Joel A. Sutherland

STOKER WEEKEND

It's hard to believe, but I'm flying out of Toronto bright and early tomorrow morning to head to L.A. for the Stoker weekend. It came up really fast! But I'm all set: bags are packed, tickets and passport is ready, and I've got a briefcase filled with books -- hopefully it will be considerably lighter when I return.

No need to wish me luck -- it's going to be an amazing time, and as cheesy as it sounds, I couldn't care less right now whether I win or lose on Saturday night. Making it this far has been reward enough.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on the Stokers website beginning around 8 p.m. (PST) on June 13. If you're free and interested in watching it, go to www.stokers2009.com and click on LIVE VIDEO.

CONTEST

As a way of thanking all of the people who have taken the time to read FROZEN BLOOD, I've decided to hold a contest. I'll post the complete guidelines later this month after I've returned from the West Coast, but for now I wanted to give you all a heads-up. There will be a bunch of simple acts one can complete, with a different amount of points awarded to each act. The more points you accrue, the more tickets you get in the draw. Buying the book will award the most points (even if you bought it before the contest officially begins) and writing an Amazon review (or writing a review elsewhere) awards the second most. I know I'm biased, but I think the prizes are pretty sweet, too (more info on those to come). If anyone is interested in entering the contest, it would be cool to see a few reviews posted by the time I get back!

Leaving, on a jet plane...