Category: contest

Port of Call Valentine’s Day

On By Betty OwensIn contest, love, Love Boat Bachelor, the bachelor, Valentine's Day, Write Integrity Press

In the wake of my work on The Love Boat Bachelor … I have a confession to make:

I get seasick walking on a pier. I have to ingest heavy doses of ginger to go canoeing or ride on a ferry. For this reason, I have never wanted to take a cruise vacation. I’ve walked plenty of beautiful beaches, and driven over the amazing bridge connecting the Florida Keys. Stood at the southernmost point of the continental USA. I’ve even sailed on a clipper ship–heavily dosed with anti-vertigo medication–as long as I’m pro-active, I’m fine.

Confession: The closest I’ve ever been to a cruise ship.

Though I’d never been on a cruise, I was intrigued by the story idea for The Love Boat Bachelor. After I read Jerusha Agen‘s opening chapter, I knew–I did not want to miss this one, with its ample opportunities for humor and romance. I jumped in head first and had a blast.

Caribbean beach scene

Choosing a destination was difficult for me. They were all so beautiful, but I had never been to any of them. So I went via Google and Pinterest. Each location had its own flavor, offering the best snorkeling, the best dolphin-viewing excursions, the best surfing, etc. So I took the dartboard approach. I landed on … well, you’ll find out when you download the Kindle version of book. The download is FREE for the first three days.

I love an adventure, so if someone offered me the opportunity to go on a cruise, I’d be all in. Maybe I would like it so much, I’d be like the elderly lady who lives on one instead of in a retirement home. Think of it! An attentive wait-staff, housekeeping, all the food you can eat. New adventures every day, new people to meet and get to know. An extrovert’s dream-come-true! But I think even an introvert like me could find something to love about a cruise.

This is my second excursion into the world of collaborative storytelling. And I loved it. It’s a writing prompt. You’re given the details and asked to create a story within certain parameters. It kind of takes the pressure off, but it’s challenging, too. Your chapter becomes a piece to a puzzle that will fit perfectly to create a whole, complete story.

Many, many thanks to Tracy Ruckman of Write Integrity Press for including me in this latest adventure. This is my fifth release and each one is more exciting (for me) than the last. I hope you’ll enjoy reading the finished product, as Brent Teague sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. Settle in, and enjoy the cruise!

The Love Boat Bachelor will be released–with its final chapter–on Kindle. Watch for it there.
Release date: February 14, 2015
Available as a FREE download for three (3) days! –I can’t wait.

The Love Boat Bachelor Needs You

On By Betty OwensIn #amreading, bachelorette, comedy, contest, cruise, Jerusha Agen, Love Boat Bachelor, Romance, Write Integrity Press
As this posts, we’re moving in to the final two days of the chapter releases for The Love Boat Bachelor. I hope you’ve had a chance to read them. Maybe you already have a favorite! Well, after tomorrow’s chapter is released, you’ll have a chance to vote. Please do! It’s like Dancing With the Stars. The contestants perform, the judges give them points, but the callers choose the winner. 
Which chapter touched your heart? Which heroine belongs with Brent Teague? It’s up to you.
Team writing a story like A Dozen Apologies and The Love Boat Bachelor is surprisingly fun. It’s interesting to see where the other authors take the story. I feel both honored and humbled to work alongside such talented writers. 
Don’t forget, The Love Boat Bachelor will be available as a free download on Kindle, February 14th – 17th. 
After it’s all done, please check out other works by these authors. Several of them have multiple books published, and include a number of my favorite reads from the past year or so.
Jerusha Agen

Jerusha Agen brought Brent Teague to life in last year’s A Dozen Apologies. Her opening chapter in The Love Boat Bachelor draws you in to the story.

You’re there with Brent as he fights the temptation to flee before he ever boards the ship. Jerusha Agen has also written the Sisters Redeemed Series, —This Dance, This Shadow, and This Redeemer. She also collaborated on: A Ruby Christmas, and A Dozen Apologies.

For more information about Jerusha Agen, visit her Website and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

   Our greatest wish is that you are entertained and blessed by our stories. If you enjoy these books, please consider recommending them to your friends.

You don’t need a ticket for this cruise, just a link to the website, like this one:
Chapter Seven Port of Call: Barbados

E-mail to Roselle: From Barbados

Port of Call: Bridgetown, Barbados with Lacy Dickinson 

Monday’s Chapter Six:

Chapter Six Port of Call: Bonaire

E-mail to Roselle: From Bonaire

Last Week’s links 

Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing …

On By Betty OwensIn A Dozen Apologies, Behold, contest, fiction, I Am Doing a New Thing, Love Boat Bachelor, Romance, Write Integrity Press

As this posts, I am in the midst of another book release. If you were part of last year’s Valentine’s Day release of A Dozen Apologies, you will be familiar with the process–Write Integrity Press releases a chapter a day. When all the chapters are released, we invite you (the reader) to vote on your favorite chapter. Last year, in A Dozen Apologies, you voted for a hero. This year, you’ll vote for your favorite heroine.

And you won’t know who the author is until the winner is announced.

Sound like fun? This year’s story, The Love Boat Bachelor, is a sequel to Mara’s story in A Dozen Apologies. Brent Teague didn’t win Mara’s heart. Remember him? He was the minister who met up with our repentant heroine while she was dressed in a turkey costume. Yes, you guessed it, he was her November apology.

This year, we catch up to Brent, dejected, disappointed, and ready for a change. When an offer comes from an old friend, Brent’s sister urges him to accept. Take a chance. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get out there! So Brent agrees to a two-week stint as a chaplain on board a cruise ship. But all is not as it seems, of course.

The adventure begins January 26, 2015. You can go to the website and read the first two chapters (see links below). Bookmark that website, so you can return there every week day (we take a break on weekends) until all eight chapters are posted … and then … you can vote for your favorite.


ONE Big, FUN Thing!

On By Betty OwensIn ancestors, contest, FUN Thing, giveaway, granny, Interview, July, ONE Big, Publishers, Tennessee, Writing


Why am I smiling? Because I know a secret. You’ll know too, in a couple of weeks. But for now, here’s my latest post and a couple hints: ONE Big, FUN Thing.
It seems some people have the most interesting lives. Surely, that should’ve been my life. I could’ve done that. WAIT. I could still do that. 
We are witnessing amazing days. Oh, I know the word amazing is overused and cliché—there are better words. My thesaurus brings up astonishing, astounding, mind-blowing, incredible, wonderful… I could go on and on. The sights we behold on a daily basis–it’s truly mind-blowing. 
What would our ancestors think of sending a message from one side of the world to the other, received in seconds, answered seconds later? 
What would Granny think of sitting in front of a screen in her home in Tennessee while talking to a beloved family member stationed in Afghanistan? She’s gone on to glory, so we’ll never know, but it’s a part of Granny’s great-great grandchildren’s everyday life as her great-great-great grandchildren talk to their daddy.
What would she think of millions of books available to us, instantly downloaded to our electronic devices? As a sightless individual, she would’ve loved the audiobooks! These would have opened a whole new world for her.
ONE. This brings me to the subject of my post today, the ever-changing world of publishing. Who could have predicted what has happened in the last twenty or so years? The last ten years? Astounding, incredible…
During the month of July, I will post an interview on Thursdays with an individual on the cusp of the changes in the publishing world. Editors, publishers, writers taking the plunge to create something truly wonderful. To impact the world. But I’ll let them speak for themselves. 
I hope you’ll drop in each week, to read their interviews and get an inside view of their lives and purpose. Perhaps you’ll find a niche for your story. Or a mentor to guide your way through the new world of writing and publishing. 
Who will be interviewed? I’ll publish my list on Thursday, July 3rd. On every subsequent Thursday throughout the month of July, you’ll meet one of the publishers. I’ll also publish the list on all my social sites.
Mark your calendars, sign up as a member of this blog, or have my posts emailed to you. If you prefer, connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, because I don’t want you to miss these interviews. More importantly, I don’t think you want to miss them!

FUN. There will be giveaways. I love giveaways. At least one of the publishers has already requested to give away a book, so watch for it. Leave a comment there for a chance to win a book.  

See you next month!

Announcing the Winners of the Door Prizes!

On By Betty OwensIn A Gathering of Eagles, book launch, contest, friends, prizes, The Lady of the Haven, winners
To all of you who took the time to enter the giveaway and help me celebrate my book launch,  Thank you so much!

The winner of the first prize

The Audible Version of The Message Bible

Allison Owens

The winner of the second prize

The Coffee Mug & Starbucks Gift Card & Goodies

Linda Yezak

The winner of the third prize 

Lavender Dreams

Sherrie Mabrey

Again, thanks, all of you for taking the time to enter. 
You’re the best kind of friends. Please stay in touch. 
There are more good things in the works throughout the year.