Melissa Writes Fiction: Give it Forward

This blog post is inspired by Casey McCormick, but I first read about it on Jessica's Love's blog, and thought it was an awesome idea. I recently reached 100 followers and wanted to do a giveaway, but wanted it to be different than your normal "here's a book I like" giveaway. And this giveaway is just that.

Before I get to the rules, I'll tell you a little about how I got to love the book The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Click here for the full review I posted in August.

I first heard about the book on Heather's blog. After I read her review (and the reviews of about a bajillion* other people), I was a bit skeptical. No book could be THAT good. So when I saw my library had the audiobook version, I picked it up to see what all the hype was about. I popped it in on the way home from the library, which is only about a five minute drive, and ended up sitting in the car in my driveway so I could listen just a little bit longer. The connection to this book was instantaneous.

Jandy Nelson is amazing. Her sentences are brilliantly crafted, and poetic. The way she develops characters is superb. I loved Lennie, I loved Joe, and I especially loved Gram and Uncle Big. Even Lennie's dead sister is developed well. We never meet her, but she feels like a real person.

This is one of those books that I thought about for days after I finished reading, and I want you to, too! Which is why I'm giving away a brand new hard cover!

Please read the rules below, because this contest is different. The most important condition being that if you win, you MUST buy a new hardcover of the copy and give it away on your blog. In case you haven't guessed, the purpose of this contest is to generate new sales for a talented author, which is why you need to buy a copy.

Now for the rules:

You MUST have a blog where you can give the book away and be clear about the rules.
You MUST be willing to hold this exact giveaway on your blog in which you purchase this book for someone else (or give away the one you receive from me, IF you don’t love it) and require that YOUR winner do the same. Preferably within TWO WEEKS of receiving the book from me.
If you win, I ask that you PLEASE enter your giveaway into the linky widget on Casey McCormick's blog and have YOUR winner do the same. So we can track how long the chain lasts and how many purchases we achieve.
Open to the US and any place that Book Depository ships.
Spreading the word will gain you extra entries. Stalking Jandy Nelson on the net (only on the net!) will also get you extra entries. See the form.
The contest will run February 17th to February 25th ‘til MIDNIGHT EST. I will announce the winner on February 26th and the chain will commence.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, hop on over to Jess's blog after you fill out the form below.
If you don't want to enter the contest, but want to give away a book on your own blog, head over to Casey's blog and add yourself to the linky at the bottom.
GOOD LUCK!!!

*yes, this is a totally accurate number