Who's Your Hero Blogfest and Giveaways

Welcome to the Who's Your Hero Blogfest!

The release of the novel Saving Sam by J.L. Campbell has been timed to coincide with National Heroes’ Day celebrations in Jamaica. Sam, the protagonist finds a hero—or heroine if you like—in his aunt. The mission of this blogfest is to write about someone who has been a source of inspiration or encouragement.

I am only one of many bloggers writing about my hero. Find the list of authors participating in the Who's Your Hero Blogfest at the bottom of this page and visit their sites to discover their heroes. Be sure to leave a comment here to win an e-copy of my MG non-fiction e-book, Girls Succeed! and another lucky commenter will win an e-copy of Saving Sam.

Thank you for "hopping in today." Let me tell you about my hero.

My Hero, Bernie by J.Q. Rose

My hero is my role model, Bernice (Bernie) Frens. Bernie is about twenty years older than I am. She came to me at the right time in my life when I needed her strong, reassuring attitude, her patience, her friendship, and skill set. She came to ask me for a job.

My husband and I had purchased a floral shop and greenhouses in a small town. We didn’t know a person in that area or know a thing about the flower business, but we were fired up to be successful business owners so we took the opportunity.

We were officially business owners in January and struggled through the winter and spring seasons. That summer, Bernie stopped to buy some flats of flowers and asked if we needed some part-time help. She had owned a flower shop for several years, but sold it when she moved away from her area. She really missed the work.

Lucky for our budding floral shop she was an excellent designer, as well as a delightful sales woman exuding customer service. I watched and learned from her about the business. She held me to a high standard of quality and service and lived her Christian ethics rather than just talking about them.

A precious friendship developed as we worked alongside each other at the design table. When my dreaded thirtieth birthday dawned, Bernie secretly made a birthday cake and snuck it in to our apartment over the flower shop. When I discovered that gorgeous cake with the big 30 on my kitchen table, I burst into tears thankful for her thoughtfulness. 

At this writing Bernie lives in a nursing home, a victim of dementia. She told me over twelve years ago about her diagnosis. Heartbreaking news for her, her family, and for us. But she dealt with it bravely leaning on God for strength and courage to face the future.

Bernie was a source of inspiration and encouragement to me personally and professionally. Truly a hero in my life.

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Who's your hero? Leave a comment. You may be one of  two winners! Prizes are an e-copy of Saving Sam and my non-fiction e-book for girls, Girls Succeed! Find the list of other participating bloggers at the bottom of this page.

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Inspiring and empowering girls to achieve success in their dream careers.

Back of the book for Saving Sam.

A young boy's future hangs in the balance 
when those sworn to protect him become abusers.

Back of the book: 

 A tragic domestic dispute between his parents lands eleven-year-old Samuel Simms and his siblings in the Downswell Place of Safety. The challenges come hard and fast, but the one thing Sam doesn't count on is being left behind in the children’s home. Angry and disillusioned, he gives up hope of adoption.

A ray of light comes in the form of a foster family, but everything is not what it seems in the Miller household. After a harrowing five-month stint, Sam runs away. A victim of abuse, he's determined not to repeat his mistake and opts to remain a ward of the Jamaican government until he’s eighteen. The burden of secrecy is more than he can bear and Sam's hair-trigger temper makes him disruptive.

Under pressure from his aunt, Sam caves in and shares a tale of horror surrounding his foster parents. With his ordeal exposed, Sam must make life-changing choices. He can continue to be brainwashed by his abuser or face his nemesis in a court of law and stop a habitual predator from harming other children.

Saving Sam is a moving coming-of-age story that explores relationships, the abuse of trust and the ease with which evil can hide under the guise of Christianity and philanthropy.

About J.L. Campbell

J.L. Campbell is a proud Jamaican and an award-winning writer, who is always on the lookout for story-making material. She writes romantic suspense, women's fiction and young adult novels. She is the author of Contraband, Christine's Odyssey, Dissolution, Distraction, Don't Get Mad...Get Even, Giving up the Dream, Kicked to the Kerb, Retribution and Hardware (written under the pen name Jayda McTyson).

She blogs at http://www.joylcampbell.com Feel free to connect with her on Facebook or Twitter or visit her Amazon author page.

Cabbage Patch Kids Visit, This Week, Giveaways

Happy Monday to you!

This snowbird and her mate have finally settled into their winter nest in sunny (and very hot) Florida. On the way South, we stopped to visit friends in Cleveland, GA, home of the Cabbage Patch Kids Doll Co.

What a delightful place to visit. In this magical location, Cabbage Patch Babies are born.

Cabbage Patch Kids became a household name (if you had girls in your household anyway) in the early 80's. In fact the company is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. Yes, we had two little girls in our family. They saw a display of the dolls in a store in our area and fell in love with these unique "kids." To be honest, I thought the dolls were ugly...shhh...don't tell the girls.

 In fact lots of little girls fell in love with them. In fact, the company could not keep up with demand. My mother made it her mission to find dolls for our girls. She didn't want them to be disappointed on Christmas morning. She worked her magic and eventually did provide two dolls for our daughters. Our girls loved their dolls and to this day still have them packed away in their homes.

This doll store is unique in that the cabbage patch babies are "born" right there from a Mama Cabbage. (Yes, please suspend reality here and enjoy the fun!)

 The nurse checks Mama Cabbage vital signs.

And a few minutes later out pops Nichole Denise. She was named by one of the little girls in the audience. The name and birth certificate are included with the purchase of the doll.

The day was perfect except I wish my now grown daughters were with me to share the experience!

This Week:

Tuesday through Thursday, October 22-24, I will be participating in the Who's Your Hero Blogfest. Come back tomorrow or the next couple of days and tell us who your hero is and you could be one of two winners in the drawing for two  prizes...an e-copy of Saving Sam by J.L. Campbell and an e-copy of Girls Succeed!

Friday, October 25--I will be posting on my publisher's website, MuseItUp Publishing blog in the afternoon.

Hobby Hoedown will continue after Halloween, so ya'all come back! Here are the hobbyists in November.

Nov.
7	Heather Greenis	curling
14	Margaret Mendel	photography
21	Jane Lebak	knitting
28	THANKSGIVING

All Month:

Breast Cancer Awareness month

Lavender Dreams

Ten short stories in this anthology to entertain you. More importantly, the authors and cover artist have generously donated these stories and their royalties to help raise funds for cancer research each year.

Authors:

MuseItUp Publishing Authors: Barbara Ehrentreu, Gloria Oren, Lisa J. Lickel, Nan D Arnold, Nathaniel Tower, Rosemary Gemmell, Suzannah Safi, Tanja Cilia, Vicki Batman

Buy Link at MuseItUp Publishing

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Christmas in October continues at Penny Estelle's blog. Win 50 prizes!

Christmas in October

Every Monday and Thursday during October,

six different authors will be spotlighting their books. 

Some lucky commenter is going to win over 50 different prizes. 

It could be you!  All you need to do is comment.

 The more you comment, the more chances you have of winning

all of these fabulous prizes.

Penny's blog. 

Ho!  Ho!  Ho!