Dreams and Desires by Lois Winston

Dreams. Desires. We all have them. What are yours? Ever think what you’d wish for if someone handed you a magic lantern and a genie popped out? I have.

Wish No. 1 — To Rule the World.

If I ruled the world, there would be no hate, no wars, no poverty, no violence or crime of any kind. But the chances of me getting elected Queen of the Universe are pretty slim. Darn it!

Wish No. 2 — To Have Lots of Money.

Bill Gates or Warren Buffet type money. Not because I want a yacht or lots of bling or a penthouse in Manhattan (okay, being a diehard city girl, I’d really like a penthouse in Manhattan but there’s no way that’s ever going to happen given the price of NY real estate, not to mention the state of my 401K, thanks to the market meltdown!) No, I want lots of money so I can give it away to people in need. Unfortunately, very few of us authors make enough money to quit our day jobs, let alone have discretionary income to donate anything substantial to worthy causes.

Wish No. 3 — To Make a Difference.

Which brings me to the reason for this blog. When I come across something I can do that doesn’t involve writing a check so small my contribution seems meaningless, I jump at the chance. Such was the case when I was asked to contribute to Dreams & Desires.

Dreams & Desires is a series of anthologies that have been published the last three years by Freya’s Bower. All of the net proceeds — that’s 100% of the profit — from the sales of the anthologies go directly to battered woman’s shelters across the country. I am proud to have taken part in all three anthologies to date. Dreams & Desires, Volume 1 benefited a shelter in Florida, and Dreams & Desires, Volume 2 benefited a shelter in California. The proceeds of Dreams & Desires, Volume 3, this year’s anthology, will benefit St. Bernard’s Battered Woman’s Shelter in New Orleans. This shelter was recently rebuilt after sustaining heavy damage from Hurricane Katrina.

Did you know that 95% of abuse victims are women? Every year four million women are assaulted by their spouses or partners. When Freya’s Bower invited me to participate in the Dreams & Desires anthologies, I jumped at the chance to add my voice to a cause that will help break the cycle of abuse. By doing something I do all the time — writing — I can MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Wish No. 3 can come true. I know it’s a small step, but no goal is reached without taking that first step. Maybe the money raised will only help one person break the cycle of abuse, but that will be one less abused person, and that’s a huge achievement.

Wouldn’t you like to make a difference, too? You can by purchasing a copy of Dreams & Desires. And as an added bonus to contributing to such a worthy cause, you’ll be rewarded with 16 great short stories by some of today’s rising authors (in alphabetical order): Shobhan Bantwal, Marci Baun, Jenna Bayley-Burke, Mychael Black, Amanda Brice, M.E. Ellis, Gemma Halliday, Candace Havens, Babe King, Bonnie Kinsey, Adelle Laudan, Susan Lyons, Debbie Mumford, Kari Lee Townsend, Lois Winston, and Barbara Witek. The forward was written by multi-published crime fiction and true crime author Carol Anne Davis.

My contribution to the anthology is I’ll Never Fall In Love Again!!!

Chloe Bradford is so unlucky at love, she’s sworn off men for good. She’s even embroidered a sampler to remind herself, lest she feel tempted to stray back into the landmine field of dating. Then she spends a long night in a hospital emergency waiting room…

For links to purchase either an e-book version or paperback copy of Dreams & Desires, Vol. 3 or any of the previous volumes, please go to www.loiswinston.com .

And may all your own dreams and desires come true.

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Award-winning author and literary agent Lois Winston has published humorous, cross-genre, contemporary novels, romantic suspense and non-fiction essays. She also writes mysteries, women’s fiction, and middle grade books, often drawing upon her extensive experience as an artist and crafts designer for her source material. Visit her at www.loiswinston.com.