Giveaway!  Giveaway!  BIG Giveaway!
Reminder . . .
This Christmas I want to say thank you to all my followers. So, I'm holding this contest for you, dear followers, and I will choose not one, but at least 18 (Eighteen) of my followers to win one of these gifts!

Comment on any post during contest period and remind me you're a follower, leave an email address, and in goes your name for a chance to win one of these fantastic gifts!


And the more you comment, the more times I'll drop your name into the "bag."

Beginning December 11th through December 24th.

After that I'll announce the winners on this blog, and send an email to each winner for your address/and to let you know what you've won.

In my giveaway for my followers I'm giving away:

TEN Books!

1. Books by Teresa Slack: A Tender Reed (women's fiction), Streams of Mercy (suspense), The Ultimate Guide to Darcy Carter (romance), Redemption's Song (mystery), Evidence of Grace (suspense)
2. Brandilyn Collins' Dead of Night (suspense)
3. Judith Miller's Somewhere to belong (historical)
4. Susan M Warren & Susan K Downs' The Sovereign's Daughter (historical Mennonite)
5. And more . . .

Amazon gift certificates! (four $5 gift certificates)



Four downloadable Stories!

• Homespun (inspirational romance) by Michele Levigne
• Secrets (a romantic suspense) by Linore Rose Burkard
• A Family Visit (contemporary) by Michael Emmer
• A Face in the Shadow (A full length romanic suspense novel) by Tiffany Colter

*********************

Below is information about the wonderful people offering their stories for you to read. Please look over the brief bios.
Those offering the free downloadable stories:

Linore Rose Burkard creates Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul. Her characters take you back in time to experience life and love during the Regency England era (circa 1800 - 1830). Ms. Burkard's novels include Before the Seasons Ends, The House in Grosvenor Square and, The Country House Courtship. Her stories blend Christian faith and romance with well-researched details from the Regency. Readers experience a romantic age, where England from the past comes alive and happy endings are possible for everyone!

You can purchase her books from:

• the author (autographed copy) http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/Books.html
• ChristianBook.com http://www.christianbook.com/country-house-courtship-london-regency/linore-burkard/9780736927994/pd/692799?item_code=WW&netp_id=633234&event=ESRCN&view=details
• Amazon     http://www.amazon.com/Country-Courtship-Regency-Inspirational-Romance/dp/0736927999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261453878&sr=8-12&s=books&qid=1261453878&sr=8-2

• BarnesandNoble.com    http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=the+country+house+courtship&box=the%20country%20house%20courtship&pos=-1
• Her website:    http://www.linoreburkard.com/index.html

Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal and regular columns for Afictionado E-zine and the Suspense Magazine where she writes the “Ask your Writing Career Coach” column.
She is tenacious in her approach to not only create a great story, but to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. She has twice been nominated for the ACFW Mentor of the Year award.

Tiffany won the 2007 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense in the inspirational unpublished division for her manuscript A Face in the Shadow and was a semi-finalist in Operation First Novel in 2004.
She earned her BA from the University of Toledo’s Honor’s College in 1998 with a Summa cum Laude distinction. She is the coordinator for The Master Seminars and runs Command Performance Speakers Bureau, as well as a blog for writers called The Writing Career Coach. On that site she mentors writers in matters of business management, marketing, and time management principles. Tiffany also travels and speaks on these topics to writers and small business owners at conferences and via online webinars.

She is an active member of local and national writing groups where she has served as a judge in writing contests for published and unpublished writers.
Writing Career Coach was created to be a place where writers could learn about businesses and businesses could learn about writing.
Check out her site:

• Tiffany@WritingCareerCoach.com
• http://www.writingcareercoach.net/
• www.WritingCareerCoach.net/tiffany
• http://www.writingcareercoach.com/

Michele Levigne

Check out her sites at:

• http://www.mlevigne.com/
• http://www.michellelevigne.blogspot.com/

Michelle has been a story addict for as long as she can remember, starting with The Cat in the Hat and Weekly Reader Book Club. She discovered Narnia and Star Trek in elementary school, and was a familiar face in the school library, especially when she became addicted to Greek mythology.

She fell into fandom in college, and has 40+ short stories and poems in various universes; Star Trek, Starman, Highlander, Stargate SG-1, Stingray, Beauty & the Beast, and The Phoenix. She and a friend published a multi-universe ‘zine, Starwheel, for 4 issues. All this time, she worked up to sending out original stories to magazines and publishing houses, eventually receiving rejection letters that weren’t the standard photocopied photocopy of a form letter.
She has a BA in theater/English from Northwestern College and a MA in communication, focused on film and writing from Regent University. She has submitted scripts for various screenwriting competitions and wrote and submitted scripts for MacGuyver, Beauty & the Beast, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and The Pretender. She also wrote scripts for Matrix and Stargate SG-1, but never obtained permission to submit scripts. Their loss!

In 1990, her writing career finally broke into the public market when she won 1st place in the 4th quarter of the Writers of the Future contest, which earned a hefty prize, payment to have her story in that year’s anthology, and a week at a writing seminar in California before the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, it was a long-term launch, because it wasn’t until 2000 that Mountainview Publishing contracted for Heir of Faxinor. (Now at Hard Shell Word Factory). Since then, Michelle has published 40+ books and novellas with multiple e-publishers, in science fiction and fantasy, YA, and many sub-genres of romance. She has been a finalist in the EPPIE Awards competition (10 finalists and 2 wins, Lorien, in 2006, Inspirational category, and The Meruk Episodes, 1-5, in 2010, Anthology category) and has garnered 4s and 5s from many review sites.
Her training includes the aforementioned degrees; the Institute for Children’s Literature correspondence course; 8+ years proofreading at an advertising agency; and 10 years at a community newspaper, entering and editing freelancers’ articles and news releases. She has also freelance edited for small presses and a major business publisher.
In 2008, she launched her own freelance editing business, offering proofreading as well as light or in-depth editing services on an hourly basis. Check her Web site: http://www.mlevigne.com/ and click on the red pen to learn more.



Michael Emmert

To contact him:

• http://www.michaelemmert.com/
• Or send an email to Michael.Emmert@gmail.com
• On Michael's website is a page called FirstPage. He's offering free critiques of anyone's first page of their WIP. Contact him at the above emal address.

Michael says: "I would love to hear from any one.

As a boy I wrote a couple of short stories, westerns, as those were my interest. In Junior High, and in High School, I was a copious reader. I scoured the library, searching for fiction novels. Zane Gray was at the top of my list. I transferred to Sci-Fi, with Heinlein at the point. After depleting those genres, I moved to dogs, horses, then car racing, anything that would whet my interest.

When I married and we had children, I sometimes tucked the little ones into bed, and might spin a yarn, which would generate squeals for more. When they were ill, I read them the Chronicles of Narnia. For myself, I read Azimov, L’Amour, and Fisher. Writing letters, and newsletters kept my writing skills up. I never entertained the thought of being a novelist.

It wasn’t until about eight years ago that the interest of writing stories, inserted its head into my life.

Historical Romance is my chosen writing genre. I guess that I’m a romantic at heart. I don’t mean a gushy novel, where the two characters can’t stand to be apart. But rather where a relationship grows between the protagonists, where their hearts are drawn to the other."


Merry Christmas, followers.
Blessings!

Giveaway!

Giveaway!

BIG Giveaway!

What?

• TEN Books! (Amish, suspense, romance by authors such as Brandilyn Collins, Teresa Slack, etc.)
• Amazon gift certificates! (four $5 gift certificates)
• Four free downloadable Stories!

1. Secrets (a romantic suspense) by Linore Rose Burkard
2. A Family Visit (contemporary) by Michael Emmert
3. A Face in the Shadow (A full length romanic suspense novel) by Tiffany Colter
4. Homespun (inspirational romance) by Michele Levigne

*********************



Below is information about the wonderful people offering their stories for you to read. Please look over the brief bios, then move on to the bottom to find out what to do to win one of the great prizes!

Those offering the free downloadable stories:

Linore Rose Burkard:
Linore Rose Burkard creates Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul. Her characters take you back in time to experience life and love during the Regency England era (circa 1800 - 1830). Ms. Burkard's novels include Before the Seasons Ends, The House in Grosvenor Square and, The Country House Courtship. Her stories blend Christian faith and romance with well-researched details from the Regency. Readers experience a romantic age, where England from the past comes alive and happy endings are possible for everyone!

You can purchase her books from:

• the author (autographed copy)   http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/Books.html
• ChristianBook.com    http://www.christianbook.com/country-house-courtship-london-regency/linore-burkard/9780736927994/pd/692799?item_code=WW&netp_id=633234&event=ESRCN&view=details
• Amazon   http://www.amazon.com/Country-Courtship-Regency-Inspirational-Romance/  dp/0736927999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261453878&sr=8-12&s=books&qid=1261453878&sr=8-2
• BarnesandNoble.com     http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=the+country+house+courtship&box=the%20country%20house%20courtship&pos=-1

Her website:  http://www.linoreburkard.com/index.html

Tiffany Colter:
Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal and regular columns for Afictionado E-zine and the Suspense Magazine where she writes the “Ask your Writing Career Coach” column.

She is tenacious in her approach to not only create a great story, but to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. She has twice been nominated for the ACFW Mentor of the Year award.

Tiffany won the 2007 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense in the inspirational unpublished division for her manuscript A Face in the Shadow and was a semi-finalist in Operation First Novel in 2004.

She earned her BA from the University of Toledo’s Honor’s College in 1998 with a Summa cum Laude distinction. She is the coordinator for The Master Seminars and runs Command Performance Speakers Bureau, as well as a blog for writers called The Writing Career Coach. On that site she mentors writers in matters of business management, marketing, and time management principles. Tiffany also travels and speaks on these topics to writers and small business owners at conferences and via online webinars.

She is an active member of local and national writing groups where she has served as a judge in writing contests for published and unpublished writers.

Writing Career Coach was created to be a place where writers could learn about businesses and businesses could learn about writing.

Check out her site:
Tiffany@WritingCareerCoach.com
www.WritingCareerCoach.net
www.WritingCareerCoach.net/tiffany
www.WritingCareerCoach.com

Michele Levigne:

Pen Name:  Michelle Levigne

Check out her sites at:

http://www.mlevigne.com/

http://www.michellelevigne.blogspot.com/

Michelle has been a story addict for as long as she can remember, starting with The Cat in the Hat and Weekly Reader Book Club. She discovered Narnia and Star Trek in elementary school, and was a familiar face in the school library, especially when she became addicted to Greek mythology.

She fell into fandom in college, and has 40+ short stories and poems in various universes; Star Trek, Starman, Highlander, Stargate SG-1, Stingray, Beauty & the Beast, and The Phoenix. She and a friend published a multi-universe ‘zine, Starwheel, for 4 issues. All this time, she worked up to sending out original stories to magazines and publishing houses, eventually receiving rejection letters that weren’t the standard photocopied photocopy of a form letter.

She has a BA in theater/English from Northwestern College and a MA in communication, focused on film and writing from Regent University. She has submitted scripts for various screenwriting competitions and wrote and submitted scripts for MacGuyver, Beauty & the Beast, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and The Pretender. She also wrote scripts for Matrix and Stargate SG-1, but never obtained permission to submit scripts. Their loss!

In 1990, her writing career finally broke into the public market when she won 1st place in the 4th quarter of the Writers of the Future contest, which earned a hefty prize, payment to have her story in that year’s anthology, and a week at a writing seminar in California before the awards ceremony. Unfortunately, it was a long-term launch, because it wasn’t until 2000 that Mountainview Publishing contracted for Heir of Faxinor. (Now at Hard Shell Word Factory). Since then, Michelle has published 40+ books and novellas with multiple e-publishers, in science fiction and fantasy, YA, and many sub-genres of romance. She has been a finalist in the EPPIE Awards competition (10 finalists and 2 wins, Lorien, in 2006, Inspirational category, and The Meruk Episodes, 1-5, in 2010, Anthology category) and has garnered 4s and 5s from many review sites.

Her training includes the aforementioned degrees; the Institute for Children’s Literature correspondence course; 8+ years proofreading at an advertising agency; and 10 years at a community newspaper, entering and editing freelancers’ articles and news releases. She has also freelance edited for small presses and a major business publisher.

In 2008, she launched her own freelance editing business, offering proofreading as well as light or in-depth editing services on an hourly basis. Check her Web site: http://www.mlevigne.com/ and click on the red pen to learn more.

Michael Emmert:

To contact him:
http://www.michaelemmert.com/

Or send an email to Michael.Emmert [at] Gmail [dot] Com

On Michael's website is a page called FirstPage. He's offering free critiques of anyone's first page of their WIP. Contact him at the above emal address.

Michael says: "I would love to hear from any one.

As a boy I wrote a couple of short stories, westerns, as those were my interest. In Junior High, and in High School, I was a copious reader. I scoured the library, searching for fiction novels. Zane Gray was at the top of my list. I transferred to Sci-Fi, with Heinlein at the point. After depleting those genres, I moved to dogs, horses, then car racing, anything that would whet my interest.

When I married and we had children, I sometimes tucked the little ones into bed, and might spin a yarn, which would generate squeals for more. When they were ill, I read them the Chronicles of Narnia. For myself, I read Azimov, L’Amour, and Fisher. Writing letters, and newsletters kept my writing skills up. I never entertained the thought of being a novelist.

It wasn’t until about eight years ago that the interest of writing stories, inserted its head into my life.

Historical Romance is my chosen writing genre. I guess that I’m a romantic at heart. I don’t mean a gushy novel, where the two characters can’t stand to be apart. But rather where a relationship grows between the protagonists, where their hearts are drawn to the other."

*************************

Who?

For anyone?

Nope . . .

This Christmas I want to say thank you to all my followers. So, I'm holding this contest for you, dear followers, and I will choose not one, but at least TEN (10)of my followers to win one of these gifts! Whooeee!

What do you have to do?

Not much.

Comment on any post during contest period and remind me you're a follower, leave an email address, and in goes your name for a chance to win one of these fantastic gifts!

And the more you comment, the more times I'll drop your name into the "bag."

When?

• Beginnig today through December 24th.
• After that I'll announce the winners on this blog, and send an email to each winner for your address/and to let you know what you've won.

Merry Christmas, followers.

Blessings!

An Interview with Tiffany Colter


What type of hints do you share in your newsletter?

I actually have two newsletters. In Writing Coach Career I share tips on marketing as well as craft. I spend a good deal of time editing other people's writing as well as learning new ways to market my work. I like to share some of those tips with my readers.

In the Balanced Life I share the money management tools we've used as a family during my husband's cancer battle and subsequent unemployment. It was only two years ago that I was going through the same things many people are experiencing right now. I learned that having a balanced look at money and focusing on united financial goals with my husband was the best way. I also learned how to tweak recipes to be delicious and CHEAP. One I shared last month feeds six people for about $2!


Where do you get your tips?

I read books, blogs, and articles quite a bit. My husband also spends a great deal of time reading, and he shares with me what he has learned. There is also knowledge that you gather by watching what other people are doing. Writers can read a book and notice the story structure and the mechanics of a book. I can do that with marketing. I took my kids to a concert recently and left with five marketing ideas based on what happened there.


How often do you send out your newsletter?

I send them out monthly but I'm debating if I want to continue monthly or go to every other month. Some of my good friends have reminded me I write on balance and I have to make sure I don't get my life out of balance by overcommitting myself. It can be tough because I simply LOVE being a writer, speaker, and Writing Career Coach, but I also love being a wife and mom.


Where did you get the idea to begin this newsletter?

The subject matter? Both newsletters were simply organic outgrowths of my blog topics I decided to do newsletters because I love newsletters. I subscribe to a few of them and I find that when they're done well, they are a great benefit to the reader.

Everything I do with my websites, speaking and the products I offer my central focus is always "How will this benefit my reader?" I think that as an author when I write books, and I focus on it even more when I'm working on my coaching and money tips, I will stop doing it if people ever stop seeing value in it.


Why would anyone want to sign up (read) your newsletter?

Why would they want to or need to, hmmm. I can only tell you what other people have told me. I present not only information, but I present them in an unusual way. For authors, I teach marketing and platform but as a writer, I also share tips to improve your writing. I have used horror films to teach about marketing. I've used music videos to teach about showing vs. telling and internal conflict.

On my Balanced Life blog, I try to be real. I am a real woman who faced foreclosure two years ago because my husband's cancer battle left him unable to work for six months and unable to work full time for two years.

I know what it feels like when you can't afford food and creditors call you to make you feel like scum of the earth. All after watchiing your loved one battle a life-threatening disease.

I also know that many financial problems are a result of the PITIFUL lessons taught to us in school. We are taught a good credit score is more mportant than balancing our checkbook. We are taught that balancing our checkbook is the equivalent of budgeting.

If people want real lessons from a real person, whether an author or a wife/mother, they will not only enjoy my newsletters--but learn a great deal from them.


What makes you an "expert?" Would you share some background of your life?

Wow, an expert is such a big word! I think I covered some of it in the previous question, but let me go deeper. As a writing career coach I have learned how to build a platform and develop my own speaking business-without publishing a book. what makes me unique is I realize that my books are a product. Right now there are not many manuscripts being acquired from new authors by publishers.

This gives us the responsibility and the opportunity to build other areas of our writing business so that we will continue to grow. Just because publishers aren't buying doesn't mean we are at a standstill. the companies that innovated in the 20's were in prime position to grow in the 40's and 50's. The people who built cars became rich. The people who insisted on sticking with the locomotive became obsolete.

On the finances, I have been able to live pretty well on a single income for the last ten years. Not only that, but I know what it is like to suddenly have NO income! When Chris was diagnosed with cancer we had two weeks worth of money in savings, we had four young children (one of whom we'd just adopted) and the prospect of as much as a two year battle with cancer. We were denied state disability payments (long story) and a paperwork misunderstanding left us without the disability from the employer. I know that there is HOPE in the midst of the trouble.

I also know how to live now! We have debt from the two years he couldn't work. I know how to live frugally without being a total tightwad. I used to be one. I learneed that "frugal" people are oftentimes rooted in fear. They find their security in the collection of money. They begin to worship their security. That is out of balance. That is how I lived the first twenty-nine years of my life.

My husband, on the other hand, has the love language of gifts. He wanted to give me and our daughters things to show us how much he loved us.

You can see where this is going, right? (If you live like this then get my free article "A Saver Married to a Spender" at

Now that we are earning money again we know how to keep ourselves in balance. We know how to put a large sum of money towards expenses while still putting money in savings. This is important because a common cycle for people is to try to get out of debt by putting all their extra money to debt. THEN when something unexpected happens (like a car needs repaired) there is no money left. You use your credit card . . . and you're right back in the same mess again!


Why do you care about "us" to do this?

I hate to see people hurting. I truly want to see things turn around. A government stimulus or bailout won't help anyone. Lower taxes and personal responsibility are what is needed. The problem with that, however, is no one is taking the time to teach people that they DON'T need to spend every penny. However, people who have money should not feel gulty for spending it. I am not richer because you feel guilty. I become richer when I take a balanced approach to my finances and execute my spending plan.

I want so badly for people to be empowered, rather than fearful. So many feel there is no way out. There is!


What's the "catch" if we sign up for your newsletter?

Personal responsibility! I am not asking for money. I am not selling anything (although I am in the process of writing a book about this topic and will tell people about it when it releases if they tell me they want to know.

The Balanced Life is a website of free stuff to help people. I put my OWN money into this website to help other people. If you sign up for the newsletter you will hear from me when each one goes out. You will hear from me to ask if you want to be informed about webinars or speaking engagements. I WILL NOT sell your information to anyone. You will NOT be attacked with ads to purchase things. I am targeting people who want to try to get control of their finances so why in the world would I try to sell them a bunch of stuff???


Please share the addresses where readers can sign up for these newsletters.

You can sign up for my Balanced Life newsletter, The Balance Sheet, at:

www.TheBalancedLife.com

Writers can sign up for my Writing Coach Career newsletter, Writing Coach Career Playbook, at:

www.WritingCareerCoach.com


There you have it, folks. Tiffany is an enthusiastic, talented speaker and writer. I've sat in her classes and enjoyed her comments. I'm impressed that she's willing to do this at no cost to us.

Do me, no, do yourself the favor and sign up today for her Balanced Life newsletter. And if you know of a writer, encourage them to check out her Writing Coach Career newsletter.



Quote:
It is only when I am doing my work that I feel truly alive. --Fedrico Fellini


Blessings

Red Shirt

Here's a story I think I read before. Enjoy!

Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together.

After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

No, he responded.

Heading out? I asked.

No. I'm escorting a soldier home.

Going to pick him up?

No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq , I'm taking him home to his family.

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign.'

Without a sound, all went as requested.. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.

Following is a suggestion:

Red Fridays. Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority.' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is: 'We need your support and your prayers.'

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.


Friday and Saturday, I plan on having two interviews with my two friends: Tiffany Colter and Linore Rose Burkard. Look for them!


Quote:
Always borrow from a pessimist; he never expects it back!


Blessings

Financial Struggles?

Then check out Tiffany Colter's new newsletter filled with tips and information for those hurting financially and suffering depression over all the bad news. There is help for these individuals.

I know Tiffany personally; have sat in her marketing classes; have fellowshipped with her at different meetings. She's a go-getter. She's a survivor. She's a helper.

Check it out at:
http://www.thebalancedlife.com/

I think you'll be glad you signed up!



Quote:
What can be done at any time is never done at all. --English proverb

Blessings!