with my family. What I’m talking about is the rest of the stuff–the sense of place, the overall feel. And in that respect, St. Louis is home for me. I suppose that’s because I spent the most years there…17, to be exact.

It’s the kind of “home” where I can find a way to get to a particular place in a half dozen different ways, at least. The people make me smile (just the folks working at the hotel made me ache for that midwestern friendliness). Heck, seeing the devastation at the St. Louis airport (from April’s tornado) made me sad because it affected people “at home.”

All too soon, it was time to think about leaving. But I’ll be honest, I’m already trying to figure out when I can go back…

So, if you’ve moved a few times in your life, what’s “home” to you? Is it the place where you were born? The place you live now? Or a stop you had along the way?

~Elizabeth

Hugs All Around

In honor of Labor Day, I’m taking the day off to enjoy with my family!!

{{Hugs}}

~Elizabeth

FB-ing

I’m not a big television watcher nor do I play video games. For me, they’re just time wasters and I don’t really like to waste time.

That said, I’m very definately a home body. Sure, I love to travel–and by love, I mean LOVE–but when push comes to shove, I like to be home, making memories with the people I hold most dear. I like playing games, I like cuddling, I like taking walks, I like looking through photographs, I like learning new things about the people around me.

But the one time waster I do enjoy (but in short spurts only) is Facebook. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware of its pitfalls. I’ve heard of the cases–some from close friends–where issues have occured between friends, spouses, etc. And that’s why I use it sparingly. But, every once in a while, it’s almost a blessing…

Just this past Sunday morning, when Irene was whipping around the house and keeping me on edge, I went onto FB and had a back and forth with a friend in the city. Like me, this particular person was also listening to the pounding rain and the strong winds, only for those ten minutes or so, we were no longer experiencing it alone. 

Last week, I loaded a small handful of pictures from my youth onto my personal  page, one of which was a class photograph from sixth grade. Within minutes, people in that very photograph were weighing in with comments that made me laugh out loud–people who remembered the “Mr Kotter” lookalike that was our teacher that year…people who remembered the uniforms and the girl with the straight brown hair sitting in the front row.

That’s when I like FB–when it affords the opportunity to share a moment in time with people who remember it, too,  and when someone else’s presence (albeit via a screen) makes you feel less alone than you’d otherwise feel in a particular situation. It’s when it overtakes life–the one you should be living with the people who’ve chosen to live it with you–that it’s time to shut down your account and walk away. The people who are truly part of your life will still be there even when the screen is dark.

So tell me, do you do the FB thing? What do you like/dislike about it?

~Elizabeth