Holiday Sweepstakes

Former Sweepstakes Winners Rave about When Words Count Retreat:

Greg Norris

“My expectations were met, exceeded, then exceeded on top of that!”

—Greg Norris, Novelist/Screenwriter

Jan Cannon

“It’s an 11 on a scale of one-to-ten. The food is phenomenal; the ambience fantastic!”

—Jan Cannon, Non-Fiction Author

Amber Maiden

“I like 5-star experiences, so when I got here and saw it was 5-star, I said, ‘Oh, man!”

—Amber Maiden, Author/Memoirist

Lisa Cordeiro

“Everything was just wonderful… It’s very hard to leave.”

—Lisa Cordeiro, Novelist

Chrissie van Wormer

“I didn’t expect the caliber of writers. The food is unbelievable. You need to come experience the energy!”

—Chrissie van Wormer, Non-Fiction Author



When Words Count Retreat Holiday Sweepstakes Entry Form!



Enter once only, and please provide all required information. (Multiple entries, and partially completed entry forms, will be disqualified.) *Required.

I have read, and accepted, the Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Come to Our “Home in the Hollows” for the Writing Experience of a Lifetime

Four beautifully appointed rooms (the Hemingway, Dickinson, Ellison and Miller) await you in a country-elegant setting designed to free you to write as never before. Breathtaking scenery will greet you at every turn, while shaded country lanes and meandering paths beckon. Chef Paul will prepare his delightful cuisine three-times-a-day, and on clear nights, the Milky Way will light up the sky.

Why Are We Doing This?

We are making this incredible offer available to sweepstakes winners (and up to one guest each) in order to build awareness for our retreat and to honor the many authors who labor in obscurity, skillfully bringing words and stories to life on the page. We hope your retreat experience will so recharge your batteries and renew your spirits that, afterward, you will eagerly tell others!

Who is Eligible?

All U.S. and Canadian writers, 18 years and older, who are either published authors or currently working on a book, may enter. (All contestants should be prepared to “verify” their published author/working author status prior to visiting the retreat.) To enter, simply complete and submit the form on the right. Please thoroughly review the contest’s Official Rules in advance. Good luck!



How Will I Know if I’ve Won?

We will notify winners three ways on Christmas Day:

  • By phone (be sure to give us your home or cell phone number – and check your Christmas Day messages!)
  • By email (add: sales@whenwordscountretreat.com to your email contacts list to make sure our announcement avoids your “spam” folder) and
  • On Facebook at www.facebook.com/whenwordscountretreat. (We will list Grand Prize winners by First Name initial, Last Name and place of residence.) Just click on the adjoining links to claim your prize.

Winners will have until Midnight, EST, December 28th to claim their prizes and until Midnight, EST, on January 15th to book a visit. Rooms will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis, for all designated prize dates between January 2nd and May 13th, 2014.

1 Limit: one grand prize per sweepstakes winner. Grand Prizes are non-transferable, may not be combined with any other offer and are subject to the terms and conditions described in the Official Rules They have a cash surrender value of 1/10,000 of a cent.
2 An $85 housekeeping and programming fee (that covers staffing for evening hash sessions) will be charged, at check in. Vermont’s 9% room and meal tax will only be applied for meal service and for any extra room nights purchased at the winner’s option.
3 Daily meal service — which includes breakfast, lunch, 4-course gourmet dinner, cocktail hour hors doeuvres and coffee and tea service -– is available, on premises, at our standard rate of $55 per person per day, plus applicable VT sales tax and a 17% service fee in lieu of gratuity. Meal Service must be purchased in advance, when bookings are confirmed.
4 Prize dates will be available in Thursday-Sunday or Sunday-Wednesday groupings.