Have “Christmas” in July!
Posted on July 3, 2019 Posted by John Scalzi 887 Comments
Hey! Want to win this ARC of A Very Scalzi Christmas, a collection of Christmas-related stories from me, including three new, never-before-published stories (including one ironically called “Christmas in July”)? Well, you can! Here’s how:
1. I just rolled a number between 0 and 999 using a ten-sided die (which I rolled three times), which I have now duly recorded. Your mission: guess which number it was.
2. Post your guess in the comment thread for this post, using a valid email address so I can contact you if you win (Put it in the email field, not in the body of the comment; that way no one will see your email address but me, and I’m not going to use it for any purpose other than this contest). Only one guess per person, please; additional guesses from the same person will be discarded.
3. If more than one person picks the correct number, I will use a random number generator to pick a number between one and [whatever the number of correct answers] and then pick, based on chronological order, the person who corresponds to that number. If no person picks the correct number, then I will pick the person who is the closest to the number, going down (so if the number is x, then I’ll look at x-1, then x-2, and so on). Again, if there are multiple guesses at that closest number, I’ll pick a winner based on the manner noted above.
4. If you are that person, you win! I will sign the ARC (and personalize it if you like) and mail it to you wherever you are on the globe. So, yes, this is open to everyone who has a valid mailing address, even if you live somewhere else than the United States.
This contest is open from the second I post it until exactly 48 hours later (at which point the comments automatically close), so roughly from 10am Eastern on July 3rd to 10am Eastern on July 5.
Or, if you decide the laws of probability may not work entirely for you in this endeavor, you can pre-order the signed, limited edition of A Very Scalzi Christmas from Subterranean Press directly, and when you do not only will you get the very handsome hardcover edition of the book, signed by me, you will also get the electronic version of the book as well. Two formats, one price!
And that’s it! Guess away!
NOTES:
1. Post only the number you’re guessing, please. Comments without a number will be deleted to keep the thread focused, and also any comments with discourse unrelated to the contest or the book itself are likely to be trimmed.
2. Again, only one guess per person, please. Additional guesses and posts will be disregarded (even if one of your later guesses is correct!).
3. I’m not going to be answering any questions about the book in the comment thread here, so if you ask them, they will basically be shouting into the void. Sorry.
4. Please note that ARCs are versions of the book that are sent to reviewers and such prior to copy-editing, etc, so there will be some errors, typos and so on in this version. This is what you deal with for getting an early peek.
5. In addition to signing the collection for you, I will be happy to personalize it as well, to whomever you like, just let me know when I contact you, if you win.
Good luck!
542
403
you rolled a 13
162
346
462
378. I was going to roll a 10 sided die at my end and post the results until I realized I am at my office and only have a 6-sided die. So I rolled one in my head, and this is what came up (I had to do it several times because it kept falling on the floor in my mind.)
543
667
415
304
218
200
421
079
052
348
387
977
235
276
637
347
237
666
128!
832
Happy hotdog and explosion day to all.
141
258
763
24
276
745
639
654
675
312
746
872
748
You don’t post enough cat pics
701
745
548
637
042
667
85
789
84, twice the answer to life, the universe and everything!
452
789
713
473
792
673
630
207
012
252
777
467
719
671
131
563
465
437
765
319
642
852
844
632
467
42. The answer to everything.
818
742
793
664 🤞
375 it is
852
Also rolled with 3 d10s
367
117
116
418
872
687
762
783
858
555
381
214
716
019
017
935
424
824
975
432 !
This looks super cool!
443
083
742
727
652
889
427
276
613
I think you rolled 111
958
753
135
576
525
242
347
962
313
457
618
207
458
687
63
73
107 (thank you for the contest, good luck all!)
333
352
748
324
113
616
734
392
642
855
539
416
649
802
323
547
547
216
814
481
434
149
257
759
379
276
649
673
715
666 (’cause, there’s a great “dyslexic’s Santa letter” story out there just waiting to be written/found)
093
I mean, my dice must have rolled exactly the same as you. Right?
13
146
672
590
648
899
538
742
158
864
204
621
791
797
572
137
412
721
721
460
007
068!
542
021
543
331
372
743
499
826
217
367
171
626
511
468
826
211
830
367
404
659
675
612
336
97
646
732
228
194
867
175
785
420
620
278
001
454
806
I’m going to guess 120.
918
215
672
375
962
379
623
2
753
438
25
624
690
348
442
569
247
18
42
911
872
22
750
703
734
966!
178
901
597
21
245
286
892
812
141
317
451
542
672
724
378
666
217
823
123
461
241
434
426
542
742
532
939
236
473
713
726
347
348
101
723
692
384
826
436
459
676
535
257
093
623
427
577
472
785
373
272
482
487
702
762
518
937
973
204
442
276
709
637
112!
226
276
372
373
123
672
841
809
072
421
619
611
113
625
721
609
148
250
056
820.
276
713
3
863
343
137
729
382
409
512
I’m going with 531. Happy Christmas in July!
127
587
437
781
216
888
414
697
437, please. Thank you.
127
827
127
219
583
634
423
703
Let’s do this! The number is 416.
483
639
461
358
369
339
874
887
985
426
42
477
654
917
359
527
758
168
937
731
087
979
342
275
667
211
432
266
383
896
637
690
216
636
467
435
738
912
042
900
511
628
271
954
396
734
173
892
616
243
367
712
444
374
333
608
219
327
806
998
665
463
367
785 – how very Woody Guthrie of you.
926
725
248
164
587
742
797
437
768
622
919
426
666
729
700
619
813
717
847
534
486
053
567
67
386
398
000. Wait, don’t kill me…
565
256
616
139
952
533
031
164
263
864
743
365
478
482
387
149. https://www.random.org/, so I know it’s really random.
76
662
196
735
732
962
207
384
978
513
340
617
428
268
176
983. Because ‘007’ was taken.
Do all the people who forgot the leading zeros get their guesses considered? You can’t roll a ten-sided die and come up with their suggestions.
813
214
617
314
212
131
607
731
825
867
321
386
179
666 (because why not!)
812
726
603
783. Thanks!
656
633
526
222
025
910
520
187
899
328
367
728
412
665
42
173
867
777
802
114
457 And Merry Christmas to you! :-D
794
972
873
211
389
000
802
202
313
834
18
479
412
614
713
722
748
553
752
121
963
112
714
078
702
423
385
873
In the spirit of the contest I wrote a python one-liner to generate the results of 3 random 10-sided dice rolls.
[np.random.randint(10) for _ in range(3)]
[5, 8, 6]
586
083
586
472
579
736
115
828
555
455
184
913
666
491
392
783
712
256
868
414 FTW
676
519
242
362
452
574
845
728
15
650
817
734
497
587
236
734
907
369
484
158
312
962
432
345
147
538
723
254
965
My guess is 516. I ordered mine. Probability and statistics and dice being a Vegas thing.
342
197
429
470
456
742
909
273
842
19
269
523
284
313
743
209
701
743
132
331
427
364
921
079
622
429
293
242
828
672
678
674
157
016
743. Have a great Christmas, John!
436
752
417
016
763
473
032
684
126
734
189
610
639
927
743
236
384
790
416
795
730
713
037
268
641
923
911
536
873
623
898
752
168
321
653
537
408
427
461
667
801
394
129
761
819
095
473
450
735
696
172
549
881
742
319
568
24
199
755
715
734
471
174
374
371
583
572
732
806
858
743
411
432
712
759
968
872
393
816
352
122
428
692
672
749
66
348
296
386
277
457
978
768
256
642. Thank you for the offer.
736
792
792
841
901
459
713
793
314
763
119
729
699
467
828
743
722
421
875
605
796
095
642
749
352
247
926
695
526
451
458 thanks!
112
347
125
125
693
732
665
874
51
621
289
182
713
559
853
782
227
405
974
671
781
115
115
(Trying again because my first try doesn’t seem to have worked)
414
893
641
992
421
786
469
657
618
623
407
304
302
496
439
111
163
797
846
982
999
620
837
730
247
823 No more no less
777
138
Let’s go for…. 213
742
391
12
247
691
704. Thanks!
801
353
492
614
Hopefully logging in with my Twitter account will provide an adequate email address for you? I’m not entirely sure…
412
514
743
625
723
658
472
053
422
498
22
389
Thanks!!!
365
297
15
667
864
597
771
437
743
384
831
747
235
731
301
972
265
843
327
103
Courtesy of random.org
518
613
940
103
152
29
460!
370
808
174
542
777
4
273
729
333
672
007
137
687
723
634
500
169
877
357
613
131
13
368
262
7
731