Tuesday, November 04, 2008

YOUR Chance to Win...


...not just your favorite candidate's. Keep reading to enter the drawing to receive an Amazon gift certificate!

Yes, it's Election Day, but it's also the day my latest book hits the bookshelves. Unravel Me is the second book in my Malibu & Ewe trilogy. In this story, startling personal news shatters recent widow Juliet Weston's shell of grief. As she looks on the world with new eyes, the first person she sees is the man--the younger man--who aided her husband in his last days and who has been by her side during the last year. Suddenly she realizes Noah Smith is handsome and sexy and looking back at her with something that might be desire...

As Juliet negotiates her new life situation, will Noah be a temporary distraction or won't he be satisfied unless he's so much more?

Advance buzz is awesome!

4 1/2 stars--Romantic Times BookClub.

"Christie Ridgway's sparkling prose delivers a poignant tale that will make you cry even as you laugh. Don't miss picking up UNRAVEL ME for an entertaining read from the very first page."--Romance Reviews Today

"Ms. Ridgway's novels are humorously written, touch on serious life and family issues, and are a delight to read. Her storytelling is fresh and original..."--Fresh Fiction

The Romance Junkies review ends like this: "Christie Ridgway should definitely be on every contemporary romance reader's must-buy list."

I hope you'll take that advice and head out to the bookstore (or hit your computer) to buy Unravel Me. You can find an excerpt at my website, www.christieridgway.com.

To celebrate my latest release, I'm giving away a $15 Amazon e-mail gift certificate to one lucky commenter. As I'm doing some election day volunteering, I'll be spotty checking in, but what I'd like to hear is what state you're in and what your voting experience was like. Long lines? A quick wait? Or if you voted early or by mail (or haven't voted yet), share with us where you are and what the weather is like today.

52 comments:

Dina said...

I've decided not to try before work, a new job, don't want to be late, buit I fear by waiting til after will be horrible in lines, but I have no choice. I live in Wisconsin and just hope most people vote early today. :)

Cindy Gerard said...

Hey Christie. congrats on the new release of Unravel Me and the super reviews. All well deserved!!
I'm going to vote in a little while but since I live in a very small Iowa town, I don't anticipate lines. Things will go rather smoothly as they always do :o)

mslizalou said...

I got Unravel Me over the weekend (B&N had several books out early).

We have early voting in TN, so I voted 2 weeks ago. The lines were very long(I waited 45 minutes to vote) and there were record setting numbers for early voting in the state. Today it's pretty cool this morning, but will warm up for this afternoon.

Christie Ridgway said...

Liza: So glad you have the book! Yay! I tried to early vote on Saturday afternoon and it was going to be at least a 3-hour wait. So I'm going this morning if I can fit it in before my volunteer stint.

Or else I'm like you, Dina, and will have to wait until later in the day.

It's cool here in SoCal and we're expecting showers. My buddy told me it was really raining hard in NoCal yesterday. I might need to find an umbrella if I expect a long line.

Christie Ridgway said...

Cindy: So only one polling place in your town? Mine's in someone's garage, so if I have to wait in line it will be outside.

Helen Brenna said...

Yay, Christie! Congrats on the great reviews!

In just a little while, I'm going along with my daughter for her first time voting. How exciting, that first time! I remember the long, long, long lines on my college campus. Reagan vs Carter.

Unknown said...

Congrats on your new release, Christie!!

I'm with Cindy, no lines at my little polling station. Just a little drive down a gravel road.

I wish everyone's favorite candidate could win and we could all celebrate on Weds. As it is, though, I'm just hoping for mine. :) Get out and vote, everyone. This is a big one.

Unknown said...

Christie, congratulations on a job well done! This looks like a wonderful book! Can't wait to get my hands on one!

I just got back from voting-- 60's and overcast here today. There was a bit of a line when I arrived at the polling place, but it moved with amazing speed and the poll workers were really on the ball. I had voted and was out of there in 20 minutes! And by the time I left the wait was down to nothing.

There was a very heavy voter turn-out for pre-voting here. One estimate said 30% of our country had already voted by election day. That's huge.

Meanwhile, I was really annoyed by campaigners outside the polls (yes, thy were the legal distance away) who shook their signs at me and looked like they'd climb on the car if I gave them half a chance. These people were clearly RETIREES! Honestly, they acted a little tipsy. (And they say teenagers are obnoxious!)

That lot were not doing their candidate any good, in my opinion.

Whew. Got that off my chest.

Unknown said...

Sorry, I meant 30% of our COUNTY, not country! Arghhhh.

And Helen, that is so cool, getting to vote with your child for the first time. I remember my eldest's first election. I think that was when he realized he was "all grown up."

Christie Ridgway said...

Cool, Helen! Enjoy the momentous moment with your daughter.

Betina: That's amazing about the retirees. I don't imagine I'll find anything like that at my polling place. Also amazing about the 30 percent who have already voted. I'm wishing I had done it by mail a little, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it. But I do really like going to the local place on Election Day. I see my neighbors and just enjoy the process.

Maureen said...

Hi Christie!
Congratulations on the new book!
This was the first time my daughter voted so we went when the polls open at 7am and met a nice woman in line who we talked to for a while. It took us about an hour to vote so it wasn't too bad.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the book- I'll be watching out for it!

Voting was a family affair this year because my 9 year old son learned about elections at school and that generated a lot of interest on his part. And of course, if one kid likes something the other wants to like it too!

So we watched every debate, we read the newspaper together on Sundays and then I explained propositions/judges until my son was totally sure of how he wanted to vote (and I was slightly bonkers). I voted by mail 2 weeks ago and my son voted online for school. We also used the sample ballot to track how he voted and we will have a small election party tonight cpmplete with pizza!

We are in Tucson, AZ and the weather is finally cooling off to a comfortable 79 degrees.

KylieBrant said...

Christie, I love your cover and your book sounds fabulous!

I did my volunteering last night so was free to wait until the lines died down today. Just voted a little while ago and there was no waiting. I think there will only be lines before and after work hours.

Helen, how exciting to be voting with your daughter for the first time! Two of my kids caucused for the first time this year and have really gotten enthused about their candidate. It's great to hear younger people talking about the issues and to hear their perspective.

ruth said...

Christie, Congratulations on the release of Unravel Me and the wonderful reviews.
It was great since our family went to early voting last weekend. Hope that your day goes well.
Here it is 70 and bright sunshine and deep blue skies.

Terry S said...

I'm in Oregon and we have Oregon sunshine (rain) today. Oregon has had mail in voting only for many years now. I dropped my ballot off Friday so I'm okay, but there are huge lines of cars at all the ballot drop off sites today. Unlike many states, the ballot has to be received today, not just postmarked today. It is expected that we will have 80% plus voter turnout.

I visited my favorite e-book site earlier this morning and purchased "Unravel Me". Can't wait to get home from work and start reading.

Kathleen Eagle said...

We don't have early voting in MN, and we have same day registration right at the polls. I don't know why they don't do that everywhere. We generally have one of the highest if not the highest voter turnout in the country. We use the optical scanner, which I'm hearing lately is the best kind of machine out there because you have the paper ballot and the computerized reader/counter. Saw a computer geek on the news demonstrate hacking a touch screen machine by breaking in and switching chips in under 3 minutes. There ought to be a law.

cheryl c said...

I live in Georgia, and we have had advance voting in one location in my county for 3 or 4 weeks. I voted 2 weeks ago, and it was a breeze. As of last Friday, 35% of the registered voters in my county had voted.

It is a gorgeous day here today, so I imagine the voting will set records.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Oh--we voted at 9:15. No line but there was a steady stream. Another thing we have here is lots of polling sites. Again, there ought to be a law. They need to chop up those polling whatchacallits so they can handle big turnouts. Sure it costs a little more, but there's no excuse for having octogenarian + voters wait in line for 10 hours. There just isn't.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Betina, I didn't see any campaigners at our poll. (Remember MN Nice?) They have to be a certain distance from the door--don't know what that is--none in the parking lot. MN is one of those states that disallows campaign paraphernalia when you come to vote--no buttons, t-shirts, etc. I wore my t-shirt (for luck) under another shirt.

CrystalGB said...

Congratulations on the release of Unravel Me.
I plan to vote after work. I have heard there aren't lines in my town.
It is warm and sunny here.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Christie, big congrats on your new book! Great colors on that cover--really pops.

KylieBrant said...

I can't remember ever seeing people campaigning outside a polling station. Like if someone had their mind made up that would make them change it? Seems like there are far more effective things to have volunteers do.

My son and his wife voted yesterday but now they're sad about that because Starbucks in Des Moines is giving away free food for everyone with an I Voted sticker today. They're really bummed they are missing out on a free lunch, LOL!

Unknown said...

Christie, congrats on the new book. Yay, it's finally out! I loved How to Knit a Wild Bikini, the first in the series and am anxious to read Unravel Me. It's cool and sunny up here in Northern California. And yes, it poured yesterday afternoon.

Anonymous said...

congrats ont eh book. vote by mail was exciting too lol.
go vote all 2008

cant wait til results

good everyone.
kh

Keri Ford said...

Congrats, Christie! Those reviews are well deserved!

I just got back from voting a bit ago. the line was short, but the people in front of me really took their time in the voting box. I waited, with my 25lb 19month old on my hip, for 40 or so minutes. It's sunny and high 70's here.


www.EverybodyNeedsALittleRomance.com

Lori said...

Yup, I voted. I was in line at 6:15 this morning in my small town. The line went around the school already. But, I was done by 7:20. Thankfully, we had no snafus. Everyone was just grateful that this will finally be over, and the slew of ads on TV, radio, and the people in the streets everyday with their signs will all be done!

Debra Dixon said...

We voted early. Last week. Stood in line 2.5 hours then. Visited my hairdresser today. She voted this morning and thought she was going to have to cancel. Took her about 2 hours.

Weather is beautiful here in West Tennessee.

flip said...

Voted in Victor, ID shortly after 8:00 a.m. The weather was wretched. They had arranged the polling place so that no one had to stand in the snow. There was no line. I voted very quickly.

Anonymous said...

voted early last Thursday- was in and out in about five minutes- Colorado has the largest state ballot in over 80 years so I took my cheat sheet with me and life was happy.

Voting today seems to be going well in my small town. The parking lots are full but I see different cars each time I go by so the lines must be moving well.

KylieBrant said...

Even though I am a huge political junkie, I too will be glad to have this election cycle over. It seems like it's lasted twice as long as usual!

Christie Ridgway said...

Wow, love these voter/voting stories! I'm home from my volunteer gig and am about to go down to my polling site. Trying to decide if I should wait until after lunch, but it's in a neighborhood so I don't think people are coming home mid-day to vote.

We have rain here, though. In SoCal! It does happen!

But Idaho with snow. So no complaining from me.

pearl said...

I voted last week becaue of early voting which was great. Here in NM it is ideal. Sunny and warm.

Christie Ridgway said...

Voting was a breeze for me! There were two people in line to check in ahead of me, but open "stations" (or whatever you'd call them).

I have my little sticker and feel good. This year we had paper ballots that we had to mark with black pens. I very consciously filled my bubbles.

Now I don't know what to do with myself. Think I'll read!

Jane said...

Happy Release Day, Christie. We don't have early voting in NY. I voted in the early afternoon, so the lines were real short. It only took me fifteen minutes. The lines were real long in the morning and they anticipate the lines will be long after 5pm till closing. Everyone was real nice and helpful. I didn't get a sticker though.

Dina said...

I'm back after voting.

My new job let us leave 2 hrs early to vote, how nice and I get pd. ;)

This mourning there was a long line outside, but at 3:15, I walked right in and now enjoying the rest day off!

It's 73 here too and I'm loving it!

Anonymous said...

Question: Are you really a knitter? It can be a little difficult to read someone who's only pretending. ;)

I voted early. Here in Oklahoma it'sbeautiful and clear out. I doubt the lines here in Pawnee County will get long until after 5 or so. Then they'll be out the door. At least they were 4 years ago.
Susan

petite said...

I voted early and weather is lovely. Congratulations on the release. Looks wonderful.

Estella said...

I live in Oregon and we vote by mail, so I voted several days ago.
The weather is stormy here today---wind and rain, even had a hail storm this morning.

Christie Ridgway said...

sshay: I am a new knitter, which is why in the first book the heroine is a new knitter too. My mentor owns the little yarn shop a few blocks away from me. Jane is fab. She chose my first project, cast it on for me, and then helped me through my problems. Our sons are on the same volleyball team and we sat next to each other at each game last spring as I worked on getting better.

That said, enjoying the books doesn't require any knitter expertise. The knitting is a thematic element (people coming together to create a family) rather than any kind of how-to.

Christie Ridgway said...

Jane: No sticker! Waah. Here you can get Starbucks coffee and a Krispy Kreme donut for free if you have one. Confession: I have never had a KK donut.

Dina: Nice that your job let's you out for voting. Good for them--and you!

Fedora said...

Christie--huge congrats on this! What, you say you've never had a KK donut?! Aack! Get thee to a KK now! ;) You deserve at least one!

We had a pretty painless voting experience. We filled in our absentee ballots over the weekend, and dropped them off along with our kids this morning at their school (also conveniently our polling place). It was clear this morning (after a few days of rain) so we were even able to walk! We got stickers but didn't make it to Starbucks or KK... maybe it's time to head out ;)

Christie Ridgway said...

flchen1: I'm going to an election party (well, just me and my friend and our boys, since our husbands have other commitments) and I'm supposed to bring wine. Maybe I'll get my coffee on the way there or I won't be able to stay awake to see the results!

Ellory said...

I cut short my morning run when I saw how many people were at the polling center at 6am. I went home, showered, and got my middle kidlet up to vote. It took us almost an hour to vote. It was a grey day.

Unknown said...

Congrats on the new release! Unravel Me sounds great!

Caffey said...

Our area is separated by district for us to vote and we are near a college so the line there was huge!!! Our line itself was not bad, but each machine for each district varied but we were one with an area where alot go during the day, so when I went in the evening it was not as bad except for the college students. It was great to see the huge line of theirs!

Oh this book sounds so good! I haven't read one of yours Christie's in a while and I got to change that! They always lift my spirits and just a great good feel read (and hot romance too!)

Playground Monitor said...

I'm late to the party. Aside from spending two hours waiting in 75-degree sunshine on an asphalt parking lot to vote, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo and have to get my word count in or I can't watch any TV or read any books. After voting I went to Starbucks for my free cup of coffee and wrote about 600 words longhand while sipping my coffee and eating a piece of pumpkin nut bread.

It was terrific to see such lines though. It meant people were taking their rights as citizens seriously and they cared about the future of our country. This was my 10th presidential election to vote in, and it was as exciting as the first.

Marilyn

Unknown said...

well i didnt vote, so im one that cant complain about how the country is running, but my fella actauuly drugged out of bed and went,very few lines, what realllllllllly sucked, they let the schools out so ppl could use the school to vote at!!
there was suppose to be a vampire on the ticket, if had been i would have went to vote,lol just for fun

personally. now i try to stya out of politics, but why npot both elephant and donkey president and vice?
see we could have obama abd pailin and get the black pres and woman
and both rep and dem together
o well
like i said i didnt vote so i cant complain
l

ReadingIsSoMuchFun said...

Hi Christie! Congratulations on your new release YaY! Unravel Me sounds really good and very cute cover.

I am from NJ. It was my first time voting and it felt good. I am very happy I voted :-) My fiance and I went out at 6am and was only there for 5 minutes. No long lines at all. There were quite a few people there though but it was so early so not many yet.

Hugssss
LindaH

Laurie G said...

I voted at 8 AM in Florida. It was cloudy, windy and 64 degrees. NO WAIT!! Early voting made a huge difference down here!!

ArkieRN said...

Hi Christie! I'm a new knitter myself. I'm about a third of the way through my first project - an afghan.

Also, hie thee to KK for a doughnut. They are an orgasmic experience.

Lois said...

Sure wasn't bad here, but then we went right smack at 6am. Considering the area, there were more people that I thought. Compared to the pictures on tv in other areas, no, not that busy, but compared to years and elections past, definitely more. And even here in NJ, following the local news sites, plenty busy out there. Weather wasn't too bad either. :)

Lois

Rae said...

I didn't get a chance to enter, but the book was so wonderful! Tears, laughter, "heck yeahs!" all over the place. :-)

And I can't WAIT for the next one. That teaser at the end is killing me already...I'm so excited for the final story, I was almost in tears at the end of the teaser. Can you release it early? Pretty please?