This is the news release for the contest I'll distribute

News release: August 18, 2007

AUTHOR GIVING AWAY 3 BEDROOM CONDO IN ST. CATHARINES ONTARIO. HER NEW BOOK WILL RAISE $152,000 TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE AND CLOSING COSTS FOR WINNER.

An author promoting an e-book is not news…. but an author selling a book to raise $152,000 to pay off the mortgage on her condo so she can give it away to a stranger for free – the condo, not the mortgage – could arouse some attention. So Andrea Reynolds is holding a contest to award her 3 bedroom condo in a pretty building, on a nice street, near a busy shopping center next to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW,) to the winner of her easy-essay contest. A list of “Ten Reasons Why I Deserve to Win Andrea’s Condo in St. Catharines Ontario” with full contact info is required. Send to: info@AndreaReynolds.com

It’s not the HGTV Dream Home, but it’s a clean, bright, home…. And it’s furnished with loveseats, chairs, tables, beds, lamps, bookshelves, dishes, linens, and appliances: self-cleaning electric range/oven, frost-free fridge, and possibly a portable dishwasher. To move in just bring your own toothbrush.

At the front of 359 Geneva Street, in North St. Catharines, on the fourth floor, is a 3 bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath unit. The living room, dining room and master bedroom are carpeted. All the walls are being patched, scrubbed and painted with Benjamin Moore quality paints she won in – of course – a local radio essay contest. Repairs and upgrades will be completed before the winner moves in. Residents can park for free and there is an outdoor pool in the summer months.

REYNOLDS WILL CONTINUE TO ENTERTAIN OFFERS FROM POTENTIAL BUYERS.

Between coats of paint Reynolds is completing a 150 page book, Your Wisdom is Worth a Million: 150 Smart Ways Leading Authorities Earn More Money and So Can You, which was gleaned from 30 years of her advice to physicians, lawyers, psychologists, chiropractors, authors, speakers and other consultants. She will sell 3,500 copies ($49 advance price; $89 after publication) to pay off the mortgage and other outstanding loans.

St. Catharines, known as The Garden City, is located in wine country and has a population of 130,000. A peninsula, the city is nearly surrounded by water: Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and the Welland Canal. A “bedroom” community of Toronto (70 miles by QEW), St. Catharines is 12 miles from Lewiston, New York across the US border. Niagara Falls, the honeymoon capital, is only 5 minutes away.

Ten years ago, Reynolds, now 58, had a thriving public relations practice in downtown Toronto with a bed and breakfast business catering to authors on book tours. She was also a freelance broadcaster on CFRB radio and the Life Network. Then a late-night home invasion forced her to close down both businesses. After identifying the man who broke in, she was stalked and threatened for 4 months. She left everything behind and disappeared for 8 years where she was bullied by her adopted community for being a good citizen. She stopped in St. Catharines for a long lay-over and is ready to travel again.

At the age that all her friends are retiring, Reynolds looks forward to starting life over with nothing but her cat, computer and cargo van. She intends to earn $500,000 to fund her retirement, in two years or less, working from her office on wheels, interviewing experts, syndicating a newspaper column, and speaking to business audiences.

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