* OUR DEAR FRIEND, CLAUDiA...AKA BOOKiE *

This is kind of a long blog post, but please don't glance at it and think you don't have the time to read it.

Many of my readers have certainly come across a dear friend's blog, Claudia's Page: http://claudiapage-bookie.blogspot.com/

Claudia and I "met" through blogging probably in 2010. That was during the height of my blogging life, as it was for many others. We connected easily, having the same passion for writing and reading, tea cups and tea pots, being outside on the deck on beautiful days, plants and flowers... We sent each other snail mail from time to time and also little gifts. Nothing that cost more than a few dollars, but something special we knew the other would enjoy.

Somehow over the years, though, many of us also began writing fewer and fewer posts. I'm certainly guilty of that. For some reason I lost my gusto for it. Maybe finishing my memoir had something to do with it, but I also know the hard times I was going through for quite some time had a lot to do with it, too. I shared some of my troubles with Claudia via emails and she was always so supportive and encouraging.

(Some left blogging for the ease of quick interactions on Facebook...something I still do not care for, but feel compelled to do from time to time. I haven't let it take over my life, though, by any stretch of the imagination.)

I was thrilled in 2010 when she and I both had stories accepted in an anthology, Patchwork Path: Treasure Box. Here's the link to one of my blog posts concerning that: http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/2010/12/anthologies-friends-book-store-food.html

Claudia on left. Becky on right.

Claudia and I met in person, quite by accident, during Christmas time in 2014. I was working at Thistle & Clover on Main Street in old St. Charles, Mo. (one of Claudia's favorite areas!) When I got off work that evening, Ron met me for dinner at a great restaurant just down the road. We ate and talked and during our dinner, I saw a woman walk by who I thought looked a bit familiar, but I wasn't sure from where. I hardly remember names, but I almost never forget a face. Maybe she was a store customer, maybe I knew her from writers' meetings, etc. So, when she walked back toward our table, we looked at each other and she said to me, "Is your name Becky?" And I stood up and immediately said, "Claudia! Yes, it's me!" We hugged and talked and Ron sat there looking at us like we were nuts. We recognized each other just from various photos we'd seen of each other...She knew I lived in the general vicinity, but she and her DH (dear husband) had driven from near Joplin, Missouri to be there....which is quite a LONG way. Unfortunately they had to leave to visit some other people, so we only talked for a couple of minutes. Ron took a couple of pictures of us...and can you believe this is the best of the two?? Even though the coloring and focus is bad...Claudia looked so cute, and I looked....well, just awful. LOL

So, why am I writing about Claudia today? I'm writing a post about Claudia today because of her blog post of May 27th that I just came across yesterday. What she wrote hasn't left my mind for one second in these almost 24 hours. Claudia has cancer. And it doesn't sound good. I am stunned. I am in shock. This can't be happening to such a sweet woman.

Here is a portion of her post: "...this week, my world crashed. I got very sick and had to go to the hospital. I am home again but not for long. I have cancer, one of the worst with no hope. Now my time must be spent tending to wrapping up a life. If you are a writer, you know that means among other things hundreds of folders for research, new ideas, and manuscripts! I never knew this office was SO full of paper!"

Whether you know Claudia or not, please visit her blog and read some of her beautiful posts and see the lovely photographs she took during road trips she and DH went on. Leave a comment, or send an email to the address she gave. And maybe become her new follower...I would love to see her finally hit the 100 mark!

If you believe in prayer...please say a ton of them for her. If not, please send well wishes, think healing thoughts, or anything else you would like to do.



"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." - C.S. Lewis


"A good friend is a connection to life...a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." -- Lois Wyse

* Anthologies, Friends, Book Store, Food Bank *

Patchwork Path; Treasure Box has arrived! I really love this book. The patchwork design on the cover and back is so unique, and the quality of the entire book is great. It has quotes here and there all throughout the book, and y'all know how much I love quotes! I've only read a couple of stories so far, but enjoyed them very much.

    Here's one of the unique things I like. The photo below is a portion of the back of the book. I took the picture this way because I wanted everyone to see my name, plus my wonderful blog friend, Claudia McKinney Mundell's name!! Besides the fact that we're both in this book, Claudia's story is the one right before mine! I consider that one of my serenditpitous happenings!! Congrats again, Claudia! I'm happy we share yet another thing in common! (love of books, writing, doilies, tea cups, etc..)



Speaking of friends and anthologies; a lot of you may have already seen Linda's and/or Tammy's blogs where they mentioned participating in a book signing tomorrow. Well, now it's my turn to mention it, too! (Theresa doesn't have a blog.) The following part is taken directly from Main Street Books website:

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CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL Special Event

Four St. Charles/St. Louis area Chicken Soup for the Soul writers will participate in a multi-author book signing on Saturday, December 11th, 2010 from 1-3 p.m. at Main Street Books, 307 S. Main Street in St. Charles, MO.

Customers may bring in a canned good to be donated to a St. Charles food pantry and receive 20% off their entire purchase that day!

Participating authors include: T’Mara Goodsell, Linda O’Connell, Becky Povich, and Theresa Sanders.


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Although I have stories in previous editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul books, I'll be signing the Thin Threads and Patchwork Path books this time. And as I've been mentioning the past couple of weeks, I'll donate $5.00 per book to the local Habitat for Humanity office, for every Thin Threads book I sell.

Those of us who have a warm home and plenty of food to eat most likely have never had to endure a time without having these necessities of life. Please come by, bring a canned good or two and buy at least one book. You'll be helping many people! Happy Holidays!

(Also, thanks to my four newest followers! I am excited because with the 4th one: Miss C.C., I have reached an unbelievable number of 150 Followers!! Thank you everyone, so much. I truly appreciate each and every one of you! The four newest are: C.C., Pam, Stephen Tremp, and a name I just love....Bill, The Old Fart!)

*Speaking of followers, here's something really cool. I was just recently one of four winners on Lydia's "500 Followers Contest". I received a $15.00 gift card to what I commented my favorite independent book store was....and yes, you guessed it.....Main Street Books! Thanks again, Lydia! I'll most likely spend that money tomorrow! Go check out Lydia's blog: "The Word is My Oyster" and you'll see why she now has over 540 followers!!

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." -- Willie Nelson

"There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quite joy." -- Ralph H. Blum

** Thursday's Tidbits **

I've decided to participate in Nanowrimo, National Novel Writing Month. If you don't know what it is, click on the link and you'll learn all about it. It runs from November 1st until November 30th. The point is to write a 50,000 word novel in those 30 days. Don't bother with grammar and editing....just write! This year is my first attempt. I haven't done it before because: A) I'm not writing a novel. I'm writing a memoir. B) It's the month of November, for Pete's sake!!... Hello?!....Thanksgiving, shopping, decorating for Christmas, etc.? BUT, I decided it's a fantastic challenge, so I'm going for it, in my own little way. I'll keep y'all posted and I'm sure I won't be posting as often, unless it's a sentence or two, describing my angst! And my comments will be left even less than they are now, which I feel really bad about. Please know that I read as many and as often as I can, but sometimes I just don't leave comments. All my blog friends mean the world to me!

Also, I've accepted the position of President of Saturday Writers for the upcoming year. It's a matter of volunteering to be on the Board, and I said I'd give the presidency a try! For some reason, I think I heard distant hysterical laughing after I said I would do it. Wish me luck!!

Hot off the presses: the cover of the newest Thin Threads anthology. More Real Stories of Life Changing Moments. (due out next month) I think it's a beautiful cover. How about you? My story about Tara Rhodes, a Hurricane Katrina survivor, and Habitat for Humanity home recipient, is included. I can't wait to see it!

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One more, hot off the presses: The cover of the newest Patchwork Path book, Treasure Box. (due out next month) I think this is a cool cover, too. My humorous story about "something" of my dad's is included. Can't wait to see that one, too!

"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do." -- Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, 1996

** If It's Thursday, I'm Way Behind On My To-Do List **

Okay! Here are various interesting tidbits, in no particular order.
Nick Nixon: Writer, singer, song writer extraordinaire, is on a local radio station every first Friday of the month. That would be tomorrow. KWRE, 730 ON THE AM DIAL. 3:00 to 5:00PM, CDT. I checked out their website yesterday. They are not streaming online yet, but it's coming soon. You'll definitely want to listen when it's available. And if you live "here", you can listen on your radio and enjoy Nick's easy going ways, good natured jokes, and beautiful singing. Nick is a memeber of Saturday Writers and the Coffee & Critique group. I'm proud to know him and call him my friend. Following are 2 links from the late 1970's (I'm pretty sure!): One is of Nick singing and the other is Barbara Fairchild singing "The Teddy Bear Song", a song Nick wrote. Even though I wasn't a big country music fan at that time, I certainly remember hearing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UugW9yo8Idg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeiA2XTca9g&feature=related 


Robert Brault has a new post on his blog and saying it has been worth the wait doesn't do it near justice! Jump on over there as fast as you can and see what I mean. I read and reread every quote and just savored them all. Thank you, Robert, for sharing your wondrous thoughts and words.

June Freaking Cleaver e-mailed me this morning to notify me of her very first acceptance, anywhere! And what's even better is that this was the first time she ever submitted anything, anywhere! Yay for June! I kept telling her how talented she was and how much I loved her writing, and that she should submit something....somewhere! And gosh, she actually took my advise! Go over to June's blog and congratulate her! I think it's just the start of an awesome writing career.

Patchwork Path has story call outs. I received an e-mail yesterday from the editor about this, plus the news that Treasure Box is being edited and due out this November, as scheduled. (That's the one I have a story in. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.)

Okay, that's going to be all for now. I don't want to make this too long and scare everyone off!

Thanks again to everyone who reads my blog, has become a follower, especially recently. It took me about a year and a half to just reach 50 followers, which was May of this year. In less than 3 months, the number has almost doubled! I am truly in awe of that, and I am touched and honored. Thank you!

And you know I must end with one of Robert Brault's newest quotes:

"Who does not wish to be beautiful, and clever, and rich, and to have back, in old age, the time spent trying to be any of them." -- Robert Brault

** Patchwork Path Books **

Hey Everyone! I am SO excited to share the news that I received a story acceptance yesterday evening! I was reading my incoming e-mails on my Blackberry, and noticed an e-mail address I didn't immediately recognize. I wondered who it might be as I clicked to open it. The first words were, "Congratulations! Your work has been selected for inclusion in...." 

I think it was at that point that I literally leapt off the couch, yelled to my husband, Ron, and started the Happy Dance.  "My story got accepted! My story got accepted!"

(Ron took this picture of me eight years ago, on my birthday. I was already doing The Happy Dance then, but I don't remember why. Probably just celebrating another day of living...♪♫...♪♫

I also intend on being this goofy when I'm well into my 90's!)

Isn't it funny how life works? Not too long ago, I wrote about receiving a rejection and then this comes along.

I almost didn't even submit the story, because I wasn't sure if it "fit" what they were looking for, but at the same time, it seemed like it might. So, I sent it, because what's the worst that could happen?!

*Note: I discovered that my blogging buddy, Bookie/Claudia, also had a story accepted in the exact same book! Yay! Congrats to Claudia!!*

All you "newer" writers, who've never submitted anything yet.....go for it! Send something, somewhere! There are so many good anthologies, contests, magazines, etc...just waiting for your unique writing!

This one is for a newer anthology; one of the Patchwork Path books. This one is titled: Patchwork Path: Treasure Box. Publication date is November 2010. Check out their website because they have other Calls for Submissions going on, too. One in particular is Patchwork Path: Mother's Life. They're looking for favorite mom memories. Deadline is June 30, 2010. Also, they do pay $50.00 per story!

"If you don't like what's happening in your life, change your mind." -- Dalai Lama