Official Letter from ASMBA-STAR

Here is the official contest letter from --ASMBA-STAR.

Sara Taney Humphreys Donates Portion of
Proceeds from Book Sales to the
ASMBA STAR Foundation


Last year, as a special thank you to our service members and their families, author Sara Taney Humphreys held a very special contest especially for military wives. It turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience for her. “I had the privilege of meeting several incredible women and their beautiful families. It's so easy to forget that there are real people who are deeply affected by the conflict overseas. Hearing the personal stories of these families helped me remember that our troops are husbands, fathers, brothers and sons who are immensely loved and sorely missed.” Sara has graciously decided to make this an annual contest to benefit the ASMBA STAR Foundation.

This contest will run from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. Once again, a portion of her annual book sales will be donated to the ASMBA STAR Foundation. The mission of the ASMBA STAR Foundation, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is to improve the quality of life of the military service member, veterans and their families by contributing to the financial, educational, social, employment and medical needs that are unmet by the U.S. government. The Foundation has awarded grants to organizations such as the National Military Family Association, Knights of Heroes, Helping our Veterans, Project Sanctuary, Operation Stand Down, Fisher House, and many, many more.

Who is eligible?

This year the contest is open to ALL members of our U.S. military families - Moms, Dads, Sons, Daughters, Wives, Husbands, Sisters, Brothers. If you have a family member that is serving our country... we encourage you to enter and tell us all about them!

How do you enter?

Send an email to sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com with a picture of you and your family member in uniform. Tell us a bit about what branch he/she serves in, where you've been stationed, challenges you’ve faced, experiences you cherish, and so forth.

**Please put "2nd Annual Military Families Contest" in the subject line.**

Once a week, beginning Memorial Day weekend, Sara will choose one entrant to be highlighted on her blog. These weekly entrants are contest semi-finalists. Three winners will be selected over the Labor Day weekend, with prizes awarded as follows:

Second Prize: A $25 Amazon Gift Card, a signed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.

First Prize: A $50 Amazon Gift Card, a signed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.

Grand Prize: A book signing event at their local bookstore with the winner as Sara’s special guest of honor; FIVE free signed copies of "The Amoveo Legacy" (1 for them and 4 of their friends); a $100 Amazon Gift card and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.

Spread the word about this contest. You can support our veterans and their families by purchasing a copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" or by donating directly to the ASMBA STAR Foundation.

Thank you for your support and for your service to our country!

1000 NorthChase Drive, Suite 300 P.O. Box 160384 Nashville, TN 37216 1-800-251-8434
For more information about the Foundation, please visit us at asmbastar.com

2nd Annual U.S. Military Family Contest--Entries Welcome!

Last year, as a special thank you to our service members and their families, I held a very special contest for Military Wives. It turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. I had the privilege of meeting several incredible women and their beautiful families. It's so easy to forget that there are real people who are deeply affected by the conflict overseas. Hearing the personal stories of these families helped me remember that our troops are husbands, fathers, brothers and sons who are immensely loved and sorely missed.

I have decided to make this an annual contest. I am very excited to report that ASMBA-STAR, an outstanding organization for Vets and their families, has agreed to continue their partnership with me.

This contest will run from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. Once again, a portion of my annual book sales will be donated to ASMBA-STAR.

Who is eligible? This year I've opened the contest up to ALL U.S. Military Families. Moms, Dads, Sons, Daughters, Wives, Husbands, Sisters, Brothers. If you have a family member that is serving our country...tell us about them!

How do you enter? Send an email to sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com with a picture of you and your family member in uniform. Tell us a bit about what branch he/she serves in, where you've been stationed, challenges and so forth.

Please put "2nd Annual Military Families Contest" in the subject line.

Once a week, beginning Memorial Day weekend, I will pick one entrant to be highlighted on my blog. These weekly entrants are semi-finalists. Labor Day weekend I will select three winners.

Second Prize: A $25 Amazon Gift Card, a signed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.

First Prize: A $50 Amazon Gift Card, a signed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.

Grand Prize: A book signing event at their local Bookstore and the winner will be the special guest of honor. 5 Free Signed copies of "The Amoveo Legacy. (1 for them and 4 of their friends) A $100 Amazon Gift card and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.

I hope you'll help me spread the word about this contest. I look forward to meeting more incredible families! You can support our veterans and their families by purchasing a copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" or donate directly to ASMBA-STAR .

And the Winners Are......

I have to admit it was not easy to select the winners of this contest. All of these women are dynamic, strong and dedicated individuals. I admire each of them for their strength and devotion to their families. So...after much contemplation....the winners are....

Courtney Bishop Jackson

Grand Prize: $100 Amazon Gift Card. and Her name (not her likeness) will be used for a character in one of my upcoming books. Autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy".

Amy Teets

First Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card & autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy".

Jennee Allan

Second Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card & autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy"

As I mentioned, I will be donating a portion of the proceeds of my book sales to the veteran's charity ASMBA STAR . Originally it was going be based off of sales from the summer. However, after meeting these women and their families I have decided to base my donation off my total sales for 2009. I cannot think of a more worthy cause to contribute to than our military and their families. Happy Labor Day everyone!

Click on the Pictures to Read the Stories of the 13 Semi-Finalists: U.S. Military Wives Contest

I am absolutely amazed at how quickly the summer has flown by! When I started this contest back in May, Labor Day Weekend seemed a million miles away but here it is! I have really enjoyed this contest and meeting these outstanding women. Although these ladies are not necessarily enlisted in the military they play a vital function for our soldiers. These women, and thousands like them, are the invisible soldiers. They fight the battles at home, often alone, while their husbands fight for our freedom in far flung lands. A few things in particular stood out as I read their stories. First of all, they are all 100% dedicated to their families and show unwavering support for their husbands and what they do for us as a country. I have also been incredibly moved by how supportive the military has been of these families during times of personal crisis. It's nice to see that not only do they support our military but our military is helping them as well.

Winners will be announced on Monday!

Week #3 Semi-Finalist Military Wives Contest

My husband, Lt. Col. Chris “Gash” Carslon, served 10 years active duty Air Force as first a F-111 pilot and then an F-16 pilot. He was stationed at Vance AFB (Oklahoma) for pilot training, then 2 tours at Cannon AFB (Clovis, NM), a tour at Upper Heyford (England), & Moody AFB in Valdosta, GA). He separated from active duty AF in 1999 and transitioned into active duty Texas Air National Guard. Gets a little confusing for the non-mil folks. LOL. Basically it’s the same pay, retirement, benefits, but instead of working directly under the federal gov’t, he now works for the state of TX. He has been an F-16 instructor pilot @ the Kelly Guard (aka The 149th Lone Star Gunfighters, which is @ Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX) for 10 years (this August).

As all military spouses know, there are always challenges in being married to someone who serves their country. When we first married in Nov 1996, he moved me to another state where, of course, I didn’t know a soul, and then promptly left 2 weeks later when his squadron deployed to Gulf for 4 months. This rotation continued for the two years, where I don’t think we celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas together until 1999! LOL Throw on top of that all the TDY’s (temporary duty’s – usually 1-3 weeks at a time), cross-country’s, & long work hours, it can be a bit grueling – for him and me! J And while he has the benefit of not deploying now – because hey, if the instructor pilots leave, who’s going to instruct? – there are still plenty of TDY’s, cross-country trips and long work days (and don’t forget that 1 weekend a month deal the guard throws on top of it ). Not that they don’t deploy, but the trips are more to their choosing and the deployments are for more than 3 weeks. But you know, as a spouse you either sink or swim. I’ve known lots of folks who have gotten divorced because they just can’t deal with it. They say they know what they’re getting into when they marry a military person, but I don’t really think anyone knows what they’re getting into, aside from maybe military brats who grew up living the life. It’s hard, but we make the most of it and we’ve made some fantastic friends throughout the course of his 20 years. In my experience, our squadron becomes our surrogate family. You can be hundreds (if you’re lucky) miles from home or stationed on the other side of the world, but one thing you know is certain – you can always depend on your squadron support group. We’re there for each other, help each other, watch each other kids grow up – and most important – have fun together. It’s certainly not a life for everyone, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.

The picture above is us at the RTU Graduation in May 2009. In normal terms, it was the graduation for the latest group of F16 pilots.

By the way, I think this is fantastic of you to recognize the military spouses.

Cheers!

Missy “Jiggles” Carlson
(yeah, I’ve even been gifted with my very own “call sign”…)

Remember....I'll be selecting 1 semi-finalist every week through August 31st and then reveal the Grand Prize winner on Labor Day Weekend. All of the contest details are on my website in the contests section. Please pass the word to anyone you know!

http://sarataneyhumphreys.com/rataneyhumphreys.com/

Don't forget....a portion of all of my book sales from June 1, 2009- August 31, 2009 will be donated to ASMBA STAR, an outstanding charity for Veterans and their families.

Summer Long Contest for MILITARY WIVES ONLY!

Here are the details--Please Forward to any Military Wives you know :)

As a special thank you to our service members and their families, I am running a very special contest for Military Wives ONLY. This contest will run from June 1st - August 31st and during the contest months I will donate a portion of my proceeds of my books sales to ASMBASTAR a fund for veterans and their families.

How to enter:
Send an email to info@novelromance.net with a picture of you with your spouse in uniform and a bit about what branch he serves in, where you've been stationed, challenges etc. for 2 entries into the contest. If you purchase The Amoveo Legacy email the receipt along with your photo and story for 8 more entries in the contest!

Please put "Military Wives Contest" In the subject Line.

Prizes:

Once a week I will pick one entrant to be highlighted on my blog. These weekly entrants are semi-finalists. Labor Day weekend I will select one winner from the semi-finalists

The Grand Prize is to have her name used as a character in one of my books and a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate
First Prize is a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
Second Prize is a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

** This contest is open ONLY to Military wives from any branch of the U.S. Military**