The following comes from Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant:

December 15, 2008
“I thought I had a handle on my life—-then it broke off.”

That’s what Thomasina “Tee” Hodges, the main character in our new book, What Doesn’t Kill You says. And since we know she’s not the only one out there who finds her grip slipping . . .

We’re Having a Contest!!

It’s rough out here right now. Hey, Ford, GM and Citibank are almost broke, and that noise you hear is the money in your wallet screaming. We have definitely been there. Sometimes it felt like we were drowning, and there are still days of treading water, but we helped each other through, learned some lessons and can even laugh about it-some days. It’s what inspired our latest book What Doesn’t Kill You (January 09, but you can pre-order from your favorite bookstore now–hint hint).

What Doesn’t Kill You is the story of how Thomasina “Tee” Hodges, loses her job and just about everything else except her mind, but finds herself when, where and how she least expects it.

Being broke ain’t easy–and like getting old— it’s not for sissies–so–TELL US YOUR BEST BROKE STORY.
We found that writing a story about all the craziness that was going on in our lives helped clear the negative energy and make space for positive change, so here’s your chance. If you’ve ever been BROKE, tell us your story. It can be funny (because sometimes laughing is what keeps us going) or serious, but in 500 words or less, tell us how you survived your personal economic crisis without a government bailout.

Finalists will be judged by Deborah Owens, financial expert, radio talk show host and author of: Confident Investing, Nickel and Dime Your Way to Wealth, and coming in 2010, PURSE OF YOUR OWN: An Easy Guide to Personal Finance. Check her out at: www.deborahowens.com

Two lucky on-line winners will receive autographed copies of What Doesn’t Kill You, Gotta Keep on Tryin’, Better Than I Know Myself, Far From the Tree & Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made as well as an autographed copy of finance expert Deborah Owens book, a package of Sweet Unity Coffee (see http://deberryandgrant.com for more info on our new coffee venture)–all packed inside a very snazzy TiffiBag (see http://deberryandgrant.com if you haven’t read Gotta and don’t know what a TiffiBag is!)

Rules:

1) Entry must be 500 words or less.

2) Post your story in the comments section of our blog at http://twomindsfull.blogspot.com ; or http://blog.myspace.com/twomindsfull. ; Entries will only be accepted in one place, not both. Or email your story in the body of the email, NO ATTACHMENTS, to mybrokestory@gmail.com

3) Contest Deadline is midnight, January 20, 2009. Entries will be judged by Deborah Owens, financial guru, radio talk show host and author. Check out: www.deborahowens.com. Winners will be announced on the blog on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.

4) Our friends and relatives are excluded. You know who you are and so do we–AND we already know your broke stories.

5) We guess all employees of Simon & Schuster, Victoria Sanders & Associates, and Owens Media Group LLC, should also be ineligible–not because you’re all so highly paid you couldn’t possibly have a broke story–but because contest rules are like that.

If you’ve never been broke–nevermind!

Warmly,
V&D

P.S. Look for another email soon with our 2009 tour details.

Donna & Virginia
Website: http://deberryandgrant.com
Blog: http://twomindsfull.blogspot.com
Myspace:http://myspace.com/twomindsfull