2012 Holiday Rafflecopter Giveaway Participant ~ Deana Marshall of Article Write Up

This blog highlights Deana Marshall, founder and CEO of ArticleWriteUp.com and Michelle Castillo, her amazing Administrator.  Deana has generously added to the Grand Holiday Rafflecopter Giveaway a $25.00 cash gift card and Michelle has added a $15.00 gift card to Starbucks! You can go have yourself a hot cup of Joe and head out for some shopping with these gifts.

The founder of Article Write Up, based out of Wisconsin, USA, resides with her two handsome sons. She enjoys the simple things in life – the countryside, gardens, yard work, and even splitting wood for cozy fires during the winter months.  Deana has raised numerous foster children and feels like our children our one of the world’s most prized treasures.  She has created a beautiful home landscape for herself and her two boys to find serenity in their lives.

Article Write Up is a fast growing business. Deana takes great pride in giving her clients the utmost respect and highest quality customer service possible.  She and her amazing writing staff offer a variety of services to help your business thrive. From SEO articles to press releases, blogs, eBooks and more – if it is a content driven piece, Deana and her team can help your business get noticed at a price you can afford!

Check out the AWU pages here:

Facebook: Deana Marshall ~  https://www.facebook.com/ArticleWriteUpStaff

Facebook Fan Page: Article Write Up ~  https://www.facebook.com/ArticleWriteUp

Twitter Page: Article Write Up ~  https://twitter.com/ArticleWriteUp

Website: ArticleWriteUp.com ~  http://articlewriteup.com

2012 Holiday Rafflecopter Giveaway Particapant - Irene Woodbury

The next several blogs will be highlighting the Participants of the 2012 Holiday Raflecopter Giveaway!  


This blog we will introduce you to Irene Woodbury, author of A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis.  Irene was kind enough to contribute a Slot Tee Shirt into the drawing for the lucky winner! It is adorable and a perfect reflection of women having fun at Las Vegas!  See the graphic below and tell me you don’t agree!  ;-) 

“A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis” was Irene’s first novel and was a combined inspiration from her love to travel and write.  Between 2000 and 2006, her stories appeared in many newspapers, including the Washington Post, London Daily Telegraph, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Toronto Star, and Nevada and The Affluent Traveler magazines. 

One of Irene’s favorite destinations is Las Vegas; she always believed Sin City would be the perfect setting for a novel.  In 2006, she came up with the idea for Slot, and, four-and-a-half years, and many visits later, it was finished.  

Irene is convinced her book wouldn’t work nearly as well in any other city.  “Las Vegas has a frenetic energy to it,” she says, “and there’s plenty of chaos and confusion to go around.  Is there a better place for a midlife crisis?  I don’t think so.” 

Irene has lived in two of the locations featured in her novel:  Los Angeles, where she worked at the Los Angeles Times, IBM, and Time Magazine, and Houston, where she graduated from the University of Houston in 1993.  She also got married in Houston.  (Yes, like Wendy, her lead character, but Irene insists the similarities end there!)  Her husband, Richard, a retired Time Magazine correspondent, edited her novel.  

Since 1994, the couple have called Denver home.  As for midlife crises -- his, hers, yours, mine -- Irene believes it’s a time for asking questions.  “Where am I?  Where have I been?  Where am I going?  That’s it in a nutshell,” she says.  “Writing this novel has been my midlife crisis.  And it’s not over yet!” (From Irene Woodbury's Wesite) 

“The Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis” is a darkly funny novel that shares Wendy Sinclair’s spin-crazy life in Las Vegas after she impulsively decides to not return to Houston following a bizarre girls’ weekend in 2005.

The confused, unhappy 45-year-old newlywed soon rents a ramshackle apartment in a building filled with misfits; wallows in a blur of spas, malls and buffets, and, ultimately, becomes a designer of cocktail waitress uniforms and an Ann-Margret impersonator in a casino show with Elvis. 

She also hangs with some pretty colorful characters. Paula’s her bold, brassy glamazon BFF who’s looser than a Casino Royale slot. Maxine’s her saucy former-Tropicana-showgirl boss. Paige and Serena are two twenty-something blackjack dealers she shops, gambles, and clubs up a storm with. Major crushes on a hunky pilot and sexy former rock star are also part of the mix. 

And then there are the phone fights with Roger, Wendy’s workaholic husband waiting impatiently in Houston. Their clashes are louder and more raucous than a hot craps table at Caesar’s! Does she go back to him, or does her midlife crisis become a midlife makeover?” (From Irene Woodbury's Facebook Fanpage) 

You can pick up a copy of this great book at any of the following locations!  Make sure to get yours today!  It would make a great holiday gift and watch for the Holiday Rafflecopter Giveaway being hosted right here starting Black Friday 11/23/2012!!   

Pick up A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Fictionwise.com
BooksOnBoard.com
eBooks.com
SynergeBooks.com

About Corky Kouture and the 2012 Grand Holiday Raflecopter Giveaway

With the holiday season fast upon us, we wanted to do something big – something fun- and something that could make one individuals holiday one they would not forget!  We wanted to create a memory and with those wants, we decided a giveaway was in order!  However, we didn’t want it to be just any giveaway – we wanted it to be one that the winner would get a little bit of everything – a Holiday in itself so we sought out others to who would be willing to participate with us on our mission and we found a lot of very wonderful and giving individuals.  So first, we would like to take this time to thank all the participants in our 2012 Grand Holiday Rafflecopter Giveaway – THANK YOU!!!!  You are all awesome, wonderful, and very giving people.  Thank you and I am sure the winner will be thanking each of you huge as well!  One very lucky winner will receive all of the prizes from each one of these generous donors.  You can find out more about each person, the company and what will be given away by reading each blog.

As the host of this Grand Holiday Rafflecopter Giveaway we wanted to set the stage of a holiday in a package and gift something that can create many memories so one lucky winner will win all the wonderful gifts donated by our generous participants as well as a premier Corky Kouture™ Glamour Galore Collection bottled gift bag with a $50 gift certificate!  These stunning bottled gift bags come in white, red, pink or black with an . There is a fancy gift card holder connected to the bag to make your gift giving simple!

The beautiful Corky Kouture bags make giving a bottle of wine, champagne, liquor, sparkling wine/juice, bubble bath, dipping oils or any other bottle of similar size and shape-- easy! Simply place the bottle into the gorgeous bag and your “wrapping” is complete! You didn’t even have to use scissors, tape or any type of bows.

It is traditional that most gifts come with a card. You can easily put a small card or note inside of the bejeweled pouch that is attached to the bag. Feel free to place some money gift cards, jewelry, etc. inside the pouch as well!

You have just created a glamorous gift that is sure to be appreciated by the gift recipient and create a memory.

These bags are perfect for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Sweetest’s Day, Christmas, Bosses Day, Bridal Showers, Just Because I Love You, Valentine’s Day, wedding, new mom, hostess gifts, anniversaries or any other day your heart desires. The gift recipient will have a cherished gift from you especially with the keepsake Corky Kouture bag.

If you would like to create a memory for a special someone in your life this holiday season, visit our website at CorkyKouture.com. ~  http://www.corkykouture.com/.

Make sure to follow us on our Facebook Fanpage and Twitter too!

Facebook Fan Page: Corky.Kouture.Glamour.Galore.Collection ~ https://www.facebook.com/Corky.Kouture.Glamour.Galore.Collection

Twitter Page: @CorkyKouture ~  https://twitter.com/CorkyKouture

Marrying Later In Life

Okay, have you ever had pudding before it has had time to set?  Or, have you picked a rosebud before it was ready to bloom? Some things are just meant to get better with time.  Finding love and fulfillment is not limited to the young; it is also meant for the ‘young at heart’!  Marrying Later In Life is an incredible resource for the well-seasoned bride and those looking to be. Here, you’ll find answers to all your wedding preparation questions and so much more.

Marrying Later In Life is not just a wedding planning life-saver, it’s a highly supported community for those who have ‘been there and done that’ and are ready for more.  The site provides unique opportunities for camaraderie with others who are facing the delights of finding and falling in love …again.  With it’s quirky articles like “Internet Dating and Shoes” (where shoe choice and dating find a friendly meeting point), Marrying Later in Life takes on the hot topics, the tough questions and shares about the nuances of being a mature bride.  There are also great ideas for getting your groom ready for the big day.  Whether it’s outfitting the groomsmen, preparing the step-family or handling the ‘groom honoring’ celebration, their guides are so well-suited for the ‘soon-to-be-married’ mature. 

The site is also a great guide for wedding planning, destination weddings, prenuptials and helps for dealing with the challenges of blending families and finances.  Getting hitched couldn’t get any easier with their insights and useful suggestions! Maybe you’re not ready to walk down the aisle just yet.  Perhaps, you’re just in the ‘fishing’ stage.  Well, there’s something here for you, too.  Marrying Later In Life is also for the savvy sophisticate looking for dating advice and resources.  First date jitters, jumping back into the dating world and what not to wear will be a thing of the past with the tips and ideas you find on the site.

For many mature individuals, the hope of starting a new chapter can be scary.  It’s great to know that you are not alone.  It’s also wonderful that there are resources available to help you plan your wedding celebration in your later years.  Visit the website and share in some of the wonderful bridal stories, helpful articles and expert planning advice.  Divas come in all packages…and ages!  Hats off to Marrying Later In Life!

Nothing compliments a wedding celebration better than Corky Kouture!  If you would like to purchase the Corky Kouture® Glamour Galore presentation bags visit Corky Kouture® 

If you would like to sell Corky Kouture. please visit CorkyKouture.net to find out more!  Make money while selling an innovative fun new product all women will love!

We would love you to join us on Facebook @Corky Kouture Glamour Galore Collection and Twitter @CorkyKouture too!