Book Beginning & DOUBLE GIVEAWAY: Cleans Up Nicely by Linda Dahl

SEE BELOW FOR DOUBLE GIVEAWAY DETAILS

LAST WEEK'S GIVEAWAY WINNERS:

Cynthia at Things You Read in Books and Juli at A Universe in Words are the lucky winners of Drive by Raymond Ahrens. Read more about this thought-provoking new book here.

BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS: I am experimenting with getting this post up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. We'll try it this way for a couple of months to see if people like the option of early posting. If you have feelings one way or the other, please comment.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I am trying to follow all Book Beginning participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Her destination, that summer of 1977, is a luxury apartment building, upper Fifth Avenue, a slice of New York life completely alien to her.

Cleans Up Nicely by Linda Dahl. 

THE BOOK: "When twenty-something artist Erica Mason moves from laidback Mexico to Manhattan in the mid-1970s, she finds a hard-edged, decadent, and evolving art scene. Her life there leads her to a self-destructive string of affairs with men, alcohol, and drugs – but also, ultimately, to the self-respect that has long eluded her."

So far, this strikes me a gritty chick lit with an edge.  The mid-70s New York setting makes it retro-cool irresistible.

THE GIVEAWAY

Thanks to hard-working book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek, I have TWO copies of the finished paperback edition of Cleans up Nicely to give away to TWO lucky book bloggers.  Even better, this is a LEAPFROG giveaway, meaning that both winners will get to host a giveaway of their own!

The contest is for readers in the USA only (sorry) and is open until Thursday, August 29, 2013, at 4:00 PST. There are five ways to enter and each one is worth a chance to win. To enter, do any or all of the following, but you must leave a comment for each one and you must put an email address in a comment:

1. Comment on this post. You must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway. Posting the giveaway on your sidebar is also acceptable. Leave a separate comment with a link to your post. (1 entry)

3. Follow this blog with Google or NetworkedBlogs, or subscribe via email (or tell me if you already are a subscriber or follower). Leave a separate comment for this. (1 entry)

4. Tweet this post on Twitter. Leave me a separate comment with your twitter user name. (1 entry)

5. Post this on a social network. Put it on facebook, post it on Google+, pin it on Pinterest, Stumble it, digg it, reddit, or otherwise put it out there in the social network. Leave a separate comment with a link or explanation. (1 entry)

There are a lot of ways to enter (maximum of five entries), but you must LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT for each one or they will not count. I will use random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is open to entries from the U.S. only. The deadline for entry is 4:00 PM, Pacific Time, on Thursday, August 29, 2013. I will draw and post the winner's name in my Book Beginning post going up at 5:00 PM on August 29, 2013.