Friday, December 6, 2013

Friday Freebie: N0S4A2 by Joe Hill


Congratulations to Jane Rainey, winner of last week's Friday Freebie prize package: The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan, The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell and Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson.

This week's book giveaway is Joe Hill's latest novel, N0S4A2 (or "Nosferatu," if you say it aloud).  I have a nice paperback copy to put in the hands of one very lucky reader.  And if you've already read the novel, this will make a nice gift to give that twisted individual on your Christmas list.  Since N0S4A2 takes place in a scary hell called Christmasland, they'll want to start reading it right away while the smoke from the Yule log is still hanging in the air.  The updated design of the paperback edition even has some blood-spattered Christmas tree branches and a broken gingerbread man to give you a hint of what's inside.  For what it's worth, I love the subtle menace of the novel's opening line: Nurse Thornton dropped into the long-term-care ward a little before eight with a hot bag of blood for Charlie Manx.  The syntax is is all casual and homey until you get to that "hot bag of blood" and the axe-chopping sound of that last word, "Manx."  That sentence is a harbinger of good, scary things to come.  As a sort of added stocking stuffer treat, the pages inside are decorated with some very cool illustrations by Hill's Locke and Key collaborator Gabriel Rodriguez.  Because nothing says "Merry Christmas" quite like a grinning Santa who looks like a corpse.

For those of you who missed the earlier Trailer Park Tuesday here at The Quivering Pen, you can click here to check out the book's video.  As Hill says in that trailer:
"Christmasland is a place where the fun never stops; every morning is Christmas morning and every night is Christmas Eve....[It's] a place that any child would like to spend the rest of their days in. When you get to it, you never want to leave--which is a good thing because once Charlie brings you to Christmasland, you never do leave." That would be Charlie Manx who drives around in a 1938 Rolls Royce that runs on souls, not gasoline. Hill's novel brings together two fascinating characters: the creepy Charlie, and a young girl named Victoria who has a gift for finding lost things. One day, Vic finds herself in the back seat of Charlie's car. And that's when the nail-biting fun really begins.
The whole package is designed to give you the willies and add a chill to your holiday festivities.  It's highly recommended, even if you don't win the Friday Freebie contest.

If you’d like a chance at winning N0S4A2, simply email your name and mailing address to

Put FRIDAY FREEBIE in the e-mail subject line.  One entry per person, please.  Despite its name, the Friday Freebie runs all week long and remains open to entries until midnight on Dec. 12, at which time I’ll draw the winning name.  I’ll announce the lucky reader on Dec. 13.  If you’d like to join the mailing list for the once-a-week newsletter, simply add the words “Sign me up for the newsletter” in the body of your email.  Your email address and other personal information will never be sold or given to a third party (except in those instances where the publisher requires a mailing address for sending Friday Freebie winners copies of the book).

Want to double your odds of winning?  Get an extra entry in the contest by posting a link to this webpage on your blog, your Facebook wall or by tweeting it on Twitter.  Once you’ve done any of those things, send me an additional e-mail saying “I’ve shared” and I’ll put your name in the hat twice.


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