Sharon Donovan - news and a contest

Sharon Donovan - news and a contest

My dear friend Sharon Donovan may not be with us in person any longer, but her spirit lives on - and so do her books and her characters!

Here's some great news from her Wild Rose Press Editor, Lori Graham, Senior Editor in the Crimson Rose Line.


Sharon Donovan was one of Wild Rose’s authors. Unfortunately, she passed away this year but her characters live on. In fact, one of her stories has yet to come out. It is being finished now but we could use your help.
 

The story, a Crimson Rose, is set in New Orleans and features a dating service. I would like your help to name the match-making agency. Here are the possible names:

Fulfilling Wishes

Dreams Come True

Happily Ever After

Wishes Granted

Granting Wishes

Make Me a Match

The Perfect Match

Desired Endings

Search No More

Two Hearts

Eternal Bonds

Please send your vote in an email to 
lori (at) thewildrosepress.com, putting Matches in the subject line. In the email body, just type in the name you like. The one with the most votes will be featured in the story and then one of the people who chose that name will be picked at random to win a free download of the manuscript.

All entries must be to me by noon on August 9^th.

What a great way to honor Sharon’s memory and help out with her story.

Thanks!!

Lori

Lori Graham

Senior Editor, Crimson Rose

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

lori@thewildrosepress.com

Check out our new submission call
on our website - www.wildrosepress.com
Voted #1 Publisher by P&E Four Years in a Row!
Top Ten Finalist in Editing Category of P&E Four Years in a Row!      

A Special Soul Passed On

Last nite I lost a precious thing. My dear friend Sharon Donovan. Sharon had a zest for life. Her heart was so big it got damaged. I like to think it's because the love just was too much for it. She came into my life at time when I needed her. Like a bright light that gave me hope and courage. For no one had the courage my friend Sharon had.
It was a thrill when Lyn contacted me and told me they wanted me on their blog. Me? Why me? I had a feeling come over me that I will treasure forever. They liked me for who I am. Because in the past I have had a lack of self confidence and they wanted me! Of all the people they could have asked they asked me!
It was a defining moment for me. Our friendship bloomed. I tend to get a little crazy and Sharon would guide me right back into sense. No Mary, I don't think you should have a centaur drop me into a pile of horse manure. Thanks. As she proceeded to shove my face into a punch-bowl on the Author Roast and Toast Blogspot. She was part of the concept which began with her friend Lulu. Sharon went on to other things, she had a bit of an imp in her and murder just didn't fit into the Inspirational Genre. No matter what she wrote she wrote with all she had in her. She was a writer who could grab you into a story and you had to fight to remember the time once you started one.
She created the popular character Oliver whose existence became her exclusive right. Generously she made Oliver a famous part of the AR&T blog and as long as it's alive I think Oliver will be alive too. But that is a decision for her family.
Sharon had been blind from type I diabetes. It set her back, it took away her dreams of a family and yet she came back with a vengeance. She took a course so that she could learn to use her software and write. Despite having to give up her first love of painting, she didn't give up. She truly had the soul of an a talent. I can imagine what she would have accomplished given more time. And yet I shake my head with amazement at what she had already done. She told it like she saw it. Her story about her struggle is a touching piece of work that just blew me away.
When I felt sorry for myself she would cheer me. How guilty I feel for even complaining to her when she had to carry her heart in a  heavy bag. I never imagined that a tiny person, less then a hundred pounds, could have the strength she had to endure the torture she put up with in hopes of being free again.
Her bucket list included a cruise with the FRW chapter. She was two months from it when she had her first heart attack. Despite a small stroke which made her unable to type with both hands, she continued to push out stories and blogs and emails and...unbelievable. She loved her family, she loved Roses, she loved life.
How do you sum up Sharon Donovan in just a blurb. She was a woman who never let life's problems stop her from anything. She had it, that special thing that made her inspire people to be happy. She really cared. She really did.
So I am gonna remember the girl who kept throwing me into the punch bowl or worse, and I loved every second of it.

Smile and Pray for Sharon Donovan

I would like to ask everyone to pray for Sharon Donovan, author, heart patient, diabetic, and on her way to open heart surgery. They are going to remove the artificial heart and start her own healed heart. She needs prayer, vibes, whatever you send to the cosmos! She's very special...

Sign over a Gynecologist's Office: "Dr. Jones, at your cervix." ************************** In a Podiatrist's office: "Time wounds all heels." ************************** On a Septic Tank Truck: Yesterday's Meals on Wheels ************************** At a Proctologist's door: "To expedite your visit, please back in." ************************** At an Optometrist's Office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, You've come to the right place." ************************** On a Plumber's truck: "We repair what your husband fixed." ************************** On another Plumber's truck: "Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber." ************************** On a Church's Billboard: "7 days without God makes one weak." ************************** At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee : "Invite us to your next blowout." ************************** At a Towing company: "We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows." ************************** On an Electrician's truck: "Let us remove your shorts." ************************** In a Non-smoking Area: "If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action." ************************** On a Maternity Room door: "Push. Push. Push." ************************** On a Taxidermist's window: "We really know our stuff." ************************** On a Fence: "Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!" ************************** At a Car Dealership: "The best way to get back on your feet - Miss a car payment." ************************** Outside a Muffler Shop: "No appointment necessary. We hear you coming." ************************** In a Veterinarian's waiting room: "Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!" ************************** At the Electric Company "We would be delighted if you send in your payment. However, if you don't, you will be." ************************** In a Restaurant window: "Don't stand there and be hungry; Come on in and get fed up." ************************** In the front yard of a Funeral Home: "Drive carefully. We'll wait." ************************** At a Propane Filling Station: "Thank heaven for little grills." ************************** And don't forget the sign at a CHICAGO RADIATOR SHOP: "Best place in town to take a leak." ************************** Sign on the back of another Septic Tank Truck: "Caution - This Truck is full of Political Promises"