4 days until Christmas
**Entry deadline has been extended to Midnight Mountain Time on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!**
Stephanie Black is the author of five mystery/suspense novels, including Shadowed (2012), and two dystopian novels, including The Witnesses (2013). She is a four-time Whitney Award winner for Best Mystery/Suspense, most recently for Rearview Mirror (2011). She enjoys spending time with her family, her husband’s homemade bread, and playing the violin–a hobby that would go better if she would practice more. Her website is www.stephanieblack.net.
Please take a minute to visit Stephanie at one of the links below:
WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
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LDSWBR: What is your favorite Christmas song/hymn? Does it have special meaning to you?
STEPHANIE: I love Christmas music! One of my favorite Christmas songs is the Carol of the Drum (The Little Drummer Boy). This year it occurred to me that the song does have some deep spiritual meaning. I struggle with perfectionism in some ways (though you’d never know it in other aspects of my life). The drummer boy goes to meet the King, and doesn’t think he has a gift fit to give, so he offers the best he has–he plays his drum, and the King is pleased. Isn’t that how it is with us? We’re all struggling in our own ways and don’t really have a gift fit to give the King, but when we offer the best we have, no matter how little it is, He is pleased with our offering.
LDSWBR: Do you get together with friends/family to play board games on Christmas or New Year’s? What games do you like to play? Do you have a favorite game from your childhood?
STEPHANIE: My family does enjoy board games. As a child, I enjoyed Monopoly, but I sure don’t like it now–it takes forever! Clue was fun. A relatively new game I enjoy is Bezzerwizzer–it’s like Trivial Pursuit, only better, because you don’t have to get correct answers in all the categories to win and it lets you focus a bit more on your strengths. Other games our family likes: Ticket to Ride, Bananagrams, Apples to Apples, The Great Dalmuti. I like Quirkle too.
LDSWBR: If you could recommend only one book from those you read this year, what would it be and why?
STEPHANIE: I only get to recommend one?? Well . . . okay, if you insist. How about the Whitney Award Best Novel of the Year: The Rent Collector, by Camron Wright. To take such a miserable and unique setting and create such a beautiful, hopeful story . . . wow.
LDSWBR: I love your insight on The Little Drummer Boy. Thanks, Stephanie!
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The Witnesses
AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | NOOK | DESERET BOOK | MP3 | SEAGULL BOOK
Welcome to New America, where patriots are traitors and religion is a crime. After government agent Daniel Lansbury fakes the executions of three believers on national television, he and the fugitives–Alisa Kent, Ian Roshek, and Ian’s sister, Jill–face the perilous task of outwitting President Amanda Ryce and her power-hungry Council long enough to escape to freedom. While a government reformer is on their side, rigorous new security measures thwart any chance of aid. And Daniel’s estranged father, Marcus, an underground terrorist leader, is hatching plans to sabotage the breakable trust between Daniel and Ian and put himself in power at the head of the nation. As faith and loyalties come under fire, the fugitives struggle to stop Marcus and his zealous terrorists and bring to light the wrongs committed against the citizens of this fragile, fledgling nation.
It has been interesting to see how many people enjoy playing the classic games that are familiar to most of us. However, some have mentioned games that I have never heard of before, like The Great Dalmuti. What games have been mentioned in the Countdown posts that are completely new to you?
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**To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013, leave a thoughtful comment below.**
Because this is a raffle-style drawing, commenting on each Countdown to Christmas 2013 post will give you more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.
Prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions below.
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By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2013, you agree to the contest rules below:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins December 3, 2013 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight December 23, 2013 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected December 28, 2013 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until January 4, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
**Book Prizes (as of 12/21/13)**
- Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
- Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
- The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (signed copy)
- Penumbras by Braden Bell (signed copy)
- The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (personalized copy)
- Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen (personalized paperback)
- Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden (signed copy)
- Mile 21 by Sarah Dunster (ebook or signed paperback)
- Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (audio CD)
- Finding Sheba or Ruby’s Secret by H.B. Moore (winner’s choice; format of choice)
- Pocket Full of Posies by Julie Coulter Bellon (or other Hostage Negotiation novel of choice in either paperback or Kindle)
- Hadley-Hadley Benson by Jody Wind Durfee (personalized copy)
- Lock & Key by Traci Hunter Abramson (personalized copy)
- The Witnesses by Stephanie Black (winner’s choice of Kindle, Nook, or personalized paperback)
Previous Countdown to Christmas 2013 posts:
- Rocky Road and Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (12/3/13)
- The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (12/4/13)
- Penumbras by Braden Bell (12/5/13)
- The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (12/6/13)
- Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen (12/7/13)
- Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden (12/9/13)
- Mile 21 by Sarah Dunster (12/10/13)
- Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (12/12/13)
- Finding Sheba and Ruby’s Secret by Heather (H.B.) Moore (12/13/13)
- Pocket Full of Posies by Julie Coulter Bellon (12/16/13)
- Hadley-Hadley Benson by Jody Wind Durfee (12/17/13)
- Second to No One by Natalie Palmer (12/18/13)
- Lock & Key by Traci Hunter Abramson (12/19/13)
- The Guardians of the Finisher’s Fury by Frank L. Cole (12/20/13)
13 Responses to “The Witnesses by Stephanie Black – Countdown to Christmas 2013”
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I can’t wait to read this book.
I LOVED this book!
As I have given up on game playing…most of the games mentioned are new to me :)
I think I have heard of most of these games–but not the Great Dalmuti! Have to look that one up.
I had someone else tell me what deep meaning they found on Little Drummer Boy this year. I never thought about it! But I love it now, too!
I’ve never heard of the Great Dalmuti either. Wonder what it is…
Bezzerwizzer sounds interesting. I’ve never heard of that of the Great Dalmuti either. We’re always looking for new games to play.
I have never heard of Bezzerwizzer, so I will have to look into that one. We LOVE the Great Dalmuti–it is a card game very similiar to Scum. Our family likes to play it with hats–the higher up you are socially, the better hat you get to wear. Very fun.
Just from this post, I am unfamiliar with Bezzerwizzer, Ticket to Ride, The Great Dalmuti, & Quirkle. I don’t remember all the other games authors have mentioned that I don’t know.
Stephanie mentioned several that I’ve never heard of! Bezzerwizzer, The Great Dalumti & Quirkle. I’m going to have to look them up!
I also liked The Rent Collector. I have not heard of most of the games mentioned and now am excited to research and try some new ones! Thanks for this countdown.
Bezzerwizzer? Quirkle? Never heard of them. :) We LOVE Apples to Apples around here, though.
t seems as though all of them. When you are stuck in your house because you can’t walk or stand outside and don’t have anything friends it really gets you out of the loop of what is going on in the outside world!
I know most of the games mentioned… Guess I’ll need to go look doubly hard to find new games! ;)