And the winner is!

I tucked all the entries into the closest I could come to Barnyard Bookstomp, in honor of this weekend's SCBWI Miami theme.

Most of the commenters were Floridians!

But the winner of A THUNDEROUS WHISPER by Christina Diaz Gonzalez is

TA-DAH!!!

Virginia Butler!

A fellow Mississippian, I do believe. Virginia, send me your address via FB message or email.
Congrats to you. I know you're a fan of historical fiction. Let us know what you think.

Florida Writers: Christina Diaz Gonzalez

 I'm a fairly new member of this esteemed group but let me tell you, Florida supports its writing community. Next weekend, we'll be gathering at our annual Miami SCBWI event.

(Meanwhile, other writer friends of mine will be down the road a piece at the amazing Eckerd College Writers in Paradise week. For more about that, click here)

Today, I'd like to share- literally! I'm giving away my copy!-
Christina Diaz Gonzalez's latest novel. A Thunderous Whisper follows on the heels of her highly successful The Red Umbrella, which I truly loved. This new book is also historical fiction but set in a time and place I'll bet not that many young readers are familiar with.
That's one of the spectacular things about this book.

The Spanish Civil War, Guernica, the Basque people. The book is filled with great details. And the story is a page turner of an adventure.

I feel the need to apologize to this wonderful book. It arrived just before the holidays, and I was very excited. Then I got distracted, put it down, and sadly, my pile grew taller. But I'm so glad I unearthed it and finished it because it was well worth the read.
I learned a lot, and I loved the characters so much.

My favorite quote from A Thunderous Whisper:

"Mama had been wrong. People don't always abandon you...even if they have to leave."


(I also love the hints at the end that the story could continue. There's so much more to tell! Are you listening, Christina?)

BLOG READERS, LISTEN UP.
This could be your LUCKY day. I'm giving away the copy that Random House shared with me. If you enter and win, and IF you are coming to Miami with us, I'll bring the book and you can have Christina sign it for you. (You can win even if you aren't coming to Miami, but there's still time to register if you've been on the fence.)

Just leave me a comment, here or on the Facebook post, and I'll draw one name by next Wednesday, January 16.

It doesn't matter if you've ever, recently, or never won a book giveaway here or anywhere. This is open to anybody who'd love to read A THUNDEROUS WHISPER.


Here are a few links to some of Christina's writing wisdom.

Since I'm hugely fascinated and love reading about character names, I loved this one:
http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-character-of-names-with-christina.html


Although this giveaway has ended, the interview is excellent.
http://www.thestorysiren.com/2012/10/author-interview-christina-diaz-gonzalez-giveaway.html