Whatever Things Are True: the Good, the Bad and the Beautiful in the World of International Adoption

Announcing the Winners of the LOVE YOU MORE Book Giveaway Contest

Sorry that I'm a little late in announcing the giveway winner -- blame it on a lazy Labor Day! Thanks to everyone who commented and signed up to follow on Twitter and Facebook.  If you didn't win this time, I hope you'll check back for more giveaways and interesting posts to come.

The two lucky readers who have each won a signed copy of LOVE YOU MORE: THE DIVINE SURPRISE OF ADOPTING MY DAUGHTER by Jennifer Grant are:

"Jen"

and

Dan Benson.

Congratulations!

Winners, please send an email  by September 13 with your contact info to:

  whateverthingsaretrueblog(at)gmail(dot)com

Please list the name of your prize in the subject line.

 

Thanks again, everyone!

Announcing a New Giveaway Contest! Enter to Win a Copy of LOVE YOU MORE

 

 

Jennifer Grant had a strong marriage and three happy, healthy children. She had a fulfilling life as a full-time mother and part-time newspaper columnist and a home in an idyllic Chicago suburb. To a casual onlooker, her family would seem complete. But Grant and her husband David knew better. They felt  that their family still lacked one member, and felt themselves drawn to consider adoption.

In LOVE YOU MORE: THE DIVINE SURPRISE OF ADOPTING MY DAUGHTER,  Grant details the exciting and at times gut-wrenching, search for Mia – the daughter she eventually found in Guatemala. Grant walks the reader through the family’s decision to adopt, the strenuous search for their child, and the process of adjusting to life as a multicultural family. The author also addresses difficult topics like spiritual doubt, miscarriage, and the ethics of adoption.

“Expanding my family by adoption pushed me into uncomfortable places, challenged my notions about what family means, and brought abiding happiness. Like all true ones, my story is comprised of joyful moments and times of deep longing and pain,” the author says.

Jessica O'Dwyer, author of MAMALITA, calls the book "funny and smart, like a conversation with a good friend."

I'm delighted to have two signed copies of LOVE YOU MORE to give away to a couple of lucky readers. FYI: this book incorporates a spiritual theme and has been issued by Thomas Nelson, a Christian publishing house.  If you're open to thoughtful writing that incorporates reflections on spirituality, LOVE YOU MORE should be an enjoyable and meaningful read.

You can learn more about Jennifer Grant on her  website  and blog. To get a taste of her fine, insightful writing on adoption, check out  her blog at adoption.com.

To enter to win a  copy of LOVE YOU MORE, leave a comment answering this question:

 

How has being a mom or dad taught you about love? Or if you're not a parent, what important relationship or situation has brought you to a deeper understanding of that mysterious force that "makes the world go round?"

To earn additional entries in this giveaway:

1. Follow my blog (publicly) on Typepad and leave another comment (or let me know if you're already following).

2. Blog about the giveaway, and link back here. Post your blog entry before you comment.

3. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the contest: "Giveaway- Win a copy of Love You More by@jennifercgrant from @sharonvanepps. Enter at www.whateverthingsaretrue.typepad.com"

4. Become a Facebook fan of Whatever Things Are True by clicking the button on the top right of the page (or leave a comment to let me know you're already a fan.) Be sure to click the photo icon that takes you to my FB page and not just the "like" button.

Entries close next Sunday, September 4, at 5 PM PST.

The winner will be announced Monday, September 5.

 

Announcing the Winners of the MAMALITA Adoption Memoir Giveaway....

 

Wow! I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response to my very first giveaway! Thanks to everyone who commented and signed up to follow on Twitter and Facebook. If only I were Oprah, I could give books to everyone...and a new car, too! If you didn't win this time, I hope you'll decide to stick around for more great giveaways and interesting posts to come.

The lucky readers who have each won a signed copy of MAMALITA: AN ADOPTION MEMOIR by Jessica O'Dwyer are:

Jennifer Zilliac and Jody Navratil. Congratulations!

Winners, please send an email  by March 14 with your contact info to:

  whateverthingsaretrueblog(at)gmail(dot)com

Please list the name of your prize in the subject line.

 

Thanks again, everyone!

 

Announcing My First Giveaway Contest! Enter to Win an Autographed Copy of MAMALITA: An Adoption Memoir

 

When Jessica O'Dwyer and her husband fell in love with the online photo of a Guatemalan baby girl, they had no idea of the twisted journey that awaited them. Their eagerness to become parents lured them into signing with an inept LA adoption agency whose slapdash methods left the couple fearful that their baby would never come home. At that point, Jessica made the brave decision to move to Guatemala, learning how to care for baby Olivia, while at the same time struggling to break through the bureaucratic indifference that stood in the way of making Olivia hers forever.

Kirkus Reviews calls this memoir, "a scathing critique on a foreign adoption system and one woman's attempt to fight it."

Author Joyce Maynard describes MAMALITA as a book about the nature of parenthood, "the fierce love and loyalty that makes it possible for us to do more than we ever knew we were capable of."

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica O'Dwyer when she gave a reading at the nearby Redwood City, California Public Library. During the Q & A session that followed, Jessica mentioned that one her goals in writing MAMALITA was to present Guatemala accurately, with an affection and respect for her child's homeland that she'd felt was missing in some memoirs previously published by adoptive parents. I think that you'll agree that she succeeded.

You can learn more about Jessica's story on her blog, or check out her book trailer:

  

I'm happy to announce that the author has provided two autographed copies of MAMALITA to be awarded to two lucky readers of Whatever Things Are True: the Good, the Bad and the Beautiful in the World of International Adoption.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment answering this question:

How has being a mom or dad drawn out your inner strength? Or if you're not a parent, what important relationship or situation has demanded that you act with courage?

To earn additional entries in this giveaway:

1. Follow my blog (publicly) and leave another comment (or let me know if you're already following).

2. Blog about the giveaway, and link back here. Post your blog entry before you comment.

3. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about the contest: "Giveaway- Win a copy of Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir from @sharonvanepps. Enter at www.whateverthingsaretrue.typepad.com"

4. Become a fan of Whatever Things Are True on Facebook by clicking the button on the top right of the page (or leave a comment to let me know you're already a fan.)

Entries close next Sunday, March 6, at 5 PM PST.

The winners will be announced Monday, March 7.