National Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2011
October 1, 2011 by Lillie
When I first started writing Dream or Destiny, I had no idea domestic violence would play a part in the story. I knew very little about domestic violence, and I always had doubts when authors told me their characters took over the story from the writer. However, that is exactly what happened to me with Dream or Destiny.
When I started writing about David, the hero, he let me know he and his sister had been abused as children, and his sister had been abused as an adult. I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn’t let me. Finally I started doing online research about domestic violence. The statistics were shocking, but what impacted me the most were first-person accounts of abuse. I became passionate about raising awareness and saving women and children from violence at the hands of those who claim to love them.
I am pleased and humbled at what readers who are knowledgeable about abuse say about Dream or Destiny. The book has received a number of excellent reviews, but one of my favorites is from The Bluestocking Guide. Bluestocking is an advocate for victims of domestic violence, and she writes not only a great review of the book but also an excellent article on domestic violence.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You can learn more about domestic violence by reading my series for Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2009. Please don’t be as oblivious to the problem as I was forty years ago. I was teaching a Sunday School class of third graders. I carried a cup of coffee into the classroom and sat it on the table beside me. One of my students came up to speak to me and knocked over the coffee, spilling it on my dress. I felt stupid for being so careless as to bring hot coffee into a room full of rambunctious kids, but I was surprised and puzzled at the boy’s response. He backed away from me, holding his hands up in front of him, saying over and over again, “I’m sorry. It was an accident.” I told him it was my fault for setting the coffee on the table and assured him I wasn’t burned.
Only years later when I became more aware of domestic violence did I realize that this child was most likely a victim of child abuse. He apologized over and over again to try to keep me from becoming angry, and he backed away and held his hands in front of him to protect himself—expecting me to strike out at him. I will always regret that I didn’t recognize the signs of abuse and do something to help him. I often wonder what happened to the boy. His father was in the military, and the family moved not long after the coffee incident.
Please learn the signs and what you can do to help. If you notice signs of abuse in a woman or a child, take action. You can save someone from severe physical and emotional trauma—and you might even save his or her life!
Global eBook Awards
April 29, 2011 by Lillie
My novel, Dream or Destiny, is a nominee for a Global eBook Award in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Mystery category (updated 7/1/11: the large category has been broken into two smaller ones) and the Best eBook Cover category. This is the first year of the awards, sponsored by publishing guru Dan Poynter, so books published in previous years are eligible.
Winners will be chosen by judges that include book bloggers, reading group members, librarians, and subject matter experts. The judges are encouraged to consider the ratings and comments received on the book’s page on the award site. Anyone can rate books on a scale of 1 to 5 and also leave comments or testimonials about books that impressed them.
If you read—and enjoyed!—Dream or Destiny, I’d be delighted if you voted your rating or left a comment about the book. If you haven’t read it, why not? 
You can find out whether it appeals to you or not by reading a free excerpt.
The ebook is only $5.99, and if you prefer, you can read it in print
Several of my clients’ books are also nominees. I invite you to rate or comment on any that you read and liked.
- Historical Fiction – competing against each other
- Adam’s Daughters: Book 2 in the Westward Sagas by David Bowles
- As Shadows Fall: People of the Frozen Earth Book 2 by Grace Anne Schaefer
- The New Day Dawns: People of the Frozen Earth Book 2 by Grace Anne Schaefer
- Mystery/Suspense/Thriller – competing against me Suspense/Thriller
- Re-Deal: A Time-Travel Thriller by Richard Turner
Updated 7/1/11: More clients’ books nominated:
- Parenting/Family – Nonfiction
- Help! What Do I Do Now? Caring for Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s by Nancy Nicholson
- Leadership
- Leadership: It Takes More Than a Great Haircut! by Terry Sumerlin
- Writing/Publishing – Nonfiction
- The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literary Art no Matter the Genre by Aggie Villanueva
Others may be added later, as entries are open until June 30, 2011, for ebooks published anytime up until the deadline.
Authors wishing to apply can learn more on the Global eBook Awards website.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2010
October 1, 2010 by Lillie
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last year, I posted a series on domestic violence, beginning with Supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I encourage you to read the entire series, and I hope you become as passionate as I am about stopping domestic violence.
A question that I consider one of the highest compliments I’ve received on my romantic mystery novel Dream or Destiny came from Bluestocking at The Bluestocking Guide in a podcast interview. She asked if I had ever had personal experience with domestic violence. As an advocate for victims of domestic violence, she found my characterizations of David, a victim of child abuse, to be so realistic she thought I must have seen domestic violence firsthand.
Thankfully, I have never had any experience, but I am thrilled that my characters revealed themselves to me in such a way that their experiences were realistic. People who aren’t writers often think it’s strange when writers say the characters took over the story, but that often happens. When I started writing Dream or Destiny, I had no idea that domestic violence would be an important element. However, when I started creating the character David, he told me he had been abused. I did a lot of online research about abuse. The personal accounts of abuse survivors horrified me with the violence and pain but inspired me with their courage and resilience. What I learned touched me deeply and motivated me to advocate for victims and for an end to violence.
Learn more about domestic violence and the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month at the Domestic Violence Awareness Project. Find information and links to posts of participating bloggers at Bloggers Unite for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you are as passionate about ending domestic violence as I am, share your voice to help raise awareness during the month of October.
Interview and Review
August 20, 2010 by Lillie
I’m featured in an interview at Apex Reviews’ Above the Fold. Hope you click over and read it!
Apex Reviews also recently reviewed Dream or Destiny. 
Dream Or Destiny
Lillie Ammann
ISBN: 9781933869032
GASLight Publishing
Reviewed By Josee Morgan
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 5 stars
Marilee Anderson wakes one morning from a horrendous dream, one about a murder so horrific and terrifying, she could swear it was real…to her dismay, not only does she soon discover that it was – she also learns that she’s been named a suspect in the crime. So, she teams up with the victim’s brother – who finds himself similarly accused in his sister’s death – and the two of them launch their own investigation in order to solve the mystery of the gruesome homicide…if they’re not careful, though, their fevered quest to clear their names may ultimately cost them their lives…
Taut and fast-paced, Dream Or Destiny is an entertaining thriller. In it, author Lillie Ammann merges vivid characters with a twisting, tortuous storyline in fostering a page-turning mystery sure to keep readers rapt until the shocking conclusion. Furthermore, Ammann throws in just enough red herring to preserve the suspense of her tale, repeatedly tricking readers into believing that they’ve solved the mystery long before the sinister truth is finally revealed. Such a feat is not an easy one to pull off, but the engrossing appeal of Dream Or Destiny is living proof that Ammann is more than up to the task.
Surprisingly engaging, Dream Or Destiny is a highly satisfying read.
Dream or Destiny Video Trailer
May 22, 2010 by Lillie
Reviews and links to order the paperback or e-book of Dream or Destiny
Free E-Books for Read an E-Book Week
March 7, 2010 by Lillie
One of my favorite weeks of the year is here. During Read an E-Book Week, many publishers and authors offer free e-books to introduce readers to e-books in general and to their stories in particular. Of course, I’m already a big fan of e-books—and a big fan of free. So this week, I’ll be stocking up on great reading material for my Kindle.
I’m giving away several e-books, both fiction and nonfiction. You can download the books from my Smashwords page—simply place your order and enter discount code RFREE at checkout to receive a 100% discount. (Note: not all titles will be available at the beginning of the week but all will be added very soon. If you see a title on the list of books I’m offering that you don’t see at Smashwords, just return in a day or two and you will be able to download it.)
Be sure to check out all the other free books at Smashwords and Read an E-Book Week.
And don’t forget that Read an E-Book Week runs March 7-13, 2010.
Exciting News: Always Keepers Press
February 20, 2010 by Lillie
After I had a stroke several years ago, I couldn’t read for several months. Having been an avid reader all my life, I was devastated until I discovered audio books. Although I didn’t expect to enjoy hearing a book as much as I enjoyed reading a book, I did.
Now, I’m very excited about a new audio publishing company—Always Keepers Press, founded by author Donna Wright. The company opens today with the launch of its first book, Between a Clutch and a Hard Place by Gayle Trent.
Myrtle Crumb buys a purse from a consignment shop and finds a note inside. The note leads her to believe something bad might have happened to the purse’s previous owner, so she investigates.
I enjoyed this book when I read it several years ago, and I know the audio version will be just as great.
Gayle will be here next Saturday, February 27th for an interview. On Wednesday, March 3rd, I’ll interview Donna about starting her new publishing company.
One more exciting bit of news: Always Keepers Press will release my mystery novel Dream or Destiny in audio in April!
I’m thrilled that Dream or Destiny will be available in audio, and I’m thrilled to be part of this great new publishing company.
Christians and Domestic Violence
October 26, 2009 by Lillie
Table of contents for Domestic Violence Awareness
When Bluestocking interviewed me on her podcast during my blog book tour, she raised an interesting question. She asked how I would respond to someone who blames domestic violence on Christianity. She explained this issue came up in a law school class on domestic violence, and she had been surprised at how many people said Christianity caused domestic violence.
People who are hostile to Christianity will use any excuse to blame Christian faith and practice for anything and everything. Unfortunately, there are people who claim to be Christians who give ammunition to the critics. In Dream or Destiny, David’s father claimed he had the moral right as the head of the Christian family to discipline his wife and children using violence. David turned against religion until he left home and came in contact with true believers and realized that his father’s words and actions were the opposite of the teachings of Christ. The abuser’s excuse was just that—an excuse, not a justification.
St. Paul’s words in Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 are often misinterpreted to mean that the husband should completely control the wife.
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ~ Colossians 3:18, NIV
However, the rest of the passage is frequently ignored by those hostile to Christian faith and by those using the Bible as an excuse for abuse.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. ~ Colossians 3:19-21, NIV
The word submit does not mean subject yourself to abuse. Submit means to yield to the authority of someone else or to defer to another’s judgement. In any organization—a business, a club, a government, a family—the buck has to stop somewhere. Someone has to make decisions.
The owner of a business will probably surround himself with talented people he trusts. He will solicit and consider their advice. He will probably authorize them to make many decisions independently. However, the business owner retains the authority to make the final decision on major issues. He has the responsibility of the success of the company, but he values his employees and heeds their opinions.
In the same way, a Christian husband will discuss decisions with his wife. If they don’t agree, she can try to persuade him to her way of thinking. A good husband will listen to his wife and give serious consideration to her ideas. However, if they continue to disagree and a decision has to be made, the husband’s vote is the tie-breaker.
A Christian husband who is sincerely striving to follow God’s will shows respect for his wife and prays about his decisions. He will never abuse his wife or children. Rather, he will do everything in his power to love, nurture, and protect them.
Unfortunately, many churches fail to recognize domestic violence in their congregations. The book Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I am trying to do my part to raise awareness of this serious problem everywhere it exists, including the church.
I am donating $5 to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for every copy of Dream or Destiny sold during the month of October.
I will also give every purchaser a free e-book of Fern’s Fancies as a thank-you for supporting my efforts to raise money to fight domestic violence.
You can order Dream or Destiny from the publisher, Amazon.com, or directly from me. If you order directly from me, I will make the donation and send your e-book from the information on the order. If you order from the publisher or Amazon.com, please complete the form below so I can send you the e-book and make the donation.
Note: request form removed 11/1/09 as promotion is over.
Supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October 3, 2009 by Lillie
Table of contents for Domestic Violence Awareness
- Supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Podcast at Bluestocking Guide
- Million Voices Campaign
- Let’s End Domestic Violence
- Christians and Domestic Violence
- Make a Comment and I’ll Make a Donation
- Domestic Violence and You
When I started writing Dream or Destiny, I didn’t plan on having domestic violence as an important part of the story. However, the characters took over. David let me know that he and Barbara had been abused as children and Barbara had also been abused by her husband.
I’ve been asked if I have had personal experience with someone close to me being abused. No, I haven’t. The closest I’ve come is the incident I describe in an earlier blog post. Years ago when I was teaching Sunday School, a little boy in my class knocked over a cup of coffee. I wondered why he reacted the way he did—backing away from me, holding his hands in front of his face, and apologizing over and over again. Many years would pass before I learned enough about domestic violence to realize this child was probably abused, and I have always regretted not recognizing the signs and taking action.
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I will donate $5 to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) for every copy of Dream or Destiny sold during the month of October.
I will give each purchaser a copy of the e-book of Fern’s Fancies as a thank-you. Fern’s Fancies is a humorous contemporary romance that I wrote to submit to a specific line from a publisher; it wasn’t accepted. Rather than revise it to fit guidelines for other lines or other publishers, I just put it away. Now it’s a thank-you bonus for ordering Dream or Destiny.
If you purchase an autographed copy of Dream or Destiny directly from me, I will automatically e-mail your e-book and make the donation. If you order from GASLight Publishing, LLC or Amazon.com
Note: request form removed 11/1/09 as promotion is over.
Mission Impossible: Book Trailer for Dream or Destiny
August 14, 2009 by Lillie
This post is an entry in Confident Writing’s Mission Impossible group writing project. Joanna Young challenged us to post something on our blogs that we’ve never done before. I’ve wanted to create a book trailer for Dream or Destiny since the book was published last fall, but I’ve been hesitant to try. I don’t know anything about multimedia except that whatever talent I have is in words, not images and sounds.
Joanna’s challenge motivated me to create this basic video montage. Now I’m motivated to move beyond this to a better and more professional book trailer that I can post on video-sharing and book trailer Web sites.
