Most writers slaving away on their first novel dream of fame, fortune and a place on the bestseller lists. But at 93, Lorna Page had a rather more altruistic ambition - she wanted to save her friends from having to live in nursing homes.
She pledged to spend all the proceeds from her book, A Dangerous Weakness, on moving into a bigger house so that they could come and live with her.
One couple is offering just that, and, unsurprisingly, they have been overwhelmed by the response.
After trying to sell their house in the traditional way for a few months, Brian and Wendy Wilshaw from Morchard Bishop in Devon decided on a more unusual approach.
They are selling 46,000 tickets at £25 each in what they describe as a 'dream competition'.
The winner walks away with their entire country estate, and the chance to leave the rat race for good.
The Wilshaws have already sold a quarter of the tickets and had 30,000 hits on their website.
Brian Wilshaw broke down in tears as he told Sky News why they planned to move on.
"We have lived here for more than 14 years and I'm 64 and ready to downsize." he said."It was the credit crunch. We just want someone to live here who could never normally have afforded it but who really loves it.
"It makes me emotional, I just want an ordinary person to win it." he said.
His wife, Wendy, says the home, with its woodland paddock and parking for a dozen cars, is ideal for families.
""It's been an absolute rollercoaster. I have very mixed emotions.
"I love the idea of taking someone round this place and showing them where my children used to run around. It's a bubble to live in - so detached from reality - it's a dream place."
"We just want to bring some feel-good spirit to people in a time of economic doom and gloom." she said.
If the couple do not manage to sell all the tickets, the winner will receive a cash prize instead.
Proving that every dog has its day, Britain's most unwanted pet has finally been found new owners - after spending the last 11 years in a rescue centre.
Jenny struck lucky after spending 77 dog years in kennels - thought to be a British record.
She was abandoned when she was just one in 1997 when rescuers from Gables Farm Dogs' and Cats' Home found her tied to a lamppost.
And each day afterwards only brought fresh disappointment for collie Jenny as her canine friends were always chosen ahead of her.
New owners were put off because she was very fearful and a little aggressive when she first arrived, according to staff.
And by the time she had fully settled in, she was older than ideal because most people want puppies.
Now, after becoming the longest-staying resident in the Plymouth centre's 101 year history, Jenny has finally found a family to love her.
New owners Pat and Mary Caffrey, from Paignton, Devon, were moved by Jenny's story when they looked at the Gables website and decided to go and meet her face to face.
Mr Caffrey, 59, a retired engineer, said: "We read her story and we thought 'ah look at that' about her being tied to the lamppost and being there so long."
And recalling the moment he and his wife fell in love with hitherto unwanted dog, he added: "When I looked at her and she barked at me.
"We walked around and saw the others and we walked back to her, looked at her, looked at each other and said: 'Yeah, we'll take her on.'
"We've always had dogs and we lost our previous dog, Gemma, in August last year and it was the first time in 20 years that we had been without a dog.
"We'd had a good few months without a dog and it just wasn't the same.
"We always get rescue dogs and the puppies are great - they will always find a home, but the older dogs are not always as fortunate as that."
The previous record for life in a dog home was held by 12-year-old border collie Errol, which spent 10 years in kennels in Wickford, Essex, before finally being rehomed in January this year.
Katie Barkell, from the home said: "She was here for such a long time, she was part of the family.
"We were established in 1907, we are 101 years old, and she is the resident that has been with us the longest in our history. The previous record was six years.
"When she came in, she was very nervous.
"I think that she acted a big aggressively.
"It took a while to get her trust and by the time she had settled in, people were put off by her age.
"She has a few old age problems but the new owner were not put off by that.
"They picked her straight away.
"They were looking for an old dog that was in need of a new home."Tony Harris, General Manager said: "We are all overjoyed that Jenny has found a new home to call her own after living with us for such a long time.
"It was fantastic to see her jump into the car without as much as a backward glance."
Since living with her new owners Jenny has been on lots of adventures, and enjoys running on the local beach, chasing her ball and splashing in the water.
Gables Farm Dogs' and Cats' Home is Plymouth's oldest animal welfare charity and has a strict non-euthanasia policy.
Staff said that Jenny's story proves that they never give up hope of finding a loving new home for an animal.
The Caffreys have had Jenny for three months and love her.
"She has been brilliant," Mr Caffrey said. "We have had her three months and she had settled in nicely.
"She was quiet and the vet did say that she is an old girl and she will probably just like to be quiet.
"She loves the beach and she goes walking twice a day in the woods. She loves her walks and she loves being quiet."
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