My advanced copies are now out in the world...

So last week I sent out my newsletter with the ARC giveaway! I had five advanced reading copies reserved for this contest:

an advanced reading copy is a "rough draft" of a book that the publisher puts together-- it has typos, incomplete art, etc but is supposed to give reviewers and booksellers an idea if they want to recommend it or order it

I was pleased that 456 people entered before the deadline! Yay! So glad so many of you want to read the new book! But how to pick the winners? So many of you wrote lovely notes along with your entries (thank you! Some brought tears to my eyes!) and it was really, really difficult not to choose based on reading the e-mails. But I had said five ARC's were going to be given away completely randomly, so I felt like I had to follow through. Which is why I used:

Yes, the random number generator! So if you're e-mail came in the 9th, 78th, 101st, 321st or 431st I sent you an ARC! Congratulations!

Goodbye, ARC'S! I sent them to all the schools I've visited this past year as well as the random winners!

So sorry to all those that don't receive one! But, chin up! The book launch is right around the corner and if you pre-order the book, I promise the goodies I add will make it worth the wait!

If you do receive an ARC,  I hope so much that you enjoy the story (I won't say book, as the real book isn't out until October)! Whenever I think about people reading it, my heart pounds like one of those taiko drums.  So, if you do like the story, please let the world (and me) know!