One More ARC Giveaway!

Posted on February 14, 2012 by fsdthreshold

Well, one more here, that is! Remember that on Goodreads, you still have a chance to win an advance review copy (ARC) of The Star Shard until the end of the night on Friday, February 17th (this Friday night)! All you have to do is go there, click on “Giveaways,” find my book, and sign up for a chance to win it. The competition is pretty fierce, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right? And you may see a lot of other books in that section that you may want to try winning! It’s all absolutely free!

But right here on the blog, I’m giving away one more ARC. The contest begins the moment this post is published. It ends the moment the correct answer comes in via comment to this entry. We’ll follow the clock faithfully, which means that if the winning comment goes into the queue needing moderation, it will still win if it comes into that queue sooner than another correct answer that doesn’t need moderation. See how that works? That way, there’s no disadvantage to anyone who has never before commented. (This is also an encouragement to any non-commenting readers to start commenting now! You’re welcome to read, and I’m glad you’re here — but it’s more fun for everyone when lots of people take an active part! So don’t be shy. Comment away!)

Next rule: You can’t win with a smart-alecky answer. There actually is a genuine, serious answer to my puzzle. (You’re welcome to be a wiseguy and entertain us, but be aware that the winning answer will be quite legitimate — not a joke, not a sweeping generalization, not a pun, etc.)

Final point: Once I launch this contest, I most likely will not clarify or answer questions about it until it’s over, so you’re better off thinking about the solution rather than asking questions. You’re on your own. This is barbarism. This is Thunderdome!

So, the first person to solve the puzzle correctly will be declared the winner, and I will send that person one advance review copy of my middle-grade fantasy novel The Star Shard.

Ready to go?

The question you have to answer is: What do the words of this composition here below have in common? What distinction do they all share? The composition follows — everything after this next colon is part of the puzzle:

 

ON MY LION

O minion mini-holy,

You limp, oily ninny!

Loll, puny mop; LOL.

No Noun — only homily.

In million, in onion,

On puny, in pin, no HIM, O Opinion Mill!

Un-Ninny, Non-Puny, limn!

Lo, Holy! Lo, Omni! O Only —

My Lion, On!

78 Responses to One More ARC Giveaway!

  1. fsdthreshold says:

    This first response comes to us from Mrs. Spamman:

    ‘Here is my answer. The only letters used in the composition can be rearranged to spell “unholy imp”.’

    Wow, Mrs. Spamman! Thank you! That’s a very good (and disturbingly chilling) answer, but it doesn’t answer the puzzle’s question! The contest is still open!

    Reply
  2. fsdthreshold says:

    We’re 19 hours into this contest! My agent has solved the puzzle — but he doesn’t need an ARC and isn’t playing. 🙂

    The cheerleaders are going wild!
    (That’s not a clue!)

    Reply
    • fsdthreshold says:

      Excellent thinking, Mr. Brown, but your answer implies an “or” — isn’t that like saying, “An elephant, a turtle, and a man have in common that they each have a trunk, a shell, or opposable thumbs”? 🙂 What is so “in common” about that? Heh, heh!

      Reply
  4. fsdthreshold says:

    Oil yon plum!
    No oily plum!
    Poly lion Mu!

    (Playing with Mrs. Spamman’s idea, I was trying to see if the first letters of each line were an anagram for anything . . .)

    (Oh! I’m supposed to be quiet!)

    Reply
  9. Joe M says:

    I think it is alliteration combined with assonance and consonance. That may not be right. I may not be going deep enough but…..that could be it.

    Reply
  10. Shieldmaiden says:

    None of the notifications I signed up for are telling me when there is a new post or comment. I just saw this, I try to check everyday but it must have come in right after I checked last… uggh. I will now begin to try to figure this out. I’m decent at riddles and figuring out names for stuff, but this is so not my element. Has anyone solved it yet (aside from Eddie)?

    Reply
    • fsdthreshold says:

      You’re not getting notifications? Hmm . . . I wonder if it’s that once-in-24-hours thing. I know that with Goodreads, I get notifications of new activity well after the fact . . .

      Reply
        • Scott says:

          Do you have an anti-virus/spam blocker? You may need to set this as a safe sender.

          I received the notification of the new Post, but I haven’t received notifications of the Comments (which is fine with me, I’d rather come here and read it anyway).

          Reply
          • Shieldmaiden says:

            Thanks Scott. I do have a virus blocker but it has never gotten in the way of anything from WordPress. How do I set something as a safe sender if I want to try that? I would actually like to get the comment notifications so I can see when one comes in as a reply, they are hard to see when they appear in the middle of the thread. But I too prefer to read the comments here, I just like to be notified that one has come in. And Fred: I can’t remember how I signed up for Feed My Inbox, is there a way to get there from this blog? They don’t notify of comments though, and they only give a one time notice after midnight when a new blog post is up. I’d like the instant notice if I can find out how to do sign up for one. I have clicked the “Check here to Subscribe to notifications for new posts” but nothing has happened. It worked on the old blog for me just fine. Hmm.

  11. fsdthreshold says:

    Play on! Only Eddie has solved it so far! Everyone’s mind is working well! As in the previous contest, you’re not limited to one guess. Your answer shouldn’t include “not” or “don’t.” Frame it in the positive!

    Reply
    • fsdthreshold says:

      Heh, heh! I’m pretty sure I didn’t use “LOL” in The Star Shard. Maybe in the scene in which Cymbril is texting Loric:

      “What r u doing? Still chained up? 🙁 I’ll try to visit u if I can get away from W.w. LOL.”

      Reply
    • fsdthreshold says:

      Well, those are good suggestions. Let’s see: “No Noun” would be an alliteration (words starting with the same sound, such as “Bring back Bilbo Baggins!”). Onomatopoeia is naming actions or things by imitating them vocally, or giving things names that are sounds describing the sense — things such as “buzz” or “hiss.” I don’t think I see any of that in this “poem” (or whatever it is!). 🙂 Well, wait — maybe the word “loll” might be one. That sort of sounds like what it means . . . But anyway — excellent point to bring up, but it isn’t the solution!

      Reply
  15. fsdthreshold says:

    Shieldmaiden, I’m trying to figure out why you’re not getting electronic notices. In my e-mail in-box, I receive notices when I’ve posted a new post and a notice each time someone comments. We need the help of other readers here — is everyone who “joined” the blog getting these notices? Is the problem isolated to Shieldmaiden’s system, or is no one getting them?

    Reply
  17. Joe M says:

    I solved it. Each line is a direct contridiction of the lines below. in one line it calls it an oily ninny. In another (that just so happens to be in part of a pattern) it says unninny. Here is what I meant by a patern. Count from the bottom up 3 and then from the top down 3 with your fingers on the screen. read the top line first then the bottom line. That is interesting isn’t it. And Hannah I already said it has alliteration with assonnance and consonance.

    Reply
  18. Joe M says:

    Another thing. If you rearrange the first letters of each line you can get “ON My Lion” but there are three letters left. an L an O and a U so I thought it is either, “On My Lion,Lou.” talking to a person or the L,O,and U are extranious and discarded as with several anagrams I have dealt with in the past. In this case the code would simply be “On My Lion.”

    Reply
    • Shieldmaiden says:

      Joe M: I didn’t see your comments here until my screen refreshed when I posted my comment. We are both seeing the On My Lion, not that it will matter in the end ha ha. What ever the answer is, all the words of this composition have it in common? They all share what distinction? I have also noticed the alliteration, but EVERY word has to have something that is shared or the same… I may go insane.

      Reply
        • Shieldmaiden says:

          It may be too late. The fact that someone out there got it and I cant see it is probably going to push me over the edge. I’d be fine if no one had it LOLs.
          P.S. Nice rhyme! and pencils you say?

          Reply
          • fsdthreshold says:

            Well, literary agents are very smart! As for pencils: in our D&D campaign, in one adventure, the whole culmination of weeks of struggle turned out to be a big Nothing, a “last boss” enemy dark lord, commander of thousands — who, when finally encountered, was a harmless, gentle creature. Everyone in the group threw their pencils and other objects at me, the Dungeon Master. 🙂

  19. Shieldmaiden says:

    I can’t even begin to guess. There are letters: i,o,u,y,l,m,n,h, p used. We could be looking for something the same or in common with all the words but also possibly something a lion is on, that is on a lion? It begins with “on my lion” and ends with “my lion on” but not a noun, only a sermon and possibly a description that is not small or stupid, that might also be in onions and pins as well as millions? I wonder if there is a clue within the puzzle, is it a riddle and a pattern? Or is it nonsensical only hiding the puzzle? Oh my mind. I am too literal. Lo, Holy! Lo, Omni! O Only indeed… sighs

    Reply
  21. fsdthreshold says:

    Does anyone remember the book Masquerade, by Kit Williams? It was a slim hardcover, copyrighted 1979, first published in America in 1980 by Schocken Books. It’s filled with beautiful (and very cryptic) paintings and text, telling the story of a hare that lost a jeweled treasure somewhere in England. Kit actually hid the treasure — on public land, where anyone might discover it without trespassing. For awhile, there was Masquerade mania as people studied the book, put forth their theories, and tramped all over Britain looking for the treasure. Eventually, it was found, but not by someone who solved the code. A chap was out walking his dog, as I recall, and the dog began sniffing and digging in the hollow beneath a certain rock or stone structure — and lo and behold! Then came a book decoding Masquerade . . . and then I think there was at least one sequel, with another treasure!

    Reply
    • Shieldmaiden says:

      Yes, I have heard of this. Are you saying the answer is in plain sight, not overly hidden. Are we trying too hard? You said “lo” is that a clue? just kidding!! Why isn’t there ever a curious dog around when you need one 🙂

      Reply
      • fsdthreshold says:

        “Lo” can be a clue if you want it to be, but it’s already in the puzzle! 🙂

        No, the talk of Masquerade isn’t supposed to be a commentary on this mystery. I was just reminded of it.

        I have to get some other things done today, so I need to turn away for awhile, but I’ll be back later on!

        Reply
  23. fsdthreshold says:

    Shieldmaiden, did you see Scott’s suggestion (way up above, but recent)? You may need to set this as a “safe sender” so that your spam filter doesn’t filter it out. (Thanks, Scott!)

    And yes, you might also try the “Feed My Inbox” route.

    Scott, I agree with you — I’d much rather read everything right on the blog rather than reading the somewhat-different e-mail versions of everything.

    Joe M: There are wonders to be seen on this blog! And I’m not boasting about myself: I mean it’s a fantastic place, an amazing group of people. So, behold on! Or . . . should I say, “Lo!”?

    Reply
  24. Joe M says:

    You are making things darn near impossible Fred. It’s frustrating me. My mother couldn’t even crack it. Unless it’s a cypher………………………….

    Reply
  27. Daylily says:

    Having read and reread and studied this composition, considering numbers of letters in words, patterns, and possibilities, I can safely say that no bright idea on the solution is going to smack me between the eyes anytime soon. I shall be interested to read the answer.

    Reply
  28. Morwenna says:

    I’ve noticed that on a QUERTY keyboard, all of the words used in the ON MY LION puzzler are typed with the right hand. (This doesn’t apply to every punctuation mark, however, due to the exclamation points.)

    Reply
    • Shieldmaiden says:

      Congrats Morwenna! I am so excited for you!! Well done. I totally couldn’t get it. I am not a typer but I did notice only certain vowels were used etc. but never pondered beyond that. This was a hard puzzle to solve and you did it, and now you get to read the book before it comes out. I am happy for you 🙂

      Reply
  29. Joe M says:

    OMG……They were ALL typed with the right hand. I don’t think about that because i think it is faster to hunt and peck but that is the answer. Fred typed every word (excluding puntuation) right handed.

    Reply
  31. fsdthreshold says:

    The contest is officially OVER! Morwenna has successfully answered the question! (Sorry, Joe, she clearly said “in the ON MY LION puzzler,” which refers to the whole thing — but all your thinking was very good!) And that goes for everyone — bravo! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

    The answer is that all the words in the composition are typed using only the right hand on a QWERTY keyboard (a typical typewriter/computer keyboard). The two people who figured it out (Eddie and Morwenna) are two who use a keyboard professionally on a daily basis!

    Mrs. Spamman was SO, SO CLOSE in her almost immediate answer! She had the idea of looking at the letters used in the puzzle, and if she had somehow phrased her answer to talk about the “words” (as the question asked), I would have declared her the winner.

    Then Mr. Brown Snowflake almost had it! He noticed that only certain vowels were used, but he was also drawn to the N. Then Morwenna noticed that A-G weren’t used. So you were all right on top of the answer! That’s about the time I started luring you off the path with shimmering lights and ghostly whispers. 🙂

    So CONGRATULATIONS, MORWENNA! And everyone: thank you all very much for playing! This was a great game!

    Reply
  32. fsdthreshold says:

    So, Morwenna, your signed ARC will be on the way!

    I wanted to say thanks to Joe, too, for noticing the content of the “poem” in the puzzle! When I conceived this game, I was originally going to have it be just a list of words. But I thought an actual “poem” would be more fun and make it more of a challenge. Joe is absolutely right that there’s a break or shift partway through the poem, and there is a reversal of certain concepts: “ninny” to “Un-Ninny,” etc.

    The poem, as you’ve probably noticed, is Christian in theme. It seems to be the statement of someone who is vexed by a false or lukewarm teacher of Christian truth — a wolf in sheep’s clothing, perhaps — which is why Mrs. Spamman’s rearrangement of the letters to spell “unholy imp” is particularly spooky! This false one is “mini-holy” (“holy” only in tiny, insignificant ways) and spineless, like a lolling mop, dripping dirty water. He (?) preaches a “homily” that is devoid of the most necessary element, the “Noun” of Christ.

    The false one is “in million” (wholly occupied with the trends of society) and “in onion” (you can make of that image what you will); he dwells among matters weak (puny) and mocking, sharp-pointed (pin) — an “Opinion Mill” devoid of “HIM.”

    The last three lines are a call to Aslan, the “Un-Ninny,” the strong, to come and restore all things. I like the plea to “limn”! (Etch us in Your light!) The words in the last lines are all names for Aslan/Christ: Holy, Omni, Only, Lion.

    So, how’s that? 🙂

    Reply
  36. Scott says:

    Congratulations Morwenna. You did a great job on the solution to the puzzle.

    Shieldmaiden, I’m still trying to figure out your problem. I’m not an IT guy. If I was, my first response to your problem would have been “Have you tried re-booting your computer?”

    You made a comment about never having a problem with notifications from WordPress. If I’m not mistaken, this new blog isn’t on WordPress. The Sender on the email notification that I received was mothkinf@fredericsdurbin.com. One option is to send an email to that email address. Sometimes that lets your email program know that it’s a safe sender.

    You didn’t mention which program you receive your email thru, but look for something marked Junk E-Mail Options or Safe/Block Senders and you should be able to add or un-block that sender address.

    Either way, if you’re like me and only get the notifications of new posts, we will both have to wait for a new post for an email notification. I’m trying to figure out how to subscribe to the comments.

    Reply
  37. Joe M says:

    Now I am going to do one for everybody. The first one is the easiest. everything after the next period is part of the code.
    5/6/72. 30. 643. MB.

    That’s it. There is no prize. I just want to see if morwenna and the others are truly the best or if they just got lucky.

    Reply
    • Scott says:

      5/6/1972 Birth Date of Martin Brodeur, goal tender for the New Jersey Devils hockey team with jersey #30 and has 643 regular season wins?

      Reply
  39. Joe M says:

    For the code these are your only 2 hints.
    1. All the numbers and letters refer to the same thing.
    2. The thing to which they refer is a person. A famous person.

    Reply
  40. Joe M says:

    I am not really an IT guy either but I can say it is probably a glitch on this end or it’s your settings. See if you have it set to notify you by e-mail.

    Reply
    • fsdthreshold says:

      Yes! I’m sorry, Mr. Brown! I didn’t mean to leave you out of the “using a keyboard” group! I only meant to point out that the people who did see the connection were both (also) frequent keyboard users.

      Reply
  42. Joe M says:

    You got it close to right. So I am going to give it to you. 643 carreer wins. unless he won tonight which would make it 644. Are you a hockey fan Scott.

    Reply
  43. Morwenna says:

    From gargoyle names to inventive word games, you come up with great contests, Fred. Thanks, everyone, for the kind congrats!

    It’s a thrill to win the book. The cover art is lovely!

    Reply
    • fsdthreshold says:

      Thank you, Morwenna! I just packaged up the ARC, and it’s ready for the post office in the morning!

      The overall color of the cover is a little different on the ARC and on the finalized book. Mr. Brown Snowflake saw an early copy of the wraparound paper cover over Christmas break — that was the actual cover!

      Again, the ARC is a paperback, and the finished book is a hardback.

      So, Morwenna, now that the contest is over: can you tell us what it was that led you to the solution? Were you at your keyboard? Did the idea just come to you? Were you instantly sure that was the right answer? I’m sure we’d love to hear any anecdotes about how the inspiration came!

      Reply
      • Morwenna says:

        Thank you so much, Fred. Yes, I know it’s an ARC. I will buy the hardcover. I can’t wait to read the expanded story! 🙂

        As for the puzzle’s solution, an idea that didn’t pan out put me back on the right track. I thought, “Well, what’s on a lion? A mane. A tail . . . is it something to do with the tail-end of the alphabet?” That connection helped me circle back to my A-G observation.

        The solution came to me at a late hour. Being very tired, I didn’t bother to print out the poem and then check the keyboard. The quickest way to prove my theory was to pull up the poem onscreen and start touch typing.

        A bit of trivia: A left-handed person won your right-handed poem contest!

        Reply

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