Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas 2007!

The 2007 Cybils

VOTE FOR ME TO WIN

The Round One reading and voting period for the Court TV Search for the Next Great Crime Writer Contest has officially begun! Below, please find all the eligible entries listed in alphabetical order by book title.

From now through December 9, 2007, you may read and vote for as many entries as you like. The fifteen chapters with the most "10" votes will proceed to Round Two, along with the ten chapters selected by the Gather Editorial Team.

My story is titled: Love on Hold

Please help vote me through to the next round!

www.gather.com

Happy Halloween

Is it possible I have been way too busy to blog? I can't believe November is almost here. I'm behind on my writing goals for 2007 and I only have two months to complete them The race is on.

I'm currently working on some non-fiction magazine pieces, a Washington cookbook, and several rewrites.

Watch out for all the little ghost and ghouls on Halloween!

Join Jacketflap

This awesome site has been around and I yet I don't see many of my fellow writers from my home state. So it must be we need to get the word out more. Heard of Myspace? Jacketflap is a Myspace for anyone connected with children's literature. It holds one of the best collections of publishers on the web, book reviews, and allows you to be in contact with other writers, illustrators, editors, agents, and publishers. I give Jacketflap a TWO THUMBS UP and recommend it to everyone.

Hey friends, where are you from?

I have a new fun feature on my website. You can stop by for a visit and mark your place on the map. Just click on "view map" below and add your flag, icon and message.

View my Guestmap

Free Guestmaps by Bravenet.com

Article accepted!

My article, Writing for Children's Magazines, has been accepted and will appear in a future edition of Once Upon a Time (a magazine for children's writers and illustrators).

SCBWI writing contest win!

I just received word from the SCBWI Webmaster. My poem, A Memorable Moment has won honorable mention in their "June Looms" writing contest. There were over 250 entries this month, with one winner and two honorable mentions.

SCBWI Contest Link

I'm not sure if all children's writers are aware of these contests, but they are great. About two years back, I won a writing contest and one free year membership. The contests run 'about' every other month. There is one for illustrators and one for writers.

Time off from writing

Due to personal problems I will be taking some time away from writing. Please check back for details.

Slow month

It's been a slow month. I have many ideas floating around about my 'Gem Series' and most of my time has been focused on perfecting that project. I still haven't heard back from McGraw Hill about the story they were holding, so I am preparing to take the series to other publishers and see what happens. It's disappointing, but I guess this is what happens when your contact leaves a company.

CTB McGraw Hill

WOW! I received an email from the editor at Wee Ones Magazine this morning. My story, The Tired Chipmunk appeared in their November/December 2006 edition and will be reprinted by CTB McGraw Hill for the New York State Test.

Remodeling and renovation?

Yes, I applied and was accepted to work for a company who produces a website for remodeling and renovation. I'm looking forward to working with them. You can visit their site at: http://www.alphabetlane.com

What editors say about my work

When the stack of rejections begin to grow a writer must find a way to see the positive in them. Fellow writers have said they thought about wallpapering their bathrooms. Others used the paper to light fires in the winter. Here are some positive words I found in my rejections from various publishers:

Whidbey Island Writer's Association Contest (Dare to be Different)

- Nice story. Good lessons, without being pushy.
- Great beginning. You start off at 60 MPH.
- Wonderful story. The lesson learned was great!
- Good, believable dialogue.
- Great use of showing, not telling.
- Imagery though out is very good. Kids would love it.
- Send this to a publisher! Good luck.


The Wright Group McGraw Hill (Dare to be Different)
Thank you for the opportunity to review Dare to be Different for publication consideration. The publishing committee has reviewed your material and, although the materials you have created are interesting and varied, a project of this nature does not fit into our current publishing plan.
However, we do feel that your manuscript is well-written and appropriate, and we will continue to keep it on file for any future projects.

Silhouette
- I found much to like about this project (Love on Hold)
- Aspects of this story are compelling. (From the Ashes)

Hopscotch for Girl
-Your story is great! We enjoyed reading it.


Perfection Learning Corporation (Dare to be Different)
- Our editors enjoyed your manuscript

Sasquatch (I Love it When it Rains)
- Your story idea is very cute and has potential.

Illumination Arts (In Daddy's Arms)
- We read, In Daddy's Arms with great interest.

Highlights
-Thanks for thinking of us with your work (hand written on reject)

Blogger promotion

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I'm BEARY happy today!

Today I received my first postcard from Highlights Magazine. It's a cute card with bears on it stating, "Please bear with us as we are looking over your manuscript"! Of course, this means I have only broken past level one at Highlights, but it's a big step for me. The rest of my manuscripts were eagerly rejected in record time. Snoopy dance time!

Tiger Tech

Occasionally I'm asked where my site is hosted and are they meeting my needs. I love my hosting company and would recommend them to anyone. They are affordable, and offer awesome features that can't be beat by some others out there. If you are thinking of starting your own website, please check them out.

Spring Has Sprung

It has been awhile since I hit the blog and figured it was due. Not much new in my world. My youngest daughter, Katerina had her tonsils taken out and is healing very well. I have been writing, and submitting like crazy. Such is the life of a writer.

My apologies to the wonderful duo at Variteck Web Design, Jason and Sara. (You two know my ability to wait patiently is little to none.) They did the wonderful design on my webpage, and I have attempted a few updates since their original design. This normally sets Jason's head in a spin as he is left with tons of re-programming work to do. If you need a web designed by two awesome folks, check out their site at: http://www.varitek.co.uk Sara does the graphics and Jason does the programming. Between them, they create eye catching sites that get rave reviews.

Tonsil Project

Well, if my youngest daughter wasn't under going tonsil surgery in two days, I could be evenmore excited about this project. I have just completed my manuscript for, Kat, Got Your Tonsils? This picture book manuscript is designed to help parents explain tonsilecotomies to their children when the cat has their tongue.

I found a wonderful illustration online and contacted the artist. They are willing to work with me on this project. I am utterly excited! The illustration style is perfect for this story. Check out their awesome work:

http://www.fotosearch.com/art-parts/

Books Available - Lulu Press

Nordheim Press (with the help of Lulu Press), presents two of my tales in print and download. There are hardback and paperback editions of the children's story. I wish they could be offered at a lower price, but publishing is not a low cost world. It is quite fun to see my work in print. More stories to come, as I get some time to prepare them.

Follow the link to find In Mama's Arms and Love on Hold.

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=778864

Article Accepted

Received word today from Fun for Kidz. They will be publishing my article titled, Amazing Mazes of Maize in their May 2008 fun on the farm edition. One more small leap in the right direction.

Happy New Year

I don't have much for new news, but thought I better post something to start 2007.

My romantic suspense stories are not doing well. I recieved a reject for Love on Hold this week. The editor said, "there was much to like about this project", but as you can imagine, it ended with "but it doesn't meet our editorial needs". Forward we move, and off to the next publisher.

I just typed up my entry for the 2007 Highlights Fiction Contest. This will be my third year of entering, and they say the third time is a charm.

One of my new year resolutions is to blog more. So look forward to updates.

Happy 2007 and well wishes to everyone!