The Quickie

By  Elaine Viets                                                                     

 

Hah! I knew that title would get the attention of our TLC readers.

I need your help, folks.

Hank Phillippi Ryan and I also blog for the Femmes Fatales (yes, we Tarts get around) and we want to fine tune our blog. The Books Tarts, our sister blog, has agreed to help us.                                                                                                                

We’d like you to answer a short survey so we can give you better blogs.

I know, I know, we’re good. But good isn’t good enough. We want to be the best. 

All these books you see here can be yours if you’ll help us. We’ll even autograph them.

Here’s what you have to do: Take one of the the online surveys below. Then you can enter a drawing to win these  16 autographed  books.                                                 

All eight Femmes Fatales -- Donna Andrews, Dana Cameron, Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner, Kris Neri, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Saums and me, Elaine Viets – will sign and send you one of our books. You know the Femmes. Charlaine blogged here yesterday.

But wait, there’s more! as they say on the infomercials. 
The Lipstick Chronicles authors Brunonia Barry, Diane Chamberlain, Heather Graham, Harley Jane Kozak, Nancy Martin and Nancy Pickard will send you one of their bestselling novels.

Book  Tart Margaret Maron will give you a choice of her latest book, "Sand Sharks," or if you’re willing to wait till November, her new novel, "Christmas Mourning."

I’ll send you either my new Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper novel, "An Uplifting Murder" in November or the hardcover "Half-Price Homicide" right now.

The first survey is only for readers of either The Lipstick Chronicles or the Femmes Fatales.

The second survey is for people who like to read blogs, any blogs. We don’t care if you don’t read our blogs. (Well, we do, but not for this  survey.) You can enter the drawing no matter  which survey you answer.

What do we want to know?

We’re asking what you like to read. What topics would you like to see more? Less? What about our blog layout: Is it boring? Complicated? Just right?

Most of the survey uses multiple choice or yes and no answers. There’s also a section for comments. What if you’re a TLC readers who follows Me, Margie’s slogan – IOCHFTS – I Only Come Here For The Sex?  Then speak up, and we’ll give you more sex.

Er, more of the sprightly blogs you desire.

You can tell us what you really think. You won’t hurt our feelings. We want you to. We won’t see your names, except if you win the drawing. Even then, we won’t see what you said about us. The Sterling Ad Co. will read your actual responses.

Fill out one – and only one – of these surveys. No matter which survey you take, you’re still eligible to enter the drawing for the 16 autographed books. You’ll have the tallest TBR – To Be Read – pile in  the neighborhood. We’re giving you your  own personal library of autographed bestsellers. It won’t cost you so much as a 
postage stamp. Here are the surveys:                                        

Survey 1: Do you read the Femmes Fatales or The Lipstick Chronicles? Go to this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sterling_mysteryblogs

Survey 2: Do you read blogs, just not TLC and the Femmes Fatales? Use this link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sterling_goodblogs 

 We need your answers quick. The deadline is this Sunday, October 3. The Sterling Ad Co. will pick the winner.

Spend a little time with us and we’ll give you hours of reading pleasure.

 NOTE: If you take the first survey and answer "Neither" to the question: "Do you read the Lipstick Chronicles or the Femmes Fatales?" then the survey will end. Please go to Survey 2.

 

Comments

[peach]

Glad to see you got question 3 on survey one corrected since yesterday. Even though I was unable to answer it yesterday, I'm not going to redo the survey as it will skew your numbers. Didn't say it in the survey, but you need to get Holly's help in redesign if that's how the survey results turn out.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

May I enter? I WANT those books...oh, okay, never
mind...

[Harley]

Oh, good grief -- I want those books too. Seeing them all lined up there gave me an adrenaline rush. So many books. So little time.

[Marcia in OK]

Books!

[Karen in Ohio]

This blog is like crack, I swear. Every time I think I've caught up with all your books you guys dangle more in front of us.

But thank you for introducing me to Brunonia's The Lace Reader, which I just finished. It's an incredibly good read. Usually, I read like lightning, but just couldn't do it with that book. It's delicious, and meant to be savored slowly, like a fine, rare wine.

Is that laying it on too thick? Maybe so. Sorry. I got caught up in the mystique of the lace reading. What a fantastic story device.

[Alan P.]

Sixteen books may mean a nasty letter from my letter carrier!

[Laura (in PA)]

Pick me!!! What a great group of books to win.

[Nancy Pickard]

"Pick me!!!" Lol, Laura!

What was wrong with the original question #3? I read the survey, but I don't know if I read it before or after correction.

[Kerry]

OK, now, I normally don't like to do this, but after seeing that collection of books . . . . I'll fight y'all for them :)

Karen, I TOTALLY agree about The Lace Reader!

[karla]

Thanks, Nancy, for recommending "As Husbands Go". It was a good read, and had the added perk of having the cover creep out my husband. I'm a long-time lurker who reads both LC and Femmes...and I did the survey.

[DebbraSue]

YEAH -- more authors to read!! Gotta go update the spreadsheet, after I fill out the survey, of course.

[Elaine Viets]

Thank you all for taking the survey. And no, Hank, you are not eligible. You'll have to buy the books, but tell you friends to take the survey. If they win, maybe they'll lend them to you.
I've read most of the novels, except Margaret's "Christmas Mourning" which I'm looking forward to.
Agree about the "Lace Reader." I hate the reviewer cliche "richly textured" but it was.

[Nancy Pickard]

The Lace Reader is wonderful. So inventive and beautifully written. And she's OURS.

[Kaye Barley]

i love surveys.
Surveys and lists.
and books.
Which makes this perfect blog even more perfect today.
AND - I agree with everyone about The Lace Reader!

[Pam aka SisterZip]

ME ME MEMEMEMEMEME

I'll take the books...I took the survey!

[Elaine Viets]

Sure am glad I don't have to pick the winner.
Alan P., the books won't be sent in one mail-carrier crushing package. Each author will mail out her book separately.

[gaylin in vancouver]

I am hoping that eagerness will help me win, I did the survey at midnight(ish) PST - as soon as it was posted . . .

I love doing surveys. Can the winner be Canadian?

To quote Pam: "ME ME MEMEMEMEMEME".

[storyteller Mary]

No MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Book addiction may be relatively benign, but it is strong!
BTW, the end of the survey automatically redirects to Femmes Fatale -- not back to TLC (or is that a deliberate cross-over ploy?)
The concern for the mail carriers is appropriate -- what a big box that would be!
A friend just wrote about a relative calling to ask her to update her address book. Mail going to the old house (eight years back) wasn't a problem, as the new owner was a friend, but the recent shipping of a big box was an inconvenience to the mail carrier, who said he wouldn't promise to carry another all that way for them . . .
BTW, shall we chime in non-scientifically as well? I love the interesting graphics on the site, and adore the witty writing! (Today's book covers do chop up the text quite oddly, but they look so yummy!)

[Marie]

I just donated loads of books for the library book sale so that now I have room for the books offered as prizes here. The timing is perfect.
This site is so much fun and addicting too. The survey was easy and fun. Crossing my fingers to win.

[Elaine Viets]

Of course the winner can be Canadian, Gaylin. This is an international blog.

[Karen in Ohio]

To answer Nancy's question: Originally that part of the survey had a glitch that only allowed one answer per column. So if I answered one "Very Much Agree", I couldn't answer the same way for any of the other four (?) questions, even if that's how I intended to answer.

Elaine got them to fix it, though, spit spot!

[Nancy Pickard]

Thanks, Karen. Elaine is efficient!

[Elaine Viets]

Actually, Sterling Ad Co. fixed it. Glad you alerted me to the problem.

[Laraine]

I absolutely promise to fill out the survey, but it is too late this evening for me to stay up and do so . . . I'll come back tomorrow to catch up and survey-answer and such.

Meanwhile, the Steves are just too adorable. I want the TBR pile you're offering and one of the Steves . . . choose one and send him on over.

Miss you guys when I'm too busy to read. Glad the good times are still rolling.

[Laraine]

OK, I have now completed the survey with all answers fully considered. So, squaring my shoulders and hoping to be a little taller than the crowd, I respectfully raise my hand and say, 'I want the books, please.' Only, my voice cracks under the strain of trying to behave with dignity, so it's only too clear that I'm going, 'me, me, me' along with everyone else.