What I Want For My Birthday - Marie Osmond

It's my birthday again. Holy Cow! I've had three birthdays on this blog. I can't believe it. This year, for my birthday, (and Christmas) all I want is for someone to give me a warm introduction to Marie Osmond because I'd like her to blurb our book. We have several big names blurbing the book, all from from different fields including birth activists, theologians, writers, and entertainers. But ever since I read Marie's book Behind the Smile: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression, I realized here was a gal who cared about women and the sacredness of the birth process. And she's a well loved Mormon, loved by all faiths. She just needs to know about the book.

So far my only connection with her is that I know her first ex-husband's sister. It's not a connection I really want to use. I tried contacting her manager a few years ago but they said she didn't have time to read a book. Hmph. I don't think they even asked her. Because if she knew it was THIS BOOK, I think she'd be honored. So if you know her, or have a solid connection with her, help me out!

I'm not asking for a face to face introduction. I'm not a crazy fan. I just want a way to get her a copy of the book before it comes out so she can read it and perhaps write an sentence or two about its awesomeness.You could even forward her this blog address or our main web address: www.thegiftofgivinglife.com


Also, as a second birthday wish, I'm still hoping for a Christmas miracle. That is, that we get the book out before Christmas and not Valentines day. A lot depends on our publisher's workload in getting it all edited and laid out in time. As you know, things come up. Things take longer. People's kids get broken legs. People go on maternity leave. But I am ever the optimist. So will you all join me in praying for a Christmas miracle. Thanks!

If you know Marie, email me privately and I'll send you a one page sell sheet to send to her to see if she will consider it. Thanks!

We're giving another book away!

Due to some publishing delays, our release date has been revised again.  February 14, 2012.  (Though we're still holding out hope for a Christmas miracle!) So tell the one you love that you want our pretty book for Valentine's Day!

But tell your Valentine not to wait until February to order! Ordering now will save 10%, and we're going to give you another incentive to buy your book(s) now...

We've already promised free copies to our previous giveaway winners. But we've decided we're going to give away another copy of our book!

Here's how you can enter to win this free copy... 

1) You can earn your first entry into the giveaway by sharing a link to our facebook page on your profile, saying something like, "I can't wait to read The Gift of Giving Life [<--- tag our facebook page here]!" We need you to tag our page so that we can verify that you completed this part of the entry.

3) You can earn an additional entry into the giveaway by posting our book button on the sidebar of your blog.  See it on our sidebar?  Just copy and paste the code below it and embed it on your blog.

4) You earn another additional entry into the contest if you purchase a copy of the book! If you have already purchased a book (or multiple copies) that's fantastic and you can enter too!  You earn one entry for each book you have ordered. 

5) Then come back to this post and make a comment for each entry you have earned, explaining what you did.  If you put our button on your blog, share the link so we can verify.  

So, if you share/tag our facebook page on your profile and order one book, that's TWO entries.  If you share/tag our facebook page on your profile, post our button on your blog, and order one book, that's THREE entries.  And, for each additional book you purchase, you earn another entry!  Don't forget to tag The Gift of Giving Life when you post on facebook so we can verify your entry!

This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on November 3.

Ready to order your book(s) now?

Reg: $16.95 Pre-Sale: $15.26

Remember these four good reasons to order The Gift of Giving Life before it comes out:

1. Be the first of our friends to get one when they ship.

2. Get 10% off.

3. Help us reach our pre-sales goals and generate impressive pre-sales numbers. This will help us get wider distribution and get "in" with certain venues that might have been skeptical. $ talks, right?

4. And did we mention that all money from sales of the book goes right back into publicizing and sharing the joy of our book? 

Thanks for helping us spread the word! We can't wait to send you all this book we have loving labored into life. She'll be worth the wait!

Unveiling the Cover - Presales Begin

Reg: $16.95 Pre-Sale: $15.26

It's here! Later than we expected, but here she is! We hope that staring at this beautiful cover will entice you to buy a copy now. Here are 3 good reasons to buy a copy of The Gift of Giving Life before it comes out:

1. Be the first of your friends to get one when they ship.

2. Get 10% off. You might as well buy 7 at this price.

3. Help us generate impressive pre-sales numbers. This will help us get wider distribution and get "in" with certain venues that might have been skeptical. $ talks, right?

4. And did we mention that all money from sales of the book goes right back into publicizing and sharing the joy of our book?


If you have just found this website or blog, here is some information about the book:

The Gift of Giving Life: Rediscovering the Divine Nature of Pregnancy and Birth offers something that no other pregnancy book has before–a spiritual look at pregnancy and birth by and for LDS women and other women of faith. With inspiring birth stories and essays from dozens of real LDS women, scriptures, words of the prophets and other spiritual texts related to pregnancy and birth, The Gift of Giving Life if the essential pregnancy companion for every LDS woman.

The Gift of Giving Life does not advocate for any one type of birth or approach to prenatal care, rather it intends to unify our families and communities in regard to the sacredness of birth. We also aim to provide you with resources, information, and inspiration that you may not have had access to all in one place before.

Though we have written the book unabashedly for an LDS audience, we hope that birthing women, birth attendants and birth advocates of all faiths will find it useful and informative.

If you are a bookseller or retail store owner of any kind and would like to order books wholesale, please contact Meleah via ldsbirthstories@gmail.com for information and an order form.

If you are a blogger and would like to advertize the book or sell it through your blog, just grab the button on the right.

Birthing Time Prayers

I have been editing the semi-final manuscript of this book for days now, getting it ready to deliver to the final editors. After coming up from a 3 hour reading jaunt, I felt I must eat some home-made toaster oven pizzas. I don't think this was a spiritual prompting. Just thought I'd mention that I like comfort food sometimes, too.

Anyway, I realized that in gestating a book, this is the home stretch. In fact, this book has shown up symbolically as a baby many times in my imagery journeys. (In the end of these journeys I often put said baby on an altar.) In all the stories I have been reading (and re-reading) every woman has a different experience at this final stage in labor, some feel tired, many feel elation, but what I noted in most of the stories is that there is an increased outpouring of prayer, faith, and focus during this time. And so why would the book be any different. I realized that I need to get down on my knees more, meditate more, fast, and invite the peace of Jesus Christ to fill my home as I do this final push.

I also feel like I need to ask for others to pray for us. For me and my collaborators and everyone else in anyway affiliated with bringing this book to be. Our families would be most grateful for your prayers.

Release Date Announcement and Contest - Win a Copy of The Book

It is July and it's my 2 year blog-iversary! It has been an amazing 2 years. I can't believe all we have accomplished--which brings me to my next exciting announcement.... Bust out the sparkling cider and the chocolate lava. We are trilled to announce that November 1, 2011 is the official release date of our book "The Gift of Giving Life: Rediscovering the Divine Nature of Pregnancy and Birth" from Madison & West Publishing.

The book has surpassed our greatest expectations. We are so grateful to all the women who sent us their stories and who have helped contribute to the book in many different ways. We are also grateful to all the men than have contributed and supported. This projects has been inspired and blessed at every turn and we look forward to getting into the hands of LDS women, birth attendants, care providers, and birth junkies of all faiths everywhere who are interested and invested in the sacred nature of birth.

To celebrate the book release we are giving away 10 copies of the book! If you'd like a chance to win one then there are four ways you can enter:

1. Leave a comment here.
   
2. Sign up for our Gift of Giving Life email newsletter (if you have already signed up for them then please leave a comment and let us know and we will give you an entry);
3. Share this blog post on Facebook, Twitter, or on your own blog (let us know what/where you have done this via comment);
4. Become a "follower" of The Gift of Giving Life blog;
5. "Like" the Gift of Giving Life on Facebook
6. Follow @giftofgivinglif on Twitter
   

The more of these four things you do, the more times your name will be entered in the giveaway. The giveaway will close at midnight on July 22, and the winners will be announced on The Gift of Giving Life blog on July 29 . Best wishes!

Also, if you don't happen to win a book, pre-sales for the book on August 1, 2011!

p.s. We are still accepting blurbs for the book, so if you have lots of birth world credentials and want to read the book and blurb it before it comes out, let me know. If anyone knows Marie Osmond, Ina May Gaskin, or Ricki Lake, and can get the book to them for a possible blurb, that would be fabulous, too.

Peace and Blessings!