The Support We All Need (also, some winners!)

I’ve done several contests lately. It’s because I have all this awesome stuff and am kind of dying to start sharing it. I suppose I should save some of it for the upcoming launch month and all that, but, uh, that’s two weeks away. And I have winners now! To that end, the winners of last week’s drawing are… drumroll…

Descendant swag pack:                Karlene Browning

Swag pack #2                              Roberta Hulse

Descendant e-book:                     Donna Nolan

Congratulations ladies! I’ll contact you this week for mailing addresses and all those details.

Also, last week I failed to mention that I am about to send out the bookmarks from the previous contest (which have been packaged and almost ready for several days).  I cannot get used to having our local post office close earlier than most. So if you’re wondering where those are, um, yeah. They’re still coming.  

               

On another subject, I’ve been thinking a lot about support. We all have people we depend on, who support us through…well, life. Good times (like launching a new book) and tragedy (horrible accidents/illnesses/disasters), our emotional ups and downs, and also, our in-between blahs.

(You know what those are, right? Those times when you’re not really up, and not really down, and you’re sort of spinning around and around and not going anywhere, and you need someone to give you a little shove and tell you to do something, and maybe give you advice on what kind of something.)

We all need these people in our lives. We need people who cheer for us and mourn with us and kick us in the behind. Ironically, the people who manage to show up for our moments might not be the ones we expect. Sometimes we’re hurt by those who choose not to show up, and other times we’re surprised by those we didn’t expect who do show up. But when all is said and done, we realize that despite everything else, and in spite of all outside circumstances and choices, those people who are there for our moments—they’re the people we most need to have with us at that given time.

Maybe they have a lesson to teach or a message to share, or maybe they are a better friend than you ever realized. Or maybe a little voice whispered in their ear and made them think of you—and then they listened.

We can never really predict these things, and that’s okay. So maybe we should learn to hold onto the sweet, let go of the bitter, and fully enjoy the miracle that occurs anytime someone graciously offers the gift of their support.

And this week I am so, so grateful, to everyone who has been a part of my miraculous journey. Thanks for supporting me by reading! 

Become by Ali Cross, Dark C.A.R.M.A. Spotlights, and another Giveaway!

If you read my Monday and Wednesday blogs this week, you already know I’ve been spotlighting the Dark C.A.R.M.A. books this week. I’m way exited for these amazing women and their individual decisions to go INDIE with high quality work and a strong promotional push.

Today I’m spotlighting Become by Ali Cross.

I haven’t read it yet. Well, at least, not this version. I did read an older version of this book several months ago, and I loved it then. Love Desi, love Michael. Love the concept of the story. But I haven’t yet had the chance to read the newest version, but I’m really excited to get to it (as soon as I finish my NaNo project—you know, reward for accomplishment and all that). If it’s even half as good as the version I read, it’s really, really amazing.

Wanna know what it’s about? Here’s the blurb:

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared. When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

A little bit about Ali:

I’ve always been a dreamer. When I would tell my family what new adventure I wanted to take on, they’d roll their eyes and say something like, “Oh yeah? Well let us know how that works out for you.” Meaning, of course, that no one expected my dreams to amount to much.

I wanted to be a pilot in the Canadian Air Force, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policewoman, and Prime Minister of Canada.

I wanted to be a youth minister, an opera singer, and a ballet dancer.

I wanted to be happy.

The good news is . . . not all dreams stay relegated to dreamland forever.

I was an opera singer (five years with Opera Idaho) and tried ballet for one magical summer when I was thirty years old.

And I’ve discovered new dreams that are coming true even as we speak.

And . . . I’m happy. Thanks to my family, friends and a core set of beliefs that shape my day.

It’s true, I’m a dreamer. But man, where my dreams have taken me!

And now, I'm the sansei of the writer's dojo, the author of the soon-to-be-released young adult novel BECOME, and ninja-writer extraordinaire. 

And I should also add, Ali is a beautiful, smart woman who has an amazing capacity for friendship and I am one of the lucky people who gets to consider her one of mine. *sniffs and cheers* Go Ali!

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for. THE GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release of all these books, I’m giving away a copy of Become by Ali Cross. (Winner may choose between hard copy or ebook.) That's right! To enter, all you have to do is follow my blog (see the sidebar) and leave a comment on this post, telling me why you’re excited to read any of the Dark C.A.R.M.A books, or why you're dying to get your hands on a copy of Become.

That’s it. You have until midnight, MST, Saturday, November 26th to enter, and I’ll announce the winner sometime the following week. Okay? Sw-eet! Also, in case you're afraid you won't win the copy I'm giving away, there are LOTS more chances to win. Check out Elana Johnson's blog or fill out this form for a chance to win one of five more books.

**Friday, November 18 is the LAST Twitter chat during which one lucky person will. Search the hashtag #BECOME to participate and enter. 

In case you can't wait (and let's face it, who can?) to see if you win, you can buy your copy of Become on Amazon. You can also read more about the works of Ali Cross on her website.

Once more, big congratulations to Ali, Christine, and RaShelle! And good luck to all the contest entrants.