Time for Balloons, Confetti, and a Fabulous Book Giveaway!

Let the celebration begin!

A few days ago, I hit the 200 follower mark (it's now at 201, to be exact)! It is very humbling to think that 200 people like my blog enough to follow it. I feel so validated and loved!

A new friend, Timmy Boyle, whom I had the pleasure of meeting and laughing at last month at the FaithWriters conference (no, I'm not a meanie, he's a very funny comedian!) decided he wanted to be the 200th follower, so I kept an eye on the count and informed him when it hit 199. He then raced over and hit the "follow" button before anyone else had a chance. So congratulations and thank you, Tim, for being that special one who will always be known as "the 200th follower." Oh - and do yourself a favor by checking out Timmy's website here: UPSTANDING COMEDY

SO...in celebration, I am not only breaking out the balloons, confetti, and chocolate, I am hosting another book giveaway!

You may remember that last month, I offered a Reader's Choice giveaway where the winner - Joanne Sher - got to choose from three great books. She chose Songs of Deliverance by Marilyn Griffith. The other two books, The Homecoming by Dan Walsh and How Sweet it Is by Alice Wisner, were put back in the kitty. Well, those two books are now being joined by Catch a Rising Star by Tracey Bateman AND Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson. That gives you FOUR books to choose from. The blurbs are posted below. Just leave a comment letting me know which book you want if you win. That's all there is to it! I'll let RandomNamePicker generate a winner for me next Saturday, September, 18. The three books that aren't selected will go back in the prize pool.

Good luck! And thanks for celebrating with me!

CHOICE #1

No sooner is Shawn Collins home from the fighting in Europe than he's called upon to serve his country as a war hero on a USO bond tour. Others might jump at the chance to travel all around the country with attractive Hollywood starlets. But not Shawn. He just wants to stay home with his son Patrick, his aging father and to grieve the loss of his wife in private. When Shawn asks Katherine Townsend, Patrick's former social worker, to be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea how this decision will impact his life. Could it be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart? Or will the war once again threaten his chances for a new start? READ MY REVIEW HERE



CHOICE #2

Deena Livingston leaves behind a broken romance and her chef job in Atlanta to spend time at her grandfather's cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. But her grandfather has an odd request: he wants Deena to teach cooking classes to the ragtag group of middle-schoolers who attend the local afterschool program, The Center. Reluctantly, Deena agrees, but how is she supposed to convince these kids that cooking at home is better than eating at McDonalds? And after all she went through in Atlanta, why is she attracted to Zack, the social worker at The Center? Can a Dr. Seuss-quoting plumber, a curly-haired basketball player, and a group of middle-schoolers change Deena's outlook on life?

CHOICE #3


When thirty-something Tabby Brockman has the opportunity to reclaim her role as a killed-off character on the nation's #1 daytime soap opera, she figures this must be God's reward. But back on the set, she's faced with the same hateful head writer who killed off her character in the first place, kids who drive her crazy, a stage dad who rubs her completely wrong, and and an unwanted boyfriend who can?t seem to get the message. Faced with this dizzying rollercoaster of challenges, Tabby has to wonder: is she finally a star on the rise or just on the brink of another spectacular fall?




She thought she'd left the summer behind . . . This year should be the best of Sophie Ramsay's life. She's friends with all the right people, she's a shoo-in for editor of the school newspaper, and she's managed to turn the head of one of the hottest guys in school. But something's not quite right. Sophie has a secret--one she won't be able to keep under wraps for much longer. Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books, including Just Another Girl, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.




**Contest disclaimer: Void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants.**