Friday Freebie: Fobbit

Congratulations to Beverly Sizemore, winner of last week's Friday Freebie: Lunch Bucket Paradise: A True-Life Novel by Fred Setterberg.

For this week's book giveaway, I'm offering three, count 'em three, prize packages of Fobbit swag.  Regular readers of The Quivering Pen are already well-acquainted with the book, but for those of you who accidentally landed here after typing an "F" instead of an "H," hoping to learn more about the Peter Jackson's Hollywood treatment of Tolkein's The Hobbit, here's a brief recap of what my novel from Grove/Atlantic is all about:

In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield – where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like an office job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty for casual sex, infantry "grunts" are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.  The book centers around the day-in, day-out cubicle wars of FOB Triumph's headquarters building; in particular, the attempts by the Public Affairs Office to spin the war into something palatable--ideally, patriotic--for the American public.  In its review of the novel, The Washington Post wrote: "What’s most intriguing about this work is that, at its center, it is both a clever study in anxiety and an unsettling expose of how the military tells its truths. Fobbit traces how 'the Army story' is crafted, the dead washed of their blood, words scrutinized, and success applied to disasters."

This week, just in time your Yuletide gift-giving convenience, I'm offering three different ways to win a copy of Fobbit:

1.  One person will win the following: two signed copies of Fobbit, a Fobbit coffee mug, a Fobbit T-shirt (unfortunately, I only have one size left in stock: XL--maybe your cousin Ralph, former high-school linebacker, would like to wear it?), the audiobook version of Fobbit (nine CDs narrated by David Drummond), a Fobbit tote bag, and official Fobbit postcards (collectors' items!).

2.  One person will win the following: one signed copy of Fobbit,  the audiobook version of Fobbit, and a Fobbit tote bag.

3.  One person will win one signed copy of Fobbit.

If you'd like a chance at winning one of the three Fobbit prize packages, all you have to do is email your name and mailing address to thequiveringpen@gmail.com

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 Nov. 29—at which time I'll draw the winning names. I'll announce the three lucky readers on Nov. 30.  If you'd like to join the mailing list for the once-a-week Quivering Pen 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.