Welcome to my first Medieval Research with Joyce blog hop! My JDP NEWS blog has participated in several previous blog hops, but this is new for Medieval Research with Joyce.
Under the brave leadership of Inspired Kathy of I Am a Reader, Not a Writer, over 200 blogs have banded together to offer book or book-related prizes to celebrate the longest day of the year...Midsummer Eve! (Also known as the 1st day of summer.)
In medieval England, large bonfires were lit on Midsummer's Eve to ward off evil spirits. Sometimes people jumped through these fires for good luck! (I suppose they considered it good luck if they didn't get burned!) Midsummer's Eve was the second favorite night of medieval fairies in England. Their favorite night? Halloween, of course! You can read more interesting medieval Midsummer's Eve trivia at English Medieval Calendar.
Now back to the blog hop. What am I giving away here at Medieval Research with Joyce? A copy of one of my favorite medieval novels, which sadly like many of my favorite novels, has gone out of print. I managed to find a good used copy to give away here, though. The book is Gilded Spurs by Grace Ingram. If you'd like to read a description of the book, click here.
Don't pay any attention to the rather juvenile cover art on the dust jacket. This is NOT a children's book. It's a novel geared to adults (though perfectly clean) and has a lovely cover on my old paperback version. I'm quite at a loss to account for the art work for this hard cover version. But I promise, you'll be well rewarded to look past the cover to the story that lies within!
Now, how how can you enter to win? First off, you MUST be a follower of Medieval Research with Joyce and you must leave me a comment telling me that you are a follower. AND don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
To earn extra entries, you may do any or all of the following:
+1 Leave a comment telling me your favorite summer treat (yes, this should be a food or drink item).
+1 Become a NetworkedBlog follower (below the Feedburner subscription box in the right hand sidebar), then leave me a comment letting me know.
+1 Include the word "Huzzah!" in any of the comments you leave. (You only need to "Huzzah!" once. Extra "Huzzahs" won't earn you extra points.)
+1 Include the word "Huzzah!" in any of the comments you leave. (You only need to "Huzzah!" once. Extra "Huzzahs" won't earn you extra points.)
AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH EACH OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. (Thanks!)
Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM EST/7:59 PM PST on June 24.
(If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment on my blog, send it to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "Medieval Research: Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop" in the subject line and I'll count it.)
(If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment on my blog, send it to jdipastena@yahoo.com with "Medieval Research: Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop" in the subject line and I'll count it.)
All entered? Great! Now hop along to the next link posted below.