I just put up a new contest on the website! I’m giving away a signed copy of Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin.
This is a hot item, you guys! The story won the 2009 Golden Heart, and when I was sitting next to Jeannie at the Emerald City Writers’ Conference Book Fair last month, she sold out of books in the first couple of hours. (Luckily, I had already been hooked by the first chapter, which she was giving out, and I grabbed myself a couple of books during set-up.)
I really loved this book. Ai Li, the sword-wielding heroine, is fantastic and brave, and her commitment to her family and country seemed in such strong conflict with her love for “barbarian” Ryam that I just couldn’t see how the Happily Ever After would come about, right up until the last minute. All the minor characters were fabulous, especially Ai Li’s youngest brother and her evil betrothed–I hope they get their own books.
Plus, it’s always nice to see a historical with a non-European/US setting, and Jeannie Lin did a wonderful job of creating a richly detailed and culturally distinct world that came across very clearly even to a reader (such as myself) who’s pretty unfamiliar with Tang Dynasty China.
You can enter the contest here.