JUDGE JULIE: THE RESULTS!

Now you may remember waaaaaaaaaaay back at the beginning of November, Judge Julie once more hit the blog for the start of NaNoWriMo, when three seriously insane authors decided to go head to head toward the finish line.

Well, the results are now IN!

Apologies, but I am a little late posting them, due to being booked up last week for the Make Believe Blog Tour.

Before we go to the results, however, let us just recap on the rules of the game.

The prize goes to the author with the HIGHEST word count at the end of November SANS starting word count in their chosen WIP.

Prize is $1 exactly to be forwarded by each of the LOSERS!

And LOSERS! must write a blog post bowing down to the greatness of the one who BEAT THEM!

So, here are the finishing stats for each contestant.

~~~~~~~

NAME: JOCELYN ADAMS

NOVEL TITLE: RAISING WINTER

START WORD COUNT: 5237

FINISHING WORD COUNT: “Geez, no idea. I know I made it over the 50k, but not by how much.” o_O

TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN FOR NANO: Over 45k, maybe even over 46k, but one can’t be sure. O_o

~~~

NAME: EMI GAYLE

NOVEL  TITLE: PERRY ROAD

START WORD COUNT: 12738

FINISHING WORD COUNT: 63943

TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN FOR NANO: 51205

~~~

NAME: L.S. MURPHY

NOVEL TITLE: FULL COUNT

START WORD COUNT: 0

FINISHING WORD COUNT: 37827

TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN: 37827

~~~~~~~

Which means the winner is ….

Congratulations, Emi!

Bad luck, Jo & Linda. Please pay up before I send the heavies round. And I shall be expecting some bowing down blog posts reeeeeeeeeeeeeal soon.

Judge Julie! Yup, it IS that time of year again!

You may recall, I’ve donned my judging hat a couple times now to oversee the stiff writing competition that a certain couple of authors like to entertain us all with.

First time, it was just for kicks.

Last year, it was to push themselves through NaNo even faster than ever.

This year, they’re using NaNo as the boost again, but this time there’s a new spice to add to the flavour.

Yep, because a THIRD contestant is stepping up to the starting block, convinced she can knock the two-times-winner off the podium.

So, who wants a peek at this trio of insane nutters then?

Look below.

Yes, at the gates, we have:

Jocelyn Adams:

Reigning Champion and author of many titles including the Lila Gray Trilogy.

Emi Gayle:

Reigning LOSER Runner-Up and author of The 19^th Year Trilogy.

L.S. Murphy:

Newbie who has no idea what she’s letting herself in for and author of contemporary romance A Reason to Stay and YAPNR Reaper.

We’ll also be changing up the guidelines a little bit.

You see, in the past, the winner has been whoever hit their 50k (per NaNo rules) mark first.

THIS YEAR, it is whoever has the highest word count at NaNo’s end, sans any starting word count for their WIP’s that have already been declared.

Also in the past, the LOSER runner-up has been forced obligated to send chocolate to the winner, as well as blog about their ineptitude and the fact they lost to this person who is more awesome than themselves.

Whereas, THIS YEAR, the prize at stake is …. $2. Yep, each of the LOSERS runners-up will each be forced obligated to forward $1 each to the AWESOMEST WRITER winner.

To clarify, here are each of the contestants deets:

NAME: JOCELYN ADAMS

NOVEL TITLE: RAISING WINTER

START WORD COUNT: 5237

~~~

NAME: EMI GAYLE

NOVEL  TITLE: PERRY ROAD

START WORD COUNT: 12738

~~~

NAME: L.S. MURPHY

NOVEL TITLE: FULL COUNT

START WORD COUNT: 0

~~~

And here is a list of MY rules that MUST be obeyed:

At November’s end, all three contestants shall submit TO ME (oh, the power) their manuscripts for validation.

Final word counts shall only be approved upon confirmation of an actual story and not a craptapular repetition of words or phrases just to make word count.

Winner shall be officially announced beginning of December.

LOSERS!!!!!!! Runners-Up will also be required to blog in early December bowing to the winner’s awesomeness and admitting their defeat to the world as well as cough up the goods pay their dues.

Cheating shall be snickered at highly discouraged and may result in lots of private laughter disqualification, dismemberment, and public disgrace.

Ladies, your time started at one minute past midnight this morning, so …

Let the madness commence!

Good luck! You’re gonna need it.

How about you guys–how are you ramping up NaNo this year to make it more fun?

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Willem Frost!

He’s hot,

helps girls when lost,

and they call him Mr Frost.

He’s also dark and yum

and he has a lovely bum …

(or so I’ve heard *cough*).

Yes, my guest for the day is Touch of Frost’s: Willem.

W: *scratches hair and looks for a hole to crawl into*

J: *Turns to the dark haired hunk sitting opposite whilst eyeing the rather large puss at his feet* Hi, Willem. *smile* Thanks for coming.

W: Yeah, hi Julie.  Thanks for having me here … where’d you say we are?  Don’t get out much. *pats Calla while she whines*

J: The UK, Will. Don’t worry, we’ll have you home soon. If it’s okay with you, I’d quite like to give your readers a chance to understand you even deeper than they already might do. To discover the Willem beneath the surface. The guy behind the scenes. You game?

W: *jacks up a brow* Ah, yeah, I guess.  Not much more to know other than what you see, though, but ask away.

J: Thanks. It’s clear from reading Touch of Frost that you’ve had quite a ‘thing’ for Lauren since she was pretty young (even though you waited until much later to break all the rules—mucho romantic by the way). How about you explain how that works to anyone visiting today. Is it some kind of imprinting or connection of soul mates deal? What was it exactly that drew you to her on so deep a level?

W: *grins* She is quite a spark plug, that one.  There’s no magic between us, I just found an old soul alive in a beautiful woman and she drew me in no matter how hard I tried to stop myself.  You see, most folks hate the snow, go around complaining about the cold and the wet.  Not her.  She sees it as natural art, to be admired and as something to play in.  *shakes head* Most city folk don’t know how to play anymore, and don’t stop long enough to admire the amazing world around them.  That’s what made me want to know her, because she found her true self on the mountainside even though she didn’t realize it for a while.

J: Saving humans: did you do that for fun (just in case anyone’s wondering if they’d have a chance with a weather mage by tossing themselves into danger, like Lauren did to get your attention)? Or was it only your yen for Lauren that had you constantly protecting her wellbeing?

W: *chuckles* Awkward.  Yeah, that’s just Lauren.  I couldn’t imagine a world without her in it, so despite breaking the first law of my people, I made sure she was always safe in the place she loved.  I’d do it over again in a heartbeat, too.

J: I’m intrigued by the whole weather mage deal. But what I’m even more intrigued about is where you seemingly disappeared to when you weren’t not around. Were you still there but invisible? Or did you have a private hideaway you waltzed away to? Care to give any details about what ‘home’ was like?

W: Well, I can’t tell you much because they might just come back down here and snatch me away, but I’ll tell you what I can.  *shivers* The mages and elementals are born in another realm not unlike your earth, though it’s quite a bit smaller.  Most of us live within our element, water within the oceans, air upon the clouds, fire in the flaming pits of Coramine.  I was born at Winter Haven, where the temperature doesn’t make it above -30 or so.  Still have a few brothers left there who don’t have the gifts I do, so they’ll always live there.  When those of us who have gifts come of age, we’re abandoned on earth to find our animal guide.  *Pats Calla as she yowls proud cat sounds at him* Animals are pretty good judges of character, and if we can’t convince one of them to become our permanent link to the upper realm, we remain on earth and our powers are taken away.

J: And how did that whole business with the cabin work? When you were gone it looked rotten. When you returned: spanking. Was this a magical connection between yourself and an earthly place you were grounded to? Did you have to magically transform it yourself, or was in a (super)natural occurrence you played no conscious part in?

W: That was magic.  I found the old place and spruced it up just enough to live in, but still let me feel like I was living close to the elements.  I could hear my winds howl and the snow patting against the tin roof.  Calla really likes it too, don’t you girl? *She bunts his hand and meows again*

J: Do you miss any of that magic—now you’ve chosen Lauren over the only existence you’ve ever known? I guess what I’m really asking is: any regrets?

W: I do miss my brothers, but I know they understand I’m happy now, so it’s all good.  All I’ve wanted for the last ten years is to be near Lauren, to listen to her voice, to watch her when she gets all fascinated with something simple like the sunrise.  *shrugs* Besides, another mage took my place, and she keeps us in lots of snow.  To see Lauren twirling around outside her cabin staring up at the falling flakes makes me one happy guy.

J: Cute. And let’s not forget everything’s changed for Calla, too. *scratches big, intimidating puss on the head* You think Calla’ll stick around for the life-of-less excitement? Cats are pretty territorial—maybe lynx’s are, too—so how do you think she’ll deal with having to share her saviour and best friend with a woman?

W: *holds belly while he laughs*  Well, considering I have to fight the old girl for my place in the bed every night when Lauren’s all curled up around her, I’d say she’s adjusting just fine.  She never really liked the other realm, so I’m sure she won’t miss it there.  This mountain always has been, and always will be, her home.  She loves Lauren just as much as I do—in fact, the two always gang up on me outside.  *nudges Calla and grins at her* One of these days Lauren and I are going to have a fair snowball fight without you flattening me, you hear?

J: *Sigh* Looks like the ladies don’t really stand a chance with you then, eh?

W: *gives an awkward chuckle and edges away* Nope.  My heart’s long gone, wrapped around Lauren until forever. 

J: Oh, well. Thanks anyway for visiting today. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have you here on my blog.

W: Been a real pleasure talking to you, too, Julie.  You need to come across that big blue and visit us some time.

J: Be careful of the invites you dish out, Will. You might just end up with a visitor. *wink*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you all enjoyed the interview. For those of you intrigued enough to want to know more, here’s the cover (image is linked to its Goodreads page) and blurb:

(From Goodreads …)

Even the simplest of touches between Will Frost and Lauren McLean are forbidden.
To share love will surely mean death.
Since her granddad’s passing, Lauren has existed a few steps out of sync with the world. Desperate to feel the love only he offered her as a child, Lauren returns to the haven they once shared — a snow-covered cabin at the foothills of the Rockies.
It’s not the memory of her granddad that warms her ice-cold, frost-bitten body after being caught in a blizzard, though. It’s the man in whose bed she wakes.
Along with bringing life to her soul, Will stirs deep-rooted memories in Lauren and brings out the love she seeks.
What Will knows about himself — the secrets of his kind — he keeps hidden, forcing Lauren to search for answers, to question and ultimately put her life, and his own existence, in danger.
In love though, there is always a way.
Can Will get around the rules? Or will Lauren give up her life simply to have one last touch from Will Frost?

Sounds pretty cool, right? (pun intended) Well, I happen to know that it is, so you should deffo be adding it to your to-read list.

Thank you all for visiting. You can find out more about Touch of Frost HERE and Jocelyn Adams on her website, FB page, or Twitter.

 

JUDGE JULIE: DEATHMATCH RESULTS!

Now you may recall on November 1st, I announced the head-to-head challenge between two great writers: Jocelyn Adams and Emi Gayle (Aimee’s Laine’s YA double). Well, now the time has arrived to let you know how they fared.

First off, let me say, that these are two of the scariest contenders on the face of the planet. I watched them during the kick off. Their words counts shooting higher. The mature (*snort*) banter between them on Twitter … in fact, whaddayaknow? I just happen to have a few samples of said banter:

Um … like I said: scariest (and mature) contenders ever.

Anyway, a little over two weeks after NaNoWriMo began (the motivator for the challenge), Jocelyn sent me her 50k words to verify, announcing herself finished.

As judge, it was my duty (*snort*) to check the word count. I also had to ensure she hadn’t sent me a bunch of sloppy c***.

It turns out she hadn’t.

On the maturity level of our two contender’s: I had a sneak preview at Jocelyn’s Adams stories waaaaaaaaaaaay before they’ll be released and you’ll all get to see them, nu-nu-nu-nuuuuh-nuh!

So … without further ado, I hereby announce the winner of the second official Judge Julie contest:

JOCELYN ADAMS!

I am pretty certain if you hop on over to Jo’s blog today, you shall get to read her post of gloatsomeness. Just as, if you pop over to Aimee’s (or Emi’s), you shall see her post where (as the rules state) she bows down to Jo’s awesomeness and blarts a little over the fact she now owes Jo a bar of chocolate she could well have been eating herself.

Should I take this moment to mention that Aimee is a little miffed (due to being on a cruise for the 2nd week of the challenge that caused her to vomit everything but words) and is already hinting at a further challenge between the deadly duo? So look out for more Judge Julie’s in the future.

In the meantime, join me in offering cheers and commiserations.

Wheeeeeee! Congrats, Jocelyn.

INTO THE UNKNOWN GIVEAWAY!

There is an AWESOME giveaway happening today over at the blog of J. Taylor Publishing for FIVE … yes, FIVE copies of Into the Unknown.

This great anthology contains short stories by me (duh!), Aimee Laine & Jocelyn Adams, each one told from the pov of the male character in each of our debut novels (Darkness & Light, Little White Lies & The Glass Man), and is not due out until DECEMBER 1st, so winning a copy would ensure you to be one of the lucky few who READ IT FIRST!

Here’s the blurb, so you can decide if it sounds like something you’d enjoy:

Three men never expected love to wreak so much havoc in their lives.

In Marked, Darkness & Light’s Sean Holloway is on a mission—to find the perfect gift for the woman of his dreams. When all conventional choices turn out to be the wrong ones, each failed attempt convinces Sean his self-imposed task is impossible. But in the world of the Holloway Pack, anything is possible if it can be kept a secret.

In Misguided, Little White Lies’s Wyatt Moreland is hot on the trail of a wanted man when a rumor about his fiancée halts his progress. His desire to keep her safe wars with her need to be involved in his work and could derail their entire wedding unless he finds out the truth before she does.

In Tempted, The Glass Man’s Liam Kane made a promise to the fae he loves never to use his power to harm others. When a horrific event angers him, the energy boiling inside seduces him into walking a dark path. He has but one choice: resist his own nature or give up the one he loves.

Will the three men make the right choices? Or will their actions destroy their futures with the women they love?

And if you’re still not sure, why not head on over to BurningxImpossiblyxBright for a butchers at Ambur’s review and her thoughts on Into the Unknown.

So … sound like your cup of tea? What are you waiting for then? Go enter!

JUDGE JULIE! ROUND 2!

A challenge is afoot!

As I blogged on 26^th October, the entire month of November is dedicated to NaNoWriMo (Nation Novel Writing Month) for many, many writers across the globe.

Y’all already know I’m participating (just as I did last year).

What you don’t know is the head-to-head battle that is about to take place between two amazing authors.

Emi Gayle                                                   V                                    Jocelyn Adams

Yes, they are using NaNo as an excuse to race each other to the finish—just as happened back in July.

But this time?

There’s a twist!

Each of them are accepting challenge words to make their tasks more difficult. Earlier this year, Emi Gayle (YA-writing-alter-ego of Aimee Laine, author of Little White Lies) wrote a YA novel, titled After Dark. During that 1^st draft, I sent her daily challenges for stuff she had to work into her novel—be it a singular word, a phrase, an entire sentence.

And trust me, some of the stuff I sent her was pretty whacky!

So, as she is writing the sequel to After Dark for NaNo: Day After, she decided it just wouldn’t be the same without those challenges to drive her nuts help her along the way.

And, to make the challenge fair, Jocelyn Adams (author of the amazing novel: The Glass Man) has agreed to receive the same challenges during her writing of Road to Salvation, the novel she is currently writing.

I’m sure they will both appreciate VERY much (muhahahahaha) if you visited their blogs (or catch them on Twitter) and offered up a challenge or two of your own.

I am so evil. *Snicker*

Hold on a second, not so fast. Just as I did last time, I have writtern some ground rules, which MUST be adhered to for the winner to claim the title.

They are as follows:

1)       The author canNOT write garbage. Each and every word must be relevant. No waffling (who d’you think you are? Me?)!

2)       You may each use whatever distraction techniques you deem necessary to give yourselves an advantage.

3)       You may toss complains my way about your challenger’s stalling methods, but you may NOT ask me to step in and mediate on them. I fully intend to remain impartial.

4)       Once you have passed the requisite (of NaNo) 50k mark, you will send the article to me via e-mail. I will check the word count, and I will also skim through to validate that you haven’t written garbage (chortle).

5)       Whoever sends me their 50k first AND has me declare it a worthy product will be announced the winner!

6)       The winner will get to revel in their greatness in whatever way they choose.

7)       The loser will be expected to a) write a blog post bowing to the brilliance of the winner, and b) send chocolate (weighing no less than 100grams) to the winner.

And on that note … MAY THE GAMES COMMENCE!

To the death, ladies … to the death.

What about you? You come up with any ideas to kick start your rears into action for NaNo?

REVIEW: THE GLASS MAN! #theglassman

As I’m having a totally lazy couple of weeks on my blog, due to a Read-a-Thon I have scheduled for the whole of this upcoming weekend, and a Halloween Blog Hop Giveaway good to go for the entirety of the following weekend, I thought I would wow everybody with a simple post on a novel that officially released over the weekend.

Author Jocelyn Adams debut’ed on Saturday with her urban fantasy The Glass Man:

Here’s the blurb (from Goodreads):

Lila Gray is just a human—at least that’s her mantra when she accidentally topples a building or bends a paranoid local’s gun into modern art. That she can sense and control the minds around her doesn’t prove anything, either. Unwilling to put others at risk, she hides in the wilderness from the beautiful creature who hunts her, one who sees her as his ultimate prize.
Alone, the egocentric Glass Man can kill with a thought. Mated with Lila, he’s a supernatural weapon prepared to annihilate the humans he loathes.
Caught in the Glass Man’s latest scheme, Lila is plunged into a hidden fae realm, faced with a secret birthright and a forbidden romance.
With the Glass Man threatening everyone she loves, can Lila accept who she is in time to end his bloody reign? Or will she succumb to his dark power and become the vehicle of destruction for the human race?

Sound like something you’d fancy? If asked prior to getting my hands on an ARC, I might have said no.

YES, I LOVE urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but my only venture into fiction that involved faeries and stuff prior to this one hadn’t gone so well.

I decided to read it anyway. I’d been privvy to other writing by this author and trusted her to do a decent job. Boy, am I glad I did–and I could barely wait to get on Goodreads and spill my review onto the page (though I held back whilst I collected my thoughts).

Anyone who knows me well, or who follows my reviews, knows I am ALWAYS honest in my opinions (sometimes too honest). So, if I give a glowing report, you better believe I loved what I read.

In case you’re curious, here’s my review:

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This is my first foray into a novel where a fae was the MC and the writer tosses the reader into a hidden realm, because I usually run screaming from anything remotely fantasy (unless werewolves play a big factor). However, Jocelyn Adams has such an elegant simplicity to her writing, I found myself easily sucked in and pretty much unwilling to leave once she had me there.
This is not the kind of novel you should pick up when you think ‘I’ll just slot in a five minute read’. The pace of it is so energetically fast, you’ll find yourself buckled in tight and hauled along for the ride–and before you know it, it’s way past bedtime and you’re halfway through with your mind screaming at you to keep going because you only have half the book left to go dammit!

So what had me so engrossed?
I’ll admit, I had to take a breather from reading it to writing this review. I’ll blame that on the breakneck (for me) speed at which I ploughed through it, and the fact that I’m still processing every detail that I didn’t allow myself to ponder over at the time of racing for the finish line just to find out how it ended.

This is what I think had me hooked:
Liam. Loved him! But I look and long for the romance in every book I pick up.
Lila. Such a great leading lady, with great character development from start to finish. She was strong at the beginning of the story, but without the focus she’d garnered by the end that came with her self discoveries and acceptance, ensuring she grew and grew as the story evolved.
Parthalan. Hated him! Yet there was some sick and twisted dark part of me that just had to see if/how he’d succeed, and almost urged him to because I found his self-adoration quite amusing to read.
The introductions to the fae realms. This is often the part of fantasy novels that have me running for the hills. Toss too many descriptions at me and too many new creatures/beings/names to absorb and the heavy focus of my brain on those takes away some of my reading pleasure. I have to say, Jocelyn had the descriptions well and truly fine tuned. Not once did I feel weighed down by information overload, and not once did I struggle to imagine the pictures she painted within my reader mind. Kudos to her for that.
There were also plenty of side characters who intrigued me enough that I look forward to finding out more about them in the future … which is good–because this just happens to be the first in a trilogy, guarenteeing any others who get sucked in (like me) more! more! more! in the future.

This one definitely earned its 5* rating.

If this little darling (which I just happen to have on good authority will be the first of a trilogy) is not already on your to-read list, it should be.

So … what are you waiting for? You gonna listen to me, or what?

(pssst, here’s a hint: just click on the book cover image to add it)

DEATH MATCH RESULTS!

On July 24^th, I posted JUDGE JULIE! to announce a challenge that had arisen between a couple of my favourite authors: Jocelyn Adams and Aimee Laine. They each had around the same word count remaining to write for their current NiP’s, and decided to race each other for the finish line.

So, what did I do?

Well, declared myself judge, of course!

Why so?

Out of the kindness of my heart? Because I knew someone impartial needed to moderate and I had purely selfless purposes for agreeing to the job?

Of course not!

I had totally underhanded and ulterior motives for naming myself Judge Julie!

1)       I’d get to boss these two dominants about! That—trust me!—is a rarity!

2)       I got to make the rules for the challenge as sensible—or ridiculous—as I wanted!

3)       I knew I’d get to make the loser bow down to the winner! Ha! Yet more submissive behaviour bestowed upon them ::cue evil laugh here::

4)       This is my biggest and best reason and it shall take some explaining:

I knew what these ladies were working on. I have read and LOVED both of their debut novels: Little White Lies (out now) by Aimee Laine, and The Glass Man (October release—yep this lucky blighter had an ARC!) by Jocelyn Adams. And they both just happened to be writing the sequels to these two novels. Yay me! So, whoever won … I got to be the first to see a 1^st draft copy of what the public has to wait a loooooooooooong time for! Once again: Yay me!

Anyway, after much battling and distracting and attempts to intimidate, the first submission was sent for me to check over for its validity as the winning tale.

Yes, I have in my hands a FIRST DRAFT copy of Shadowborn, which will become the second Lila Gray novel to entertain the world on its release.

And yes, I have skimmed through it, and paused to read more than I should have, and YES, I have read the ending and sat with a stupid grin on my face whilst doing so.

Jealous?

Yeah, you should be!

So, without further ado, the winner is …

Due to the awesomeness of what I have this morning perused, I am mucho happy to announce …

JOCELYN ADAMS!

You WHUPPED Ms Laine’s a$$.

Following the rules of the challenge (made up by me! Ha!), Aimee now HAS TO announce her defeat in a blog post and bow down to Jocelyn’s brilliance. Oh, yes, she does! Chortle. And, whaddaya know? You can view said ‘Bowing down’ blog post HERE!

You can also view Jocelyn’s ‘Post of Triumph’ HERE at her blog—don’t forget to congratulate her whilst commiserating (no guffawing please—it’s not polite) Aimee.

This has been SUCH fun!

How about you? Have you ever gone head-to-head in a challenge? Did you win? Or were you a (gracious/ungracious) loser?

JUDGE JULIE!!!!

Chortle.

In case you’re wondering, Judge Julie is ME. Ha!

Why? you ask.

Well, there is a challenge afoot and … well … someone needs to keep the participants in line.

When two of my writer friends, Jocelyn Adams and Aimee Laine, boldly and publicly challenged each other in a race to the finish line in writing their current NiP’s the fighting talk commenced between the deadly duo.

Of course, they asked me to participate, but thanks to the edits due Book #2 of the Holloway Pack Stories (and the fact I type at, like, half the speed they do), I politely declined …

BUT a judge was still needed.

So … as judge (chortle) I get to make up some rules.

1)       The author canNOT write garbage. Each and every word must be relevant. No waffling (who d’you think you are? Me?)!

2)       You must both post your current word count in the comments section of this blog post, as well as your intended/estimated goal.

3)       You may each use whatever distraction techniques you deem necessary to give yourselves an advantage.

4)       You may toss complains my way about your challenger’s stalling methods, but you may NOT ask me to step in and mediate on them. I fully intend to remain impartial.

5)       Once you have written a bone fide conclusion to your novel, you will send the finished article to me via e-mail. I will check the word count, and I will also skim through to validate that you haven’t written garbage and that you have a worthy ending.

6)       Whoever sends me their finished novel first AND has me declare it a worthy product will be announced the winner!

7)       The winner will get to revel in their greatness in whatever way they choose.

8)       The loser will be expected to a) write a blog post bowing to the brilliance of the winner, and b) send chocolate (weighing no less than 100grams) to the winner.

RIGHT … LET THE GAMES COMMENCE!

What a great motivational tool this could turn out to be, eh? What ideas have you come up with to spur your fingers into action?