Monday, June 2, 2008

The Power of Love

Twelve of us contributed an original short story to The Power of Love, a benefits romance anthology. It's scheduled for release tomorrow, June 3, 2008.

All of us - Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, Toni Blake, Dianne Castell, Karen Kelley, Rosemary Laurey, Janice Maynard, LuAnn McLane, Lucy Monroe, Kay Stockham, J.C. Wilder and I - and our agents have donated all of our proceeds from this project to the Hamilton County (Ohio) YWCA Battered Women's Shelter.

You're probably wondering why we did that. Why would we contribute original work, time and effort for this charitable project?

We're in it for the money.

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, in 2001, more than half a million women were victims of nonfatal violence committed by an intimate partner. In a national survey of more than 6,000 families, 50 percent of men who frequently assaulted their wives also often abused their children.

The money the anthology earns will help the shelter provide a safe haven for people escaping these situations. And, as Lori Foster - the impetus for this project - pointed out, with the way book proceeds are paid, this anthology is a gift that keeps on giving. Hopefully, for years.

In addition to raising money for the shelter, this project also is helping to raise awareness of domestic violence. It's physical. It's emotional. It claims victims now and, if the cycle isn't broken, will continue to claim victims for generations.

I'm very grateful to Anitra Lynn McLeod and the other Title Magic bloggers for granting me this post for The Power of Love. Ladies, thank you so much for your support of this project.

If you're interested, there are links to excerpts from each of the short stories as well as reviews for the anthology on my Web site, www.PatriciaSargeant.com. And, if the excerpts and reviews persuade you, I've also posted order links on my site. ;)

Thanks again, and happy reading!

17 comments:

Marcia James said...

I can't wait to read this anthology! The stories sound great, and the cause is such an important one. What a wonderful, generous thing for the authors to do!
-- Marcia James ;-)

Patricia Sargeant said...

Hi, Title Magic blog world! Thank you again for inviting me over to talk about The Power of Love anthology. Best!

Patricia Sargeant said...

Marcia! Thanks so much for stopping by. And thank you for your kind words about this project. Huge hugs!

Lucy Monroe said...

Thanks, Marcia! We're all really excited about this project and I'm personally in awe of how wonderful everyone has been about it. Lori Foster and Dianne Castell really know how to bring things together that bless others.

Mel Hiers said...

You ladies are doing good work with that anthology! I can't wait to read it. Thanks for being here!

Anonymous said...

Patricia - I am eagerly awaiting my box of author copies. I can't wait to read the other eleven stories!!

I hope this book earns a ton of money for the shelter!!

Janice Maynard :)

Anitra Lynn McLeod said...

Hi Patricia! I just got an email from Amazon that my copy shipped today! I can't wait to read it and I'll be sure to post a review here on the blog. :)

I was wondering how you became a part of this generous anthology. Did one of the authors contact you or did your agent suggest it or . . .?

Lori Foster aka L. L. Foster said...

Patricia, thank you for sharing details about the book!
I just got my author copies, and they're soooo pretty!

I hope the book does well, so that the donation to the shelter is substantial.

Hugs to all!

Lori

Savanna Kougar said...

Hi Patricia, what a truly worthy cause. I hope lots of money is raised. I'll put the book on my shopping list.

mcrowley41 said...

I CAN"T wait to read this and because its for such a good cause, I'm going to feel smug curling up to relax. You guys are awesome.

Margaret

Allison Brennan said...

Love the cover, love the concept, my hats off to all 12 of you!

Anonymous said...

Patricia,

This anthology is going to do a lot of good for a lot of people. The authors, the readers and especially the women who need the support.

I'm proud of each of the authors who contributed to this special project and I'm happy to call several of you friends:)

Jules

Lindsey said...

Congrats, Patricia & everyone on the release - this is so wonderful! I can't wait to pick up my copy at the event this weekend.

Evonne Wareham said...

Thanks to all the ladies of the anthology for being here in spirit, within the covers of The Power of Love, and for your generosity in such a worth while cause. I hope the sale are mega!

Patricia Sargeant said...

Thank you very sincerely to everyone for their kind words regarding the anthology. Your support means a lot.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop by last night. But I hope to catch up with you soon.

Best!

Helen Scott Taylor said...

What a good idea and a worthy cause. My business provides free serices to our local women's shelter to help them cut costs. Hope the book is a great success and with the great list of contributing authors I'm sure it wil be.

Anitra Lynn McLeod said...

I just got my copy and read Patricia's story--I cried it was so beautiful and heartfelt. I can't express how this story touched me. Her character became empowered and stood up to abuse with wit, character, solid follow-through. It just really, really touched my heart. I can't wait to read the rest of the tales.

Honestly, folks, buy this book! It will touch your heart, make you think, and you are doing a great thing for those who need to be empowered. It's a win-win situation!