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!

Banner Contest!

Okay folks, I keep saying I'm going to get around to it, but the fact is, my creative skills and my computer graphic design skills don't exactly overlap. Want me to decorate your house or whip up a summer dress, dinner or an awesome sandcastle? No problem. But creating graphic design-y things in Photoshop or Illustator could take me a whole weekend and I will never really feel like it's right. So, I'm hoping someone out there has the skills and wants to donate them to the cause. I need a banner for this blog. It can either match the existing background pic or if you send me convincing evidence of something better, we can re-do that, too. The only parameters are that it has to say what it says now. Ooh, and if you want to make a matching button for people to add to their sites, that would be awesome.

If you would like to enter this so-called contest, email me your masterpieces (ldsbirthstories@gmail) for consideration by April 25, 2010. The winner will receive:

a shout out on the blog
a free copy of the book when it comes out
all my love
blessings and good karma

Is that enough? How about dinner?

Okay. Dinner, too.

The judging criteria will be whatever pleases my eye and gladdens my heart most. I can't wait to see what you will come up with.