The Bet That Really Paid Off: Aspiring Author Wins Writing Contest, will be Published in July 2012 Novel Headlined by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 18, 2011

Christmas came early for aspiring author Darlene Panzera: just in time for the holidays, Panzera learned that a veritable angel, in the form of #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, has selected Darlene?s novella, ?The Bet,? to be published in the July 2012 edition of Macomber?s heartwarming book, Family Affair. Darlene is one of hundreds of unpublished authors who participated in Avon Books? ?Make Your Dreams Come True? writing contest, offering all those who participated the chance to win a golden ticket ? the chance to be published alongside one of the most important authors in modern literature.

Avon vice president and executive editor Lucia Macro was tasked with selecting the top three entries for Macomber to judge. The choice was difficult: all of the entries were excellent and eminently worthy of publication. Macro says, ?Each time I started reading one of the submissions, I felt like I was opening a present. And, believe me, making the decision for the final three wasn?t easy. I was truly impressed by the quality of so many of the stories, and that?s a testament to the talented writers who took the chance and entered.?

The finalists included ?The Bet? by Panzera; ?Miss Chance? by Cheryl Johnson and ?Where There?s Smoke? by Amy Mullins. The manuscripts were delivered anonymously to Macomber, who read them without knowing who the entrants were, and what stories they wrote. The bestselling author says that she selected ?The Bet? because it seemed like a good companion to her own story, Family Affair. Macomber says, ?I read ?The Bet? with delight and found myself smiling at this classic romance many times. It was a pleasure to read; light-hearted and uplifting. The author shows a great deal of promise and I expect to see many more stories come from her.?

To Panzera, entering in this contest was truly a bet that paid off. In addition to winning a $ 500 cash prize, the opportunity to have her story on bookshelves (and e-bookshelves), packaged with a beloved Macomber tale, is something she?d never even dreamed would happen to her. Panzera, who graduated from the Writer’s Digest Advanced Novel Writing School and The Christian Writer’s Guild apprentice writing program, says that she spent six years trying to get her manuscripts published. ?The dream to be a published author has been there inside me for a lifetime. When I found out I won Debbie Macomber’s “Make Your Dreams Come True” contest I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t!? Panzera will admit, like most aspiring authors, that her family has had more than their share of burnt dinners while she struggled to find the right words to put on paper. But, like Macomber, Panzera takes faith in hard work and perseverance. ?If you work hard to improve your craft, connect with other writers, and believe in yourself, dreams can come true.? For more information about this fresh new voice, visit her website, http://www.darlenepanzera.com.

In talking about the results of the ?Make Your Dream Come True? writing contest, an unparalleled opportunity generously afforded by Debbie Macomber to aspiring authors looking to break into publishing, Macro concludes, ?This has been such a delightful experience for us here at Avon Books. Congratulations to the finalists and thank you so much to everyone who took the time to enter. And a special personal thank you to Debbie Macomber. I truly appreciate her gracious and always-generous support for ?unknown? talent.?

The paperback and e-book edition of Family Affair (ISBN 9780061997136: $ 6.99; on-sale 6/26/12), which includes ?The Bet,? will be available everywhere books are sold July 2012 from Avon Books.

About HarperCollins Publishers

HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups around the world including the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children?s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children’s books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books. With nearly 200 years of history HarperCollins has published some of the world’s foremost authors and has won numerous awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott. Consistently at the forefront of innovation and technological advancement HarperCollins is the first publisher to digitize its content and create a global digital warehouse to protect the rights of its authors, meet consumer demand and generate additional business opportunities. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.

About Debbie Macomber

With more than 140 million copies of her books in print, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber is one of today?s most popular authors.

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Self Published Titles Featured On Online Christian Bookstore

The Christian book category is one of the fastest-growing genres in the industry of book publishing. With more and more divinely inspired writers putting out their written works for people to read and be inspired by, it is no surprise that this genre has captured the attention of many booklovers, regardless of religious background or denomination.

Releases like William P. Young’s ‘The Shack’, Rick Warren’s ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ and John Eldredge’s ‘Walking with God’ have proven that there are literary treasures – hidden or otherwise – in the genre of Christian books and readers all over the world catching on to this worthwhile find.

Helping this genre make more waves in the Christian community is the existence of online bookstores and websites promoting Christian books. CP Books (at http://cpbooks.christianpost.com/) is one such site.

As the online bookstore of The Christian Post network, CP Books supports the genre by featuring the latest and the best releases from the Christian books category. The site bolsters the proliferation of Christian-themed literary works by showcasing traditionally published, independently published and self published books.

Among the self-published titles featured on the online bookstore are the Xlibris books ‘Son of God, Son of Man’ by Eduardo P. Olaguer, Jr., ‘Suffering – A Biblical Study’ by Charles P. Arnold, Jr., Ph. D., ‘Entering into Heaven’ by John Lyndon Green, and ‘Along the King’s Highway’ by Bryan Corbin.

CP Books also gives focus on Christian authors while posting breaking news relevant to the genre and providing deep insights on Christianity. The Christian Post network serves to provide direct and current news information to the general Christian public and this is echoed in the service rendered by CP Books online bookstore.

About Xlibris
Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit http://www.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=apr&key=mm , e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.

Xlibris is a book publisher founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.