Be sure to come and check out my main site for a bunch of neat opportunities to win in the month of October.

Around the 15th of October, I will be posting a review about Amy Grant's book, Mosaic and I have three copies to give away!

Linky Contest (this lasts until October 15th)

4-H Community Project for Soldiers in Iraq/Sticky Note #3 (this lasts until October 25th).

It's a Contest! It's a Product Promotion! Help Katrina Survivors! Have fun! Sticky Post #1 (this lasts the whole month of October.)

And from my friend's blog....she is actually giving away my products so it is another chance to win. These contests end October 5th.

Three Educational Ebooks - Bison, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and Komodo Dragon

A Recipe CD (over 460 recipes)

With only a couple of strings attached!

From 1999-2004 I was busy trying to make a living as a children's writer. I had a few things published including a chocolate timeline in Focus on the Family Clubhouse, a writing article in the Writer, and several other odds and ends here and there. But making a living at it wasn't happening for me and so I decided to try book writing. I wrote three non-fiction books and actually had a very highly thought of agent in New York contact me about one of them. But then he found out the publisher had recently acquired a similar manuscript and that was it.

I got tired of spending mountains of time only to get rejected. I knew the work was good, but competition is stiff and I needed to find something more lucrative to do. So I packed up my writing and turned to other things. Then this past summer, I pulled those three book manuscripts out again and took the one I liked the best (Life of a Komodo Dragon) and decided to turn it into an ebook and see if I could sell it.  I reformatted the story, added photos from photographers around the world (all of whom gave me permission of use) and added links to other internet sites.  But like anything, you need some word of mouth to get the word out there.

Amber has read my book and she has published a review of it. You can find that at her site.  And now I am going to give five of my Komodo ebooks away to the first five people that follow these directions:

1. Go read Amber's review so you will know that someone besides me thinks it is a good book. Leave a comment.

2.  Come back here and leave a comment .

3.  I would very much appreciate it if you would then write a review of the book after you have perused it (be the review good or bad). I would then like to be able to link to review at my Ebay store and on my blog and maybe use a comment or two from your review if that is okay. People don't want to buy something from some unknown person, but reviews help.

If I can get some response on this, then I have a Hummingbird and Bison manuscript that I can start working on. So thanks again and good luck!

Contest update! Due to the overwhelming response, I have decided to offer five more copies of my ebook for free! And anyone who does a review will be allowed to give away one free copy of the ebook in a contest of their own! Thanks for helping me get the word out about my book!

Karen W from Wired Wisdom chimed in and she lives in Romania, so she is the winner of my 70 countries contest! Thanks to all of you for playing! And thanks to all of you for reading!

 I hope everyone is having a great summer. I know I have been quiet, but life has been crazy.

Okay, I just glanced over at my neocounter and discovered I have had visitors from 70 countries!!!!!!

I have been writing since I was a child, but I never thought I would have the ability to reach readers in 70 countires! WOW!

So of course I have to have a contest! And here it is:  I want you to leave a comment and tell me where in the world you are. A city and state or a city and country/province. Then whoever is farthest mile wise from my home will be declared the winner. I will let this contest run for one week (July 12th), so have fun! And even if you are overseas, please log in. I will send a book to you whereever you are!

Thanks to all of you for making a humble writer's day!

PS I know some of you do not want to disclose your location on the web, so if that is the case, you may still enter. Just email me at melissamarkham (at) takethemat (dot) com with your city and state. Be sure to put 70 countries in the RE line to help me keep you straight in my email box. I promise I will not share the information of where you are located if you so desire. And I will delete the email promptly from my computer's (and mine) memory banks upon completion of the contest!

Here are the books you can choose from!

Rush Limbaugh: See, I told you so...by Rush Limbaugh 0-671-87120-x

A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam by I. A. Ibrahim 9960-34-011-2

100 years of Hoops (Sports Illustrated) 0-8487-1017-7

Apples of Gold  by Jo Petty

Foxgloveby Mary Anne Kelly 0-312-08195-2

Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy by Renee Royak-Schaler 0-06-016625-8

Time with God 0-8499-3410-9

Two Years Before the Mast and Twenty Four Years After:  by R. H. Dana, Jr.

The First Part of the Delightful History of the Most Ingenious Knight Don Quixote of the Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

Elizabethan Drama (Edward the Second, The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, The Tragedy of King Lear, The Tragedy of MacBeth, and The Tempest) by  Marlowe and Shakespeare

From a Listening Heart by Jack L. Moore 0-385-08422-6

The Cloister Way by Kathleen Norris 1-57322-028-0

Virginia's History by Raymond C. Dingledine, Jr.

The Beginning of Christianity by Clarence Tucker Craig

Guideposts for Growing Up by Barbara K. Polland O-87392-108-9

Sing Praises to Jehovah (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark  by Alvin Schwartz 0-06-440170-7

Homeschool Math Blog is giving away an A+ Membership to Webgraphing.com and lots of math ebooks.

So don't hang around here! Go check it out!

Okay, here it is, Monday and as I promised, there are some winners! First, I want to say, I enjoyed all of the posts and sat here shaking my head in agreement as I read your pet peeves. And speaking of pet peeves, everyone really liked Sagerats idea of having a pet named Peeves!  Very clever!

Okay, so I threw the names into a hat and pulled out three winners:  TiredMom, Sagerats, and JenneinAZ. Then I added LadyPoet33 to the list of winners because she added pet loves and I thought that was awesome! Thanks to all of you for commenting. Sorry, Amber, that I didn't draw out your name, better luck with that next time!

Pet Peeves:  Face it, we all have them!  There are things that drive us absolutely up the wall. For my mom, she hates people who chew gum with their mouth open. The smacking/popping sound drives her bonkers!

My husband hates when he emails people and they don't email him back.  I hate when people pull out in front of me when there is no one for miles behind me and force me to slow down to keep from hitting them. There are more, but just thought I would throw a couple out there.

So for this contest, share your pet peeve. Maybe you will make others aware of something annoying they are doing that could be easily changed and by doing so, we could make the world a better place. On Monday, I would throw your names into a hat and pick out a winner or two!

Rush Limbaugh: See, I told you so

A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam

100 years of Hoops (Sports Illustrated)

Anatomy of the Spirit

A Place Called Simplicity

Apples of Gold

Foxglove

Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy

Time with God

Dana

Cervantes

Marlowe/Shakespeare

From a Listening Heart

The Cloister Way

Virginia's History

Yep, there are winners...not just one, but four! All of you win...KarlaKAkins, Principled Discovery, Chickadee and SweetHomeTennessee! Let me know what books ( top four choices) you would like and thanks for the funnies! They all made me smile! 

Okay, last week was a sad week here at our house, so I am looking for some smiles for the week ahead. Tell me a good joke, a happy memory, something funny your child has said, a happy story from the week gone by.  I look forward to some smiles. 

Here are the prizes you can choose from:

Rush Limbaugh: See, I told you so

A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam

Folklore on the American Land

Herbie Goes Bananas

100 years of Hoops (Sports Illustrated)

Anatomy of the Spirit

A Place Called Simplicity

Hurlbut's Story of the Bible

Apples of Gold

Foxglove

Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy

Time with God

Dana

Cervantes

Marlowe/Shakespeare

Plata/Epictetus/Marcus Aurelius

The last four books are Harvard Classics

I had a contest this last week for my friend Karla who celebrated her birthday Friday, May 19th. She has chosen three winners (and assures me this was a very tough job!).

3rd place: im4gvn

2nd place: quietcajun

1st place: iluvtheland

Thanks to all the people who wished my buddy Happy Birthday and shared their memorable birthday stories! 

Here is the prizes they will be choosing from:

A Four Volume Set of Stories and Fables

Rush Limbaugh: See, I told you so

A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam

Folklore on the American Land

Herbie Goes Bananas

100 years of Hoops (Sports Illustrated)

Anatomy of the Spirit

A Place Called Simplicity

In His Steps

Hurlbut's Story of the Bible

Apples of Gold

Foxglove

Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy

Time with God

Dana

Cervantes

Marlowe/Shakespeare

Plata/Epictetus/Marcus Aurelius

The last four books are Harvard Classics

My buddy Karla celebrated her birthday Friday, May 19th! Karla is my Blubber Blogger buddy and has been a tremendous help and inspiration to me. I have only known her for a short while, but I have already been blessed by her friendship!

Soooo in honor of her birthday, I am going to have a contest.  There will be 3 winners, chosen by Karla;) Here's what you have to do...

First you have to go tell Karla Happy Birthday. Then come back here and share your favorite birthday story with me.  To get you started, here are three of my most memorable birthdays.  (BTW, the order isn't important as long as you leave your birthday story here and your birthday wishes at Karla's site)

1. When I turned 30, my husband surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas.

2. When I turned 35, my husband surprised me with a limo and a night out on the town.

3.  Last year I had a surprise party for my husband's 40th birthday. I loved being able to actually surprise him. And I was able to find some of his childhood friends to attend. It was very much fun!

Now, what can you win: You will have your choice of the following books:

A Four Volume Set of Stories and Fables

Rush Limbaugh: See, I told you so

A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam

Folklore on the American Land

Herbie Goes Bananas

100 years of Hoops (Sports Illustrated)

Anatomy of the Spirit

A Place Called Simplicity

In His Steps

Hurlbut's Story of the Bible

Apples of Gold

Foxglove

Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Animals

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

Challenging the Breast Cancer Legacy

Time with God

Dana

Cervantes

Marlowe/Shakespeare

Plata/Epictetus/Marcus Aurelius

The last four books are Harvard Classics

Now how long shall we celebrate Karla's birthday...This contest will end Friday night, May 26th, midnight Eastern time. So you have a week to collect and submit your stories and to go by and tell my buddy Happy Birthday! So what are you waiting for? Great prizes and stories await!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Okay, we have WINNERS! Thanks to all of you who shared your favorite books with me....now I have some new books to look for;) Okay, here are the winners...

Food4Life because she likes the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. I haven't read this, but had recently picked it up at a book sale to sell on Ebay.

QuietCajun because her hubby likes Wheel of Time Series and those of us who follow this involved tale have to stick together!

Heart-N-Soul because she complimented my blog and tole me about a book I should read.

MistressNinos because my kids like the same books as her kids and she loves books like me.

Aslan School...us Narnia lovers and book lovers have to stick together and I loved the Boxcar Children when I was a kid!

Okay, okay...so I picked five winners instead of three...I couldn't help myself...I figured it worked since I asked for five books (and that was as tough a decision to make as coming up with the three winners, so I added more). 

So here's what you do...email me with your five choices of books you would like from the list below (in order). I will assign them, first come, first serve. And I am not going to tell you who gets which book...it will be a surprise when it arrives! I go to the post office tomorrow so, let me know today if possible!

JenIg was running a contest asking for 10 random things about you. That is a cool idea and a neat way to get to know people!

So I thought I would run a similar contest. Tell me about favorite books. I would like to know 5 books that your children have really enjoyed. And I would like to know your five favorite books. I will randomly pick three winners and as a winner you will get to choose from these books.

Herbie Goes Bananas

Big Red (dog book) by Jim Kjelgaard

Hurlburts Story of the Bible

In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon

Reader's Digest Great Biographies (Lindbergh, Nightingale, Edison, Hans Christian Andersen)

Foxglove (mystery) by Mary Anne Kelly

Apples of Gold (inspirational verse)

Alexander Dolgun's Story (An American in the Gulag)

Girls of the Bible by H. A. Snyder

Here is my list to get things started. 

Books the Kids Have Enjoyed:

1.  The Harry Potter Series

2.  The Chronicles of Narnia

3.  The Indian in the Cupboard

4.  Any nonfiction book about animals

5.  The Animorph Series

My Favorite Books:

1.  The Bible

2.  The Stand by Stephen King

3.  It by Stephen King

4.  The Wheel of Time Series

5.  East of Eden

WOW! Spunky is having a great contest for some great products! And even if you don't win, these products are highly recommended to put on your shopping list!

Spunky is giving away a Benz Microscope and Apologia Biology Set this week. Click Here to get the details.

In my previous post, I told you about my husband's new invention, batBack.  Now, while this is free to bloggers and free to people who use blogs, we do hope that as more use of it picks up that advertisers will pay to use the advertising space that DH has created. Then we can retire and life on our yacht! (HA HA...well, a person has to dream). But seriously, this is just one of the irons my talented husband has in the fire as a way of trying to support our family.

Everything with batBack seems to be running just fine. With one exception, we can't get people to vote!  We have about 20 people signed up to use batBack so far, but people aren't clicking on the rate me button and voting. And if you don't do that, you won't realize how easy it makes commenting on blogs or how easy it makes it for you to find out more information! 

So I am resorting to bribery. I am having a voting contest! Click on the 'rate me' button and then click on the 'join' button. Fill in your information (and if you don't want to put batBack on your blog, that is fine, but to get credit for your votes, you will have to sign in, otherwise you will be anonymous).  Then get voting! 

Voting is simple and literally takes seconds!  You click on the 'rate me' button, move your mouse over the stars until you find the words that pop up describing how you feel about my article. You can vote in just one category or all of them, then click rate me and you are done! Of course if you want to get more use out of batBack, you can click on some of the other buttons at the bottom!  And there is a FAQ page and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

So here is the contest. RATE ME! From now until midnight EST Friday night, just sign up and rate my articles. The system keeps track of who is voting, but not what you vote (so you are free to say my article stinks if that is what you think). Then on Saturday I will announce whoever voted the most times. That person will be able to choose one of the books below.

So what do you have to lose? It won't take too much of your time, you will help my DH get a good test for how votes coming in will tax the batBack system, you will be in the running to win a prize and...if we do get that yacht, you will be welcome to visit anytime!

Thanks in advance for your help with this. While DH has been looking for work, he has spent a lot of time working on this project. We are hoping to eventually get to where he can work from home and won't have to travel so much (which is what he does when he works). He has put a lot of hours in on it trying to make it a wonderful tool for you to use.

Herbie Goes Bananas

Big Red (dog book) by Jim Kjelgaard

Hurlburts Story of the Bible

In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon

Reader's Digest Great Biographies (Lindbergh, Nightingale, Edison, Hans Christian Andersen)

Foxglove (mystery) by Mary Anne Kelly

Apples of Gold (inspirational verse)

Alexander Dolgun's Story (An American in the Gulag)

Girls of the Bible by H. A. Snyder

Momanna98 figured it out! Is she sharp or what? Okay, come can collect your prize!!!!!! Thanks to everyone for playing. We will do it again next week!

Well it is time again for another Hangman Contest! The rules are simple.  There are some dashes below and you need to guess which letters go where. You guess a letter in a comment, then I will respond either by putting it where it belongs, or by posting it below the dashes. If the word isn't guessed before there are 10 mis-guesses, then no one wins.  You guys and gals are pretty smart though and that hasn't happened yet!  Please just guess one letter per comment. 

If you win, I will send you one of the following books (your choice) and put a link to your blog in a post announcing the winner.  It just doesn't get any better than this;)

Herbie Goes Bananas

Big Red (dog book) by Jim Kjelgaard

Hurlburts Story of the Bible

In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon

Reader's Digest Great Biographies (Lindbergh, Nightingale, Edison, Hans Christian Andersen)

Foxglove (mystery) by Mary Anne Kelly

Apples of Gold (inspirational verse)

Alexander Dolgun's Story (An American in the Gulag)

Girls of the Bible by H. A. Snyder

The Way Things Ought to Be by Rush Limbaugh

MESOPOTAMIA

N, R, H

I have six books that you can choose one from if you figure out the hangman's word.

It is a 7 letter word. You will collectively get 10 chances to miss. If you get it before the 10 chances, you will get to choose a book. So make a guess and I will respond here as to whether it is correct or not. Last time I would go to the person's site and let them know, but this time I am just going to post my responses here, so you will have to check back:)  Please just guess one letter at a time.

Good luck!!!!

BIONICS

There is  no A, E,

The books you can choose from:

Herbie Goes Bananas

Big Red

Hurlburt's Story of the Bible

Rush Limbaugh: The Way Things Ought to Be

Girls of the Bible

Small Kitchen Cookbook

Jennifer at HeartMatters is the winner! She got so excited after making her M guess, she emailed me before I could even tell her there was an M:) Way to go! This was fun. Send my your address and I will get it out in the mail to you:)

Okay, we all love contests and I have discovered that a lot of us love hangman...so let's give this a whirl. I have a Tom's of Maine care kit for the winner. It includes a body bar, toothpaste x 2, mouthwash and hand soap. These are sample size.

So here is what you have to do. I have thought of a word:

E NLI G H TE N M E N T

No K, R, S, O

You have to submit a letter (one at a time, please). If the letter is correct, I will put it in the right spot. If it the letter is incorrect, I will repost with the wrong letter under the blanks. Since I can't draw a hangman, you have 10 misguesses. Each wrong letter counts as a misguess. I will take the guesses in the order they come in. If you think you have figured it out, then send me a comment with your guess. I will be out most of the day Wednesday, but I promise to get to the comments as they come in.

I hope you will have fun with this!

Okay...drum roll please......the winner of the Crete and Mycenae tape is....Chickadee!!!! The number I had in my mind was 77! Way to go Chickadee! Email me with your address and I will ship it out ASAP:) Thanks to all the rest of you who guessed! That was fun!

Oh, boy, this is going to be so much fun! Over at Journey into the Unknown...there is a contest of people's most embarrassing moments with a prize of a 2 disc DVD/CD set of Live From Atlanta: Casting Crowns.   The contest runs until the 7th! So head over there and check it out!  Good laughs are the best medicine!

I love contests, don't you? Today I am offering a video on Crete and Mycenae. It runs 54 minutes and explores the rich Minoan civiliation and Mycenea and Knossos. 

I am thinking of a number between 1 and 100. The winner will be whoever guesses the number or comes closest. The contest will run through Sunday at 6 pm.  Tell your friends:) The more the merrier!

Okay...I have had fun taking part in a couple of contests so I thought I would have one here.

Do you know what the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are?

Would you like to know? 

I have a 60 minute video produced by Questar about the seven wonders of the ancient world and it can be winging it's way to you if you win.

To win, you have to lose. I want you to name which of the seven wonders of the ancient world that you do know. Whoever gets the least number right will win.  If there is a tie, I will throw your names into a hat and draw one out.

The winner will get the tape and a link to their site on my site. I will also list the seven wonders of the ancient world in the post where I let you know who the winner is. All entries should be posted by 11:00 pm Sunday! Good luck!

And try to do it without peeking!  And if you know some, tell the truth...wow us with your knowledge:)