Nanowrimo 2016

The first of November is almost upon us. For many this is just the start of another month, but for many others this date signifies the start of another Nanowrimo.

If you don’t know what that is Nanowrimo stands for NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth… yes that’s right – a month… to write a novel. Thirty days in which writers from around the world take on the challenge to complete fifty-thousand words of whatever they choose, but it has to be written within those short thirty days.

“Why would you do this?” People may ask. “How do you do this?” Others will enquire.

The HOW I would imagine is the same for all participants… you write… that’s it… you just dedicate the time and you DO it. The trick is you have to just keep moving forwards… it doesn’t matter if things aren’t quite right or if there are typos/mistakes… that’s what rewrites and editing is for… Nano is the time to get that story OUT…

They WHY I expect vary wildly and I can only speak for myself. This year will be my fourth year – the first three I have managed to win (meaning that I hit the 50,000 word target in time) and I hope that this is something I will continue this year. I have to confess I can be somewhat of a lazy writer and I find this challenge a great motivator – that story that has been swirling around in my head finally gets its release and I just go for it 🙂

So, if anyone else out there is signed up for this please feel free to add me as a writing buddy – seeing how others are doing also helps keep you going http://nanowrimo.org/participants/dawneh

Good luck Nano-ers – we can do it!!!

#PUSHTUESDAY “Letting Go Into Perfect Love” #RRBC

I would like to introduce you to today’s #RRBC Push Tuesday winner Gwendolyn M Plano the author of “Letting Go into Perfect Love: Discovering the extraordinary after abuse.”

Gwendolyn Plano grew up in Southern California and spent most of her professional life in higher education. She taught and served as an administrator in colleges in Japan, New York, Connecticut, and California. Gwen’s academic background is in theology and counseling. She now lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys retirement.

As a college administrator, Gwen lived her professional life in a highly visible and accountable space–but as a wife and mother, behind closed doors, she and her family experienced the terror of domestic violence and abuse. The statistics are staggering–every 9 seconds in the United States, a woman is assaulted or beaten–but to Gwen, this was her secret; it was her shame. When her husband eventually turned his brutality on her son, she knew she could no longer stay quiet.

As for the book itself – well if the reviews are anything to go by this is certainly one of those “must read” books.

Amazons Blurb: Inspiring and unforgettable, Letting Go into Perfect Love is a riveting account of a journey through the terror of domestic violence to a faith that transforms all. As a college administrator, Gwendolyn M. Plano lived her professional life in a highly visible and accountable space–but as a wife and mother, behind closed doors, she and her family experienced unpredictable threat. The statistics are staggering–every 9 seconds in the United States, a woman is assaulted or beaten–but to Gwen, this was her secret; it was her shame. When her husband eventually turned his brutality on her son, she knew she could no longer remain silent.

Alternately heart-wrenching and joyful, this is a story of triumph over adversity–one woman’s uplifting account of learning how to forgive the unforgiveable, recover her sense of self, bring healing into her family, and honor the journey home. Accompanied by glimpses of celestial beings, Gwen charts a path through sorrow to joy–and ultimately, writes of the one perfect love we all seek.

The story that unfolds is not a blow-by-blow account of savagery hidden within a twenty-five-year marriage; rather, it is a walk through innocent dreams betrayed–to courage found. “Tragedy spares no one;” Gwen points out, “it just courts each of us differently. One way or another, it finds a path into our hearts, and there we do battle with the intruder.” As a survivor who came out of her unhealthy relationship determined to start over, Gwen artfully depicts the challenges of balancing the obligations of motherhood and career with her family’s healing process, while offering hope to anyone facing monumental challenges.

Integral to Gwen’s journey is her faith. Because of her Catholic upbringing, she struggles with the scandal of divorce, but finally makes her peace. When her daughter reveals her molestation by clergy, however, her fragile sense of serenity dissolves. We walk with Gwen as she tries to make sense of this horror. The agony experienced by the entire family is devastatingly palpable. Against all odds, Gwen emerges confident of her faith and begins to see the threads of meaning in even the darkest moments.

This is a book for all. But, for those who have been in a destructive relationship, Gwen’s story will be heartbreakingly familiar. For those who have been spared such diminishment, it will provide insight into the often misunderstood phenomenon of domestic violence. Since one in every four women will experience such threat in her lifetime, understanding that murky world may provide the reader with the skills needed to help his or her sister or friend or neighbor. Whether victim or friend, though, readers will be inspired by the author’s courage and ultimate resolution of her predicament. And, you may see your own challenges a little differently.

So, why not check out this book, and its author 🙂

Amazon buying link:  https://www.amazon.com/Letting-into-Perfect-Love-Extraordinary-ebook/dp/B00K7WYTW6/ref=la_B00I5TAJ04_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476813732&sr=1-1

Find Gwen on twitter:  @gmplano

It’s FREEBEE time again

For the next few days you can bag a Kindle copy of my debut book ASSAIE’S GIFT for free… zippo… ziltch… yes it will cost you not a single penny, dime, cent or any other form of currency… So I don’t see how you can have a reason NOT to get a copy – can you??

Human love can last a lifetime, the love of a Goddess is eternal.

“A pantheonic love story with several twists on the theme, I can highly recommend this first novel by this author”

“Amazing book from start to end”

“I shall be recommending it to my friends”

There was a time when the Gods and Goddesses watched over the world, a time when they were worshipped and loved, but that time has passed.

Their names became legends, those legends became myths and eventually even the myths were forgotten… but not by everyone.

Kia Deering had lived an ordinary life, raised by a loving mother her life was happy, but simple. On the morning of her eighteenth birthday everything began to change. Kia expects a day filled with excitement and fun, what she does not anticipate are the events that will change her life forever, turning the reality she believes in on its head and introducing her to the existence of the Goddess Assaie.

Read D E Howard’s debut novel Assaie’s Gift and follow a love that began in a time long passed

Buy it here: http://tinyurl.com/k3zmj7l