We thought we would give this year's award to the most Extreme and not just the one that made us laugh the most. So Don and Bonnie's subterrenena escapade wins the valuable trophy, hands down. And they assured me they weren't doing anything silly. Here's Bonnie's modest acceptance speech:

Dear Mari & Jasper Fforde,

I feel speechless yet I will try and put into words the feelings in my heart...  It is with great joy and humility that I accept this unique honor.  I dedicate my victory to my hubby, my fellow cavers, and all the wonderfully creative people who entered this fun contest! Thank you so much for the great compass and trophy that I am currently treasuring :)

Sincerely,

Bonnie Murdoch

Dear Jasper,

I recently bought Fourth Bear from Audible, which invariably lead me to Thursday's books. Wonderful stuff, I own several!

I convinced my bride, Bonnie (she's Scottish, to boot!) to take a Thursday Next book deep into Scott Hollow, which is a famous and very limited access 28+ mile cave system in West Virginia. How limited? The owner has built a house around the cave entrance. Attached is a picture of Bonnie reading "The Eyre Affair" at one of the cave's most beautiful sites - the Double Waterfall on the Mystic River. It takes several hours of serious caving to get to this point, so the site is not for the faint of heart.

Your fan,

Don Murdoch

PS - this isn't "dangerous stuff", as her feet are about a meter from the floor. She'd get muddy and wet if she slipped, at best. And she ALWAYS wears a helmet and pads!



To go back to the Thursday Next X-treme 2008 nominations page, click HERE.