And the 2010 Winners Are.....

Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you've all had a fun summer. Every single year I am completely blown away by how quickly the summer months fly by. Although, with four boys at home...I don't know about you....but I'm ready for school to start! Mine go back tomorrow :)

First and foremost, I want to extend a heartfelt Thank You to all of the U.S. Military Service members and their families. The sacrifices made by our soldiers and their families can never be truly understood or appreciated unless witnessed first hand. This annual contest is my way of expressing my gratitude for all that you do for our country! As last years' Grand Prize winner Courtney Bishop Jackson said, "My husband is a U.S. Airman so you don't have to be!"

Thank you to all of the men and women who submitted their stories again this year. I enjoy reading every single one. I am already looking forward to next years' contest!

Without any further ado....I give you the winners for the 2010 contest.

Second Prize: A $25 Amazon Gift Card, a signed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy" and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt. This award goes to..... An Army of Five

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

Grand Prize: A book signing event at their local Bookstore! Joyce and Carrie (Mother and Daughter) will be the special guests of honor. 5 Free Signed copies of "The Amoveo Legacy".

(1 for them and 3 of their friends) A $100 Amazon Gift card and a Team Amoveo T-Shirt.
And the Winner is.......A Mother's Tribute

I'd also like to extend my thanks to ASMBA-STAR for partnering with me again this year. I look forward to teaming up again in 2011.

Every year I will continue to donate a portion of my annual book sales to ASMBA-STAR. Keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming paranormal romance series. Book 1 will be released in Fall 2011 from Sourcebooks Publishing.

Although our contest (and another summer) has come to a close, I hope you'll continue to pop on by the blog and see what's happening. Enjoy this last little bit of summer! Boo-Yah!

Week #7 Semi-Finalist Petty Officer 2nd Class Catharine Lindsey

The guy in the picture is my twin brother, SPC Christopher Lindsey. The girl in the other picture is me. While I was searching through my pictures, I kept thinking "I know I have one of us together!" but honestly, I can't remember the last time we were together long enough to have a picture taken together.

My twin and I haven't always been close. Spending too much time together can put a strain on any relationship, especially one where you've been together since conception. I joined the Navy just before I turned 19 and he was still struggling to find himself. He battled with depression, which led him down a dark path. I briefly feared that I'd have to come home to bury my twin before he called me one day to tell me that he couldn't keep living like this anymore, and he'd enlisted in the Army.

I wrote him daily while he was in basic training, and when he was sent to San Antonio for school, I was elated. I'd been stationed in San Antonio for a few years, and was pregnant with my daughter. I was due to give birth a few weeks before he finished with his school, and since he was going to be sent to Korea for a year, I figured God was stepping in and giving us a chance to reconcile our relationship.

My daughter was born just after 1:00 in the afternoon on July 29, 2005. Chris didn't have a car, but he didn't let that stop him from getting from Fort Sam to Lackland to be there for me. I still remember the tears in his eyes as he held her and said "Holy crap Cathy... you're a mother. I'm an uncle! When did we grow up??"

He was sent to Korea shortly after my daughter was born, then served 17 months in Iraq, and is currently serving in Germany. He's requested to extend his tour, as he is about to be married. I haven't met her, but I've managed to speak to her a few times over the phone, and she seems really nice. The important thing is that she makes my brother happy.

I got out of the military 2 years ago to raise my daughter and attend school to become a nurse. I want to go see Chris in Germany, but flights are expensive, and the school's fast-paced curriculum won't allow for more than 8 hours worth of absence. I miss my brother, but we keep in touch through sporadic phone calls, emails, and instant messenger (when we can - he's out in the field a lot). Sometimes I feel like I talk to his fiance more than him, and that's only on Facebook.

Is it hard? Definitely. He is -quite literally- the other half of me. But I wouldn't change it for the world. My brother is making a difference and doing something amazing with his life. He's contemplating the Physician's Assistant program, would would open the door for him to go to medical school when... if he ever decides to get out of the Army. To think, 5 1/2 years ago, I was worried whether or not my brother would end up in jail or dead, and he's saving lives now.

To borrow from my brother for a second... Hooah, SPC Lindsey!

Sincerely,
(former) Petty Officer 2nd Class Catharine Lindsey - sister to the most amazing twin brother in the world.

***Remember---Each week between now and Labor Day I will select 1 semi-finalist to highlight here on the blog ! There are some great prizes up for grabs. A portion of my annual book proceeds go to ASMBA-STAR--my favorite charity for Vets and their families. So spread the word to all those hard working, dedicated military families out there.***

TO ENTER: Just send me YOUR STORY and a picture to sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com

Semi-Finalist Week 6: A Multi-Generational Military Family

My name is Michael Smith, and this is a short version of my family’s history as a military family. My grandfather, James Smith, was a coal miner in Scotland before Great Britain got involved in “The Great War” now known as World War I. He joined the British army and was sent to fight in Europe, leaving his wife, Georgeanne and 6-year-old son, James Andrew at home in Bannockburn. Unfortunately, during heavy fighting, my grandfather was killed by German cannon fire. My grandmother and my dad moved around Scotland and England for a few years, when things were very hard for a single mother. She finally decided to go to another part of the British Empire, Canada, hoping for a better life. She met an American gentleman in Ontario on business, and after a few years he asked her to marry him and move to Illinois. She accepted, and they lived in a small town in Illinois for a while.

By this time my dad was in his late teens, and felt like seeing more of this great country, so he set out first to St. Louis, the closest big city. He worked at a few odd jobs, then continued west to Kansas City. He fell in love with the City, and a young red-haired girl named Bessie Thomas. He got a steady job as a truck driver. He and Bessie dated for a few years, and he asked her to marry him. They were married in November, 1932. James, or Jimmy as he was known, wanted to give back to this great country, and decided to enlist in the Navy Reserve, even though he was not a permanent US citizen. He was very proud to have known a local political figure and supporter of the Navy Reserve, Harry Truman. Jimmy and Bessie tried for several years to have children, then in 1940 learned that Bessie was expecting. In January of 1941 Sondra was born, just a month after Jimmy’s 31st birthday. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, 3 weeks before his 32nd birthday, Jimmy again felt like he needed to do more to help this country however he could, but with a baby daughter, he couldn’t leave his two best girls at home. As the War progressed, through some dark times, he felt more and more like he just had to do whatever he could, so he enlisted in the US Army in early 1944, at the age of 34. He had been preparing to become a naturalized citizen, and during Army training at Camp Roberts California, one of his proudest moments was realized when he was officially sworn in as Citizen of the United States of America. Bessie and Sondra made the long train trip to California in July and stayed with Bessie’s older brother, Sidney. They wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jimmy before he was to be sent to Europe following his Army training.

He was sent to Europe and fought in the Battle of The Bulge, where he received several wounds. None were life-threatening, and he continued fighting until receiving a more serious wound and was captured by the Germans on December 16, 1944. By this time he had learned that Bessie was expecting another child, and Jimmy was determined to get back home to his family. After spending several months being moved from one POW camp to another, and Hitler’s forces being beaten on all fronts, the Russian Army liberated the camp where Jimmy was being held prisoner. Not a large man to begin with, Jimmy had lost more than 40 pounds during his captivity, and the doctors wanted him to put some of that weight back on before they would send him home. He also learned that Bessie had given birth to a son in April, 1945, and named him James Gary Smith. Finally, Jimmy was returned to Kansas City and his beloved Bessie, Sondra and now James Gary. Jimmy and Bessie bought a little house on the west side of Kansas City, Missouri which they called home for the rest of their lives. In 1949 another son, Michael Don was born. (That was me.) During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the US was committed to stopping the growth of Communism, especially in Southeast Asia. James Gary, who everybody just called Gary, convinced Jimmy and Bessie to sign for him to enlist in the Navy in 1962, when he was just 17 years old. Gary made several deployments to the Western Pacific and the Tonkin Gulf aboard destroyers. In March of 1966 Gary was released from active duty but remained in the Navy Reserve in Kansas City. In 1969 I decided to join the Navy, also, but was mostly interested in Navy aircraft, specifically fighters or whatever the Blue Angels were flying. After basic training in San Diego and avionics training in Millington, TN, I was assigned to a Navy A-6 training squadron at Oceana, Virginia. During my 2-year tour at Oceana, Gary decided to return to active duty, and was sent to a new, nuclear powered destroyer home ported in Charleston, SC.

Gary and I visited each other whenever possible, and were able to spend Christmas together at our parent’s house in Kansas City in 1970. In 1971 I was transferred to a carrier based A-6 squadron assigned to the carrier USS Forrestal. The squadron was the first to receive the new, A-6E aircraft, and required a lot of training. Also, the Forrestal was undergoing a long period in the shipyard for some repairs and upgrades. After coming out of the shipyard, and several short cruises up and down the Atlantic coast for sea trials and aircrew training, the ship was scheduled to deploy in June, 1972 to Southeast Asia. A fire just below the flight deck the night before scheduled departure forced another carrier to take the place of the Forrestal. After another 3-month repair period, the Forrestal was deployed to the Mediterranean for 10 months. Gary remained on active duty in the Navy until 1988 when he retired to his home in the Jacksonville, Florida area. I married a Virginia girl in 1976 and got 3 step-children in the bargain. We also had a son, Robert, in 1977. I was discharged from active duty in 1978 and moved to Michigan for what I thought was a good job.

It wasn’t, so I went to work for the US Department of Defense in 1984. My supervisor convinced me to join the Navy Reserve in 1985. As a DoD civilian employee I moved first to Atlanta in 1986 (where I got a divorce, and custody of my son) then finally, in 1987, I moved back to Kansas City, still in the Navy Reserve. One of my stepsons, David, is also a Navy veteran, having served on the USS Forrestal, too, before it was decommissioned. In 1988 I married my high school sweetheart, Kathy Hough, who had also been married before and had 2 children. In 1993 I was “hired away” from DoD by the Federal Aviation Administration. I retired from the Navy Reserve in 1995 at Naval Air Reserve Center Olathe, KS, formerly Naval Air Station Olathe, just before it was closed permanently and turned over to the State of Kansas. I was transferred to southern California, still with the FAA, in 1997. Jimmy and Bessie were very proud of their 2 sons and their devotion to their country. Jimmy passed away in 1988, and was given full military honors at his gravesite. Bessie passed away in 1992, just a month short of what would have been her 60th wedding anniversary with Jimmy.

Sondra, who loved her ‘little’ brothers, and shared her parents’ pride in them, passed away in 1993 from cancer. Gary passed away from leukemia the day before his 57th birthday in 2002. I still live in southern California where I am still employed by the Federal Aviation Administration. I take great pride in riding my motorcycle with a nation-wide organization, the Patriot Guard Riders, whose “mission” is to escort fallen military on their ride to their final resting place at Riverside National Cemetery, or, to greet and escort military units or individuals on their return home from deployment.

Thank you,

Michael D. Smith

USNR (Retired)

***Remember---Each week between now and Labor Day I will select 1 semi-finalist to highlight here on the blog. ! There are some great prizes to be had. A portion of my annual book proceeds go to ASMBA-STAR--my favorite charity for Vets and their families. So spread the word to all those hard working, dedicated military families out there.***

Semi-Finalist Week # 5: An Army of Five

We are an Army family of 5 - Husband Tim (SM), me -Susanna, Alex 11 years old, Anna with Down Syndrome 13 years old and Tyler 15 years old.


We have been lucky to not have to move every 2 years. I believe in 17 years we've been lucky to have had to move only 7 times, my husband had 3 deployments. Hopefully, this is all behind us. I came to this beautiful country 15 years ago! I finally received my American citizen ship in 2007!
The last 4 years we have been stationed on JB Lewis McChord and we are currently on our way out to Ft.Carson, Colorado Springs.
Not sure what to tell you about us.

Our family is a very active family when it comes to little adventures...duathalons, little adventure races,runs. We love to camp and hang out with friends.


I have started a website militarydutystations.com that was started to help all milspouses get inside information about their new duty station. Getting first hand info about where to live and what schools are good is really essential for a family to move. I am hoping to pull that together on ONE site. I have also collected all the info about PCSing that I could and put it together in an every changing PCS Guide. I really don't want this to just be a plug for my site but this is a big deal for us. As all family members are involved in this (video: moving with a special needs member, Alex and Tyler are talking about their summer plans, Tim is talking about timeline planning, Reba(our 13 year old white lab) is included in a little pet relocation video, Tyler also developed my LOGO, Tim is working on my website LOL it's called free labor! HA)

What else can I tell you?

Regards,
Susanna
--
Make your experience count! Tell others about your current or past military duty stations or learn from others about your new installation:
www.militarydutystations.com
follow Susanna on twitter: @mildutystations
connect with Susanna on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/militarydutystations


***Remember---Every weekend between now and Labor Day I will select 1 semi-finalist to highlight here on the blog. ! There are some great prizes to be had. A portion of my annual book proceeds go to ASMBA-STAR--my favorite charity for Vets and their families. So spread the word to all those hard working, dedicated military families out there.***

SEND YOUR STORY TO: sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com

Week #4 Semi-Finalist: The St. Amand Family

My husband, Michael, was active-duty in the Air Force for 8 ½ years, and continued to serve 14 ½ years in the Air National Guard and Reserves for a total of 23 years of service to retirement status. We were both young when we got married – Michael 21 years, and myself 18, just out of high school. We came from a very poor and rural Northern French Acadian area along the border of Northern Maine and Canada, when Michael decided to join the Air Force in order to support ourselves and attempt to get ahead in life. We missed our families and rural way of life terribly the first years while increasing our appreciation of the positive aspects of the rural French culture we had left behind.

On the other hand, military life seemed like an exciting lifestyle compared to where we came from. Having hardly strayed far from home during our youth, moving from one city or state to another over the years was exciting, yet daunting at the same time. For a shy country girl, I sure came “out of my shell” quickly overtime and also learned to be very resourceful. We took every opportunity we could to travel and sightsee all the areas we were stationed at. We learned to travel frugally but have fun at the same time and loved it. I had always liked history and geography classes in school, and the traveling opportunities brought those history books to life. Also, being exposed to other cultural areas gave us insight that regardless of the superficial aspects of any culture or race of people humans all have the same basic needs and qualities which we need to respect. Military life is also a unique culture in itself. Once you have learned and lived in it for a certain period of time, you miss it when you leave the service. Each base was its own little community, and the camaraderie of fellow service personnel who were experiencing the same thing was like a second family.

The military also provided basic needs that at most times were unmet while we were growing up, which many people take for granted such as medical care, housing and food. Granted, it may not always top-notch, but nothing is perfect, and something is better than nothing.
I cherish the traveling and touring experiences we have experienced and to this day, I always say that the ability to travel to new places and actually live in that community for awhile is a greater learning experience then just vacationing in a spot for a week or two. In fact, when the opportunity arose for my youngest son in sixth grade to take a three week educational tour to Europe, we made the financial sacrifice to send him, and to this day he talks about it, and would like to go back (but not before I do! Haha.)

After basic training at Lowry AFB in Denver, Colorado Michael’s first duty station was Shaw AFB, in Sumter, SC. What a weather adjustment, from cold, long Northern winters to the hot, humid south. Then on to South Korea for a year. This was my first time on a plane, not to mention it was a long flight from Maine to South Korea. This was our one and only overseas tour. Our desire was to go to Europe, but it never happened. We also kept trying to be stationed at Loring AFB, in Northern Maine, to be closer to home, as it was not very popular with many service persons to be stationed in the Northern frontier bases. As it was, we never did get that assignment, and subsequently, Loring AFB was shut down much to our chagrin.
From South Korea, we were stationed at Castle AFB, Merced, CA. We enjoyed this tour as it was situated in the San Joaquin Valley, the farming belt of California away from the larger cities. Castle AFB is no longer in existence today. Moving on, we went to Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas, then on to the Pentagon in the Washington, DC area. At this point, I was pregnant with our first son, and we decided we needed to settle down to raise him in a stable environment and so Michael left active duty service to return to Maine. We tried to restart our lives, but it did not work out as planned, and a second son was on the way, so Michael joined the Air National Guard, which brought him for basic training to Keesler AFB, Biloxi Mississippi and eventually moved on to Bolling AFB, Washington DC metro area, where he become employed with the Federal Government, and became a “weekend warrior” for the Air Force Reserves on the weekends. Having grown up working hard on the potato farms and families struggling to make a living, we carried that same work ethic and resourcefulness with us which helped Michael make positive impacts on his supervisors and career. During his reserve status, he also landed a full-time position working with the Federal Government.

It was at this point after 17 years of marriage, constant moves and apartment living that we decided to take a risk and purchase our first home 85 miles away from the city in the mountains of the Shenandoah Valley, a rural farming area which reminds us of the country life we came from. Michael’s unforgettable comment to me was “You put up with me, my military career and moving for so long, we will buy a small place with a few acres in the country for you to finally get the horses that you couldn’t have all these years since we left Maine.” Once settled in our newly purchased home, it was at this point that I was able to pursue college and invest in a long term career, as it was difficult to maintain an employment career when you were constantly uprooted. Just as I was settled into a good job, it was time to move on. Believe or not, though, after several years of living in our home, we began to get itchy feet, however, traveling days will have to wait until our full retirement age.

Both as a Reservist and federal employee, Michael’s career brought him to the Pentagon. His civilian job eventually transferred to an office in downtown Washington DC a few weeks prior to the 9/11 event. It was emotionally devastating to Michael as he had known some of the victims and some of the damaged parts of the Pentagon were ones he had previously installed equipment in. At that point, Michael was eligible to retire from the Air Force Reserves, but a stop-loss order was in effect, and his retirement was not granted until two years later when the stop-loss was lifted and he was granted retirement status. Michael continues his career as a public servant of the United States. Not surprisingly, our sons are following in his footsteps to some degree. Jonathon, our oldest son enlisted for a short tour in the Navy, and our youngest son is currently enrolled in college aspiring to eventually also become a public servant in the Federal Government for the United States.

During the two years Michael waited for his Air Force Reserve retirement status, we kept holding our breath as to whether Michael would be called back to active duty to serve in Iraq. Fortunately for our family, he did not go to Iraq, but I have the greatest respect for those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families, as I know what a strain it is to have your husband away from home for long periods of time, even more, to wonder if he’ll even come back alive or in one piece. The times that Michael was away for temporary periods of training or other duties certainly reinforced my abilities to be resourceful and manage the everyday needs of a family and home without any other relatives geographically available to help and depend on. To be on alert 24/7, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, and miss many family milestones and events, there is no sum of money to compensate for such a sacrifice. They deserve every benefit and support we can give them and then some.

To my husband, sons, and all military personnel and veterans,
“I SALUTE YOU!”

Susan St. Amand

***Remember---Every weekend between now and Labor Day I will select 1 semi-finalist to highlight here on the blog. ! There are some great prizes to be had. A portion of my annual book proceeds go to ASMBA-STAR--my favorite charity for Vets and their families. So spread the word to all those hard working, dedicated military families out there.***

SEND YOUR ENTRY TO: sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com

Week #3 Semi-Finalist: The Crouch Family

I remember when I signed up for this 14 years ago. Sounds like I'm the one in the Army, doesn't it? I've been married to an Army soldier for 14 years. My husband Robert has been in the Army for 15 years. It really does feel like you join the Army too, when you marry a soldier. Robert and I have 2 beautifully devious children. Our daughter Hayley is 11 going on 20 and Joey, our son is 9. We have moved 9 times in the last 14 years. We go where the Army sends us. We have managed through 1 deployment to Iraq and are preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan this fall. So many near scares have come our way and I won't lie, it's not easy to answer the phone at any time when my husband is away from us. The feeling of terror when you see any military person approach your door when your husband is deployed is palpable. Once you have been through any of this, you are never quite the same.

My husband works as a physician's assistant providing medical care to the soldiers within his unit. He trains medics to take care of wounded in battle and takes his job very seriously. We are immensely proud of him. With the stress that comes with a job of this magnitude, I do what I can to make his life easier. The Army's slogan is "Be All You Can Be" and it's the same for the spouses. We have to be the best we can be in order to be good parents and spouses. We adapt and overcome as a family and our lives are truly filled with joy by just being together. We appreciate each other on a level that I don't think people not associated with the military can fully understand and I am grateful.

Kathy Crouch- Proud Army Wife
Major Robert Crouch- United States Army Physician Assistant- Father- Husband
Hayley Crouch- Proud Army Daughter
Joey Crouch- Proud Army Son

***Remember---Every weekend between now and Labor Day I will select 1 semi-finalist to highlight here on the blog. ! There are some great prizes to be had. A portion of my annual book proceeds go to ASMBA-STAR--my favorite charity for Vets and their families. So spread the word to all those hard working, dedicated military families out there.***

SEND YOUR ENTRY TO: sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com

Week #2 Semi-Finalist- Crystal Weatherington

Hello

I am not going to tell you how difficult that life can be as a military family, because I am sure that you know first hand what life is really like.

A little about the Weatherington Family:

I am a stay at home mother and wife to a wonderful 5 year old little boy named Trenton. When my son was just 2 years old we all moved from the warm sunny state of Florida to support my husband in a military career. We had a huge shock the minute we crossed the state line into upstate NY. Always living in Florida this was a huge shock for us, to go from sun and sand to snow and endless months of winter. Anyways, enough about being up here in New York at Fort Drum, like I was saying we all moved up here to support my husbands military career, and we all couldn't be prouder of him. He is an Air-traffic controller in the US Army! We are getting ready to hit our second deployment in 3 years, I have found alot of things important by being a military spouse. Like lending a hand to a wife in need, or being there to listen and lend support. I am still a young wife (26) but I have learned alot in the time we have been here. My FRG was such a welcomed family I was happy to help when asked to be a key caller, not only did I get the opportunity to connect with alot of military families but I had the pleasure of learning what military family is really like. I was recently asked to be the new FRG leader and cannot wait. I love my military life and wouldn't trade it for anything.

As a side note....children are so invaluable that when my husband deployed for the first time my 4 year old son came to me one night while I was crying and said "mommy it's ok, don't be worried I am the man of the house now and will take care of you!" Children in the military live a completely different life from most children, my son has grown up so much...

Well I am sure this is long enough...

Thank you for reading
Crystal Weatherington

**I hope you enjoyed Crystal's story! I know I did. Keep those entries coming!!! Send your story to sarataneyhumphreys@hotmail.com and YOUR story could be next!**

Week #1 Semi-Finalist: A Mother's Tribute

I would like to enter my daughter, Carrie Reyes. This is her husband's fourth time to go to Iraq. They have four children, two with special needs. She spreads herself pretty thin to take care of them, and go to school but she has managed both very well. This year has been pretty rough because the state of Georgia doesn't have much knowledge or tolerance for children with Autism. She has had to stand up to the school system for not treating her child in the proper manner. Even an expert from Emery could not change the schools way of treating her son. It was good for her son to see that she was brave enough to stand up for him. She and Adam have another son who has sever medical problems. Both Carrie and Adam have treated this son as they do the others. He goes to the accelerated high school where they live and recently was asked to write an essay on how his handicaps have
helped him get to where he is. I think what he said is a great tribute to their parenting. He said, "I don't have any handicaps."

She is always sending her husband "care packages" and makes sure all the guys in the unit has a bag of snacks when they leave. She also bakes cookies and sends them to the whole unit. She is very thoughtful, but it doesn't stop at her husband, whom she loves very much. She checks on several of the wives to make sure things are going ok for them. All in all, I think she makes an excellent Army Wife.

And Adam, her husband is the best 1st Sergeant I've known. He has been in EOD for over 20 years with no mishaps. He is good to those under him and makes sure they are trained right. He also worries about them when they are out on a mission and he has to stay behind. He is sharp when he needs to be and concerned when he needs to be. He has had to watch his wife raise their kids almost on her own while he is serving our country. And what better praise can be given to him than, his mother- in-law loves him as her own son.

Joyce Phillips


***Remember---Every weekend between now and Labor Day I will select 1 semi-finalist to highlight here on the blog. ! There are some great prizes to be had. A portion of my annual book proceeds go to ASMBA-STAR--my favorite charity for Vets and their families. So spread the word to all those hard working, dedicated military families out there.***

Want to enter? Send your story & picture to info@novelromance.net

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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

Last Years' Grand Prize Winner-Courtney Bishop Jackson

With the 2nd Annual U.S. Military Family Contest opening up for entries, I thought it would be a nice idea to revisit our Grand Prize Winner from last year. During the contest last summer, Courtney and I became friends on Facebook. Actually, several of the gals that entered are now friends of FB. It's been really neat to follow Courtney and her family. She' an incredible woman who is fiercely devoted to her son and her husband. So for those of you who didn't read her story...here's an opportunity for you to see for yourself what a cool lady she is.

Grand Prize Winner 2009--Courtney Bishop Jackson




My husband is Active Duty Air Force. He has been in since April 2007. The picture is from the his Boot-camp graduation. We have been stationed at Goodfellow AFB, TX and now are at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. We had our first child together in March 2008. After an uneventful pregnancy, our son Malynki was born not breathing. It took the doctors/nurses 25-30 minutes to resuscitate him. He now suffers brain damage because of the length of time he went without oxygen. They weren’t sure he would live past a week and told us to be prepared for the worst. (I've attached another picture of him shortly after delivery to show how bad things were.)

This was the hardest thing that my husband or I have ever been though. I didn’t want to live, I didn’t want to speak to anyone. All I wanted to do was be with my baby. I'm crying even typing this because it brings back such sad memories. I just kept thinking the whole time Malynki was in the NICU "Please God, Don't take away my heart and soul." Its amazing to see how much strength my husband had during this hard time to keep our family strong for our lil' man. I'm grateful to have my husband, Larry. Because without him I’m not sure I would have been able to make it with everything that happened to our son.

When our son was 3 weeks old, he had surgery for a G-tube. Its a tube in his stomach that we feed him directly through. They also repaired a hernia and completed a fundoplication. We were told his future wouldn’t be so bright. We didn't care what they told us we were just happy that he had made it past the length of time they gave us in the beginning. The doctors believed he would probably never learn to eat by mouth, talk, walk or really do anything normal babies do. This was the hardest thing to hear because as parents all you ever want for your child is for them to be the best at everything they want to/can do. We didn’t want him to be different but that was the hand we were dealt. So we took it in stride.

We applied for EFMP Program that the military offers for dependant family members with special needs. This program helped us get relocated to Ohio (where we are originally from) because Goodfellow AFB did not have the services in the town that we needed. Twice a week we were driving 3 hours to San Antonio for Medical services for our son. Once we got relocated to Wright Patt AFB. My son's future began to look brighter. He attends Physical, Occupation, Speech and Feeding therapy each once a week.


I am unable to be employed because of all his needs. My husband is our sole provider and we are so appreciative for the military and all there benefits. My son has shown me what strength is at only a year old. He surpassed all the expectations the doctors gave us. He is now 16 months old, is able to eat puree baby foods, drink juices and is working on learning to chew, he still has his g-tube for nutritional purposes. He is rolling and army crawling. He is learning to bear weight on his legs and talks up a storm. He is unable to sit unassisted or walk yet but that has not stopped him from trying to become the best that he can be. He will forever have development delays due to his brain damage. We recently received the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. It was hard to swallow knowing that he is forever going to have that. But I know one thing for sure, he will never let a diagnosis slow him down.

The military has been so beneficial in my son’s health care. We have 8-10 doctors that we see regularly, $10,000 in medical equipment and numerous prescriptions and medical supplies; we haven’t had to pay anything. We would be lost without the military and for that my husband and I are forever thankful. (I've attached another picture of him recently) He never stops amazing us. Although my husband hasn’t been deployed yet, he has volunteered numerous times and really wants to go overseas and protect his country.

Thank you for listening to our story,
Courtney Jackson

You can see the other 2009 winners and Semi-Finalists in the archives of this blog. For more information on how to enter this years' contest please visit my website and click the "Contest" tab.

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 .

Promote or Perish

Any author will tell you that the hardest part about being published is the promotion. Before I was published I was under the assumption that the publishers marketed books for their authors. Ummm...No. The truth is unless you're Nora Roberts or JK Rowling the publisher doesn't do much in terms of marketing. Virtually all of it falls on the author. The trouble is that most authors aren't experinced in marketing and in many cases they don't have the money to hire someone else to market for them. It can be a very frustrating experience to say the least. So here are a few tools that have worked for me.

I know that lots of people are a bit squeamish about self-promotion. If you're an author I've got three words for you--"GET OVER IT!"

It's really quiet simple. If you don't promote yourself--no one else will. Well... not at first. As a new author the responsibility is on YOU to tell people all about your book and why they should run out and buy it/download it--whatever.

Social Networking. No...not for dates...for your book. Twitter, My Space, Facebook, Blogspot, Shelfari, Good Reads and We Read are all FREE!!!

Anyone promoting a book should have every single one of these accounts live and online. If you have each of these accounts you can then link them all to each other, creating your own business network.

Why do they help you? Twitter, for example, I didn't understand initially. A status update with only 140 characters. Huh?! Well the idea is to follow a flock of like-minded people. Here's just one example of how Twitter helped me.

Since I write Paranormal Romance I did a search for "paranormal". Well as you can imagine a lot of funky folks came up. One of them was "Paranormal Podcast" with Jim Harold. I followed him and he followed me back. I asked him if I could link his website to mine. We got a little conversation going. He took it to the next level and asked me if I'd like to be interviewed on his podcast show. Absolutely! Jim gets 90,000 downloads of his podcasts a month. Our interview has already been downloaded 10,000 times! Think about that.....all of those people...a brand new audience simply from connecting on Twitter.

So that's a bit about the Internet. What about face to face?

If you're an author you absolutely have to set up a book tour. It's not easy and you'll have to be persistent but it will pay off. What better way to personally connect with readers? I exectued a book tour last summer via various Borders and B&N and used all of the social networking to help promote it. These face to face signings were an outstanding way to connect personally with readers you may not have found online.

Okay. You get them face to face...and then what? What do you do you tell them? Easy. Give them your "elevator pitch". In other words...if you were on an elevator with your dream publisher and only had 60 seconds to grab their attention and sell them on your book....What would you say? That's an "elevator pitch". For me... the hook question to bring passers by to my signing table was..."Did you like "Twilight"?" Now, my series isn't about vampires...BUT...it's the same genre. I got their attention and got them to stop and listen a bit more. Then comes the elevator pitch.

I have to say that I throughly enjoyed all of my book signings. You can see an example of my experiences here on my blog.

I hope these thoughts were helpful. Believe me...after all of the publicity and promo...I need a big glass of Pinot!

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Skiing, Snowtubing and Shufflebord

Does anyone else find the last day of vacation to be a form of torture? Sundays are always slightly torturous because you know that Monday is taunting you from just around the corner. It's sitting there just waiting to jump on you with one unpleasant surprise or another. The Monday after vacation is even worse. As it looms closer I thought I'd take a moment and remind myself of the fun we had this week--so when I get hammered tomorrow I'll know it was worth it.

Our four sons had their winter break this week. We usually go away for the February break. The idea of being stuck inside with four boys for a week is less than appealing, so we decided to take them upstate for some skiing, snow tubing and other family fun activities. They're relatively new at skiing so the place we went was perfect for them. It had two very easy ski slopes and one ski lift so no one could get lost. It was great to be able to give them the freedom to go up and down the "mountain" on their own. They had one or two falls but no one had a "yard sale".

The resort we stayed at (and I use that term loosely) was great for the kids. The adults however--not so much. It's up in the Catskills and it is about the only thing up there, so the only activities, restaurants and so on....are at the "resort". This place was like a cruise ship without the ocean--or something out of "Dirty Dancing". We got a kick out of watching the boys splash around in the indoor pool. I thought their heads would explode when they saw that it had a slide. However, I refrained from actually going in. The bathing suit is not my friend.

The game room was complete with a ball pit, pool tables, ping pong, boccie ball and shuffle board. We tried the shuffle board. I spent most of the time laughing because the boys were still incredibly competitive even though they had no idea if we were playing it correctly. It wasn't entirely old school--there was an arcade of course. The sports complex even had a little bowling alley.

All in all we had fun. It was great just to be together as a family. So as Monday creeps closer, and the impending responsibilities at work creep into my mind, I'm clinging to the moments of this past week. My husband playfully teasing his sons at dinner--and all of them bursting into fits of laughter. The look of pride on Ian's face as he made it down the mountain on his snowboard-- without wiping out. Leo's laugh bouncing down the mountain as he raced ahead of his brothers. The sight of William as he whizzed fearlessly down the mountain and perfected his "racing stance". Jack doing flip after flip in the pool and asking, "Did you see me Mommy? Did you see me?"

I saw it all and that's what will keep me going.

The ‘Difficult’ Second Album

Hey there! I know you've all heard me mention this hot new band from Scotland--The Strike Nineteens--well one of the singers/songwriters from that fab band is my guest blogger. Ladies and Gentleman....David Muir.

There are many clichés in the music world. After all, it’s not what you know, its who you know. It’s about being in the right place at the right time. At the end of the day, when the chips are down, it’s a game of two halves.

Doesn’t make much sense does it?

In my brief foray into the periphery of the ‘music’ business I have came to one conclusion. There are no standards, only benchmarks. What I mean is this – there is no secret formula into making it big. If there is, I have yet to get my hands on this elusive Pandora’s box. Does this mean you should give up? Absolutely not! Why? Simply because the times they are a-changing.
One of my favourite quotes is, “a mind that has expanded to have an idea rarely returns to it’s original size”. The reason I find this so pivotal is that we can use everyone’s experiences to further our own knowledge of what is possible. The benchmarks of others are there like rungs on a ladder to help us upwards and onwards.

My name is David Muir and I am the lead singer/song writer for The Strike Nineteens. Is my band signed to a lucrative record deal? No. Have I given up the day job? No. Have I had a No. 1 hit single all over the world? No. If you ask me if I think we are good enough to answer these entire questions yes, then YES I do believe truly that we are. So what’s gone wrong? Well nothing actually, apart from the fact that in this industry usual rules do not apply. When was the last time you went for an interview and you adequately displayed your skills and attributes only to find out that they gave the job to someone with no experience, no skills and even talent? This is commonplace for the music business as I’m sure it is for many other “Art” driven careers.
I am glad to say that I have woken up to the truth. The dawning realisation hit me like wrecking ball. It was so obvious yet the answer hid in plain sight. YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD. That’s it. No more, no less. I had grown up with the exciting tales of bands that turned up at gigs drunk, had a stack of girls in the dressing room and a fat man with a cigar waiting to say , “You guys are brilliant. Let’s make a ton of money”. No matter how talented you are, no matter good your material is, everyone needs to PROMOTE, PROMOTE and PROMOTE. In this technically magnificent era our job is so much easier. We have Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Youtube, Internet and so many more portals to get our message out.

When we released our first album, Screams for Denver, we put it on itunes and waited for the cheques to arrive. To put it bluntly, my letterbox was as busy as an Amish Inbox. I couldn’t believe it. I had poured my heart and soul into an album that I was proud of and even let my guard down and talked about subjects that I had bottled up for so long. Why wasn’t it an unmitigated success? Basically, in the whole excitement of launch parties and local paper events I had forgotten something. No-one knew us. No-one had heard of us. No-one knew that our album had hit itunes. It was the equivalent of finding the cure to the world’s fuel problems and launching them into space.

Our second album is imminent and I am glad to say the lessons I have learned in the past 12 months have come to bear on this new project. To such an extent that we are promoting hard pre-launch. That’s right! It’s not finished yet but already the cogs are oiled and starting to turn. By the time the album comes to fruition we will have emailed, Bebo’d, Poked (facebook) and flyer’ed everyone that we know and everyone that they know. It won’t put the album to number 1 but it might get us some new fans in countries that our budget otherwise wouldn’t allow.
We now have regular meetings to discuss promotional strategies and business opportunities. This is a concept that took some time to become comfortable with but the successes we have achieved have help underpin their importance. I look at media radically differently now. Where in the past I may cringe at a poor advertisement, I now analyze it’s pro’s and con’s and try to learn from it. It is a fresh and somewhat strange feeling to do this but I sincerely believe it to be vital.

The most amazing thing is this – I have enjoyed every minute of it and I have met some truly spectacular people along the way. The proof will be, I suppose, that someone will read this in years to come and say “Wow, look at them now!”
Work smart AND hard!

Cheers, peace and love
David Muir.

http://myspace.com/thestrikenineteens

Follow Your Dreams--(Safety Net Included)

This past week my baby sister bit the bullet. She did something that I think--no scratch that--I know was incredibly brave. She left the New York area, her family, friends and ultimately her comfort zone--for the wild west. Kate is an actress and has taken the plunge. She moved out to L.A. to try her talented hand at auditioning during pilot season. Granted she was smart about it. She's worked and networked her pretty little butt off here in NYC for the past couple of years. So she's not going out there on a wing and a prayer--she's got a plan and some killer connections.

She and my Dad--who is the absolute BEST by the way-drove across the country together. They went from NY-LA in four days. Even better--they documented their journey with video montages for all of us East Coasters to enjoy.

I have to say we are blessed. My siblings and I have unbelievably supportive parents and in turn we are equally supportive of each other. It's this safety net of unconditional love and family support that allows all of us to follow our dreams. My husband has provided that same safety net for me with my writing career. It really is a gift to have such a great support system and I strive to provide my boys with the same sense of security.

So as Kate is out reaching for the stars she can do it knowing that we've got her back.

We love you Kate. Go get 'em!

Rachael Ray Rocks

Okay. I can admit it. I am not a good cook. I have several talents...cooking isn't one of 'em. My husband and children can attest to the sad truth of it. In fact, when I bake cookies the first thing my kids do is look at the bottom to see if they're burnt. Nice.

In an effort to improve my culinary abilities I have tried various cook books and recipes. I think I have Cooking ADD. None of them could hold my attention long enough for me to execute them properly OR they had several ingredients I don't have on hand at home.

The other day, in one final effort, I picked up a copy of Rachel Ray's magazine. "Everyday with Rachael Ray". I was skeptical. I thought this would be another wasted cookbook type purchase. Well---I couldn't have been more wrong. This magazine is AWESOME! For the first time one of these mags actually delivers what it claims.

There are shopping lists for the recipes, the ingredients are pretty straight forward, and they take very little time. The best part is many of them are kid friendly. So the time came for the true test. My kids. I let them pick out a few of the meal ideas they liked. I hit the grocery store for the fresh herbs...let's be honest....with four little boys that's not tops on my normal shopping list. Next stop--the kitchen.

Her 30 minute meals? Guess what? They really are done in less than 30 minutes. I couldn't believe it! And...the food I made actually looked like the picture in the mag. Okay...maybe not exactly like it but really close. Even better? The boys loved it!

So now when people ask me if I can cook I simply say, "Yes. As long as it's one of Rachael Ray's recipes. Other than that...I'm toast."

For her great recipe ideas, her magazine and all the other good stuff. Check out her website.

Guest Blogger--Nicole from HowlingGoodBooks.com

Well, hello again all! Sara has welcomed me back! W00t! So I thought I would turn her graciousness on everyone! Welcome to Sara’s Blog! And my return to answer any questions you may have! Ask away and I will answer! Whatever the question! Whether about this post, my site- HowlingGoodBooks.com, or being a reviewer!

And Happy October! What a wonderful month! A month when we get to dress up as anything that our imaginations can dream up and not be looked at funny! And since it is dress up as wacky as you can dream of month I thought we could discuss our favorite creatures that go bump in the night and how we came to read paranormal or Science Fiction!

My mom started me out! I will be honest, my mom much preferred for me to read than watch TV! “Books,” she said,” will make the imagination soar. Anything is possible in them!” When I was in middle school I came across her Greek mythology college text book and begged to read it. She allowed me to, knowing that I had exhausted all the books in my school’s library. I ate it up! After that I soared through Stephen King’s novels, skulked through Dean Kootnz’s books, and “learned” how to make magical mistakes with Piers Anthony.

As I grew into adulthood my fascination with the strange and unusual grew with me. I kept finding new authors to help me with my….. er, book addiction, lol. Or would that be helped my addiction continue? But whichever way you put it, my love of books, and reading, grew exponentially. I found new authors by the quotes they left on the authors’ books that I read already. And as my addiction became out of control so did my stash of books, much to my husband’s dismay! ;)

So what is my favorite paranormal creature? Magician? Vampire? Were animal? Alien? Well, it is not a space creature. Although they are intriguing, I love Earth! Magician? While I love magic and all the possibilities it opens up, that is not my fave! Blood sucking vamp? Nope! I would end up being the anal retentive, blood-o-phobe! Imagine a vamp having to be fed through an IV! I would be the shame of every vampire alive…. Er,dead… er undead lol. I would end up being staked by my maker! If you said Were you were right! I have always had a soft spot for animals, wolves in particular- and it simply carried over!

A Witch’s life may be glamorous with all the magic at one’s fingertips, but the responsibility! And all the things you give up to be a vampire! Sunrises, sunsets, chocolate! (Although I love how Michele Bardsley fixes that one!) But as a Were! High metabolism! So you can eat whatever you want! Great hair! And with that (at least) once a month change you don’t have to worry about if you get a bad haircut! You can go out ANYTIME! With no daylight restriction! What could be better? Hmmm, maybe a succubus? Having men panting after you! Being the being all men desire… But I would hate to leave a string of corpses behind! Nope! Weres it is! But don’t ask me to pick just one Were! I would love to be a true shape shifter, to be whatever I choose. That way if I am feeling catty I could grow claws and hiss! Or …. A bit of the canine female, well you get the picture!

But what about you? How did you come to love the paranormal? What brought you over to our “dark side” so to speak? What are YOUR favorite paranormal beings? And why? Share with us! We would love to hear what YOU like!

Book Signing up at Borders near Fort Drum!

What a pretty time of year to take a drive up to Watertown, NY! It was a wonderful signing event at Borders in The Salmon Run Mall near Fort Drum. I had the distinct privilege of meeting several members of our military and their families. It was a beautiful Saturday but the mall was hopping!

My signing liaison, Stephanie ( a proud military wife) did an unbelievable job promoting our event--and as a result we sold tons of books!!

She posted in online and had it put in the area newspapers as well.

Way to go!!

Unfortunately her kiddies were sick and she couldn't make it....so I took lots of pics so she could see how all her hard work paid off.

The people up in Watertown are incredibly friendly and the staff was awesome! My last signing in this tour is coming up at my Alma mater--Marist College--during Alumni Weekend.

Guest Blog -- Nicole from"Howling Good Books" Review Site

Hi Sara! Thanks for having me! Wow what an honor!....And now for the awkward silence… J Just Kidding, as if I could ever run out of things to say about books or my review site! Ok so start from the beginning I suppose. Well, about me… Hmm.

Once upon a time there was a woman named Nicole, and she had a dream of one day making it big! She published poetry, and had a collection of books so big she had to buy an extra house just to have a place to put them all! When one day the beauteous ladies husband said to her- “You have enough books to start your own bookstore!” an even better idea struck! Why sell all of her books? Why get rid of all her dear friends that helped her deal with the real world by escaping it? Why not SHARE her obsession? Help the world be a better place but introducing people to her love of other worlds and living vicariously through others? And at the same time share all the worldly wisdom she has gained through her many travels in those hollowed pages? Why not start……. A REVIEW SITE!

Nah, that isn’t how it happened, but it sounded good huh? Lol, What really happened was I was trolling the Internet while chatting with a friend when I came across a review site. It intrigued me. Who would have thunk it? I always wondered how those witty quotes ended up on book covers! How could I get my words on those beautiful glossy covers? How could I get my name out there? So I emailed the site, ok I used the “Contact Us” page, but hey it counts! I asked them how I could become one of their reviewers ( see me begging and pleading on my knees in cyberspace). So for a few years I reviewed. I read my little heart out, and my eyes blind, but OH JOY the free books! And then I started seeing MY name out there! My name and witty bantering were on the covers of books! And I had another thought! Why not start MY OWN review site?!?!? Thus the idea to birth HowlingGoodBooks.com!

I got together with my husband and best friend Joann(and Co-Author) and discussed the possibility of such a thing; aka if we had the gumption to pull it off. My husband bought the domain for Mother’s Day- “So you can’t back out”, and Joann and I came up with the name. Then months of hard work ensued. We planned, mapped out how we wanted the site to run, found a wonderful artist for our logo, I worked on getting publishers, and anytime I got worried, down, or started second guessing myself I turned to my family, old friends, and the new friends that I had made. If it weren’t for my slave laboring husband (just ask him, he’ll tell you what a slave driver I am! ;) ), Joann, Kayla Weeks, Jen Allen and all my author friends who suffered with me- Leonard D. Hilley II, Celis T. Rono, Mima, or Christine and Ethan Rose; HowlingGoodBooks.com would have not have been given birth! So thanks guys for all of the support and belief that you have given to me and HGB! And to all the friends that I have made since; Mina Carter, Sara( but of course), Lex Valentine, Melinda Barron, and Dakota Cassidy just to name a few! You guys have helped keep it, and me, going!

But it is a FAR cry from over! In fact we have just begun! We are covering all genres, and currently have over 10 publishers working with us, as well as authors themselves sending us work! We are always on the lookout for new reviewers, especially as we are always looking for new publishers! We are taking applications for reviewers! If you are interested the link is here: http://howlinggoodbooks.com/index.php?id=43 . And if the directions aren’t clear enough here is a review I did myself for you to go by: http://howlinggoodbooks.com/index.php?id=114 . (Wink) Did I mention that is the review for Sara’s first book in the Amoveo series, The Amoveo Legacy? Not only is Sara gracious enough to have me here, but she is talented as well! Well, I guess that is all, for now! I must get going! But I will stop in and see if there are any questions out there! I hope you all have a blessed day! Thanks again Sara! And Hurry up on An Amoveo Heart!