WELCOME TO LUMBY: WIN THE SERIES!

GIVEAWAY ENDED

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Nestled in the Northwest is a quaint little town that its quirky residents are proud to call home. With charming shops lining its one main thoroughfare, Lumby has the oldest apple tree in the county and the smallest bank in the state. And though it’s hours from the nearest big city, you’ll always find Lumby close to your heart . . .

This book series is a fun escape into a wonderful and quirky world.

The author and her hubby are creating their own little ‘Lumby’ on a 40 acre farm in rural NY – orchard, garden, animals, bees … Her website has some beautiful pictures of the farm that inspires her writing (or the writing that inspires the farm?).

ABOUT THE TOWN OF LUMBY:

"One could describe Lumby as one would describe, with unreserved fondness, their own small town in our vast and diverse country: quaint, with enough quirk to make it interesting. It is a town that holds strong to the belief that the oldest apple tree in the country is firmly rooted on the corner of Cherry Street and Farm to Market Road, and a town that reacted adversely when one of their more entrepreneurial youths put the tree up for auction on the Internet two summers ago." - excerpt from The Lumby Lines

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gail Fraser was born and raised in Rye, New York, and attended the Rye High School before continuing on to major in English and receive an AA from Colby Sawyer College. Gail then studied at the University of London before returning to Skidmore College where she earned her BA in English Education. She completed her MBA at the University of Connecticut, with graduate work done at Harvard University.

Prior to changing her life and becoming a novelist, Gail had a successful career in 'corporate America' holding senior executive and upper management positions in several Fortune 500 and start-up corporations, and traveling extensively throughout the world. In addition to living throughout the east coast from northern Vermont down to central Florida, Gail also lived in Colorado, Montana and Oregon for several years. Gail and her husband, artist Art Poulin, are building their own Lumby on Lazy Goose Farm in rural upstate New York. Featured in several magazines and newspapers, Lazy Goose is a 40-acre gentleman's farm that is demarcated by a 200-year old stone wall, and has views of the Catskills, Adirondack and Vermont mountains. They share their lives with Yoda (a kind and gentle German Shepherd from New Skete Monastery), Emma, Camille and several other two- and four-legged barn friends. Art spends his days in the studio while Gail writes in her library, overlooking their pond. Gail is also an avid stoneware potter, gardener and cook and enjoys tending to their orchard (recently decimated by the deer) and bee hives most every morning.

THE BOOKS

Information from Gail Fraser's LUMBY Website

THE LUMBY LINES: BOOK ONE

What Garrison Keillor did for Lake Wobegon, Gail Fraser has done for Lumby in this delightfully touching new novel which centers on outsiders Pam and Mark Walker, who set about converting the community's fire-ravaged monastery into a historic inn. In the process they face the suspicions of the townsfolk, the open hostility of the cranky newspaper publisher, and the sometimes helpful, often humorously hapless assistance of the local tradespeople. An engaging cast of characters is led through an entertaining tale of foibles and romance, intrigue and benign mayhem, and are portrayed in the narratives and snippets from the local paper, The Lumby Lines.

STEALING LUMBY: BOOK TWO

Back in the 1950s, Lumby had a brief moment of fame when renowned artist Dana Porter made two of its picturesque barns the subject of his greatest painting. In Stealing Lumby, the town is jolted from its comfortable obscurity once again when the famous painting disappears and the national media comes a-calling in an effort to solve the mystery. Things go from bad to worse when one of the barns itself goes missing; some see dollar signs in all the attention but others just want to get things back to the way they've always been. There is, after all, the Summer Solstice Moo Doo Iditarod to plan for. All of Lumby's quirkiness comes alive again in this delightful sequel to The Lumby Lines. Faithful readers will recognize old friends, enjoy meeting new ones, and relish all the antics as the story unfolds-as pieces of the stolen barn show up in the strangest of places, a schooner goes sailing down Main Street, and the famous artist considers recreating his masterpiece in a way that amazes all.

LUMBY'S BOUNTY: BOOK THREE

When a silly scheme commits Lumby to building a balloon for the regional festival it must host in twelve short weeks, the town's worthies take up the challenge, wreaking havoc along the way as test balloons suffer hilarious fates. But two foreigners who are visiting Saint Cross come to their rescue; Kai, a sincere young man who discovers his destiny is not in the priesthood, and his brother, Jamar, who brings his own brand of charismatic mischief to the scene and involves several locals in a wildly romantic real estate venture. As the festival approaches, the monks of Saint Cross Abbey, now nationally known for their good works, struggle to deal with the masses of devotees-and more than a few nutcases-flocking to take up residence on the monastery grounds. But in the end, the skies clear and The Bounty of Lumby, breathtaking in color and size, lifts off the ground and floats gently over Montis Inn.

THE PROMISE OF LUMBY: BOOK FOUR

When their beloved veterinarian decides to retire, Lumby's residents turn a curious eye to a stranger, Dr. Tom Candor, who steps up to the responsibilities, hangs his shingle and is soon embraced by the town. But when one distrusting journalist digs too deep and reveals Tom's past, Lumby turns its cold back. Only after Dr. Candor leaves with one of their most beloved residents do the townsfolk pause and consider the consequences of its actions: after all, who will care for Hank if he falls ill? While some residents concoct the wildest of schemes to charm the vet back, Pam and Mark Walker respond to the Montis Inn being unexpectedly thrown into the limelight. And in Franklin, the monks of Saint Cross Abbey face their own temptations from an unexpected proposition by a group of religious vintners, the Sisters of St. Amand who have vine roots and cases of award-winning wine in tow.

LUMBY ON THE AIR: BOOK FIVE--COMING JULY 6, 2010!

Pam and Mark Walker are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with a week-long family reunion and a ceremony renewing their vows. Mark breezily dismisses Pam’s misgiving about temporarily closing Montis Inn and heads off to the county fair, to try his hand at both chainsaw sculpting and sheep shearing, with chaotic--and hilarious--results. Meanwhile, Pam juggles her thrill-seeking mother, who has a new “friend with benefits,” and her non-conformist niece, who posts family secrets in her online blog . Then Mark’s brother-in-law starts broadcasting his radio talk show live from Montis Inn. His remarks disparaging small-town life cause immediate rifts, especially when he sides with a real estate developer who wants to turn Lumby into a Las Vegas version of Aspen. As the controversy pits family against family, and neighbor against neighbor, will the spirit that defines Lumby triumph once again?

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO CAITLIN AND GOOD PEOPLE AT
FSB ASSOCIATES AND AUTHOR GAIL FRASER,
I HAVE THE ENTIRE SET OF THE FIRST
FOUR BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS WHAT
YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN THE SET...AND
POSSIBLY THE NEW BOOK WHEN IT COMES
OUT THIS SUMMER IN JULY!

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:
Over the next 4 days, you will
learn more about the four books
individually and be able to gather
entries for the entire set.
FIRST
You MUST ENTER HERE to be eligible to
win the set of four LUMBY books.
SECOND
You MUST ENTER EACH DAY for
the four books to be eligible for
the set. You only HAVE to enter
the "MANDATORY ENTRY" parts
but can gain more chances with
the bonus entry questions.
Here goes...

+1 ENTRY-MANDATORY: YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS WEBSITE. THE WAYS YOU CAN FOLLOW ARE BY GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT, EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION, OR NETWORKED BLOGS. ALL ARE IN THE LEFT COLUMN IF YOU NEED TO SIGN UP. COMMENT ON HOW YOU FOLLOW SO I CAN CHECK. THANKS!

+1 MORE ENTRY-MANDATORY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS SERIES FROM WHAT YOU READ ABOVE AND WHY YOU WANT TO WIN THE SERIES AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE 5TH BOOK IN JUNE!

+1 MORE ENTRY: VISIT GAIL FRASER'S WEBSITE AND SIGN UP FOR HER NEWSLETTER HERE.

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, APRIL 25!

GOOD LUCK
BONUS!!!!
IF THERE ARE 200 OR MORE QUALIFIED
ENTRIES TO WIN THE SET, I WILL
PERSONALLY PURCHASE A SECOND
SET TO GIVE AWAY!