Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: The Birthday Gift (The Birthday Gift #1) by Betty Collier

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Birthday Gift by Betty Collier. This book tour was organized by Write Now Literary Book Tours. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a guest post regarding the main character of the book from the author. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Enjoy!

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Title: The Birthday Gift

Series: The Birthday Gift #1

Author: Betty Collier

Publisher: Pageturner Press and Media

Publication Date: January 4th 2022

Print Length: 118 pages

Genre: Contemporary Inspirational Christian Fiction

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An unexpected knock on the door derails a birthday celebration as Mrs. Williams recalls the mysterious events that prevented her beloved husband from flying back home with their daughter's priceless, life-changing gift he discovered at a flea market in the Middle East. In the opening scene, she learns in a most dramatic fashion that the absolute love of her life was murdered while in route to Los Angeles. Her faith and fortitude are unimaginably tested, but Mrs. Williams ultimately realizes that she possesses the greatest gift inside of her.

This Book Excellence Award-Winning Book is an exceptionally thought-provoking and intriguing tale that takes the reader on an emotional journey of profound heartbreak to surprising hope for the future. Although a catastrophic loss occurs, one comes away with a great sense of hopefulness in this increasingly violent world. The author intricately weaves this story together leaving readers in suspense until the very end. Be uplifted and inspired as you discover your own faith while experiencing the gift of a lifetime so cleverly embedded within the pages of this book.

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EXCERPT:

The next thing I remember hearing is “Code Blue.” It was now pitch-black outside my ICU window at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. I don’t know what happened on that beautiful sunny morning after I opened my front door for the police officer. He was standing there in the last ray of sunshine I would see for quite some time. I guess I could look at the police report or medical records, but what’s the point. I really don’t want to be reminded of the single most horrific day in my entire life. What happened? Why was the police officer talking in slow motion?

Bill had been in Israel for thirty-three days. It was time for him to come back home. I had been expecting a phone call from him during his layover at Heathrow. Instead of Bill’s much anticipated call, I got that abominable knock at my front door!

Then I heard it again. “Code Blue.”

Everything went black. As I reflect on that disastrous day, everything was already black. My world had gone dark and void.

From what I’ve been told, I woke up the following morning with no recollection of the previous day. Apparently, those words my ears had refused to allow my mind to process were no less true just because I refused to hear them, let alone accept them.

My heart was broken. I was broken. Life as I once knew it no longer existed. There was no reason to go to the airport. Bill never boarded his connecting flight in London. The only thing at the airport now was his luggage, and there certainly wasn’t any reason for me to go claim that. Well, no reason that I knew of at the time.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Betty Collier describes herself as a nurse by profession, author by passion, and storyteller by the grace of God. She is a 5x bestselling, 4x award-winning inspirational Christian author. She writes with a purpose, and that is to bring honor and glory to God.

Her first book series, "Living Inside the Testimony" is a collection of inspirational nonfiction stories. Betty showcases her gift of storytelling by engulfing her readers from the very beginning and captivating their attention throughout the emotional journeys.

In her second book series, "The Birthday Gift", Betty displays her creative storytelling in a surprisingly extraordinary way with her fictional work. She continues to inspire while lifting the words right off the pages to bring her characters to life. Readers will find themselves hoping for the best and dreaming about the characters as if they were members of their own family.

Betty also co-authored 2 anthologies with visionary author, Paulette Harper. Both are Amazon #1 bestsellers, "For Such a Time as This" and "The Breaking Point." They feature incredible and inspirational stories from 20 different men and women from all across America.

Betty’s fictional work in The Birthday Gift Book Series is included in the John 3:16 Global Placement Mission as commissioned by founder, Terry Gurley. She uses her talent to introduce readers to the greatest gift ever given to mankind. While taking them on intriguing tales of heartbreak and hope, Betty intricately weaves together stories leaving readers in suspense until the very end. What they have in common is they all beautifully deliver the gospel message found in John 3:16.

On a personal note, Betty has been married since 1986 to William Collier, the absolute love of her life, after first meeting him in middle school. They are the proud parents of two sons and a daughter-in-love, all of whom reside in Shelby County, TN.

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GUEST POST:

- Name ten things about the main character in your book.

An unexpected knock on the door derails a birthday celebration as Mrs. Williams recalls the mysterious events that prevented her beloved husband from flying back home with their daughter’s priceless, life-changing gift he discovered at a flea market in the Middle East. In the opening scene, she learns in a most dramatic fashion that the absolute love of her life was murdered while en route to Los Angeles. Her faith and fortitude are unimaginably tested, but Mrs. Williams ultimately realizes that she possesses the greatest gift inside of her.

The Birthday Gift: Book 1 is an exceptionally thought-provoking and intriguing tale that takes the reader on an emotional journey of profound heartbreak to surprising hope for the future. Although a catastrophic loss occurs, one comes away with a great sense of hopefulness in this increasingly violent world. The story is intricately woven together leaving readers in suspense until the very end. Be uplifted and inspired as you discover your own faith while experiencing the gift of a lifetime so cleverly embedded within the pages of this book.

Mrs. Williams is the main character in The Birthday Gift. Take a look at ten interesting facts about her.

Her name is Mrs. Williams because as the author, I needed to be able to relate to her on an intimate level. My husband’s first name is William which helped me feel the unfathomable loss she endured. I engulfed myself into her emotions and wrote how I thought I would feel if I were her. It was excruciating and broke my heart as I was writing with raw emotions. To further that connection, her husband is referred to as Bill throughout the book. His full name is William Matthew Williams. Needless to say, I felt as if I was writing about the murder of my real-life husband.

She did not have a first name in the 2020 release of The Birthday Gift and was only referred to as Mrs. Williams. After I started the sequel, Dear John, I gave her a first name, Grace, because that is what she extended to John, unmerited grace. I relaunched the book in 2022 as The Birthday Gift: Book 1 and revealed her name for the first time at the end of the book.

She is a woman whose faith was tested as she struggled to accept what God allowed to tragically happen to her beloved husband. Upon hearing the devasting news in the first line of the book that Bill was found dead, Mrs. Williams suffers what was thought to be a heart attack but was actually broken heart syndrome. The love of her life was taken away senselessly and without warning which pushed her past her breaking point. While recovering in ICU, she reflected on the fact that Bill had eternal life! That monumental realization gave her the much-needed peace she needed to begin healing.

Anger and unforgiveness toward her husband’s murderer almost broke her. She thought he had committed the ultimate, unforgiveable sin for which she had no intention of forgiving him. It wasn’t until she released those feelings and extended grace toward him that her outlook on life became one filled with surprising hope for the future.

She is far more resilient than she realizes. Thinking her life was shattered and no longer worth living was something she had to come to terms with. Her focus turned toward her soon-to-be sixteen-year-old daughter, Bella.

She perseveres through the greatest odds. Her entire adulthood had been defined as being Mrs. Bill Williams. It seemed unimaginable that she could carry on without him.

She makes the reader feel her pain and heartbreak as if she is someone you know in real life. Just as I dreamed about Mrs. Williams, I think most readers will connect on a personal level and experience her grief to some extent.

Only after she makes the decision to extend grace and forgiveness is her soul restored and peace abounds. After dropping off the letter at the post office to her husband’s murderer, Mrs. Williams reflected on the fact that she felt such a sense of relief. The burden she had carried for all those months was suddenly gone.

She is far stronger and more courageous than she appears in the beginning of the book. The hopeful woman we see at the end is by far a completely different person than the heartbroken one we saw at the start.

She discovers surprising hope for the future in ways that will leave the reader wondering why they didn’t see that shocker coming. You will have to read the book to find out what that is.

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GIVEAWAY:

Win a $25 Amazon gift card!

(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Write Now Literary Book Tours and the author assume all responsibility over this giveaway.)

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