Vern, BBQ Grill, Hazel, & Roseanne Roseannadanna

I've blogged previously about my clumsiness; falling down steps, bumping into furniture, and tripping over this or that. Well at 6:30am this morning, when Vern and I were outside, I fell and...

as Hazel would say, it was a doozy!

I took this picture from our deck, earlier this year. 

Do you see that tiny little silver spec in the grass?

Same picture. Cropped closer.

Do you see it now?

Same photo again. Cropped even closer. 

Yes, there it is. The Culprit. 

This is the drive-way & parking lot behind our townhouse. The decks are over the garages, and we have a beautiful and private view. Vern and I have walked along, and up and down, that little grassy hill zillions of times. He always knows when, and how to, back up and out of an area. Normally, if he sniffs too close or behind that BBQ grill, I pull gently on his leash, and he then backs out and trots along the front of it.

Vern!

Well, this morning he was quite a bit behind it, in the shrubs. So I decided to pull him out of there, but on the back side of the grill. He got confused and turned the other way, and so before I could lift the leash up high enough, he and I kind of "clothes-lined" the grill! 

As it began to roll down, I tried to stop it, and somehow slipped or tripped, bounced around a bit and fell down the little hill, landing on my back and derriere on the hard concrete. As that was happening, the grill's lid fell off and clanked, my glasses and baseball cap flew off my head, and my cell phone slid out of my pocket. 

I sat there for a few minutes and knew I hadn't broken any bones, thank goodness, but my left knee and left arm hurt quite a bit. 

I wondered if anyone heard or witnessed my tumble, but I really didn't care one way or the other. I was so glad I had on jeans, because I could tell my left knee was scraped and bleeding, and it would've been a lot worse with shorts on. 

Vern and I walked home. I cleaned up my scrapes and crawled back into bed. 

The Ronald wasn't a bit aware of it until a couple of hours later when he woke up and I told him all about my latest escapade, and added, 

"It just goes to show you, it's always something--if it ain't one thing, it's another." -- Roseanne Roseannadanna

Writers: Another Call for Submissions

My friend Kathleene S. Baker asked if I would share a call out from Publishing Syndicate, and I said "Certainly!" in my best Curly (of the Three Stooges) voice. *Yes folks, some women do like the Three Stooges and I am one of them. I grew up watching them on TV in the 1950s. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!*

But, back to today's topic. Kathleene still needs a few stories about pets. She provided the following info:

It's time folks...I'm needing stories for Not YourMother’s Book . . . On Pets! Don't procrastinate as I already have some terrific stories in the database.  Please share with other writers, writing groups, etc. It's time to put your pen to paper.

As you can see, most anything goes. The story must be true, humorous, wacky or downright amazing!

And now, my award winning poem! No laughing allowed. :-)

From chirps to quacks to cock-a-doodle-doo
Potbellied pigs and bunny rabbits, too
Goats or monkeys and cows that moo
Rats and lizards— even snakes will do!

If they have become a pet, we will certainly consider stories of
wild rehabbed animals unable to return to their natural habitat.

~~~~~

Thanks, Kathy! Love your poem. Your poetic quality is similar to mine. ☺

Click on Publishing Syndicate's link above for submission instructions. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment area, and they will be answered. 

Happy Friday and Happy All or Nothing Day! (see widget on right side) *Psst. Tandem Skydiving is one of my bucket list adventures!

Why I Love "Writer Unboxed"

If you're a writer, I certainly hope you're a faithful reader of Writer Unboxed. 

Used with Writer Unboxed permission

So many times I don't remember how I discovered a particular website or blog, but I actually do recall where and when I first heard about this one. In May of last year, I attended a one day seminar presented by MORWA (Missouri Romance Writers of America). Literary agent and monthly contributor to Writer Unboxed, Donald Maass, was the speaker. He referred to Writer Unboxed that day and I immediately began to follow it.

(Yes, I attended a romance writers workshop, and although I only write personal essays and memoir, I learned an incredible amount of information. I took 13 pages of handwritten notes....er, chicken scratchings. After I went through all of it, I typed up what turned out to be 4 pages of information, which I shared with friends in our Coffee & Critique group.)

One of my favorite contributors to Writer Unboxed is Chuck Sambuchino. He's an editor for Writer's Digest Books, a writer, and a playwright. See his website for more credentials.

So, just why do I love Writer Unboxed? It always has fantastic articles written by an array of contributors, plus author interviews, and Give-Aways! Shortly after attending the MORWA seminar, I left a comment on one of Chuck's posts where he had a give-away, which added my name to a list of 173.....and I won! My fantastic prize: Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd Edition by Chuck Sambuchino.

Along with reading it and another How To book I discovered on Writer Unboxed, How to Write a Book Proposal, 4th Edition, by Michael Larsen, I'm getting a handle on the correct way to submit requested info to literary agents.  

Stop by there today to read the newest articles, and also leave a comment at Chuck's newest give-away!

*Note 2:00pm: Chuck just informed me he'll be the Saturday night keynote speaker at next year's Missouri Writers Guild Conference in St. Louis! It's being held April 11 - 13, 2014. Hope to see many writer friends there. 

♫♪ ......Meet me in St. Louie, Louie....♫♪

(Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!)

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live." -- Goethe

** "BOOKS & MORE" WINNER **

The winner of my newest Give Away....from July 13th
(http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2013/07/give-away-books-more.html)  is.....

Susan from writing straight from the heart!
Congratulations, Susan! I will get your goodies mailed as soon as I can. It may take a while, though....as one of my Bestest-Blog-Friends can testify to :(

And yes, I will be adding a few more little items, as I wrote on July 18th, although I never got around to posting photos of them. 

I hope you enjoy all the books and more!

~~~

"Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul." -- Joyce Carol Oates

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday

This morning I've been thinking of other famous "aunts" in addition to Aunt Bee, in the world of TV and literature. Here's a few I've come up with:

Aunt Polly -- Tom Sawyer

Aunt Pittypat -- Gone With the  Wind

Aunt Clara -- Bewitched

Auntie Mame -- Mame

Auntie Em -- The Wizard of Oz

How about you? What famous aunts have I forgotten? To fit in my nostalgic category, they can't be current. 

 *Welcome to my newest follower, Janet at Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment for my give-away before Midnight CDT, tonight! You must leave it at this blog post: http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2013/07/give-away-books more.html
Good luck to all!

"But in the east the sky was pale and through the gray woods came lanterns with wagons and horses, bringing Grandpa and Grandma and aunts and uncles and cousins." -- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

Nat King Cole - "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer" | Listen on Youtube and get on Itunes

* Click on the above link so you can sing along! *

Thanks to Linda at Words from the Heart for her July 17th post which had almost the same title. It obviously reminded me of a favorite song from my childhood!

We've certainly been having some of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer here...which is typical for our part of the world!

~ Enjoy your Friday and upcoming weekend ~

Meanwhile, back to my toiling away on my writing....... 

P.S. Did you know just how much you can accomplish when you get up and start working at 3:30 am?? A LOT! I was ready for lunch at 9:30 am!

"Tell the negativity committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up." -- Unknown

* UPDATE *

I've come across a few little goodies to add to my Give-Away that continues until Sunday, July 21st, at midnight. (I noticed I forgot to specify the Time Zone on my original post. My apologies! It is Midnight, Central Daylight Time.)

So please tell your friends to stop on by, leave a comment, and be my follower. Photos of new goodies will be posted....later today, hopefully!

Meanwhile, I'm toiling away on my summary and marketing information for the New York agent! I must do it as flawlessly as possible! 

Thanks again for all the well wishes. I certainly can use them! :)

~also~

 *Welcome to my newest followers, Two Crazy Crafters and Days and Nights I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

"Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed." -- Red Smith

* A GIVE-AWAY - BOOKS & MORE *

Welcome to my newest Give-Away! It's been way too long since I had one, so I decided now is the time!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stay at Home Moms

(I did not submit to this one, but I won it somewhere.)

A Slob in the Kitchen

by Karen Duffy

is a really fun cookbook! It's full of easy recipes, anecdotes, and quotes. I even bought two of these: one for myself and one for a give-away! 

A favorite quote from my childhood listed on page 125:

"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." -- Wimpy (from Popeye)

Not Your Mother's Book...On Dogs

(Some of my writer friends have stories included, and I have one, too.)

Two great booklets for your home:

Taste of Home Freezer Meals

&

101 Ways to Decorate with Candles

Two tiny plaques approx. 3" x 2"

with wire hangers. 

(Would be adorable as gift tag add-ons, or hanging in a small area.)

The "rules" are simple. Just leave a comment here and be one of my followers. I'll allow comments until midnight Sunday, July 21st. Thanks in advance to everyone who will join in the fun!

Oh, one more thing! I will also add a couple of surprise items to the winner. Ooooh, what could they be? 

AND, finally....this Give-Away is open to my followers in ANY country!


"A disaster or unexpected event is an open invitation to let your imagination shine through." -- Karen Duffy

* A NEW YORK AGENT...*

I just received an e-mail from a New York agent who is interested in reading my memoir. For now, I can e-mail a few chapters for their consideration. 


Obviously, this doesn't guarantee anything, but what an amazing opportunity.


I am honored and excited!

* I Won a Fabulous Blog Give-Away *

Oh my gosh! Y'all really must go to Jennifer's Quirky Pickings blog! She is having another fantastic Give-Away and you have a few days to still enter. You won't believe all the goodies. (12 Items!) And she doesn't require you to jump through hoops to be qualified! BUT, I suggest you leave a wonderful comment about her blog in general. Take a little time to see what she is all about, and also become her follower.

I've never seen such generous gift packages. I honestly don't remember what all I won, but the first of many mailings arrived the other day: a Target Gift Card for $30.00! Woo-hoo! (I think I'll definitely be stopping at Target today!)

I'll be posting the photos of my new give-away in a day or so. I want y'all to have plenty of time to enter Jennifer's at Quirky Pickings!






"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." -- Mark Twain

* More Calls for Submissions! *

Are you tired of reading about opportunities for writers? I hope not! I just came across a couple of new ones and wanted to share the information. 

How would you like to write a 3 - 5 minute manuscript that could be read by the Petaluma Readers Theatre? Click on the link to learn all about it.

~~~~~

Quite a few of my writer friends and I have blogged about Publishing Syndicate's anthology series: Not Your Mother's Book. A new title was just announced today: Not Your Mother's Book On...Senior Moments.  Oh yeah....I think many of us have stories we can write about for that! When you click on the link and arrive at their website, be sure to scroll down, reading all the anthology titles on the left. Give it a try! You've got nothing to lose,other than a possible publication! Two of their books have deadlines that are almost here: 

NYMB ...On Being a Mom: August 1, 2013 

NYMB ...On Family: August 1, 2013

~~~~~

Tiny Lights is currently accepting submissions for its quarterly Flash in the Pan. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the guidelines. 

~~~~~

Tiny Lights also accepts "answers" to questions posed by Editor-in-Chief, Susan Bono, in Searchlights & Signal Flares. My answer to What keeps you honest? can be found here. The next question that needs to be answered is What do you wish you could write about? ANYONE can submit their answers to these questions, and EVERY ONE OF THEM will be posted online at Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Narrative. I can't imagine why any writer wouldn't want to give it a try.

~~~~~

I think that's it for tonight. I'll announce my give-away in my next blog post.

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning:  I wanted to know what I was going to say."  ~ Sharon O'Brien

* HALLMARK CARD CONTEST *

At the end of my June 28 blog post, I wrote:

"To be continued.....

and

P.S. I'll be having a Give-Away next week, so please be sure and drop in!"

Well, time got away from me, 

so, I haven't gotten my give-away put together yet, 

BUT

here is a contest I'm happy to share with all: 

the Hallmark card contest! It's free and easy to 

enter and submissions are accepted until July 21. It's

part photo contest and part writing!

Give it a try and let me know that you entered!

Remember the old Hallmark card commercials on TV?? Did they make you cry?! I almost always got misty eyed! 

 *Welcome to my newest follower Betsy Brock I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

Have a wonderful, blissful weekend everyone!

“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.“

― Winnie the Pooh

* America....The Way it Used To Be *

Have you ever listened to the Neil Sedaka song, "The Immigrant." It popped into my head the other day when I was thinking about the 4th of July. It's a hauntingly beautiful song that always makes me feel sad and nostalgic.....for those times long ago....way before I was even born.

This is the chorus:

"It was time when strangers were welcome here
Music would play they tell me the days were sweet and clear
It was a sweeter tune and there was so much room
That people could come from everywhere."