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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop: Day 5



Everyone has their own unique Christmas traditions. Some are
fun and festive, others are more solemn in nature. One tradition that almost
every family has is the sharing of traditional Christmas stories. As a
child and now as an adult, I love to read the well-known Christmas tales each season. I've included (in order of publication years) five tales that I think are the most loved classics. If you click on the links below each picture, you'll be taken to a free audio version of each story. Enjoy! And don't forget to enter my giveaway for 5 Golden Rings (a.k.a. Krispy Kreme Donuts)!



1) The Nutcracker (and the Mouse King)

Some might be surprised to know that this classic tale didn't start as a ballet. Nope. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was written by E. T. A. Hoffmann two hundred years ago in 1816. The young girl in the original story had the name of Marie, but somehow, over the years, her name evolved into Clara--the name we usually know her by.

I first read the story of The Nutcracker when I got a cheap copy of the book through my school book order. Who doesn't love school book orders? I'd save my quarters and buy whichever book was less than $1. As a musician, I've played music from The Nutcracker ballet many times and I always think of the first time I read the little paperback book.


Listen to the story here:  The Nutcracker



2) The Night Before Christmas

As a child, I remember working
feverishly one Christmas to memorize this poem/story. Why? No reason. Just
because. I know my attempts that Christmas were not unique to me alone. The
Night Before Christmas is arguably the most read and most memorized stories of
all the Christmas stories in existence.

Besides the fun rhymes, what do
we get to credit author Clement Clark Moore for? Naming Santa’s reindeer. Everyone
knows that Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner (a.k.a Dunder)
and Blitzen (a.k.a. Blixem) dutifully pull Santa’s sleigh through the skies to
deliver Christmas gifts each year. But, if it weren’t for Moore, Santa’s
reindeer might have remained unnamed.



According to legend, Moore wrote
this famous story as a poem for his children for Christmas in 1822. The
following Christmas, a family friend submitted the poem to the newspaper and
they published it anonymously. It wasn’t until 20 years later that Moore took
ownership of the tale.



Listen to the story here:  The Night Before Christmas


3) A Christmas Carol

Have you ever wondered why we say
Merry Christmas to each other? Have you ever called anyone a scrooge? Have you
ever said Bah Humbug when you weren’t quite feeling the Christmas spirit?

The phrase “Merry Christmas” didn’t
become popular until after the publication of Charles Dickins’ A Christmas
Carol in December 1843 and scrooge is even listed in the dictionary as 'any
miserly person.' It only took Dickins 6 weeks to write this beloved story and after
disagreements with the publishing house, he published the story himself. The
story has never been out of publication since its release more than 170 years
ago. It has inspired countless films, broadcasts, plays, and paintings.

I think few people would argue
that A Christmas Carol is one of the most influential Christmas tales of all
time.

A theme in many of Charles Dickens’ stories,
including A Christmas Carol, is poverty. Poverty was something Dickins knew all
too well. When Charles was young, his father was thrown into debtor’s prison
and Charles was forced to work in a factory at the age of 12. His experiences in
the factory stayed with him for life and greatly influenced his writing.



Listen to the story here:  A Christmas Carol


4) How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Not only did scrooge make it into
Dictionary.com’s  database, so did grinch
(n. a person or thing that damages or spoils the pleasure of others).

Most people have seen the film The
Grinch starring Jim Carrey or the animated version from the sixties. I’m pretty
sure every school class plays one version or another at least twelve times during
the Christmas season. But, the story didn’t start out as a movie. Nope. Dr.
Seuss wrote the story in 1957 and many believe he used himself as a model for
the Grinch. 



Watch the story here:  How the Grinch Stole Christmas


How well do you know this beloved story? Find out below.


Quiz: How the Grinch Stole Christmas





  1. What is the name of the town from which the Grinch attempted to steal Christmas?

  2. Whenville
    Whoville
    Whyville
    Whatville

  3. What is the name of the Grinch's dog?

  4. Sam
    Fido
    Woof
    Max

  5. What is the real name of Dr. Seuss?

  6. Theodor Geisel
    Marion Morrison
    Samuel Clemens
    John Philip Sousa

Good luck!








5) The Polar Express




I'll admit it. I hesitated to include this story in the five golden classics. Published in 1985, this story isn't nearly as old as the others on my list. But, after going over all my options of great stories, I knew I had to include it. As far as classic Christmas stories go, I don't think The Polar Express is going to disappear as a favorite any time soon.


In 1986, The Polar Express received the Caldecott Medal and in 2012 it was named as one of the Top 100 Picture Books of all time. 



What's the most important thing we learn from "The Polar Express"? To believe. Believe in ourselves, believe in others, and most importantly...believe in the magic of Christmas.



Listen to the story here: The Polar Express



Which holiday classic is your favorite?










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Thanks for reading! And don't forget to enter my giveaway for 5 Golden Rings (aka Krispy Kreme Doughnuts).



Check out my blog here: Author Tifani Clark or look me up on Facebook.


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AVAILABLE ON JANUARY 12, 2015!



Monday, December 15, 2014

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop: Day 4



Merry Christmas and Hello! I’m Debra Chapoton, author of A SOUL’S KISS, and I have the honoring of guest posting on day 4 (Four Calling
Birds) 
of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I thought I'd show you what Christmas is like when you live in a full log home.
To decorate our place, we call it Big Pine Lodge, there are four fundamental
elements that are indispensable — think four calling birds — and they are: a
giant wreath, railings that drip with greenery and lights, a sentimental display
of Christmas music boxes collected over many years and a big tree decorated
with rustic ornaments.

Editors are always telling authors to “show, don’t tell” so
here are a few pictures:


The wall in the sunroom, right behind where I write, is 26
feet tall and needs a large wreath to fill the space. My husband and I made
this one ourselves, decorating it with outdoorsy ornaments featuring a moose, a
canoe, a birdhouse, fishing gear, and more. But one wreath isn't enough. We
hang them by the front door of the lodge, the guesthouse, and the bunkhouse, and we also have to have one over the fireplace.




You can’t have a log home without a massive fireplace,
right? Hubby and I found every one of those rocks on our property, over six
tons worth.

We have a wide bridge between the loft and an upstairs
bedroom so I have about fifty feet of railing, plus stairway railing, to drape
with garland, lights, and tiny decorations. You can see some of it in the last picture. The railing continues into the loft which is open over the kitchen.



You may have noticed in those pictures that the tops of my
kitchen cabinets are safe places to display 22 Christmas music boxes. I
started collecting one per year when the kids were little. Each one holds a
special memory of Christmases past. And yes, I have favorites.


The great room and dining room flow together so at Christmas
we can tuck a nine-foot tree into a corner of the dining area and enjoy it from the first or second floor.




Yup, this is a log cabin Christmas. There’s a lot more, too,
like Christmas tapestries, handmade Santas, bugles and ice skates and, of
course, the prominently displayed manger scene. I could go on and on, but let’s
keep it at these “four calling birds.”

Oh, and I guess I have four other birds, that is, I've written four young adult  novels that
would make good Christmas gifts for anyone, any age. They are A SOUL’S KISS,
THE GUARDIAN’S DIARY, SHELTERED, and EDGE OF ESCAPE. You can also find my
chapter books for kids HERE and I've written a couple of non-fiction works:
BUILDING A LOG HOME IN UNDER A YEAR and CROSSING THE SCRIPTURES.

By the way, did you know that the four calling birds
represented the four gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? The story of
Jesus’ birth is in Luke chapter 2. We always read it before we dive into those
presents under the tree. Speaking of presents, I have a $10 gift card for one of
you. Please enter below for a chance to win it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway











Thank you for stopping by,


Creative Prose Publishing


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Holiday Sale!





Happy Holidays!!!

No matter who you are or what you celebrate, I hope you're having a happy and healthy season. To help add a little Ho-Ho to your HOliday, I've put the entire PIECES series on sale through Dec. 25th!

ANNNND... here's a $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!!!






Each book is ONLY 99 CENTS for a limited time!!!


FALLING TO PIECES

Suffering the bitter tongues of her alcoholic mother and cruel boyfriend, Jade struggles just to look at herself in the mirror. She hates her life, her insecurities, her ineptitudes, but most of all . . . Jade hates herself. She wants nothing more than to disappear, and everyone seems happy to let her. Until Kiernan Parks moves back into town. 

Jade’s been crushing on him ever since kindergarten, when his family moved away. But now he’s back, and looking better than ever. 
Hiding is a way of life for Jade, but Kiernan insists on uncovering the real girl he’s sees trapped inside her. On drawing her out of her shell, and showing her that she is someone worthy of love. 

Together, they fight back the darkness she’s living in. But when they finally step into the light, will the secret Kiernan’s been trying to keep buried destroy Jade, once and for all? 

For some people, happy endings are a fairytale.



Get a copy for only 99 cents on Amazon







ANGEL

We all hide from the people around us. Strangers, acquaintances, friends, even family only see the parts of ourselves we want them to see. We conceal the cracks and flaws beneath the polished surface we put on display. Because we think we need to. Because we think people won't like us if they see who we really are. Because our egos demand it. 

We hide because we're proud. We hide because we're insecure. 

But mostly . . . I hid because I was afraid. 

*Caulder’s version of events from Falling to Pieces. (243 pgs- NOT a novella) 

**Warning: Contains spoilers. Meant to be read AFTER Falling to Pieces.




Get a copy for only 99 cents on Amazon   











PIECES OF MY HEART




**Blurb contains spoilers 
Get a copy for only 99 cents on Amazon



The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop: Day 3




It’s here! Can you feel it? The smell of crisp frosty air in
the morning, cozy sweaters, fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, and fires aglow in the
fireplace. Winter has finally arrived, and with it, my favorite holiday. I love
the snow-blanketed ground sparkling in the soft glow of the sun, white covered
trees, and twinkling Christmas lights breaking through the night sky. There’s
something enchanting about Hallmark holiday shows, snuggling under a blanket on
the couch, or listening to Christmas music.
There’s no denying, this time of year is truly magical. 

In honor of the third day of Christmas, the day we remember the first gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh given to the Christ child, I’d
like to share with you my three most magical Christmas memories.

I
was an Air Force brat living on many different bases in various states. While
living in Alaska, I became very sick the week of Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I
went to bed to the sounds of Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer
in the background and great anticipation in my heart. When I woke Christmas morning, I was unable to see. I tried to open my
eyes, but they wouldn't budge no matter how hard I fought. In panic, I scrambled
from my bed and plastered myself to the wall, using it to guide me toward the
noises below. I called out, but the bustle of Christmas morning was loud and my
voice drown in the sounds of laughter and joy. I called again as I stumbled
down the first step when I heard the voices of my parents. It was then I learned
my eyes had crusted shut during the night.

With
a warm washcloth and some gentle words, I felt at peace as my eyes slowly eased
open. What I saw was amazing. The silhouettes of two angels
against the background of twinkling lights hovered over me. In my five-year-old
mind, I knew I’d seen heavenly beings helping me through a terrifying moment. 

I
closed my eyes one last time, and when they finally opened and my vision cleared, the angels were
gone, replaced with my parents. Years later, I realized those heavenly angels
and my parents were one in the same, always watching over me. The image of my
parents haloed in bright Christmas lights has stayed with me forever.


My next magical moment came after I was married with children. Our big gift was a surprise trip to Disneyland, leaving the day of Christmas.
Can you say excitement? Ages fourteen, thirteen, and seven, we packed out car
and headed out for the Magical Kingdom with three other families. The ride was
brutal, but we had a wonderful time reading, laughing, singing, and preparing
for the fun week ahead. The fun was short lived.

Shortly
after arriving, my seven-year-old son came down with strep throat, allowing us
the full tour of California as we found our way to the emergency room.
The
following day, after his medicine kicked in, he was confident he would enjoy Disneyland with the family. Within an hour, he was crying as I carried
him down main street as he chanted, “I hate this place!” My son hated the ‘happiest
place on earth’. Additionally, my fourteen-year-old daughter’s knee swelled
like a balloon and she enjoyed the park from the confines of a wheel-chair.

Why
does this adventure stand out? We made many memories that Christmas and to this day,
my children remember every detail of our trip. When we lost most of our
pictures in a computer crash, the memories were all we had. For all of the
mishaps, the memories outweighed even the hardest moments. Isn't that
was magic is all about?


Lastly, I need to share with you the Christmas after my father died. It was a sudden death, one
that no one saw coming. My father went fishing, something he did a thousand times a
year, and drown while trying to recover his boat after it blew into the water
without him.

That
Christmas was extremely hard, not having my father there. My mother, in her
loving wisdom, made each child a rag-time quilt with patches of my father’s flannel
shirts. She spent many hours on each quilt so we could have a physical reminder of him always. Words cannot express
 how I felt that moment I held that quilt
in my hands.



Christmas
time is full of special moments for all of us, little sprinkles of happiness
that bring a touch of magic to our lives, if but for a moment. This Christmas
season as we find ourselves in the chaos of the holidays, I pray that each of
you are able to experience some Sprinkles of Christmas Magic that you will remember
for years to come.

Happy
Holiday’s, Merry Christmas, and God Bless!
M.M.
Roethig








Enter my Christmas giveaway for some cute homemade ornaments. 



Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop: Day 2




The Best Things Come in Pairs

by Cindy C Bennett



I'm not sure that I'd want to receive a pair of turtle doves, whether for Christmas or otherwise, but I do think great things come in pairs. Think about it, every great love story have a pair of lovers for you to root for. You have a pair of feet to walk on, a pair of hands to make your life easier, a pair of eyes to view the beauty of the world. A pair of ears helps to hear sounds. A pair of arms to let others know how much you care for them. A pair of lips to kiss the one you love.



For me personally, pairs seem to be good luck. I have a pair of sons a pair of daughters, and a pair of daughters-in-law. I only have one son-in-law for now, but eventually I'll have a pair of them. I also have a pair of new grandbabies. I have a sister which makes us a pair, a pair of brothers, and a pair of sisters-in-law. I co-own Creative Prose Publishing with Sherry Gammon which means a pair of us help keep things running. I had a pair of dogs for years until a pair of years ago when a third was added (and who is totally my baby).



So while I might not want a pair of turtle doves living in my house, I do love all the pairs I have that bless my life. I'm very grateful for each and every one of them!



Want to win a pair of personalized Christmas mugs like the ones in the photo above? Enter below using either choice on the Rafflecopter (or both if you want 2 entries). And be sure to check in daily to win other great prizes from other Creative Prose Publishing authors. It's the season of giving, and we all want to give to you! Miss yesterdays? Go to creativeprosepublishing.com for the links.



Cindy C Bennett is the author of several YA books in genres ranging from contemporary to paranomal to fantasy to speculative fiction. Visit cindycbennett.com to read more about her and her books.



Cindy's Books

The End of Feeling * Heart on a Chain * Geek Girl * Rapunzel Untangled * Enchanted Fairytales * A Fantasy Christmas * Immortal MineThe Experiment * Whispers of Razari * It's a Love Thing * Screams in the Night





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Thank you for stopping by,


Creative Prose Publishing


Friday, December 12, 2014

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Hop: Day 1



Nearly a year ago, we decided to open a small publishing company. We'd already started a company previously called Prose by Design, but because we'd gone into it without a clear and concise vision, the time eventually came when we realized what our original intent was had been lost somewhere along the way. Rather than restructure, we decided to give our authors their rights back and just start fresh, Thus the birth of Creative Prose Publishing.



"We" consists of Sherry Gammon, a successful YA author who has a book currently being developed into a movie (Unloveable) and Cindy C Bennett, a YA author whose latest title was acquired by Skyscape Books, an Amazon publishing company. We're both passionate about the success of our authors and doing everything we can to help them in their career. Even if they choose to publish themselves or with another company, we still consider them our "baby chicks" and, like mother hens, we're fiercely protective of them.



In the past year we have published 5 books, had one contest which resulted in a published anthology, published another anthology of fantasy Christmas stories, and republished 2 anthologies from Prose by Design. We've signed another 3 books which will be released over the next 3 months. Best of all, we've managed to sign an amazing group of authors who are not only talented, but are also so supportive of one another they've become like family.



We're very excited about all of our authors and the diversity of stories we've published. Below you can read each of the titles we have available and a small bit about the author, as well as read about the three books we have coming up!



We celebrate the ONE YEAR of success we've had, and hope to have many more with more authors like the ones we have now. Visit our blog to read about us and get further detail about our authors and their books.



OUR AUTHORS AND THEIR BOOKS (listed in order of publication with CPP)



BUY THIS BOOK Jamie will be here on December 19th with a humorous post about eight awesome Christmas gifts.



BUY THIS BOOK Debra will be here on December 15th to talk about Christmas as Big Pine Lodge.


BUY THIS BOOK Tifani will be here on December 16th to talk about five golden Christmas tales.



BUY THIS BOOK Rachel will be here on December 17th to talk about love, cats, and wrecked trees.

BUY THIS BOOK M.M. will be here December 14th to sprinkle us with Christmas magic.

PRE-PURCHASE HAVEN WAITING As mentioned above Tifani will be here December 16th.
PRE-PURCHASE HONORABLE DISGRACE Stephanie will be here December 23rd to talk about ways to keep a Christ centered Christmas.
PRE PURCHASE THE GIFT OF LIES Norma will be here on December 20th to give us the history of the ninth reindeer - Rudolph (of course).



Laurie will be here on December 21st to let us in on her top 10 favorite Christmas movies.
Candace will be here on December 22nd with a post about eleven elves.
As mentioned above, Jamie will be here December 19th and M.M. will be here December 14th.



BUY LOVING MARIGOLD Sherry will be here on December 18th to share with us things she's grateful for.
BUY HALFLING Cindy will be here December 13th to talk about all the good things that come in pairs.











Thank you for stopping by,


Creative Prose Publishing



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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

And the Swoony goes to . . .



Both Falling to Pieces AND Angel have been nominated!!!!


What Are the Swoony Awards?

The Swoony Awards were created to recognize excellence in clean fiction. There are so many
books published every day and it can be hard to find the ones worth
reading. We want to help recognize authors who write entertaining books
that are wholesome. It’s our hope that each year we will help provide
everyone with a great list of books to read and maybe introduce them to
new authors.



What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

-Publication Year: Only books published during the current contest year may be
nominated. To be fair to all books, contest dates will run from December
1, 2013 – November 31, 2014.

-Clean romance: No sex or closed door, low/mild innuendo. Only M/F romances.

-Language: None/mild, anything over a handful of profanity (especially the more offensive words) would not be considered clean.

-Violence: None/mild

-Other: Nothing overly dark, depressing or heavy subject matter



Novels, novellas and short stories are all eligible for nomination, no limits
on page number. Any (clean) genre is eligible (i.e. contemporary,
fantasy, mystery, historical, etc.).



Each voter is able to choose up to 100 books to vote on or nominate each contest year. There is no
cap on the overall number of books nominated.



How Are Winners Selected?

We will be accepting entries throughout the year and the winners announced
the first week in January. There are fifteen award categories (i.e.
Best Novel of the Year, Best Historical, Best Contemporary, etc.).
Winner’s will be announced via our blogs (Bookworm Nation, KJ’s Book
Nook and Katie’s Clean Book Reviews) and through Goodreads Swoony Awards
Group.



Since this is a reader’s choice award the winners are
determined by a combination of the number of votes received and how high
the voter rated the book and what rank the voter gave each book they
voted for.



Who Are We?



Kathy 

Kathy (Bookworm Nation)

I've been hosting a book review blog, Bookworm Nation, for over five
years. I love to read and review books. And of course, I love to discuss
books! A few years ago I started the Goodreads group, Happily Ever
After Book Club. It's through Goodreads that I met Katie, Kathy Jo and
Heidi and while discussing our love of books one day we thought it'd be
fun to host our own Reader's Choice award. We're excited to introduce
the Swoony's this year, it's going really well and we look forward to
hosting it for years to come. 
Contact Info for Kathy:
Twitter: @bookwormnation
Kathy Jo 

Kathy Jo (KJ's Book Nook)

This may come as a shocker but I have NOT always been a little bookworm.
In fact growing up I was not the kid you saw jumping at the chance to
read. I was the one that just did it to make my teachers happy. That
silent reading time during school?! Yeah.. I was the kid napping! ;)
About 12 years ago someone loaned me a book and said I just HAD to read
it. I took it just to get them off my back and much to my surprise I
could NOT put it down! And from then on I would read... but only that
one author. I refused to read anything else! It
wasn't until 2009 when 2 of my favorite people introduced me to the
Twilight Series that I actually started branching out. And ever since
then I haven't been able to STOP reading! ;) About 5 months ago I
decided to start a book blog and I have been loving it! I get to be
another voice for all the amazing authors that I love! How cool is
that?! And of course t
hrough my
adventures in reading I have been able to meet some amazing women who
love books just as much as, if not more than, me! I love chatting with
them about all the books we read! We have become such great friends that
at times I forget that I've never really met them in person! Books just
have a way of bringing people together! My reading choices vary... I
love a lot of different genres.With that said... I am not ashamed to
admit that I am a romantic and I love fluff! As long as it's clean and
has a HEA, I'll definitely give it a try! Any book that gives me a break
from reality and puts a smile on my face is definitely a book for me!
  



Contact Info for Kathy Jo:

Email: kjsbooknook@gmail.com

Blog: kjsbooknook.blogspot.com 

Twitter: @kjincali



Katie Watkins 

Katie (Katie's Clean Book Collection)

I started blogging about a year and a half ago. I've always loved to read and talk about books--it's my obsession. The first book I learned to read on my own was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham. I love a lot of different genres, but my favorite is clean romance, which is perfect for the Swoony's! I've had a blast meeting new friends who enjoy the same types of books that I do.



Contact Info for Katie:

Email: lilacqueen75@gmail.com

Twitter: @lilacqueen75

Blog: www.katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/katiescleanbookcollection



Heidi 

Heidi 

I'm a mother of four amazing kids and married to my own Prince Charming.
I love to read, kiss my handsome Prince, bake, run (because I love to
bake), ride horses, play sports, and spend time with my little family. I
first fell in love with reading at a very young age because of my sweet
grandmother who always took the time to read me my favorite books over
and over again. She could never tell me no. My wonderful mother is also
entirely addicted to reading and we love to "talk books" late into the
night....and plot how we are going to buy more. :) I adore clean,
happily ever after books, and I've loved getting to know so many other
women who do as well. Who knew books would be the reason I would meet
some of the dearest people in the world?! 

Contact Info for Heidi:

Email: curlyhide9@hotmail.com



Note to Authors:

If you’ve written a book that matches the above criteria fill free to
nominate it for a Swoony! Don’t be afraid to promote the award or to let
your fans know your book is up and that it needs votes. We are doing
some promoting, but sometimes a Facebook, Twitter or blog post directly
from the author is the best way to let your fan base know your book has
been nominated. Only books with a minimum of THREE votes will be added
to the official nomination list found on the Goodreads Swoony Awards group page. Winners will be announced January 2015.



To stay up to date on voting and nominations, please join our Goodreads Swoony Awards group page!


Note to Readers:

If you’ve read a book this year that you think is awesome…VOTE! This is a
great way to let authors know you appreciate all that hard work. You can
vote for up to 100 books on the list. We’ve also learned that the order
you rank the books you vote on does affect the overall score of the
book. So take a minute and make sure you have your books in the order
you want them. Invite your friends to vote! Voting ends December 31,
2014.



The 2014 Swoony Awards is now accepting nominations and votes for your favorite books of the year. Polls will be open until December 31, 2014. 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter.



As a thank you for making the Swoony Awards a success,

we'd like to offer an Amazon gift card! The winner will

have 48 hours to claim the prize. Only valid

where Amazon gift cards may be used. You must

be 13 or older to enter.

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