Posts Tagged ‘Reader Challenges’

DailyLit News: February 2010

Note from the CEO
I love snow days! I’m holed up in my house, kids outside sleigh-riding (no wonder it’s peaceful!), with time for myself—a real treat! Speaking of which, we have some real treats in store for you this month. We’ve got a short story from Alice Munroe’s new collection that everyone’s been raving about, and we’ve just launched a Berlitz French series, which follows on the heels of last month’s popular Berlitz Spanish course. Oh, and for you SAT-takers, check out our new Kaplan SAT series. Uh oh. Kids just got home. There goes that peace and quiet!

Susan Danziger
CEO/Founder, DailyLit
sdanziger@dailylit.com

Alice Munro: Our Big Read
Writer Alice Munro won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for her lifetime body of work, and people are over the moon about her latest short story collection, Too Much Happiness. We’re excited to feature one of her short stories (”Fiction”) as this month’s Big Read. Life, love and writing all intertwine in one woman’s life. Read it here.

New! Berlitz Essential French (and Spanish)
Given the amazing response we had from the launch of Berlitz Spanish Lessons, we’ve teamed up with Berlitz again to offer Berlitz Essential French. And while we’re at it, we’re offering Berlitz Essential Spanish too. Both series feature bite-sized lessons in vocabulary perfect for travelers (or at least arm-chair travelers), from culture to transportation and accommodations. Read Essential French here and Essential Spanish here. (And if you missed our exclusive Berlitz Spanish Lessons, you can find those here.)

Kaplan SAT Prep
Taking the SATs or have a friend who’s due? We’ve got a daily course for that extra little something—and it’s all on us! Read it here.

Reader Challenge: Love Bites
We heard about this challenge on Twitter and thought it would be a fun Reader Challenge for February. Tell a love story (your own or make one up) in 140 characters or fewer—that is, the length of a single tweet or short sentence. We’ll choose five winners who will each receive a copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love, a collection of folks talking about love. Post your love bites in our Reader Challenge Forum by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, March 7th to be included in the contest.

New Detective Story
We know from our recent survey that Laurel Dewey’s heroine, Detective Jane Perry, has become a reader favorite, so we’re excited to launch the fifth and final piece of original fiction featuring the detective, Promissory Payback. And if you missed the first four pieces, you can find them here.

Our Book Channel
Our Book Channel brings you excerpts from books hand-selected by DailyLit staff and those in the know in the book industry. We’ve recently featured the 2009 Man Book Prize winner for fiction; a new novel that O, the Oprah Magazine called “mesmerizing;” and the #1 New York Times bestselling Happiness Project. What’s up next? It’s a surprise, of course, but count on more bestsellers, award-winners, and buzzed-about titles—the ones everyone will be talking about. Sign up for our Book Channel here.

And, finally, thought you’d enjoy this love sonnet from Shakespeare (I’ve always heard the first line but never really read it myself):

XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

From Sonnets by William Shakespeare.

Reader Challenge: Love Bites

Since it includes Valentine’s Day, February is the month of love. We heard about this love-themed challenge on Twitter and thought it would be perfect for this month’s challenge.

Tell a love story–your own or one you make up–in 140 characters or less: that is, the length of a single tweet or short sentence. We’ll select five winners, each of whom will receive a copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love (in more than 140 characters!). Post your love bites in our Reader Challenge Forum by 11:59pm on Sunday, March 7 to be included in the challenge. Good luck!

Announcing the Winners of Anne Rice Creative Challenge

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Encounter with an Angel reader challenge. We’re delighted to announce the winners as selected by bestselling author. Each writer will receive a signed copy of Anne’s new book Angel Time. Congratulations!

Here, in no particular order, are the winners:

Elora, whose entry Anne thought was “delightfully original:”
Dancing together, we rise into the room. Looking down at motionless me, I am unafraid. “This is not your time but dance with me a moment longer.” Chords of sweet melody fill the air, my spirit intertwines with his until the crescendo. He leaves, and I live …again.

Alex.Allen, whose story Anne selected because of the “very touching description of the grandfather”
In response to my saying ‘tell me’, she turned. In her eyes, this glint flickered, like an aging ballerina, recalling her first dance steps at age six.

“When my grandfather died. He had said, simply: ‘light, so much light’. Then he…”

She turned away.

My work done, I smiled, disappearing.

laureqisaok2, whose story Anne thought “revisited the Angel of Christmas with great sensitivity.”
Mom cradles Baby Jesus, carved decades ago by Greatgrandpa in Holland. Tears drop on His broken body, sacrificed on the wrong holiday.

Nearby, Dad beerily snores into his Santa hat, passed out again.
Xmas morning, squabbling over presents, nobody notices Angel Gabriel lopsidedly watching Mary kneel before an empty manger.

DailyLit News: January 2010

Note from the CEO

I’ve been thrilled by your enthusiastic response to DailyLit and how much you appreciate our making all our books and stories free. Now it’s time to share the love. Tell 5 friends about DailyLit—pass on the word at dinner, forward installments to your colleagues, or mention DailyLit to moms at pick up. You can also now use your address book to invite your friends to read along or publish to your Facebook page. Thanks for spreading the word!

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger@dailylit.com

Berlitz Spanish Lessons

Ever wanted to learn Spanish? Enjoy our daily, complimentary Spanish course created exclusively for DailyLit by Berlitz. Available only through May 1st. Read it here.

DailyLit’s Big Read

January is the month of Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday, so in his honor this month’s Big Read is his short story “Murders in the Rue Morgue.” It’s the world’s first-ever detective fiction—without Poe’s Auguste Dupin there might never have been a Sherlock Holmes. Read it here.

Reader Challenge

It’s a brand new decade, full of possibilities and hope. This month’s reader challenge taps into that optimism. Complete this sentence: “What I wish for the world in 2010 is….” And remember, one complete sentence only! Share your wishes for the world—literary, political, imaginary, whatever—in our Reader Challenge Forum.

New Feature: Invite a Friend

Don’t go it alone—invite your friends to join you. Now, when you start reading a book on DailyLit, you’ll be able to instantly publish what you’re reading to Facebook, Yahoo, and other sites. And if you open up your address book, you can invite any number of friends to join in one big read-along.

New Short Fiction from Laurel Dewey

Laurel Dewey’s compelling heroine Detective Jane Perry returns in this fourth original piece of short fiction. Here Jane investigates a suspicious death and uncovers secrets she could never have imagined. Read it here. (And find three other pieces by Laurel Dewey here.)

Make 2010 the Year of The Book

Always wanted to read Anna Karenina? Moby Dick? Pride and Prejudice? Make this the year that you finally tackle The Book—you know, one major classic you ought to have read at some point in your life. Take it one day and one installment at a time—you can do it! Check out our Classics for inspiration.

Your DailyLit Story

Thanks to everyone who took our reader survey last month—we loved reading your feedback (and your kind words about DailyLit). We’d like to feature stories about your experience with DailyLit and what you’ve been able to accomplish so if you have a story to share, please email us at support@dailylit.com.

Last Day to Enter Reader Challenge with Guest Judge Anne Rice

It’s the last day to enter our Reader Challenge with Guest Judge Anne Rice! We’ve timed the challenge to end right when the ’00s decade does: tonight at 11:59pm EST. Here’s the challenge: In exactly 50 words, tell a story of an encounter with an angel. Anne Rice will select her three favorites, each of whom will win a signed copy of Rice’s new book Angel Time. Post your encounters in our Reader Challenge forum no later than 11:59pm EST tonight (December 31st). Get writing!

Reader Challenge with Guest Judge Anne Rice–2 More Days!

There are just two more days left of 2009, which means you have just two more days to enter our Reader Challenge with guest judge Anne Rice. In exactly 50 words, tell a story of an encounter with an angel.  Anne will select her three favorites, each of whom will win a signed copy of her new book Angel Time. Post your encounters in our Reader Challenge forum no later than 11:59pm EST on December 31st. Get to it!

Enter Our Reader Challenge with Guest Judge Anne Rice

For this month’s creative challenge, “Encounter with an Angel,” we’re delighted to welcome guest judge Anne Rice, whose new book Angel Time recently debuted. As you might guess from the title, the challenge asks you to describe an encounter with an angel–fictional or real–in no more than 50 words. Anne Rice will be reading your entries and selecting her three favorites, whose writers will each receive a signed copy of her new book. You have until the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2009 (11:59pm EST) to submit your entry for judging here. Good luck!

Winners of the November Reader Challenge

Thanks so much to all who participated in our November Reader Challenge. It certainly wasn’t easy to choose three winners–there were many great entries–but here are our three favorites. Congratulations to mir777, mountaingirl, And agedcheddar! You’ll each receive a copy of Mollie Katzen’s new cookbook Get Cooking. (And remember, December’s  Reader Challenge is open right now–visit the Reader Challenge forum to enter.)

Here are the winning stories. Enjoy!

mir777:
“Martha, your potatoes souffle is simply divine,” Leticia murmured through a mouthful of marshmallowed sweet potatoes.
“Divine?” Martha burst into tears.
Raising a languid eyebrow, Letitia stared, puzzled, at Martha.
Martha, breathing deeply, replied, “I know about you and my husband.”
Harold crushed the Parker House roll, that he had just fetched from the basket, in his clenched fist and began to sweat.

mountaingirl:
No more questions about my job, cat, or horrid roommate. I will jump from my corner chair, thrust myself over yet another dry turkey, grab my mousy hair and scream my head off. But Charlie is smiling more, and Cara actually helped cook. The corner chair’s not so bad really.

agedcheddar:
Every year I put two extra place settings at the table for my Mother and Brother. It’s my way of saying that they may be gone but are certainly not forgotten. Last year was no different. Midway through the meal my five year old Granddaughter says, “Bubbe, you need to give the lady some more turkey”. No sooner had she spoken those words when her twin brother says, “And that boy needs more milk”. I was too blind to see but the eyes of five year olds are much more keen!

DailyLit News: December 2009

Note from the CEO
DailyLit is now 100% free! That’s right. You heard me. It’s a new era for DailyLit—we’ve ditched the books for pay but will keep our focus on offering you the highest quality books and stories. And with the holidays upon us, remember, you can send any DailyLit book or story (maybe one with a holiday theme?) as a fun free gift to your friends (with your own personalized message in each installment). And if you go away, you can temporarily suspend your book and have it automatically resume for when you get back.
Happy Holidays!

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

DailyLit: Now 100% FREE
We’ve been listening to our readers, and it’s clear that you most appreciate the books we’ve made available for free. So starting now, every book, story and series featured on DailyLit will be 100% free. We’ll be relying on sponsors to help support DailyLit so let us know of any sponsors who may be interested at sponsor[at]dailylit[dot]com. And please pass it on—DailyLit books are now 100% FREE!

New! Book Channel
DailyLit Selects—our series of excerpts from new and noteworthy books—is becoming DailyLit’s Book Channel. We’ll be featuring pieces from special guest contributor Sara Nelson, author of the bestselling So Many Books, So Little Time (and former editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, currently the Books Director for O, the Oprah Magazine). And we’ve also got book recommendations from “Gotham Gal”, hailed as the “woman around town.” All free, of course. Read it.

DailyLit’s Big Read: A Christmas Carol
The choice for this month’s Big Read is a natural. Join us in celebrating the season by reading Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Need I say it? It’s FREE. Read it.

New Reads (All Free!)
—The Book of the Shepherd: Just in time for the holidays comes The Book of the Shepherd, a parable for modern minds that comes “highly recommended for anyone interested in personal spirituality.” Read it.
—New story by Laurel Dewey: In Anonymous, the third original Jane Perry story, the heroine encounters a woman with a harrowing story to tell—and a mystery that runs far deeper than Jane at first realizes. Read it. (Missed the first two Jane Perry stories? Find them here.)

Reader Challenge—Guest Judge Anne Rice
With the holidays upon us and angels getting their wings in re-runs of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” this month’s creative challenge centers around angels. In exactly 50 words, tell a story of an encounter with an angel. Anne Rice, whose book Angel Time recently debuted, will be our guest judge this month. She’ll select her three favorites, each of whom will win a signed copy of Angel Time. Post your encounters in our Reader Challenge Forum no later than 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

Take Our Survey (you could win advance copy of major novel)
We need your help in supporting our move to be 100% free. Please take our short reader survey, which will help us attract new books and sponsors to our site. To sweeten the deal, we’ll be giving advance reader copies of internationally best-selling author Henning Mankell’s new book, The Man from Beijing, to five people who complete the survey. Take the survey.

Five More Days to Enter Reader Challenge

Before you head off for the Thanksgiving holiday, remember that you only have until the end of Sunday–November 29 at 11:59pm EST–to enter this month’s Reader Challenge. We’re asking you to imagine a fictional holiday gathering and describe—in no more than 50 words—a character, conversation or event at your holiday meal. We’ll pick three winners, each of whom will receive a copy of Mollie Katzen’s new book Get Cooking.

So hurry–submit your entries in our Reader Challenge forum before the food coma sets in and the sales start.

Previous posts
Earlier posts