The Jist
The Devil made me do it! Here I am with The Book of Paul, all decked out for Halloween. Now, I’ve shown you mine, it’s time to show me yours!
Time to get creative and compete for huge prizes! Grab your copy of The Book of Paul (either paperback or digital) and take a picture to enter in our themed photo contest. A Kindle Fire goes to the overall most creative entry, while the most Irish and best impression of a tarot card categories win a look into their future by a custom tarot reading performed by yours truly. One more tarot reading goes to one of my random mailing list subscribers, so click here to subscribe if you haven’t already. This contest runs from right now (yes, this very minute) to Sunday, September 30th, at 12 noon EST. Send your entries to contact@novelpublicity.com, and don’t forget to be creative!
The Prizes
- Brand new Kindle Fire for the most creative photo submission
- Tarot reading performed for you by ME!, one to the most Irish photo and one to the best tarot dress-up
- A $50 Amazon gift card to one random Book of Paul mailing list subscribers
The Rules
- For the photo contest, a copy of The Book of Paul MUST BE VISIBLE in your photo in order for your entry to be eligible
- Submissions to the most Irish or best tarot dress-up may still win the overall most creative prize, or you can be uber creative and do something completely different
- You may send in as many submissions as you’d like—one, one for each category, ten million, whatever
- Send your photo submissions to contact@novelpublicity.com
- By submitting entries to this contest, you give me permission to use the photos as I see fit for marketing and hype-building and what not
- A minimum of 10 entrants are required in order to declare a winner. The contest ends at 12 noon EST Sunday, provided 10 people have entered. Otherwise, the contest will be extended until this benchmark is met.
- Questions? Leave a comment below or email contact@novelpublicity.com
The Book

What sinister secrets await you in The Book of Paul? They’re all yours for only $.99!
Think Silence of the Lambs with the biting humor of Pulp Fiction.
Kirkus Reviews says, “Long’s prose is deft and clear, transporting the reader from one character’s psyche to the next…this tale is a compelling one. A psychological thriller for readers who are bored with run-of-the-mill horror…Those who embrace the genre will eagerly anticipate a second installment in the series.”
Get it for your Kindle here and for your Nook here, but hurry while it’s on sale for just 99 cents—because, believe me folks, this ain’t lastin’ long!
The Hype
The tarot knows…so strike a pose!
Pick a card…any tarot card. Then throw on your favorite robe, shroud, crown, laurel wreath, helmet, lion mane or whatever you think will stand out in a crowd of Mad Magicians, Proud Priestesses, Hangdog Hermits, Dastardly Devils, Awesome Angels, Well-Hanged Men and Flustered Fools. Pick a pose take some pics. Pick a pic and picture yourself winning a tarot card from the “Mad? You think me mad?” author of The Book of Paul.

Which of these cards makes you want to stand in from of a camera? Pick a card…any card…and strike a pose!
There’s another Skype tarot reading being dealt out to the best Irish pose – whatever that might mean to you – I’m guessing the color green will be involved in some way. And for the most creative photo – Paul as a woman? Tattooing your back with The Book of Paul cover art? – you could win a Kindle Fire. Or a Kindle on fire. YEAHHHH!
I got to pick these nutty ideas, because, well because I’m shelling out for the gifts, natch, and because I wanted to see who might get way too obsessed with the tarot, since getting way too obsessed with the tarot is a major part of our dear, disturbed narrator William’s road to ruin – or redemption?
Only the cards (and the sequels) will solve that mystery, but as far as the lucky winner of the reading is concerned, I’ve planned something really different – something I’ve never done before. Since the story behind The Book of Paul is a creation-to-apocalypse narrative concealed in the twenty-two trump cards, I’m going to do a “trumps-only” reading. The winners will send me their questions in advance and then, while we are Skyping, I’ll pass my hand (always the left hand) over the downturned cards and you’ll tell me when to stop and pick six cards. They will be placed in a special shape and the answer to your question will be revealed.
Or not. Who the hell knows? At the very least, we’ll have some laughs and you’ll get all excited when I tell you that your book, screenplay, invention, money-laundering scheme will rake in the big bucks, or your heartthrob will in fact throb and not just go pffffft!
And just to lower that bar of entry so far down you can walk right over it – you don’t need to dress up or strike a pose — you can just take a pic, or find one, or Photoshop it, or make a collage or The Devil knows what and submit that instead.
Case in point? Here’s my entry, coming at you direct from the Ultra-Fab-So-Out-There-Its-In-Here UFO WATCHTOWER! The tarot card it represents? I don’t think a caption is required, but here you go, behold:
THE CHARIOT (of the Gods)!

Chariot of the Gods or crazy contraption?
A tarot contest entry direct from the UFO Watchtower!
Good luck! Not that it’ll make any difference—these things are always quantum synchronistic and the winners already won three centuries from now and travelled back in time to collect.
Thank you for all your support, enthusiasm and kind words! It’s been a really great week. Make sure to tell all your friends, lovers, spouses, creditors, mortal enemies, malcontents and disinterested observers to buy a copy of The Book of Paul (I mean, c’mon, it’s on sale for just 99 cents) and get a peek into a very, very disturbing past, present and future!
Unrelated, but creepy inspiring prose, from the first and perhaps still supreme master of macabre, the opening paragraph of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart:
TRUE! — nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
William, eat your heart out.
The Sign-Up
Don’t forget that signing up for my mailing list gives you the chance at a $50 gift card. One random signer-upper will make some bank this Sunday afternoon, and it could be you!
To sign-up, just head on over to this nice little page here, enter your name and email, and et voila, you are signed-up and entered to win. Get a move on, already!
http://www.thebookofpaul.com/subscribe-to-my-newsletter/
The Tour
Oh, yes, there’s more! Visit the main tour page over at Novel Publicity for even more freaking prizes. Crazy, right?!
Yeah, there’s a nice little Rafflecopter thingy over there where you can win more dough—two $50 Amazon gift cards—or autographed copies of The Book of Paul.
OMFG, what are you going to do? There’s so much going on! Don’t be immobilized by the awesomeness!
Go get you some – http://www.novelpublicity.com/whirlwind-tour/paul/
The Note of Luck-Wishing
Good luck!
Sounds like a wicked cool contest! I wish my copies of Ulysses and A Modest Proposal weren’t in storage. I would get major “best Irish” points for those!
I know you’d look good in green Emlyn!
OH I am all over this! Love it. Love the ET chariot drivers! What a great contest and prize for that lucky winner.
Thanks Ariane, you look like an Empress to me!
It is great! A fun and different one! Bravo Novel Publicity!
Thanks Maria — I hope you’re going to enter the contest!
An amazing book and great contest. Good luck Richard
RJ you’re an amazing guy and great writer. Thanks so much for the support!
Can’t wait to find out the winners!
Me too! They should be coming up very soon! Thanks for entering Mary:)
Great post! Guess what? I have those tarot cards. There creepy the way they read. There very..spot on. My mom loves to use them and i stay away from them. They scare me. I freely admit it. I have this fairy set though, i love those! There so pretty! And there nicer. lol I hope your having an amazing time at your tour! Wishing you all the best and much success! Congrats! And congrats on your upcoming YA novel too! Many blessings!
Hi Shadow! Thanks so much. Those cards are creepy indeed. The Crowley deck, is dark, but the symbolism is the best of any deck I’ve seen as are the pairings. Really gorgeous work. Thanks for picking up a copy. Let me know what you think.
I do agree with ya there, great symbolism and gorgeous work! Just scary accurate. Id rather take the surprises life throws at me. lol
And my please! As soon as i read it, ill let ya know! You have a wonderful night!