SPRING'S SERENITY READ-A-THON STARTING LINE

Please excuse the formatting on this post.  I have tried to fix it several times, to no avail! I give up. =O(

A little late with this...sorry! We were moving stuff from our old house ALL weekend and we're still not done.  But I digress...It's time to start the read-a-thon! This is the starting line.  Sign up in the linky with your starting post and/or reading plans on your blog.  If you do not have a blog, you can link to your Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads (and also post your updates from there as well).  Everyone who signs in here and participates in the read-a-thon will be entered in a book giveaway donated by publicist, Stephanie Barko.  Here are the details:

The Gold Rush:  1847-1849

(Western Tales Publishing, 4/19/10)

Western Historical Fiction, paperback, 494 pages, $23.95

by Frank W. Lewis

Synopsis:

In 1849, the greatest gold rush in history began as thousands of
would-be miners, gamblers, murderers and prostitutes made their way to California to seek their fortunes. In less than two years, more than 100,000 people arrived from all over the world to get in on the action. When the first gold nugget was found in the "Mother Lode," no one understood the importance of the discovery. Soon however, hundreds of ships littered San Francisco's harbor, abandoned by crew members rushing to the goldfields.

The first gold was actually discovered in 1847 when California

was still part of Mexico. The United States had declared war against Mexico in 1846. In 1848, Mexico ceded California and other western lands to the United States before news of the gold strike was known. The land belonged to the U.S. Government, but was not free for the taking, so all

the mining done was extralegal. Once word got out that there was gold for the taking, short

of sending the Army in to kill them, there was no way to stop the miners.

Miners seized land and set about governing themselves in mining districts that 

weren't authorized by federal law. San Francisco and Sacramento became lawless, criminal-

dominated cities where no man was safe. In The Gold Rush, 1847-1849, the seventh book 

in the series, Caleb Landers and his ladies fight to protect their property from a ruthless 

New York syndicate that will stop at nothing, even murder, to take over their operations.

Check out this recent review:

http://texas-history-page.blogspot.com/2011/04/gold-rush-1847-1849-by-frank-w-lewis.html

Author Bio:

Frank W. Lewis single handedly built an empire out of little more than hard work, good timing, 

and a few neglected mining deeds. His company, F. W. Lewis Inc was perhaps the largest patented 

and deeded mine holding company in Nevada. Today on the grounds of the state capitol in Carson 

City, you will find Lewis’ name engraved as one of the state’s most prominent prospectors. Visit the author at www.rumpah.com and join his fans on Facebook.


I will also be hosting a mini-challenge which I will post for you later today.  Charlie Courtland is donating book prizes for it.  I will let you know for sure what the prizes are when I post the mini-challenge.  Both the mini-challenge and the Stephanie Barko giveaway will be open until Sunday, May 1st at 11:59pm CT. 

Julie at Knitting and Sundries is hosting her own mini-challenge and giving away book prizes.  Go HERE for details! She's giving away some great book prizes or a Book Depository for International participants (if shipping is over $10).


Julie at My Book Retreat is hosting a mini-challenge as well.  Go HERE for details! She is giving away a copy of Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader. 


Remember, if you can't sign in today, no problem.  I made this read-a-thon a week long so that people could participate when they can.


If you're on Twitter, be sure to come on over and chat with other read-a-thoners.  The hashtag is #readathon.


I hope I haven't forgotten anything! Let me know if I have or if you have any questions, leave me a comment or email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom.


Frankly, I'm too tired tonight to start reading so I will post my reading plans also later today.  I have to work on moving again tomorrow until my husband goes to work at 2:30 and this will go on for at least three days so my read-a-thon days most likely will not start until around 3:00pm...at least for the first few days.  I had no idea this moving would be going on when I planned the read-a-thon back in March.  Oh well...ces't la vie!


Here's the linky (I'm going to use the button linky this time...the other one has been acting wonky lately)!