Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!

 

ENTER HERE

One lucky runner up will receive a copy of the Tea Chest by Josephine Moon.

If you would like to read a review of the book that inspired this giveaway then look no further

Tea Chest Review 

Winner of the Hannah Kent Giveaway

The winner of the signed copy of Hannah Kent's 'Burial Rites' is.......

Sarah Armstrong

Can you please email  castlebooks@live.com.au with your postage details and we will send out your prize asap!

Thank you all for entering!!!! 

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Giveaway - Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando

Today we have a giveaway of Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando published by Random House Australia. All you have to do is tell us what your favourite biscuit/cookie is. Winner will be drawn on 26th Oct at 10am Only open to Australian residents.

cook•ie: a small flat, baked cake which is either crisp or soft but firm (often with chocolate chips, candies, or nuts mixed in); insanely delicious.

If you miss the days when snacks were simple and handmade, you’ll love this homespun encyclopedia of cookies. Full of hand-drawn illustrations and gorgeous photographs, The Cookiepedia features 50 classic recipes for everything from Amaretti and Animal Cookies to Gingersnaps, Rugelach, Snickerdoodles, and dozens of other favorites—plus hundreds of ideas for adapting recipes and making them your own.

To whet your appertite here is a sample recipe from the book:

MINT THINS
Nobody you know will not come by when you say you’re baking homemade mint thins. (If they don’t so much as ask, consider defriending them immediately.) The question  is: Do you want to share? The baking and dunking takes no time (especially if you’re tasting as you go), but these bite-size treats do hold up best (and taste yummiest) once the mint chocolate has had ample time to set. If you’re protective of your stash, store them in the freezer. They’re best with a chill anyway.

Preheat oven to 350°F
Makes: 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
teaspoon peppermint flavor

1. Cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy.
add the powdered sugar and continue mixing, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture by halves, beating to incorporate after each addition.
2. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and form it into a disk with your hands. Split the disk in half and place them in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour. Tip: If you’re short on time, do 25 minutes in the freezer instead. 
3. Working on a floured surface (you’ll need a decent amount, since the dough is sticky), roll out the dough to O/8-inch thick. Shape the cookies using a 1.-inch round cutter and place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then let cool completely.
4. Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Add the butter and the peppermint flavor and stir the mixture steadily until it’s fully melted and looks glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl and let the chocolate cool slightly.
5. One by one, drop the cookies in the chocolate, then scoop them out with a fork to let the excess drip off. (Tap the cookies against the side of the bowl to help drain the extra chocolate.) Move them carefully to a wire rack or parchment-paperlined baking sheet. When they’re all coated, move the sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set.

Mint-Thin-Stuffed Cookies
Prepare a batch of the mint thins and store them in the freezer. Then prepare a batch of the chocolate chip dough on page 43. When both are chilled, sandwich the mint cookie between 1 tablespoon each of the chocolate chip dough, then press the dough around the mint thin to cover it completely. Bake according to the chocolate chip directions. 

Giveaway - Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

We have one copy of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas to giveaway. All you need to do to enter is to comment on the blog about why you like to read fantasy. The winner will be drawn on Wednesday 5th of September at 5pm AEST. Only open to Australian residents sorry. 

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness. In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught. Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Fun with Thornspell - Helen Lowe

Author Helen Lowe, is running a "Fun with Thornspell" feature every Thursday until 1 September, giving readers the opportunity to comment on a Thornspell character they would like to have a spin off short story written about —plus there's 3 x hard cover copies of the book for giveaway to school libraries. Today Helen introduces the 3 judges who will select the winning character/comment — as well as talking about the genesis of the belvedere in the Thornspell story and the importance of place in her writing. You can find out more here.

 

This is a great giveaway you should all go and defnitatly have a look!

Book Giveaway - Shift ARC - Em Bailey

Olive Corbett is definitely NOT crazy.

Not anymore. These days she takes her meds like a good girl, hangs out with her best friend Ami, and stays the hell away from the toxic girls she used to be friends with.
She doesn’t need a boyfriend. Especially not a lifesaver-type with a nice smile. And she doesn’t need the drama of that creepy new girl Miranda, who has somehow latched on to Olive's ex-best friend.
Yet from a distance, Olive can see there's something sinister about the new friendship. Something almost... parasitic. Maybe the wild rumours ARE true. Maybe Miranda is a killer.
But who would believe Olive? She does have a habit of letting her imagination run away with her..

We have 1 copy of Em Bailey's new book - Shift to give away. All you have to do to win is answer this question.

If you could shift into any living person - who would it be?
Please comment on the blog!

Giveaway is open till 25th July 3:30pm and only to Australian residents.

If you would like to read a review then here it is.

Voyager giveaway

If you head over to the VoyagerOnline blog they are giving away a copy of Paul Garrety's 'The Seventh Wave'

Win a copy of this book!

Take a thief, a witch and a journo.

Then … strange things happen.

Especially to Callum who, after breaking into a house is caught up in a terrifying occult world. He soon finds himself charged with protecting an ancient artifact from a deadly army of assassins, vampires and sorcerous Robes who are all desperate to recover it. Callum must work out who he can trust in a world he no longer recognizes.

There can only be one winner. And if Callum loses, so do we all.

For your chance to win one of ten copies of The Seventh Wave tell us in 25 words or less:

If one ancient artifact could ‘find’ its way into your possession – what would it be and why?

Leave a comment to enter. The competition is only open to Australian residents, but we'd still love to hear from you if you live elsewhere. Competition ends at 5pm on Friday 25 February. We'll post the winner's name and entry on the blog.

Guest Blog Post - Fiona Palmer + New Giveaway comp

Wow we are so lucky in Australia!! We have so many awesome writers and I am happy to present our next Guest Blog of the week! Fiona Palmer- author of 'The Family Farm' has written a post about life on the farm and how that interacts with her writing. To celebrate this our weekly giveaway is a signed copy of her book 'The Family Farm' So comment to your hearts content to be in it to win it!!! I will draw it on Thursday 4th Nov.

I was born and raised in the country, in a tiny five house town called Pingaring, 350km south east of Perth…so it’s not surprising that I’m a die hard country girl. (But that doesn’t mean I listen to country music and wear cowboy boots.  I like all music and love my Blundstone boots)

I had the whole world to choose from after school and I decided to come back to my roots.  There is something about living in a small community, where you know everyone and it feels safe. The way a community can rally together as they battle Mother Nature. She can be devastating in a flood or a drought and there is nothing you can do to stop her. 

I love that my kids can drive their buggy and play in the bush…yes they do run wild and free but they are happy.  I love being amongst the land, feeling and seeing each season as it changes. The smells: rain on dry dirt, soil freshly turned at seeding, wildflowers and eucalyptus in the air in spring…yes I could go on.  It is this passion I have for where I live which started my writing.  I was never a writer wanting to write words, I was a girl with a passion for the land who wanted to share it through stories. 

I have this active mind, which is always making up little stories and I can remember doing this at school.  Writing wonderful stories…well I thought they were good but my teacher thought otherwise.  You see I only scrapped through English as my spelling, grammar and punctuation was bad… and that’s putting it mildly.  I was never marked on my ability to create a story, so therefore I never thought I was any good.  But the urge to keep creating never died and when The Family Farm story started to form in my mind I took the plunge and typed it out. 

Izzy was based on my friend Rachael who works on her family’s farm.  She was much smarter than I was and could have gone on to uni but she came back to the land.  Her abilities on the farm inspired Izzy, there isn’t anything she can’t do.  And that appeals to me, women who can take care of themselves.  I was brought up that way and can change a tyre (even off the rim to fix a tube).   

There are so many funny quirky things that can happen out here and they’re the yarns I love to fit into my books.  I had to cut out quite a few shearing stories in my second book Heart of Gold.  Because I have city and international readers a lot of what I write about has to be explained really well.  My editors will have heaps of little comments on my manuscripts asking what this saying means or what is that?  

 Until then I thought everyone knew what a pair of moccasins were and what flyblown meant.  So it’s been quite a learning curve for me and my editors.  But I’m always ready for emails (via www.fionapalmer.com) if anyone has any questions about something they didn’t understand. 

I didn’t really think I’d ever get my first story published until a friend gave me one of Rachael Treasures books.  After reading Jillaroo I was like ‘yes, I can do this, there is a market for country books’ and that’s what spurred me on. So the first publisher I wrote an enquiry letter to was Penguin, who publishes Rachael. Low and behold, they must have been thinking the same thing and now I’m a published author. (I still can’t believe it)  Farm lit has really taken off, I know of three new authors with ‘rural’ books coming out next year and I’m totally excited.  I will be supporting them and putting details up on my website when I can.  It’s a great genre to be involved with.

So if you need an escape from the city then keep your eyes out for the farm lit books. 

Definatly check this lady out!! Her blog address is included in the post!

Give Away!! Give Away!! Maeve Binchy - MINDING FRANKIE & Anh Do HAPPIEST REFUGEE

 We have this week 1 copy of Maeve Binchy's Minding Frankie up for grabs and 1 copy of Comedian Anh Do's Happiest Refugee: My Journey from Tragedy to comedy to giveaway to two lucky winners.
Each winner will recieve either a Minding Frankie or a Happiest Refugee.

To enter just leave us a comment on here on our giveaway comment box and on Thursday 28th October I will draw the winners. Open to Aussie's only sorry.

Book Giveaways

We have FIVE book packs to give away. There will be a 10 short stories book by excellent Australian authors and Tickled Onions by Morris Gleitzman, included in the pack will be a mystery book as well. So all up you will be receiving THREE books.

 

All you have to do is tell us a funny true short story on the blog and you can be in it to win! Only open to Australian Residents and closes 8th October .  

Mary Victoria and Kim Falconer Giveaway

Mary Victoria and Kim Falconer are doing a giveaway. In Mary's own words,

"The wonderful Kim Falconer and I have decided to do a giveaway together. We'll be awarding a copy of 'Path of the Stray' AND a copy of 'Tymon's Flight' to the lucky winner who can answer one simple question: "What do the two books have in common?" (Send Kim or I your messages via FB. Entries will be judged on wit, creativity and plain old fun!)"

The Deadline will be October 23rd! So go to Mary's Facebook or Kim's Facebook and give them your answer

Book Giveaway! - Furious Love-Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, And The Marriage Of The Century

This month we are giving away 1 copy of this wonderful biography. Simply comment in the Furious Love blog post for a chance to win by 25/09/2010 . Open to Australian residents only. 

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, And The Marriage Of The Century

A tough Welshman, he was softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman: she was a modern-day Cleopatra madly in love with her own Mark Antony. For quarter of a century, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were the king and queen of Hollywood.Yet their two marriages to each other represented much more than outlandish romance. Together, Elizabeth and Richard were a fascinating embodiment of the mores and transgressions of their time and even luminaries like Jacqueline Kennedy looked to them as a barometer of the culture. The enduring glamour, grandeur, drama and bravado embodied in the couple gave rise to the type of rabid gossip and wide-eyed adoration that are the staples of today's media.Using brand-new research and interviews - including unique access to Taylor herself, the Burton family, and Taylor's extensive personal correspondence - this ultimate celebrity biography is the gripping real-life story of a fairy-tale couple whose lives were even grander and more outrageous than the epic films they made.

Winner of Star Wars Fatal Alliance - Dave-Brendon de Burgh

We have a winner! Dave-Brendon de Burgh can you please email us your address so we can post your prize out to you:

arbooks@hotmail.co.uk


Thank you to all that entered. Keep an eye out on our blog for more giveaways!

Star Wars Fatal Alliance Giveaway - Sean Williams

The fantastic Sean Williams has given us a copy of his newly released book Star Wars Old Republic: Fatal Alliance to giveaway!!

To win a copy of Seans signed book simply comment on our blog by Tuesday 24 August and I will draw it on Wednesday 25 August at 9am.

The winner will be randomly drawn!

Here is the blurb:


Tassaa Bareesh, a matriarch in the Hutt crime cartel, is holding an auction that’s drawing attention from across the galaxy. Representatives of both the Republic and the Sith Empire are present, along with a Jedi Padawan sent to investigate, a disenfranchised trooper drummed out of the Republic’s elite Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian with a private agenda. But the Republic’s envoy is not what he seems, the Empire’s delegate is a ruthless Sith apprentice, the Jedi Padawan is determined to do the right thing and terrified that he can’t, the trooper hopes to redeem her reputation, and the Mandalorian is somehow managing to keep one step ahead of everyone.
None of these guests—invited or uninvited—have any intention of participating in the auction. Instead they plan to steal the prize, which is locked inside an impregnable vault: two burned chunks of an exploded star cruiser, one of which may hold the key to the wealth of an entire world.
But the truth about the treasure is dangerous and deadly. And in the end, Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire, must do something they’ve never done before, something that all the agents of good and evil could never make them do: join together to stop a powerful threat that could destroy the galaxy…

Star Wars Force Unleashed Giveaway Winner

We want to thank all who entered! Those that did not win please don't despair as the ever kind Sean Williams has kindly agreed to give us a copy of the newly released OLD REPUBLIC: FATAL ALLIANCE to giveaway, so keep your eyes out for it!

Now to get to the part that you are wanting to know; who the winner is.
We had a staff disscusion and decided that,

DRUM ROLL.........

The Winner is Sean Smith!

Can you please email your address to us and we will post out the book to you.
Angus & Robertson Edwardstown Email


                                                         Thank you all who entered!

P.S Cate P your story was fantastic! It made us all giggle over the chocolate wars!
For anyone who has not read it then go to Chocolate Wars Story and check it out. Defintaly worth it!

Giveaway at Toushka Blog

Giveaway book at Ramblings from Toushka

Toushka have one of these lovely books to giveaway, thanks to Kylie at Capricorn Link or you may know her from A Study In Contradictions