Spied any good books lately?
Really? Not a single one? Wait, what was that? You spied a really cool spy book about Paris but you can’t really afford it right now so you haven’t bought it?
Okay.
Well, what if I gave you one for free? Just one. It’s been a long time since I’ve given away anything free on this site and I used to think this was a site that had more to offer than just words. So let’s change that!!
I will send one commenter one free book. I might even throw in some top secret goodies to go with it. All you have to do is comment before next Thursday (I’ll shut comments down at noon) WITH your best spy story.
I know, I had to go and make it difficult. Just a funny little anecdote to make reading comments more fun. I’ll pick the best story or the best random story or if that’s too hard I’ll use random number generator and announce who gets a free book next Friday.
You can do it! I think everybody’s got a spy story in them. Surely you’ve spied on your neighbors before, maybe your kids, or your parents or that boy you liked in high school? Share your story and you could win! I’ll even draw you a personalized cartoon on the inside page or have Bug write you special note.
p.s. If you’ve already bought the book, (Thank you! You make my world go ’round.) you can still comment and win another book and give it away or donate it to your local library. And since we’re talking, could you pretty please leave a review on amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com or wherever it is you bought it. I neeeeeeeed all the reviews I can get. Thank you so much!!
22 Comments
JC Wing
When I was sixteen years old, I had a crush on a very handsome boy. He lived near my high school and was fairly popular with the girls. He was very kind to me and we went on group dates together. He was eighteen and thought I was too young to date seriously. I didn’t have my driver’s license at the time due to the fact I’d broken my arm and couldn’t shift, so I would ask my mom to drive past his house once or twice a week with me in the passenger’s seat. If he or any of his family was in the yard I’d scrunch down and peek out through the window. I’d spy on his house in the hopes I’d catch a glimpse of him…even though I’d seen him that day at school. That crush is now my husband of almost 18 years. I don’t spy on him anymore but I don’t regret doing it back then.
Sally Hackney
My grandson Vinnie wears a stocking cap with mask when he acts like a spy. He has a red and white striped one and he is stinkin’ cute when he wears it.
P.s. I have a copy but if I win, I’ll save it for vinnie’s birthday in February! He will be 6!
Heike
I will buy your book at the weekend on my android tablet. I live in europe and travel to paris once a year. Your blog is very inspiring and i read it since a long time.
Have a great thanksgiving.
Heidi
A few years ago, I was visiting my mom. While I was there we noticed a ambulance down the road at the house of a older man, Mr. Mroz, who we knew had been having many health issues. We were going to walk down the street to see if there was anything we could do or just offer some support. But, we noticed that the EMS workers weren’t moving very fast. And then we saw Mr. Mroz’s 2 children show up and hug each other. ‘Oh, no’ we thought, poor Mr. Mroz had passed away. Wanting to give the family some space, we decided not to walk over. Instead we decided to help by calling some of the neighbors who we knew were friendly with him to let them know of his passing.
Anyway, the next day, as my mom was walking, she ran into the son of the late Mr. Mroz, who informed her that his father was, in fact, very much alive, and had just fallen. WHOOPS!
Guess we are not great spies. We at least TRY to be good neighbors! Even if we think you are dead!
Karen
A while back I told my normally extremely supportive husband that I wanted to be a spy. Him, “You can’t be a spy!” Me, “What? How can you say that?” Him, “You completely lack the ability to pretend to like someone if they annoy you. How could you possibly carry out espionage?” Me, “Oh. Huh. Good point.”
Tora
Lurker here, but love your blog. I have a new grand baby that I know would love to have your book read to him. Thanks for the opportunity!
Jewell
My middle son goes around in one glove – everyone assumes he is a Michael fan. However, he tells all those who inquire that wearing one glove makes him into a spy. Really, I have no idea why.
Alaina
I “spy” on my girls when they are playing together to hear and see their imaginations at work :)
stephanie
Once I emailed someone whose blog I have always loved. I actually tried to buy a big painting from her and have it shipped across the US. I wish I would have. dang. I am dying to have this AUTHOR, blogger, person full of awesome on my blog and podcast!!! Brenda please pretty please.
Ok and I would love to get a book to donate to the library so everyone can check out said awesome AUTHOR’s book.
this is all in my high pitched best friend begging voice:)
Jennifer
I spy on the cute guy who lives in the apartment across the hall. When I hear keys jingle, I look through the peephole to see if he’s leaving his apartment so I can “accidentally” bump in to him in the hall. I’m 39, not in high school…it’s pathetic! Maybe Secret Agent Josephine could give me some tips?
Danna
Am I too late?! I have a funny story anyway….
Back in high school, my very best friend and I decided to TP (toilet paper) the car of my boyfriend, who was having a boys night at a friend’s house.
We snuck over to the friend’s house and completely mummified the car with 2ply. Just as we were finishing up, the friend’s car pulled into the neighborhood…we panicked and needed a quick place to hide. Unfortunately, the only place to hide was under the car we had just vandalized!
As we lay under the car, the guys peeled over to the car, jumped out (slamming doors) and in their most macho voices yelled, “Who’s there? We know you’re here…”
Of course we bust out in fits of giggles and were caught…
We tried to be so sneaky and they tried to be so tough…we both failed.
:)
Kalli
My two boys (5 & 9) love to play spy, it’s the perfect anytime/anywhere game for them. That turned out to be quite a gift when we travelled alllllll the way across the United States to DC last month to see the Smithsonian. And it was closed. Crisis time, no dinosaurs, no Hope diamond! BUT, the Spy Museum was open! Huzahh! Hours of learning (George Washington was a spy!) and the coolest gadgets ever (they have all the Bond treasures now). Crisis averted, thanks to spies.
Congrats on your book, Brenda!
Kay
When I was in middle school, we noticed a car that would sit at our bus stop on the corner near the house next door and look into our neighbors house with binoculars. My brother and I sneaked around our next-door neighbor’s house to get his license plate number so we could report him. It turned out he was spying on the neighbor’s cleaning lady and when he was arrested, they found a gun under the seat of his car. Yikes!
Jenn
When I was in high school I worked at a store in the local mall. It had big windows on two sides so everyone could see in. I met a boy, we started dating and he was always kinda mysterious. Didn’t live in neighborhood, went to military type school, parents were divorced and he seldom saw his dad. All of the sudden he was going to Germany with his father and he stopped on the way to the airport to say good bye dressed to the nines in a suite and tie the whole nine yards. I was 16 and while he said he was 17 I was convinced that day he had to be older. Fast forward a few days after he left, I was working and turned from straightening shelves only to be face to face with a older man who seemed to appear out of thin air. He started talking to me. mostly small talk but would stop in the store almost daily. Small talk turned into an interrogation about my boyfriend whats his name wheres he from how do you know him, did you meet his family, etc etc etc. It was really odd and i asked him to leave me alone. My boyfriend returned and while telling him the story of the strange man with all the questions I learned his dads job was something government related. He never got into specifics and I never met the dad but I was and still am convinced there were spy games at play.
MSH
When I was about 10, my sister and I lived in a condominium with balconies. It was our favorite thing to sneak out of the house on the balconies and then spy on my mom making dinner through the front windows.
Once, we decided to “surprise” her by bursting in the front door. We threw open the door, and yelled “SURPRISE!!” just as the door smashed into her favorite table that had been temporarily moved just behind the door.
Years later I got the table professionally repaired. It is lovely and NOW, FINALLY, we laugh about it.
Victoria
I have two passports.
I could tell you why but then I’d have to kill you.
(Ok, not really with the killing!)
Mom24_4evermom
Does snooping count? I could tell you about the time I found my Christmas present when I was little (note, leaving the bag of gifts on the staircase does not really constitute hiding them) and didn’t really like what I found. I talked those gifts up like crazy though from that point on. I’m sure by the time Christmas came around my mom had figured it out and was sorry she had bought me anything.
Congratulations on your book. Very exciting and I’m very happy for you.
Milissa
During my pre-teen years, my grandparents owned an antique store. My grandparents and I were very close and I would spend a lot of my weekends and summers with them. I enjoyed being in their antique store and admiring all of neat, old glassware, furniture, and jewelry. But, being a boy-crazy pre-teen, I especially enjoyed watching any cute boys that would accompany their family into the store. Whenever I saw a boy arrive, I would run into the back room and shut the door. The door handle was missing from the door, so I would peer through the open hole and watch the boy as he wandered through the shop with his family. I’m not sure why I never talked to the boys instead of spying on them; I guess I was just too shy.
KA
Using excellent spy tactics, I snuck into the building of a guy I liked and left a note on his door, suggesting we had a drink some time… so far so good, until I ran into some of his friends, who told me all about this mysterious girl who’d asked him out – all they knew was that she was ‘a friend of Geoff’s’. With no suspicions whatsoever, they said, ‘You’re a friend of Geoff’s too – do you know who she is?’. I was unable to do anything except shake my head.
Emily
Once to cheer my husband up when he was made redundant we spent an evening watching James Bond movies whilst wearing bow ties and drinking martinis, shaken not stirred.
Sorry it’s the only spy related tale I have. But I had to comment, your books are brilliant.
Heather
Once, when my friend and I were around 10 years old, we were in a fairly nice restaurant with my family. The waiter dropped off a bread basket, and in it were those tiny prepackaged breadsticks. Somehow, we got it in our heads to use those breadsticks as pretend cameras and snuck around the restaurant “spying” on people and taking “pictures” of them with our ridiculous breadsticks. Oh my goodness my parents were probably appalled.
I’d love a copy of the book! It’d get wrapped for Christmas!
KarenG
I was another of those “drive by” spiers on a big crush. Except without a car. On a bike. Riding past the house multiple times within an hour. Not a good spy at all.