Giant Book Giveaway from My Special Guest Bloggers!

I'm thrilled to share a special guest post from the mother/daughter writing team of Sherrie Ashcraft and Christina Berry. These ladies are as nice as they are talented... expect to see big things from them in the future!

A special announcement from Sherrie Ashcraft and Christina Berry:

We cowrite books about relationships. We are a relationship. We want to dominate the relationship brand. And we want to have at least 500 subscribers to the Ashberry Lane Newsletter by the first of the year. Should we expect you to sign up and work hard at strong-arming your friends to sign up while you get nothing out of the deal? No way!
Compassionate as we are, we've worked up a HUGE new incentive. How better to promote our relational fiction than featuring other fiction that focuses on different types of relationship? Why don't we give our supporters a chance to win EIGHT autographed books? What a great Christmas present that would be! Or what a lot of Christmas shopping done for you!
Without further ado, we present, with a booming voice,

ASHBERRY LANE'S BOOK GIVEAWAY

For the Friend Relationship: Roxanne Henke's After Anne

One of our absolute favorite books. As you watch Olivia and Anne struggle through a difficult challenge, you'll want to be a better friend.

For the Prodigal Relationship: Robin Lee Hatcher's Return to Me
How many of us have walked away from what our father wanted for us? Or away from our Father? This story will remind you that the you can go home again.

For the Marriage Relationship: Robin Jones Gunn's Wildflowers Wildflowers

Married Genevieve falls in love with the man she least expected could win her heart. It's not who you might think ....

For the Sibling Relationship: Lauraine Snelling's Ruby (Dakotah Treasures #1)

In the first of this frontier series, Ruby must deal with her new "inheritance" while protecting her sister from its influences.

For the Man's Perspective on Relationships: James Scott Bell's Breach of Promise

A heart-rending story of a man trying to keep his family together.

For the Supernatural Relationship: Tosca Lee's Demon: A Memoir

Don't let the title of this book scare you away. There is no glorification of the demonic, but an enlightened fresh look at what History means.

For the Relationships Gone Bad: Bette Nordberg's Serenity Bay

A truly terrifying story of woman who married Prince Charming and discovered he wasn't.

For the Single Among the Marriage-Minded: Camy Tang's Sushi for One? (The Sushi Series, Book 1)

You'll laugh. You'll relate. You'll be impressed with this debut novel from up-and-coming author Camy Tang.

EIGHT books. ONE winner. Here are the ways to win:
Current subscriber and previous referrals are already in the hat. Any new subscriber or referral will gain another entry.
Publicize this to your homeys through newsletters: one entry.
Blog about the contest: one entry. (Email us if you need what to post.)
Include it in your Christmas cards: two entries.
Tuck it in the gift bag with the fruitcake you'll be leaving on random doorsteps: five entries.
Subscribe! Spread the word! Flood the blogosphere! Take over the world!

Blog Interview and Book Contest

Hey All!

Today I have the honor of being interviewed on Amber Miller's blog. Come on over and check it out. If you leave a comment on Amber's blog (not this one) you'll be entered to win an autographed copy of my new book, The Love of His Brother.

Good luck, and thanks for playing!

Counting My Blessings...

There's an old hymn that goes "Count your blessings, Name them one by one..." My grandma Marie used to love it, but she gave it her own twist, singing "Name them ton by ton." Grandma went to be with Jesus about six years ago, but to this day, I can't hear that song without thinking of her. It's only natural, with Thanksgiving coming in a few days, that I'd remember it now. I've got a lot to be thankful for. Here's just a partial list:

• An awesome husband who's put up with me for almost 16 years now (to be fair, I've put up with him, too!)


• An incredible teenage son who still enjoys spending time with his parents and is a real joy to be around,


• Wonderfully supportive friends,


• The realization of a dream in my first published book,


• A completed first draft of my current project,


• And most important, a God who loves me and showers me with all this and more on a daily basis.

How about you? What blessings can you name today? I pray that you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving day filled with family, food and fun!

I'm Famous Today!

At least, that's what my husband said. Why, you ask? I'll tell you...

My first book, The Love of His Brother came out today! After years of dreaming and hoping, what a thrill to finally be able to hold my book in my hand. My name's on the cover and everything!

Check it out on Amazon (shameless plug, I know). There's no blurb on Amazon telling you what the book's about (don't ask me why... I have no idea) so here's the scoop:

When Whitney married Cliff Poulten, she thought they’d be together forever. But his unexpected death makes her face quite a different future. Despite her grief, Whitney grabs hold of what is still good in her life: her family, her faith, and her unborn child. But she never expected Doug to come back. Regarded as something of a black sheep, Doug Poulten returns home as unexpectedly as he left, determined to make things right with his family. When he learns his brother is dead, his attention turns to taking care of his sister-in-law. The last thing either of them expects is for brotherly love to turn into something much more intense.

Thanks, hubby, for proclaiming me to be famous, if only for today. I'll enjoy my fifteen minutes, no matter how small my circle is!

New Contest - Holiday Memories

Having grown up in Southern California, my mind is filled with memories of Disneyland. If you've never been to the Big D between Thanksgiving and New Year's, you're missing something beautiful. The entire place is covered in festive decorations. Garlands and lights, bows and ribbons in bright red, green and gold cover everything that can be covered. The Small World ride, usually not a big draw if you've been on it more than twice, becomes a must-do attraction after it's been made over in its Christmas finery. Now that's a holiday miracle right there!

One of my most vivid holiday memories takes place at Disneyland, about 5 years ago. My family had recently moved back to Southern California after spending several years in Ohio. I was so excited about taking my son to his very first Disney Christmas, and the end of the fireworks show when they made it snow. (Okay, it's soapsuds or whatever, but it looks like it's snowing when it's falling.)

We had a great day. We watched the fireworks from right across from the castle and then the snow started. That's when I discovered that we were standing behind the snow dispensers... we could see it, but it wasn't falling on us. That just wasn't right! I gave Billy a nudge toward where the snow was falling. Being a little guy, he was able to get through, but I couldn't follow as fast as he moved, and when I got to the spot that I thought he would be, he wasn't there.

If you've ever lost a child, no matter how briefly, you know exactly how I felt. A dozen worst-case scenarios zipped through my head at once. The snowfall was over, and now the area was a sea of moving bodies. I just stood there yelling my child's name, turning around like a lighthouse.

Finally, the crowd thinned out enough that I saw him. He was back where we'd started, in the same place that we'd watched the fireworks, and he looked as scared as I felt. But as soon as we locked eyes, it was okay. I was proud of him, because he'd had the presence of mind to go back to the last place he saw me and stay put. I, on the other hand, would have run around the park like a crazy woman if I hadn't seen him there.

So there it is, maybe not the most heartwarming holiday memory, but it's something we still talk about to this day. In fact, when Billy had to write about a holiday memory for school, this is the one he chose. It does have a happy ending, after all!

By now you're probably thinking to yourself, "Didn't she mention a contest?" Well yes, I did. And here it is: Reply to this blog with your holiday memory. The one that sticks in your mind no matter how many years go by. It can be Thanksgiving or Christmas related. Everyone who responds by December 4th will be entered in the contest and I'll announce the winner on December 5th.

And here's what you'll win....

In the spirit of my Disney-related memory, you'll win an adorable stuffed Christmas Mickey Mouse. He's about 17 inches tall and comes from the Disney Store, where he retailed for $16.00. But he's ready to come to your home!

Want to increase your chances of winning? Just go to my website, http://www.jenniferallee.com/, and sign up for my newsletter. You'll be entered twice to get Mickey, and you'll find out about any other contests I have, as well as late breaking news.

Let the memories begin!