Next month we welcome Tyler Cowen, one of America's most respected economists, as our special guest blogger. To get you revved up for his visit, we're giving away twenty copies of his latest book, Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist. This is a quirky, incisive romp through everyday life that reveals how you can turn economic reasoning to your advantage-often when you least expect it to be relevant.

The first twenty readers to email us at penguin.blog@us.penguingroup.com with their full name and mailing address will each receive a copy (Approximate Retail Value: $15.00).

For details and official rules, click here.

Get ready for Tyler Cowen, here and present the week of 6/23.

View more information on Tyler Cowen's Discover Your Inner Economist.

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I don't often wear a sari or a dot on my forehead, but I enjoy doing both sometimes.

I usually wear a dot (potu or bindi) on my head and wear a nice sari when I do a reading from my debut novel, Climbing The Stairs.

Here are some reasons why:

1. It gets me in the mood. I grew up in India, but I've spent about half my life outside it, dressed in jeans more often than saris. But to write Climbing The Stairs, I had to delve into my family's past. And dressing the part when I do a reading seems to help transport me to India and the 1940's - the setting for my novel.
   
   
2. It helps people who're shy to break the ice. Often, they say "nice sari". And then we get to talk about the book. (Sometimes, they say nice costume, which irritates me a bit, because it's not a costume - a costume is something you wear for Halloween. A sari is a special and beautiful dress that is part of my Indian heritage. But I try not to let the irritation show and I try to explain, nicely). Another question I'm often asked is, "What does that dot on your forehead mean?" Usually, someone adds, "Does that mean you're married?" I am married, but no, the dot isn't a symbol of marriage. The dot is a symbol of the third eye, a chakra, a seat of spiritual power that resides in the body, according to Hindu tradition. When I say this, people feel free to ask questions about Hinduism, which is wonderful. By the time I finish talking about Hinduism, people usually see that it's not that different from their religion. Which reinforces my belief that all religions are essentially the same - at the very core, they all share a fundamental message of peace and compassion.