The thrilling conclusion to the tail of the Guy on a Buffalo!
Episode 3:
Episode 4:
Does this make anyone else want a pet buffalo?
Author: lizjohnson
Guy on a Buffalo
One day …
Ever notice how great stories always start with “One day …”? Well, that’s how the story of the Guy on a Buffalo starts.
If you’re not one of the 2.5 million viewers of this YouTube sensation, I’m so, so happy to share with you the delightful tail of a guy. Who rides a buffalo.
This little treat made the rounds in my office before Christmas, and even now, we greet each other with “Guy on a Buffalo!” Enjoy!
Episode 1:
Episode 2:
I’ll post episodes 3 & 4 soon.
Where have I been?
Oh, my word! I lost an entire month. It’s like January just disappeared! Poof! Gone.
Okay, I have a totally valid excuse. Actually three of them.
1) I got back from a Christmas-time jaunt to Arizona on the 2nd of January and promptly tried to die of a cold. Seriously I missed 2 and a half days of work, ran a rabid fever for at least 12 hours, and felt like my head was going to fall off.
2) My day job kicked into high gear, which means a few more later nights and zero energy on the weekends to do anything but …
3) WRITING! Turns out I’m on deadline again, trying to finish my fourth Love Inspired Suspense by the middle of March for release later this year. Eep! More details to come on the new book, which I hope you all will love. I’m about half way done with it, and I think Navy SEAL Matt might be my favorite of all my heroes so far. (Shhhhh … don’t tell the others.)
But enough with my excuses. I have so many WONDERFUL things to share with you this month. There are tv shows (ahem, Downton Abbey, ahem), random online videos, and books–so many books! I’ll give you all the details on those throughout the month, but I thought I’d kickstart my return to the wonderful world of blogging with an excellent video from C-SPAN–wait … what?
Did she just say C-SPAN?
I think so.
Any chance she’s lost it completely?
Oh, yeah … but that was a really long time ago.
I’m serious, you guys. This is a clip (can you call 25 minutes a clip?) from the National Prayer Breakfast held last week in Washington D.C. The keynote speaker was Eric Metaxas, the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace and Bonhoeffer. Once upon a time, he used to write for Veggie Tales, and pretty much, I want to be his BFF. He’s brilliant, and I really just want that to rub off on me.
Anyway, here’s his keynote address, that will pretty much knock your socks off. (Good for watching over lunch hours and after work. Not-so-much for the mid-afternoon random online video break. Not that I know anyone who does that.)
(The video is being cranky, so if it doesn’t appear here, click this link to watch it on the C-SPAN site.)
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/NationalPrayerBreak/start/2135/stop/3975
Still think C-SPAN isn’t cool?
The Joy of Books
Here’s a little video treat for all you book lovers out there. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find this delightful. And find the need to go curl up with a good one right now. Enjoy!
Contest Winners!
Hey y’all! I’m thrilled to announce the winners of the Christmas Story Contest.
2nd Prize – Kathleen B.
3rd Prize – Stephanie B. and Jody D.
They’ve been contacted, and their prizes are in the mail, headed to them as we speak. 🙂 Thanks to everyone who entered! I had a ton of fun.
Unfortunately, we didn’t receive any eligible story entries, so I wasn’t able to give away the Grand Prize. Maybe next year! 🙂
I hope the Christmas spirit is making you merrier by the day.
Need a break from Christmas Shopping?
Have you be busy Christmas shopping? Worn out from the go-go-go of the malls? Then I invite you to take a break, sit down, and enjoy a giggle. Or thirteen.
If any of you decide to give this a try, please (PLEASE!) take video and share. 🙂 Happy shopping, shoppers!
More on the Christmas Story Contest
Don’t make me beg here, people! I need your Christmas stories (ie, fictional tales about a snowman cookie cutter)! And since I’ve had NO eligible entries as of 10a.m. this morning, your odds are very, very good. 🙂 I’m just trying to give away a $50 gift card and other fun stuff! Imagine the gifts you could buy with that money! And maybe even for other people. If you don’t enter (with eligible stories), then I’ll be forced to give the gift card in question to my dad. I already promised him he could help me spend it if no one enters. *waves at Dad*
You may have noticed that I’ve mentioned “eligible stories” a couple times already. Yup. It seems a few folks haven’t read the rules very carefully. To be eligible, your story must meet all the requirements as stated in the rules–and mostly, it must be about the picture that I posted (that’s the snowman cookie cutter image below!). Be creative. Tell me a tale of little girls making Christmas cookies for their teacher and making an even bigger mess. Or write an epic story of a rogue cookie cutter who’s tired of looking so jolly all the time and getting picked on by the other cookie cutters. Just do it all in 1,000 words or less.
So to sum up: Please email your stories (in the body of the email–no attachments) to contests@lizjohnsonbooks.com by December 11th at 11:59pm. You’ve got 5 more days and GREAT odds! 🙂
Merry Christmas!
And, also … please don’t send me stories with foul language. It’s not very Christmas-y, if you ask me. 🙂
The Great Christmas Story Contest Picture!
Today’s the day! Are you ready? It’s the official start of THE GREAT CHRISTMAS STORY CONTEST! All you’ve got to do is sign up for my email newsletter (just enter your email address in the box at the bottom of this post) and email me your original Christmas story of no more than 1,000 words about this picture by December 11th!
In case you forgot what’s up for grabs …
GRAND PRIZE (1 winner): $50 Target giftcard, a DVD of While You Were Sleeping (one of my favorite Christmas movies!), a wooden star ornament, and a copy of the 9-novella collection that I was honored to be part of, A Log Cabin Christmas
2nd prize (1 winner): $25 Target giftcard, an autographed Christmas cd from my friend Mark Smeby (great for getting in the spirit of the season and thanks to Mark for donating a copy for this giveaway!), and a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas
3rd prize (2 winners): a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas and a copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall
Again, here are the official rules:
1. Winners of one grand prize, one 2nd price, and two third prizes (as outlined above) will be announced by December 15, 2011.
2. The grand prize winner will be selected from entrants who have registered for my email newsletter by filling out the form below and submitted an original short story (in the body of an email–no attachments, please–to contests@lizjohnsonbooks.com) written by the entrant and unpublished of no more than 1,000 words by 11:59pm CST on December 11, 2011. Eligible stories will be judged by me (Liz Johnson) and/or my delegates based on (a) how well the story relates to the Christmas picture posted here on 12/01/11, (b) it’s Christmas spirit, (c) originality, and (d) completely subjective enjoyability. If no eligible story entries are submitted by the deadline, the grand prize will not be awarded.
3. Winners for 2nd and 3rd prizes will be randomly selected from the total number of remaining eligible entrants, who have registered for my email. Entrants who also follow me on twitter (@lizjohnsonbooks) and email me at contests@lizjohnsonsonbooks.com to confirm that, will receive a second entry into the random drawings for 2nd and 3rd prizes.
4. All winners are final, once posted on this blog. No prize substitutions will be made.
5. Open only to entrants with a US or APO mailing address. Void where prohibited. Not open to my family members. I will make every reasonable effort to meet the stated deadlines, but if a delay is caused by unforseeable events and/or acts of God, I will announce alternative dates for this contest on this blog. (Can you hear the legal announcer voice?)
I can’t wait to read your stories!
The Great Christmas Story Contest
I am SO excited about my novella, A Star in the Night, which is part of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection. Of course, if you’ve dropped by my blog once or twice in the last few months, you’ve probably heard about it. And I want to do something really, really fun to celebrate my favorite holiday and my new book. So welcome to THE GREAT CHRISTMAS STORY CONTEST!
This is, of course, a chance to win some fabulous prizes, which would make excellent Christmas gifts for a friend or you! So let’s start with what’s up for grabs.
GRAND PRIZE (1 winner): $50 Target giftcard, a DVD of While You Were Sleeping (one of my favorite Christmas movies!), a wooden star ornament, and a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas
2nd prize (1 winner): $25 Target giftcard, an autographed Christmas cd from my friend Mark Smeby (great for getting in the spirit of the season and thanks to Mark for donating a copy for this giveaway!), and a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas
3rd prize (2 winners): a copy of A Log Cabin Christmas and a copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall
But how does one win one of these excellent prizes? I’m glad you asked.
First, sign up for my brand new email newsletter. Just enter your email address in the form at the bottom of this post. Winners will be selected from those registered emails. (It’s simple, and I promise not to flood you with emails. Just updates on new books, giveaways, and other fun stuff a few times a year.) If you also follow me on twitter (and email me at contests@lizjohnsonbooks.com that you’re following me), you get a second entry to win.
Just signing up for my newsletter (and following me on twitter if you like) is all you have to do for a chance (or two) at 2nd or 3rd place prizes.
And for a chance at the grand prize, submit an original Christmas story (up to 1,000 words) by 11:59pm on December 11th about a picture that I will reveal on this blog on December 1st. Yup! I want to read your Christmas stories based on a really fun picture that I’ve already picked out, and I’ll post the winning story on my blog. But don’t jump the gun. Wait to start your story until you know what the picture is. Everyone has the same chance–11 days to write a story!
Got it?
In case you missed something, here’re the official rules:
1. Winners of one grand prize, one 2nd price, and two third prizes (as outlined above) will be announced by December 15, 2011.
2. The grand prize winner will be selected from entrants who have registered for my email newsletter by filling out the form below and submitted an original short story (in the body of an email–no attachments, please–to contests@lizjohnsonbooks.com) written by the entrant and unpublished of no more than 1,000 words by 11:59pm CST on December 11, 2011. Eligible stories will be judged by me (Liz Johnson) and/or my delegates based on (a) how well the story relates to the Christmas picture posted here on 12/01/11, (b) it’s Christmas spirit, (c) originality, and (d) completely subjective enjoyability. If no eligible story entries are submitted by the deadline, the grand prize will not be awarded.
3. Winners for 2nd and 3rd prizes will be randomly selected from the total number of remaining eligible entrants, who have registered for my email. Entrants who also follow me on twitter (@lizjohnsonbooks) and email me at contests@lizjohnsonsonbooks.com to confirm that, will receive a second entry into the random drawings for 2nd and 3rd prizes.
4. All winners are final, once posted on this blog. No prize substitutions will be made.
5. Open only to entrants with a US or APO mailing address. Void where prohibited. Not open to my family members. I will make every reasonable effort to meet the stated deadlines, but if a delay is caused by unforseeable events and/or acts of God, I will announce alternative dates for this contest on this blog. (Can you hear the legal announcer voice?)
Great! We’ll see you back here on December 1st for the big reveal of the story picture!
And here’s the newsletter registration form. Tell your friends and spread a little Christmas cheer.
Win a Thomas Nelson Novel!
As I promised earlier this week, I’m giving away a Thomas Nelson novel OF YOUR CHOICE! Actually, I’m giving you 2 chances to win.
First opportunity: Follow me on twitter (so I can DM you if you’re the winner) and tweet #INeedAGoodBook
That’s it. I’ll select a random tweeter on Thursday morning, 11/10. Simple enough.
Second opportunity: Leave a comment on this blog post. Yup. This one. Tell me you want in, and I’ll (again) randomly pick 1 commenter to win on Friday morning, 11/11.
What could be easier? And the prize for each randomly selected winner? She gets to pick ANY (current) FICTION title from Thomas Nelson. Yup. She gets to zip over to their website, select the book that looks most interesting, and let me know which one it is. It’s that easy. It’s open to anyone (except my family and, of course, void where prohibited), but I can only ship to US or APO addresses.
Thanks to the VERY kind folks over at Thomas Nelson fiction, who graciously offered me a few books and then said I could share them with you all. So which book would you pick? Leave a comment and we’ll find out on Friday. See you all then!