A Blogging Award? For Me?

Well, I guess I'm doing something right out here in the blogging world because pal Cathy C. Hall has awarded me The Stylish Blogger Award. (Apparently, Cathy has never actually seen me because stylish I am not.) But thank you, Cathy! Really! 

 

Now I have to link to the person who gave me the award. (See Ms. Cathy C above.) Next, I have to pass the award along to another deserving blogger or two (this is easy - Stacy and Arlene!) and congratulate them - I'll do that when I'm done here. And, lastly, I have to share seven things about myself. Here goes...

1) My two favorite books are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Stand.

2) When I actually met Stephen King, I acted like a complete dork.

3) One of my favorite TV shows is Law & Order: SVU and when I found out the two main characters/actors were changing roles and leaving, I just about cried. (See above:  Dork. Big dork.)

4) I don't lend out books. (If I loved a book, I will give it to you as a gift or tell you about it so you can go get your own copy.)

5) One of my guilty pleasures is Hamburger Helper. (Yeah, I know.)

6) My husband proposed to me while we were riding in a horse drawn carriage.   

7) As a kid, I used to put on magic shows for my parents and grandparents, and I would make my sister hide under the table so she could lift it and make it look like it was levitating. (Of course, it barely left the ground and when it did, it was crooked but she tried. She tried.)

And the Winner is . . .

STACY!!!!!

Congratulations, Stacy!!! I hope you enjoy IT'S A BOOK as much as I do. Just shoot me an email with your address and I'll get your book out to you soon.

Oh, and everyone keep an eye out for another giveaway coming in March...

Motivational Monday!

Usually, September gives me some extra oomph.  Maybe it's all the back-to-school hoopla...although the kids here are back to school in August.  Maybe it's the leaves starting to go gold and red and the crispness in the air and...oh, wait.  The palm fronds are still green and the temps are in the 90s.  Hmm.  Maybe this explains why I don't have much oomph after all.

At least I'm not alone.  Apparently, a lot of writers suffer burnout.  Just check out Nathan Bransford's post, "You Tell Me: Have You Faced Writer Burnout? How Do You Escape It?"  The comment section is full of good ideas and suggestions.  And step right up to the Creativity Carnival for Writers in the newest issue of WOW! Women on Writing.  Good timing!  

Congratulations go out to pal Stacy Post!  Her story, "Sister Calamity," was nominated for Best of the Net by the fine folks over at Referential Magazine! 

Also at Referential Magazine, poet Laura McCullough referenced my story, "If This is Crazy," in her poem, "When Wonder."  Love when that happens!

Have a great week!

Motivational Monday!

Whether you're taking today off or getting some work done, here are some motivating items to get your week off to a good start...

Agent Jessica Faust over at Bookends, LLC has a great post - "Put on Your Game Face" - that really applies to most of life's situations, not just writing conferences.

Congratulations go out to pal Stacy Post - she's got a story up at  Smories!  Check out her post for more info about the story and how to vote on it. 

More congrats go out to Donna Volkenannt and Beth Cato - they both have stories in an upcoming special edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul collection!  Check out their respective blog posts for more information and release dates. 

Robert Swartwood's blog post, "Hint Fiction's Front, Spine and Back," shows a better shot of what the Hint Fiction anthology will look like when it's released November 1, 2010.  When I see the words W. W. Norton New York - London and the blurb by Jodi Picoult, I don't know whether to laugh or cry!  Is my story really going to be in there?!

Have a great week of reading and writing!

Motivational Monday!

The older I get, the more I find myself quoting "Seinfeld."  I used to worry about this until I read agent Nathan Bransford's post, "Writers, Authority, and The Keith Hernandez Rule."  Not only did it make me feel better to see someone cool and hip and groovy reference "Seinfeld," but the post also made me laugh out loud.  Oh, and it taught me something about writing, too.  

Congratulations go out to Stacy Post, whose story will be up at Smories this September.  This is the site where cute kids read the stories out loud.  I can't wait to hear it!

Editor Robert Swartwood announced that the Gotham Writers Workshop has a Hint Fiction writing contest going this fall - check it out if you're interested in trying your hand at some hint.  Oh, and the special Hint Fiction issue of Wigleaf  is out - Swartwood called it "a literary appetizer of sorts."  (I can't wait for the Hint Fiction anthology - and not just because I'm in it.  I mean it.  Really.)   

Now go forth and write!  And read!  And laugh!  And eat some chocolate!  And write some more!  And...

Motivational Monday!

Well, here we are, the last Monday in July.  The summer is really moving along!  Although, here in Florida, summer lasts a LOT longer than it does in some places. But - and this is where some of the "motivation" comes in - I put up with the heat now so I can walk on the beach in January.  Everything's a trade-off.

People - other than me - do still read for pleasure!  Check out Stacy Post's Readers in Transit for proof.

Cathy C. Hall dishes up some southern hospitality in her essay about being polite in Deep South Magazine.

Another blurb has shown up for The Hint Fiction Anthology -

“The stories in Robert Swartwood’s Hint Fiction have some serious velocity.  Some explode, some needle, some bleed, and some give the reader room to dream. They’re fun and addictive, like puzzles or haiku or candy. I’ve finished mine but I want more.” — Stewart O’Nan, author of Last Night at the Lobster and Songs for the Missing

(The anthology, which includes my story, "The Empty Nest,"  is available this November but pre-order it from your favorite bookstore now - you don't want to be the only one who hasn't read it, do you?!)  

Motivational Monday!

Here are some good news items from last week to jumpstart the good stuff for this week:

Literary agent Rachelle Gardner posted How to Become a Better Writer:  11 Completely Non-Writing-Related Ideas.  My favorite is "Be Creative Any Way You Can" - this includes building something with Legos!  In the comments section of that post, someone mentioned that these were good ideas not only for writing, but also for life.  I couldn't agree more!  Go check them out for a positive boost.

Stacy Post won a Versatile Blogger Award.  Congratulations, Stacy!

As for myself, I found out that Referential Magazine accepted my story, "Rooted in the Past" for publication!  And, since I will then have two stories up over there, I'll get my own Contributor's page.  Yeh!  I'll do a post when the story is up and ready for reading. 

Have a good week, everyone!  Let's keep up the momentum!