2024 WINNERS of SANCTUARY'S 
9th ANNUAL BOOK GIVEAWAY​

The Sanctuary editors would like to thank
all authors, publishers and publicity companies who participated in our
9th Annual Book Giveaway.
​
Winners and books are randomly selected through mid-January.
Click book covers for excerpts or to find more information about the book.

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A huge THANK YOU goes out to our giveaway sponsor
Shadei Williams (S.T.I.M.A.)!

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Lynn G. (a reader from CA) won I Have This, This Doesn't Have Me by Shadei L. Williams. This book is about Shadei's personal journey, highlighting the unique physical differences they were born with. Despite the subtle nature of these variances, the author has consciously chosen to embrace them, echoing the sentiment of the Serenity Prayer by accepting the things that cannot be changed. The author's daily challenges do not overshadow the author's spirit. Through introspective writing, the author lays bare their emotions, inviting readers to vicariously experience the rawness of their journey.

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Barbara B. (a reader from NJ) has won Iron Dad: A Cancer Survivor's Story of Discovering Strength, Life, and Love Through Fatherhood by Paul Weigel. Paul was diagnosed with a devastating cancer diagnosis that threatened his future. He chose hope and pushed forward, determined to show his daughter true strength and power. Facing the ups and downs of his illness and treatment with courage, he trained for and completed an Ironman triathlon within six months of finishing chemotherapy, and he continued to be a dedicated father. Paul celebrates the unique bond between fathers and daughters and shares an inspiring story of finding and clinging to the joy in life, no matter the odds.

Fay L. (a reader from NY) won The Music Was Just Getting Good (Andrews McMeel Publishing) by Alicia Cook. Following in the footsteps of her first two installments, Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately (2016) and Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back (2020), Alicia is closing out her trilogy with a poignant and all too relatable look at the ebbs and flows of life and why, even during our most difficult seasons, a better day can appear just around the corner. This collection of poems/blackout poems explores the themes of mental health, hope, recovery and grief.

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Carol R. (a reader from CA) won Redeemed: A Memoir of Stolen Childhood (She Writes Press) by Penny Lane. Penny is just four years old when she is snatched away from her all-American home by the Hungarian father who abandoned her when she was a baby. After facing isolation and neglect in a strange, dysfunctional household where heartache, rejection, and physical abuse rule her life, she escapes — only to find herself in a relationship with a man who’s just converted to fundamentalist Christianity. A rise-from-the-ashes story of overcoming abuse, trauma, and unbearable odds, this memoir offers inspiration to women everywhere, encouraging them to overcome their obstacles and go after their dreams.

Jan W. (a reader from WA) won The Joy of Imperfect Love: The Art of Creating Healthy, Securely Attached Relationships (Familius LLC) by Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D. Dr. Manly provides a roadmap for a transformative journey of compassionate, healthy love. With research-backed insights, captivating case studies, and empowering exercises, readers explore how attachment issues and unresolved personal issues negatively impact both self-love and the quality of our relationships. Dr. Manly offers sound solutions for creating the awareness and healthy habits that promote lasting love.

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Sandra B. (a reader from NY) won Dancing Between the Raindrops (Sea Crow Press) by Lisa Braxton. This is a memoir-in-essays, a powerful meditation on grief and a deeply personal mosaic of a daughter's remembrances of beautiful, challenging and heartbreaking moments of life with her family. It speaks to anyone who has lost a loved one and is trying to navigate the world without them while coming to terms with complicated emotions. Lisa's story extends a lifeline of comfort to anyone who needs to be reminded that in their grief they are not alone.

​Cloe S. (a reader from NY) won Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately (Andrews McMeel Publishing) by Alicia Cook, multi-award-winning writer and mental health and addiction awareness advocate based in Newark, New Jersey. Structured like an old-school mix-tape, this book is Alicia's lyric message to anyone who has dealt with addiction. "Side A" touches on all aspects of the human condition: life, death, love, trauma and growth. "Side B" contains haunting black-out remixes of those poems. In 2023, Alicia spoke on the topic of mental health at Oxford University.

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Dawn L. (a reader from NY) won The Nutcracker Chronicles (She Writes Press) by Janine Kovac. This modern twist on the beloved holiday ballet intertwines the story of Clara and her nutcracker prince with the true-life stories that unfold backstage. Eventually,  she is relegated to watching other people dance — her husband, her children, her students — and her claim to the spotlight is replaced by the quest to find joy in her new roles. This book will give readers a glimpse into the world of a working dancer.

Karen L. (a reader from NY) won A Wolff in the Family (She Writes Press) by award-winning author Francine Falk-Allen. Like other lower-middle-class women in the early 1900s, Naomi’s life was consumed with caring for her brood, who became helpers as soon as they could fold a diaper. Affection and struggle endured within the family, crowded into a humble house. Based on true family history, this gripping saga is permeated with misogyny, prejudice, and passion.

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Laura C.. (a reader from NY) won Bright Eyes (She Writes Press) by Bridey Thelen-Heidel. Raised to be her mother’s keeper, rescuer, and punching bag, Bridey gets used to stuffing her life into black trash bags, hauling them between Alaska and California, and changing schools every time her mom moves in with a new monster — or runs away from one. This is a memoir about the indomitable spirit of a young girl forced to be brave, required to be resilient, and conditioned to be optimistic, and how she ultimately uses the same traits that helped her to survive her mother’s chaos to create her own "happily ever after."

Robin W. (a reader from IN) won Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back (Andrews McMeel Publishing) by bestselling author and award-winning activist Alicia Cook. This is a poetic mixtape dedicated to those who struggle or have struggled with their mental health. Divided into two parts: "Side A" holds 92 poems, titled as "tracks," and "Side B" holds the "remixes," or blackout-poetry versions, of those 92 poems. The book includes the evergreen themes of love, grief and hope. Alicia was a guest on Sanctuary's Coffee & Conversation.

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Denise Z. ( a reader from IL) won Thought Snob (Better Than That Publishing) by Paula Swope. Paula coined the term "Thought Snob" and developed her leading-edge THOUGHT S.N.O.B. process [Seeing New Objective Beliefs] designed to help people move out of havoc and into happiness. Written in her trademark down-to-earth style and filled with humor, compassion, and plenty of personal life stories, Paula shows each of us how to create the life we truly deserve through the amazing power that dwells within everyone: our thoughts. Paula is a Chopra-certified meditation instructor, Ayurveda specialist, and Total Well-Being Life Coach. Everything she did to escape scarcity and achieve abundance is embedded in each chapter.

Donna W. (a reader from NY) won All I Know (Buckberg Mountain Books) by Holly C. LaBarbera. Despite childhood trauma and tragedy, protagonist Kai Martin has never given up, rising from devastation to rebuild her life over and over again. Yet reality is more complicated than any childhood fantasy, and when painful family patterns are reenacted, Kai must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice for Josh, the man she planned to marry. Ultimately, Kai must confront the heartbreaking truth that as much as we try to help the people we love, we can only truly save ourselves. This story of strength and resilience is Holly LaBarbera's first novel.