PRESS RELEASE

FEBRUARY 2006

      EFW COMMUNICATIONS     

Eilwatkins@aol.com

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Contact:                                                                                   For immediate release

Eileen F. Watkins                                                                                                        

Eilwatkins@aol.com                                                            

 Bright Futures Farm Receives Mention

in “Chicken Soup” Book

Bright Futures Farm (a nonprofit organization in Spartansburg, PA) receives credit for its horse-rehabilitation work in the new anthology Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul II.

The farm is mentioned in the story “Class and Courage” by New Jersey author Eileen Watkins. Her true story pays tribute to the gallant spirit of her late horse, Brenda. She owned and competed on Brenda for just over a year before the Thoroughbred mare developed serious health problems and could no longer be ridden. Watkins sent Brenda to Bright Futures, which rehabilitates horses for adoption, and “sponsored” her by paying for her medications. At Bright Futures, Brenda received the care she needed to live out her last few years in safety and comfort.

Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul II is available at bookstores and other retailers and through online merchants. More information about the anthology, edited by Jack Canfield and published by Health Communications, can be found at www.powells.com. The letter of acceptance from the publisher states that Watkins’ essay was consistently rated as one of the best by a panel of volunteer readers, from nearly 1,000 stories received.

Watkins has published four novels, including Ride a Dancing Horse, a romantic mystery set on a California horse farm. She is a member of the mystery writer's group Sisters in Crime/Central Jersey and of The Writer’s Workshop, Englewood, NJ.  More information on her books can be found at the Amber Quill Press web site www.amberquill.com and at her web site, www.efwatkins.com.

Watkins is currently collaborating with Beverlee Dee, owner of Bright Futures, on a nonfiction book about the farm’s horse rehabilitation and adoption work. For more information on the organization, visit www.brightfuturesfarm.org.

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