"Kiss Me, I'm Irish" Giveaway Hop!

Hello, and Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I'm going to be participating in the "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" Giveaway hop, held by Kilt and Keeley, the fansite dedicated to the fantastic-awesome-sauce Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready. Basically, in honor of Saint Patrick's Day, and the Keeley Brothers' heritage, their asking blogs to host a giveaway hop, talking about either something Irish, or kissing! I chose to go the Irish route, because of my lovely family.  

I don't know if I can adequately express how I feel about Ireland. I have never been there, although I've always wanted to go. I grew up surrounded by Irish music, and feel a tug in my heart every time I hear it. I've always felt that I know so much about my heritage, but have only recently seen how much more there is to learn. It's a part of me I love and cherish, and will be proud of for all my life. I decided to talk about some of my favorite Irish things including:

My Favorite Irish Songs
1. Ciara by Luka Bloom (I think that was a given)
2. The Parting Glass by Shaun Davey
3. Rip the Calico by the Bothy Band


My Favorite Irish Movies
1. The Commitments (Contains a serious amount of swearing...but fantastic music)
2. Waking Ned Devine
3. The Secret of Ronan Inish 

My Favorite Books with Irish Heritage
1. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (OBVIOUSLY)
2. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
3. Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready (Main character and I share the same name!)

I also decided to thrown in a bit of random facts that pertain to me and my Irish-ness! 

Some Random Irish Facts about Myself and My Family
1. My mother and I often Irish dance around in our dining room.
2. Both my mother and my grandparents were born (the latter raised) in Dublin, Ireland.
3. I'm visiting Ireland (hopefully) this coming September. Planning on taking a trip to Newgrange!
4. My grandparents were friends of The Clancy Brothers. They still have a picture of my uncle, as a baby, being held by Liam Clancy.
5. My grandfather wrote a book on Irish churches and monasteries, and has a thesis bound at Trinity College.
6. I know all of two words in Gaelic. One of them is cheers, the other is a swear word.
7. My name, Ciara, is translated to "black" in Gaelic. (So, I guess I know three words!)
8. The basketball team The Boston Celtics say their name wrong (okay, not a fact about me, but something that bothers me deeply).
9. When I was younger, when ever my aunts would come to Canada from Ireland they would bring me something with my name on it because that was the only place where there were things monogrammed with "Ciara".
10. Last year was the first year I ever did something for Saint Patrick's Day.

(Actually, though)

GIVEAWAY! 
*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! CHECK BACK TO SEE IF YOU'VE WON*
Okay, time for the giveaway! Now, I've never held a giveaway here on the blog (or ever, actually) so I'm going to keep this very simple. The winner (who will be chosen by random.org) will receive a paperback copy of Shade, the novel that started it all, AND a copy of My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, another awesome book that features Celtic mythology! Here are some rules!

• Up for grabs: paperback copies of Shade (Shade #1) and My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)!
• This giveaway is open from now until Monday, March 19th at 11:59EST
• Open where ever the Book Depository ships to
• Must be over 13 years of age to enter
• To enter, comment on the blog, and you MUST check back here on Tuesday! 
• *optional* In your comment, tell me something you love about Ireland!
• Please DON'T write your email in the comments!
• The winner will have 24hrs to respond, otherwise I will be forced to choose another winner!
• You don't need to be a blog follower to participate (although, if you are YOU'RE AWESOME) just make a comment!

Want to hear one of the best parts of this giveaway? If you win, you'll be entered to win the LAST SHINE ARC. Yeppers! You heard right! Jeri Smith-Ready, author extraordinaire and fellow Irish gal, is giving away her last ARC copy of Shine, the final book in the Shade trilogy. So, enter away! Good luck! And be sure to check out all the other blogs on the giveaway hop, and their awesome prizes!

"I gently rise and softly call,
Good night and joy be with you all." 

Slainte. Erin Go Braugh. And Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

-Ciara who is lost at midnight