I returned in the wee hours of the morning from the Dark Days Tour and the tail end of a writing retreat and realized, as I pulled into my driveway–it’s officially MILA 2.0′s release day. A few moments later, my eyes rolled back into my head and I promptly passed out.

Now that I am semi-awake again (though a bit muddled from jet lag), I can say it with more enthusiasm:

OMG, it’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! IT’S MILA 2.0′s RELEASE DAY!

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Though, to be honest, the REAL celebration I’m having in my head goes more like this: My mom! My mom! MY MOM IS STILL HERE TO HELP CELEBRATE MY RELEASE DAY! You see, back at the very end of September, my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It came completely out of the blue, so you can imagine how the news sent my entire family into a tailspin.

Since then, cancer has been my family’s constant companion: peeking in during the chemo treatments, stashed among the line-up of pill bottles along our counter, lurking in the dark corners of our minds, and especially as a shadowy presence in the waiting room during the very long and arduous surgery that finally occurred last month. All we could do was watch helplessly as a formerly strong and vibrant woman literally shrank and weakened in front of our eyes. But the important thing is that she is on the mend from surgery now, and we have every hope that she will continue to strengthen a little each day and reclaim that strength and vitality that is rightfully hers.

The important thing is: she is still here. She is still here, and she can celebrate my release day with me–and I am so very thankful for that. I am also thankful for all the amazing support we received along the way, both with my mom and my book. In return, I want to celebrate that support by hosting a giveaway as a giant THANK YOU. Because life is short, and you should celebrate whenever you can. In fact, all of you–go celebrate SOMETHING today! Over these past few months I’ve learned that when it comes to finding things to celebrate, nothing is too small or too foolish.

But first, there is another book that debuts today that I want to talk about and it breaks my heart a little, because that book’s author in not here to celebrate. She isn’t able to shout her happiness to the world, because her life was taken all too soon by the same beast that we are battling.

I never met Bridget Zinn personally, but from every account, she was a truly amazing and joyful person. If you check out her blog, you can see her beautiful spirit shining through her posts, even during her battle with colon cancer. Bridget died at only 33; a promising life cut far too short. Bridget is no longer with us to share the joy of releasing her book, but we are. We can help celebrate POISON’s release on her behalf. Here is the lovely cover:

And you can read all about POISON here.

And now, for the giveaway!

How to enter: A huge THANK YOU to all of you who have pre-ordered MILA 2.0 or POISON–your support means the world, and YOU are already qualified to enter! Please fill out the entry form below. For the rest of you–there is still time! Simply purchase MILA 2.0 OR POISON by Bridget Zinn from any retailer by Tuesday, March 19th at midnight PST, then fill out the form below. It’s that simple. I’m operating on the honor system, so I won’t be checking individual receipts (though I will be checking receipts for prize winners).

POISON:  Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, Book Depository, Apple iBookstore

MILA 2.0:  Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, Book Depository, Apple iBookstore

To clarify–no, you don’t have to have pre-ordered or purchased BOTH MILA 2.0 AND POISON, just one or the other. Bridget is no longer with us, but her spirit lives on in her words.

Grand Prize: Your choice of a Kindle Fire or a Nook HD Tablet

Runner-up Prize: $25 gift card to the bookstore of your choice

The first 100 entries will also receive some personalized MILA 2.0 swag  (sorry, I don’t have any of Bridget’s swag or I would send that as well).

Good luck, enjoy, and whatever you do, CELEBRATE LIFE as often as you can.

Hugs,
Debra