By
Brad R. Cook
It’s
Monday, and even though everyone is off eating ribs, making that first dive
into a swimming pool, or saying thanks to those in uniforms, we’re still having
our giveaway.
On
Wednesday, my post will talk about following your dreams, as a writer, in life,
and as a motto for life. To get everyone ready, I wanted to giveaway a wonderful story about following dreams, and one of my
favorite novels.
So
I’m giving away a copy of The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho!
Many
years ago, this book was given to me by a friend and in return I have given
this book out more than any other. So, this is a bit of an old tradition for me
– one I now pass along to one of you. If you’ve never read The Alchemist, you
are in for a treat and if you already have, feel free to pass it along to
someone who hasn’t.
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho – thanks to Amazon for the description.
An Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago travels from his
homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the
Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king,
and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No
one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the
obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods
turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and
deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the
transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
I
also highly recommend his other novels. I haven’t read them all, but I’ve liked
all the ones I have read. Check out The Pilgrimage,
The Witch of Portobello, or his
latest Aleph. There are so many more,
but The Alchemist remains my
favorite.
A
little fact for our writer friends – Paulo Coelho wrote The Alchemist in two
weeks. He explains the pace by saying the story was, “already in my soul.”
 |
| Had to include my favorite cover. |
It
is easy to enter, just leave a comment on this post or any of the posts this
week!
One
note about the giveaway: Due to shipping limitations, you have to live within
the continental United States to win. Apologies to the international readers,
we also have giveaways that are fully online so anyone can win.
To
enter the contest, simply leave a comment on The Writers Lens between May 28,
2012, and midnight June 2, 2012. Please include your email so we can reach you
if you win. The more comments you leave, the greater YOUR chance of winning the
contest. The winner will be chosen after midnight on Saturday and the announcement
made on next week.
Good
luck and check back on Wednesday when we’ll be talking about following dreams,
writing dreams, and living the dream. I will not be interviewing the author –
sorry.
Brad
R. Cook is a historical fantasy writer and President of St. Louis Writers
Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com
or follow me on Twitter @bradrcook
To
learn more about St. Louis Writers Guild, visit www.stlwritersguild.org
Saint Louis Writers Guild on Facebook or on Twitter @stlwritersguild
Thank you for featuring 'The Alchemist' this week. This is one of those books that I keep meaning to read, but for some reason have never gotten around to picking up. Thanks for the chance!
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