As a new blogger who has posted items for only a few months, I much appreciate the complimentary feedback I’ve received so far. I’m especially gratified by reports that some of you are going back and rereading everything I’ve written on this site. Such interest will keep me writing.

Admittedly, readership here is still modest. From the limited information I have, several hundred of you might log onto this site on any given day, yet far fewer have signed up to receive email notification when I add something new.

Because writers love readers, the more the better, and because I’d like all of you to know immediately when I post a new item, I’ve decided to resort to bribery to spread the word. For the next several months, those readers signed up to receive email notifications will be eligible to win a book autographed by one of my favorite authors.

Here’s how it will work: at the end and middle of each month, starting in a few days at the end of January, I’ll have an independent body draw a lucky winner from the pool of those who have provided their emails. I’ll then notify the winner and offer the choice of either a memoir or a novel. The chosen book will be snuggled into a plain brown envelope and entrusted to the postman for prompt delivery. In an effort to keep the voltage of suspense high, I won’t divulge the author’s name, but I’ll provide one flimsy clue, one so obscure that even members of His Majesty’s Secret Service would scratch their heads in bafflement. The clue? The author’s initials are KG.

INSIDER’S TIP: This is a drawing with a high probability of winning, at least initially, because the number of email registrants is quite low at the moment. Thus the odds of collecting a free book are a zillion times better than winning the lottery. So enter your email address on the right. And good luck!

A new post will be coming soon.