Wag The Fox's "Win These Five" Book Giveaway

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week and to help celebrate I am hosting my first ever book giveaway.

I've never held a book giveaway before, so I may as well make this one count. I'm giving away five books from my own collection to one lucky winner. I am the kind of reader who will be reluctant at times to part with books even after reading them, but I do force myself on occasion to cull the herd. This time, instead of donating to the library or exchanging them at a used-book store, I'm picking out five paperbacks that are in very-good-to-great condition to mail out to a fellow rabid reader.

The five books are:

The Black Act by Louise Bohmer (Library of Horror Press, 2009) [reviewed just this month] - This is my most recent purchase among the five. In fact, my review for it was just posted back on September 9th. A dark fantasy, it's the debut novel of a Canadian author and features some refreshingly dark depictions of fairy tales and folklore. It was even on the preliminary ballot for a Bram Stoker Award this year.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (HarperCollins, 2007) [reviewed in Feb '10]- Here's another debut novel, one that garnered so much praise it managed to win a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a first novel. I still have a hardcover edition of this book, so I can afford to give away the paperback.

Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys (Orion Books, 2009) - This is the one book of the five I haven't read yet. It got lost in the shuffle somehow. As such it's in pristine condition, so I decided to add it to the giveaway. I'll just have to hunt down another copy or borrow it from the library, because I still want to read this one about the life and times of Vlad the Impaler, the real life inspiration for Count Dracula.

Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan (HarperCollins, 2009) [reviewed in Dec '09] - I like me a good haunted house tale, and this one was a good one. The comparisons to The Shining and Rosemary's Baby are apt considering the book's tone, but Langan has a distinct style that makes this book stand up on its own. Heck, it won a Bram Stoker Award this year, so I can't be the only one who liked it.

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells (Orbit Books, 2009) [reviewed in June '09] - How about some urban fantasy to top off this giveaway? Jaye Wells' debut novel about an assassin/vampire carries enough action and humor to warrant favorable comparison to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The sequel Mage in Black is out now too, but I haven't had a chance to read that yet--but I will.

That's a pretty nice assortment of dark fiction if you ask me. And they're all in need of a new home. So, how do you get your name thrown in the proverbial hat? Simple. Just keeping reading ...

THE RULES:

• This giveaway is limited to entrants in Canada and the U.S. and will end on Monday, September 27th at 12:00 PM EST. Shipping rates are killer in Canada, so I'm afraid it won't be international beyond America.

• To enter, simply fill out the form below. The only two field you must enter are a name and e-mail address.
• To earn a bonus entry into the contest, all you have to do is become a follower if you aren't one already.
• One winner will be selected at random and notified via e-mail or Twitter. I'll be using random.org ... or maybe I'll go old school by drawing a name from a hat. Whatever the case, it will be very random. Plus, I'll make an announcement here on the blog later that week.

That's it. Simple as that. I've also added two other voluntary questions that have no bearing on bonus entries or anything beyond satisfying my own curiosity. If you don't want to answer either, that's fine by me.

Good luck to everyone, and have a great BBAW!