A Fictional Life: Blog Tour

I'm thrilled to be part of this tour, so I can share with you a fantastic grass-roots endeavor to uplift, encourage, inspire and touch hearts from women to women.

But I'm also excited because THIS IS MY 500th POST ON MY BLOG! Wish I would have seen this coming. I could have prepared better and had a super giveaway. Guess I'll have to save that for my 1000th post. :) Stay tuned and stick with me until then.

And now on to the tour!

About the book:

With His love and grace, God covered the unexpected pain in my life of becoming an adult orphan and transformed this pain into a pearl. We are all Pearl Girls. Each of us has been touched by God's gift of love and grace, and it's a gift that I want to share with others. That's why I am launching Pearl Girls.

Actually, my very first gift from my parents was a pearl. The gift of my name. Margaret means "precious pearl." So perhaps this is what I was always supposed to do. My heart's prayer is that Pearl Girls will be a blessing to others - to the women who contribute their literary talent to the Pearl Girls projects; to the readers who are inspired and comforted by the life experiences shared through these projects and to the women and children who will benefit from the proceeds given by Pearl Girls to various charities. This is a win-win for everyone, and each of us has a special part in making the Pearl Girls projects "blessed sellers."

After the first Pearl Girls tea in Atlanta, I went to my brother, Claude's home to help sort through our parents' boxes in his basement. It was an emotional experience and tedious process to discover what was in each box, to decide what to do with each item and to discard those belongings which we needed to let go. After several long hours of sorting, I received an incredible hug from heaven - a confirmation that Pearl Girls is something that is meant to be. I discovered a three strand necklace of painted pearls belonging to my grandmother from the early 1900s! Isn't that amazing?

Press Release: http://www.mpnewsroom.com/?p=602

Read an excerpt: http://www.mpnewsroom.com/images/excerpt/PearlGirls.pdf

It’s about Connecting Hearts and Souls to Impact the World.

As you know Margaret doesn’t keep a penny of any proceeds. When getting the word out about Pearl Girls, please let people know that 100% of the royalties go directly to two charities:

WINGS (women in need growing stronger). The proceeds will help fund a Safe House in the Chicago suburbs. It costs $50 a night to provide safe shelter for a woman and her children. During this economy, WINGS is receiving even more phone calls for a safe place to stay. Already, the Pearl Girls have provided 60 nights with the advance royalties. www.wingsprogram.com

Hands of Hope. The proceeds will help build wells in Uganda for school children. Can you imagine a child at school without a water fountain in the hallway where he or she can grab a quick sip of water in between classes on a hot day? These children have to drink from puddles and other water sources which carry diseases and parasites. It costs $12,000 to build a well in Uganda. Already, the Pearl Girls have provided funds to build ¼ of a well. www.handsofhopeonline.org First and foremost Margaret would like you to highlight above all else that 100% of the book’s royalties go to Charity.

Reader, buy your copy of Pearl Girls online today!

Pearl Girls from Michael J. Garvey on Vimeo.

Spread the Word about Post-a-Pearl!

Inspired by the many women who opened their lives and shared their stories in Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, we have created sister site, Post-a-Pearl. A place to continue the connection and encouragement the book began. I hope you will take the opportunity to connect through the Post-a-Pearl site. Please post your own Pearl story and reach out to share your own story with others. Collaborating is an important purpose of Pearl Girls. We connect to make a difference in the world.

You can find all the info and instructions on the website. http://postapearlgirl.margaretmcsweeney.com/

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READERS, a question for you. Have you read this book or heard anything about it? Have you been touched or inspired by any of the stories, either in the book or on the Post-a-Pearl web site? Feel free to share your connection with this book or your thoughts on the ministry behind it.

There is no free book to offer this time, but you can keep up with the rest of the tour by visiting these sites:

November 3
Jeanette At His Marvelous Work
http://HisMarvelousWork.blogspot.com

Deborah at Comfort Joy
http://comfortjoydesigns.blogspot.com/

November 4
Amber at A Fiction-Filled Life
http://amberstockton.blogspot.com/

November 6
Danica at The Journey of Writer Danica Favorite

http://.danicafavorite.blogspot.com

November 7
Kayla at Kayla Finely
http://www.kaylafinley.com

November 10
Annette at Annie's Eyes
http://ageffert.wordpress.com

November 12
Leticia at My Daily Trek
http://leticiasworld.blogspot.com/

November 13

Lisa at Musings
http://www.lisajordanbooks.com/Lisa_Jordan/Blog/Blog.html

November 14

Angela at All that Naz
http://allthatnaz.blogspot.com/