There's Always a Rainbow After the Storm!

The week might not have started out well, but I found my rainbow after the storm!  Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised when the rainbow started to make itself visible to me in the form of a brown UPS delivery uniform.  Back on September 23, 2009 I received an email from author and blogger Mayra Calvani.  She had held a book giveaway, sponsored by Hachette Book Group, for Hispanic Heritage Month.  I entered and I won!  I won not one or two or even three books, but five! 

Mayra Calvani has given me a bigger gift than I originally expected.  I was so thrilled when I received word that I won!  I haven't won anything since a Christmas poster that my teacher raffled off back in the fourth grade!  No kidding!  Oh, how I was so excited the morning I opened my email and read the words: "Hey, Anna!  You won the Hispanic Month Book Giveaway! Congrats!"  It felt like fourth grade all over again.  I immediately phoned my husband and shared my good news! 

I waited, waited, waited, still no books.  I knew that several other writers were holding similar contests sponsored by Hachette and therefore, I figured they'd wait for all winners to be declared before sending out the fabulous prizes!  So, I resigned to wait some more as patiently as I could.  Then, projects, family, stress and unfortunate and unforeseen drama began to occupy my thoughts. 

So when the books finally arrived this week, I realized that I had no longer focused on them daily and in fact was allowing myself to focus on junk that was draining the creativity and love from within my soul!  I needed something great this week.  This was it!  I received a comment to my previous post that affirmed for me that someone somewhere can relate to my words and may need to read them at the right moment in their journey.  As a writer, I don't only want to entertain, but to inspire others as well!  I love when I am so enthralled with a book that I forget where I am, what day it is, what may be going on in my life, or that I am reading fiction- really good fiction!  I appreciate the efforts all writers make in creating their art to be enjoyed by others.  Writing is hard.  It is a time-consuming process, but most of those who do write do so because they feel so passionate about it.  That's why I say when I come across a book that stays in my soul well after I've finished reading the last page...I feel a debt of gratitude to the author.

Therefore, receiving these five books this week, in particular, has encouraged me to continue with my dream!  Maybe one day it'll be my book that another aspiring writer will have won and will receive at a crucial moment in his or her life.  Yeah, that's a pretty darn good aspiration!  For now, I send a heartfelt "Gracias" to Mayra Calvani for she has gifted me twice...back in September and again this week when I thought I might lose faith in the kindness of others!

I had not heard about all of the books prior to winning them.  I did have Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Acosta on my must read list, so I am thrilled that it was included in the prize package.  I have read some info about the other books and was excited to learn that one is basically about getting active/losing weight Latino style! 

Hacking, cutting, slicing, and tearing into the Hachette Book Group box was like being a kid and breaking the pinata to discover that "Yes, it was filled with the GOOD candy!"  Thank you, Hachette Book Group!

Stay tuned as I read each of these Latino treats and let you all know what I really think! ;)

Wishing you dreams to fulfill and the inspiration needed to do so! 

(Oh yeah, and really good books too!)

~the sol within~

Anna

Give it a listen!  The song that inspired this post:

~You Can't Always Get What You Want

("But if you try sometimes, well you might find you get what you need!") by The Rolling Stones