From my heart to yours!
Maxine 🙂
http://www.maxinebillings.wordpress.com
Tag Archives: DESPERATE HEARTS
ANOTHER BOOK CONTEST
Hello, everyone! I’m adding another book contest to my current ones, so this means that I now have a total of four (4) contests. This will give you an even greater opportunity to be a winner! The title of this one is “Name the Flower Shop.”
In my book THE BREAKING POINT, one of my main characters, Estelle Brickman, owns a flower shop. The first person to correctly answer what the name of her shop is will receive a free, autographed copy of my newest release DESPERATE HEARTS.
You can e-mail your answers to me at maxinebillings@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to include your mailing address so I’ll know where to send your book.
To enter any of the other three (3) contests, please click the links below:
(3) Name That Child
Thanks for playing, and have an awesome day!
From my heart to yours,
Maxine 🙂
http://www.maxinebillings.wordpress.com
MY LITTLE HELPER
This is my niece Avery. She was my little helper today, and 
she got extremely upset with me when I finally got her down from the sink. Aren’t children so funny and cute? I remember when my daughter and son were little–they always wanted to help do cleaning around the house. Then when they got big enough to really help, I practically had to beg them for their assistance :).
Children bring so much extra joy to our lives. That’s why I often include them in my stories. Here are the names of some of the youngest ones you’ll meet in five (5) of my books:
Kayla (5 years old)
Janae (5 years old)
Misha (Mee Mee) (1 year old)
Misha (Mee Mee) (3 years old)
Jaydon (Jay) (1 year old)
Camra (Cammie) (1 year old)
Name ? (Age ?)
Perhaps you noticed that I omitted the name and age of the child from my book DESPERATE HEARTS. This is because for a limited time, I am offering free, autographed book giveaways of my first five (5) published novels to the first person who correctly answers this two-part question.
But that’s not all. The giveaway also includes a mass-market paperback copy (a smaller, less expensive version) of A MEASURE OF FAITH, so that’s six (6) free books in all.
Please submit your answers to me at maxinebillings@yahoo.com, and remember to include your mailing address so I’ll know where to ship your books.
And in case you don’t know, I’m still running two (2) book quiz contests on Goodreads. To participate, please click here to go to my Books page. Then scroll down until you see CONTESTS (GOODREADS BOOK QUIZZES).
Well, that’s all for now. HAPPY READING! And as always, this is from my heart to yours!
Maxine 🙂
http://www.maxinebillings.wordpress.com
CLASSICS–A STEP BACK IN TIME
I love classic cars! The picture here is of my late uncle Robert. I think the car is a Dodge Charger. Uncle Robert was one of my favorite uncles because he always took time to try to help me in whatever way he could. When I was in school, I had a really hard time learning division. I recall him spending many hours trying to help me, and with his patient assistance, I finally did!
Then when I got older and had graduated from technical school, he was the one who encouraged me to apply for a job with the State of Georgia. And that is how my nearly 34-year career as a secretary with the State began!
His wife Angela was also very encouraging to me as well. I recall one time I either wanted to go to Brunswick, GA, to visit my author cousin Jacquelin Thomas during our summer break from school or to annual staff camp. Of course, I wanted some extra spending money, but my mama and stepdad did not have the funds available to give me as much as I wanted. Even though I was babysitting for my uncle and aunt at the time and it would have meant that they would have to find a replacement babysitter in my absence, Aunt Angela did not hesitate to offer me an advance for babysitting so that I would have the money I wanted.
Even though this post started out about classic cars, talking about them made me think of my uncle and aunt and how supportive they were of me and my family. As many of you know, I love writing stories about family and relationships. And I also like to add flavors of things that I enjoy, and classic cars are included among those things. For instance, in my first published fictional novel A MEASURE OF FAITH, 
I had Lynn take her husband Robert to a classic car show in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store. That idea came to me because where I live, these car shows are sometimes held in such locations. Also, in my novels ONE OF A KIND and 
DESPERATE HEARTS, Brad is the proud owner of a classic car.
My husband, son, and I love classic cars, and often when we travel, we
stop by muscle car museums to see them. One of our favorite ones is Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, TN. Also, if we’re visiting the area around July 4th or Labor Day, we can usually come across car shows along both sides of Tennessee Highway 441 in Pigeon Forge. Of course, these are free, and you just walk around and look at the ones you want to see. During all of these times, I have taken many pictures and would like to take this time to share some with you. Enjoy, and have an awesome day!
From my heart to yours,
Maxine
http://www.maxinebillings.wordpress.com
http://www.askeevie.wordpress.com
http://www.pearlspearlsofwisdom.wordpress.com
THOSE AMAZING ANIMALS!
How do you feel about animals? Do you own a pet or pets? While I am not currently a pet owner, I find animals extremely fascinating. I love to watch them as they play and interact with one another and with humans. After creating them, God brought them to Adam to give them names. (Genesis 2:19) Imagine the pleasure he must have gained from observing each one intently before deciding what to call it!
In my newly released book DESPERATE HEARTS, I decided to give one of my main characters a pet, a dog named Ginger, nicknamed “Gee-Gee.”
In TIME FOR HOPE, my 2007 release, the Jefferson family are horse lovers. Although I’ve never ridden one, I think horses are some of the most beautiful of God’s animal creation. They possess such awesome beauty and grace as they gallop with unbridled energy, rear up on their sturdy hind legs, and pound the ground with their hooves. You can expect to see more of these incredible creatures in some of my upcoming sequels in my HOPE series.
Like us, animals are part of God’s grand and impressive creation–and whether or not you’re an animal lover, you have to admit that they are amazing!
HAPPY READING! From my heart to yours!
Maxine
(Photos of Dog and Horse–Courtesy of Office.com Clip Art)
BOOK SIGNING EVENT
Share the joy . . . share the pain . . . of one couple’s arduous journey to love.
Please join me for a book reading/signing on Sunday, December 14, 2014 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to celebrate the release of my new book DESPERATE HEARTS, at Keighley’s Salon, Day Spa & Boutique, 8849 Highway 5, Suite H, Douglasville, GAÂ 30134.
From my heart to yours,
Maxine
maxinebillings@yahoo.com
(Couple Inside Red Heart Photo-Courtesy of Office.com Clip Art)
GOODREADS BOOK QUIZZES
Hello, everyone! Just want to let you know that I have two quizzes running on Goodreads. Please click the appropriate book(s) below for more details and to participate.
Maxine
(Emoticon–Courtesy of Office.com Clip Art)
 
GOODREADS BOOK GIVEAWAY (FOLLOW-UP)
HELLO, EVERYONE!
THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP TO MY POST THAT I SENT OUT RECENTLY REGARDING MY
GOODREADS BOOK GIVEWAY OF
DUE TO AN OVERSIGHT ON MY PART, APPROVAL OF THE GIVEAWAY WAS
DELAYED. HOWEVER, YOU MAY NOW ENTER BY CLICKING HERE
TO GO TO THE GOODREADS SITE.
PLEASE ACCEPT MY SINCERE APOLOGIES FOR THE OVERSIGHT.
REMEMBER:Â I AM GIVING AWAY TWO (2) COPIES.
YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT OF
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 TO ENTER.
HAPPY READING!
FROM MY HEART TO YOURS,
MAXINE
GOODREADS BOOK GIVEAWAY
I AM GIVING AWAY TWO (2) COPIES OF
ON GOODREADS STARTING TONIGHT, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014
THROUGH WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER NOW.
(NOTE:Â THIS GIVEAWAY IS CURRENTLY PENDING APPROVAL BY THE GOODREADS STAFF.)
HAPPY READING!
FROM MY HEART TO YOURS!
~~~MAXINE~~~
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Hello, everyone! This is a follow-up to my recent post regarding my DESPERATE HEARTS book contest in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month which is just around the corner in October. Since I’ll be recuperating from my surgery, I wanted to go ahead and get this post out.
The name of this contest is Paula’s Weekend Getaway which is composed of five questions. In order to win, all five must be correctly answered. In the event of simultaneous correct answers, a drawing will be held to determine the winner. The winner will get to choose five of the breast cancer awareness items pictured at the bottom of this post. So here we go!
- Where does Paula go for her weekend getaway?
- What annual event does she attend while there?
- When is the event held each year?
- What year was the town’s first event of this kind held?
- What is the name of the major motion movie picture that was filmed in this town?
Now, for a bonus question! Didn’t see that coming, did you 🙂 ? Well, here it is. (Hint: May require some research–answer not in the book.) 🙂
What is the name of the popular restaurant on location where the movie was filmed?
The same rules apply. The winner will get to choose three items from below.
HAPPY READING! And as always, this is from my heart to yours.
Maxine
(Photo of Breast Cancer Ribbon-Courtesy of Office.com Clip Art)
MAXINE BILLINGS, Photographer & Author 
