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!

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.

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.

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.

Reviews and links to order the paperback or e-book of Dream or Destiny