Thursday, March 31, 2011

When technology sucks giant salamanders

So today is the last day you can vote to choose the title of my August debut (and get a chance to win a signed advance reading copy).
Unlike me, you probably haven’t been neurotically checking the poll every 10 minutes, so you may not have noticed the poll mysteriously vanished on Tuesday.

I figured it would reappear upon restart. When that didn’t work, I went to blogpolls.com, the site where I’d gotten the poll to start with.

Dead.

I checked agent Janet Reid’s blog, since I know she uses the same service for polls.

Uh-oh. Hers were gone, too.

It was obvious what had happened. A large herd of Chinese Giant Salamanders broke into the offices at blogpolls.com, and despite the staff's best efforts to fend them off with fire extinguishers and toilet plungers, the salamanders took control of the company's computer system to erect a site devoted to salamander porn.

Or maybe blogpolls.com just had server problems.

At any rate, I see my poll is back up this morning. That means you still have a chance to vote if you haven't already. Don't forget to leave a comment, since that's your entry to win a signed advance reading copy.

In the meantime, watch out for those salamanders.
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19 comments:

  1. Heather HellmannMarch 31, 2011 at 6:58 AM

    How dare those dirty salamanders!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah WMarch 31, 2011 at 7:02 AM

    Are you sure it was the salamanders? Sounds like the work of Coconut Crabs to me . . .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shain BrownMarch 31, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    I'm with Sarah it has be those darn Coconut Crabs causing all the problems.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SarahMarch 31, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    Ugh, Salamander porn, the worst kind...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Patty BlountMarch 31, 2011 at 7:34 AM

    I thought it was a terrorist plot but salamanders work too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. TAWNA FENSKEMarch 31, 2011 at 7:36 AM

    Isn't that salamander the freakiest thing you've ever seen? Or maybe it's the guy holding it that makes the whole thing so creepy!

    Tawna

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 31, 2011 at 7:44 AM

    That thing is CREEPY!!!! *shudders*

    ReplyDelete
  8. Steph SchmidtMarch 31, 2011 at 7:54 AM

    Sounds like server maintenance. Oh wait that's not funny. A yeti in a yellow bug zipped off the autobahn unleashing onto the servers of blogpolls.com the warthog beasts that trample the tumblr server when it goes down.

    ReplyDelete
  9. SierraMarch 31, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    This is why I think I should find a job where I work with animals - I actually find that thing cute...but I have also been diagnosed (by my boyfriend) with a Disproportionate Cuddle Response. Other than snakes, the more dangerous or wild an animal is, the more I want to cuddle it. Hippos? Want to cuddle. Hyenas? Think they're adorable.

    It's a sickness. If I didn't logically know that my instincts are screwed up, I would have been mauled to death a long time ago.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Laura MayleneMarch 31, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    So is the publisher actually going to use the title that gets the most votes? Or just take that into consideration? I find this all kind of fascinating. Every time I've looked at the poll, it's been rather close, within 10% or so. It seems like that's a narrow margin when leaving room for error, repeat votes, or the sample size of people voting. Just curious how this will work. I imagine the PR people will take some of our comments on the titles into consideration.

    Either way, good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Linda G.March 31, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    Oh. My. GAWD. *shudders*

    ReplyDelete
  12. SkyeMarch 31, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    I love gigantic or miniature creatures, but holding a giant salamander would squick me out. Salamanders are slippery and I think some have a slimy coating. And I hate to get my hands slick or sticky. Well, except for special cases ;) , but even then I have to wash my hands as soon as decently possible.

    ReplyDelete
  13. lora96March 31, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    That is by far the most distressing animal I have seen since the last time Bret Michaels appeared on GMA.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nicole ZoltackMarch 31, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    It could have been worse. The salamanders could have burned down your computer.

    I always try to look at the bright side. :) lol

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jan MarkleyMarch 31, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    Those giant Chinese salamanders will get you every time!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Clever BettyMarch 31, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    And besides stealing polls salamanders are so slimy.

    Judy, Judy, Judy

    ReplyDelete
  17. Claire DawnMarch 31, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    On a thoroughly random note, I made up a name of a non-fiction for an example on my blog. It was CAULKING THE BATHTUB and then I realised how much that sounded like something else IN THE BATHTUB. Which of course, reminded me of you!

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousMarch 31, 2011 at 11:37 PM

    Nope. Poll still hates me, still can't vote because it says I already did. Sorry, did not. Can not.
    Icky animal on your blog. Ew.
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonymousApril 1, 2011 at 1:12 PM

    OMG! That salamander is disgusting! I'm going to throw up.

    ReplyDelete