The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby and a Giveaway!

The Twelfth Child

The Twelfth Child by Better Lee Crosby
Series: The Serendipity Series, Book 1
Paperback and e-book, 252 pages
Published May 17th 2012 by Bent Pine Publishing

Trust, love and friendship - Abigail Anne Lannigan searched for these things all her life; now, when she is at the tail end of her years she teams up with a free-spirited young woman, a nobody from nowhere, who suddenly moves in across the street. It’s an unlikely friendship which comes under suspicion when a distant relative, claims embezzlement. One million dollars is missing and only Abigail knows the truth of what happened – but, she’ll never get the chance to tell.

The Twelfth Child, a novel rich with emotion, humor and tenderness, explores the splintered relationships of a Shenandoah Valley family and their willful daughter’s struggle to survive America’s Great Depression and overcome the past.

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My thoughts about The Twelfth Child ~~

Bette's books are always so beautifully written with such great characters that I know when I start one I am going to go on a wonderful journey. The Twelfth Child was no exception. Bette's writes such gentle, flowing words and thoughts that the reader can just sit back, relax and get lost in whatever world she takes us to.

Abigail was born in 1912 and she was thirteen when her mother died. She adored her mother but her father didn't give 'two hoots' about girl babies. As a matter of fact, his world revolved around Abigail's twin brother, William. Abigail's life got a whole lot tougher after their mother dies.

'Courage; it came from the heart of a she-wolf.'

Fast forward seventy years after Abigail and William were born. Destiny comes into Abigail's life and they form an immediate, strong, and loving bond. The Twelfth Child is the story of this beautiful relationship. And the greedy people who want to get their hands on what doesn't belong to them.

'"We've all had special relationships in our life," he said, "relationships that are not according to bloodline, but born of the heart."'

'Mostly we did silly things - like opening three different bottles of wine so we could decide which went better with Frito Lays..'

I love Bette's stories because there is always some magical, mystical, beautiful aspect to the story that just warms my heart. I truly want to believe that these things can happen and that the world is full of good, beautiful people.

'Magic happens inside our heads, people can't see magic.'

And she writes such amazing lines that I highlight half the book as I'm reading. Let me share with you some of the great lines I marked. Sorry for borrowing so many of your words, Bette. These are all just wonderful!

'..but it don't matter how old you get - your mama's always gonna be your mama.'

'"Whoooo,' Gloria clowned, 'that'll be us, two ghosts, sitting on our tombstones worrying about where we're gonna find jobs."'

'..if a person wasn't going to be a writer, the next best thing was to spend every day in a building filled with wonderful stories.'

And now I'll leave you with one final great line. This one made me LOL since I am a librarian!

'"No man can love a woman like me,' she shouted, "I'm a librarian."

About the author

USA Today Bestselling and Award-winning author Bette Lee Crosby is originally from New Jersey, but now makes her home in Southern Florida where she lives with her husband Richard and a feisty Bichon Frise. A highly entertaining public speaker, Bette makes frequent appearances to support the various charities of women’s groups, and schedule permitting, she will join book talks and book club discussion groups.

In 1997 Bette abandoned the fast-paced world of advertising and embarked on a career as a novelist. Her books, often written in a Southern voice, cover a wide spectrum of locales and personalities as they tell tales of courageous women overcoming life’s obstacles. Her novels were first recognized in 2006, when she won the National League of American Pen Women Award for unpublished fiction with What Matters Most. In 2007 she won the National League of American Pen Women’s First Place Fiction Award for her novel Girl Child; and in 2009 her latest novel Cracks in the Sidewalk received the prestigious Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association; and in 2011 it won the FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal. Bette has recently completed a biography of Lani Verner Deauville, the amazing woman listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s longest living quadriplegic. The book is titled "Life in the Land of IS...the Amazing Story of Lani Deauville, the World's Longest Living Quadriplegic."

Before redirecting her talents to works of fiction, Bette enjoyed a noteworthy career in advertising and marketing working in a diversity of industries ranging from financial services to collectibles. She served as Editor-in-Chief for Innovations, a new product development publication, and as Contributing Editor for numerous trade publications including Giftware News, Supermarket News and Packaging Digest.

As the U.S. Marketing Director for the distributor of world famous M.I. Hummel figurines, Bette served as a company spokeswoman and public relations figurehead. Much of her career, however, was spent in the challenging environment of advertising agencies—including a five-year stint as co-owner and Creative Director of the award-winning OTK Advertising Agency.

Connect with Bette

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