* Writerly News *

* I guess my newest contest give-away was a bit too complicated, because there was only one entrant; Susan of Writing Straight from the Heart. Susan and I cooresponded and she was so gracious, asking not to be the winner, soley by default! So, the prizes will go back into my office closet until they are needed. Thanks to all who commented on Susan Bono's Two-Part Interview. I really enjoyed learning more about her.

* Calls for Submission: Bylines Calendar: By, For and About Writers is now accepting submissions for their 2013 desk calendar. Click on Guidelines for information. Publisher/Editor Sylvia Forbes is a delightful woman. I look forward to purchasing the 2012 calendar. ** I forgot to mention that Bylines website is a bit out of date. It's in the process of getting renovated. Sylvia really is taking submissions for the 2013 calendar! **

*This is a really cool calendar, especially for writers!* The website also features tons of links for various websites of interest to .....you guessed it: Writers! (In past years, I know that the lovely Cathy C. Hall and C. Hope Clark both appeared in it. In addition to having a snippet of your writing featured, so is your photo...one of which you provide!)

* Once again I feel I must apologize for not getting around to all the blogs I want to visit. I've been spending much more time actually writing which is a very good thing! So, if you don't see me often, that's the reason. And the same goes for e-mails. If I owe anyone an e-mail and haven't replied in a "normal" amout of time, please contact me. Maybe I didn't receive it or maybe forgot!

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?" -- Winnie the Pooh

Contest & Susan Bono Interview Part 2

First of all, Happy Birthday to my son, Scott! If you've been visiting my blog since last summer, you'll remember that while in England on business last June, his appendix burst and he spent about a week in a hospital there. I was a nervous wreck, as you can imagine, until he came back home, although he still had problems for quite some time after he was back. So, I'm especially joyful to wish him another Happy Birthday! (Link below is from last June)

http://beckypovich.blogspot.com/search/label/Scott

OKAY....Now promised in yesterday's post, below are the final questions and answers in Susan's interview.
Remember to read both days of interviews because you'll need to know information from them for my newest Contest/Give-Away! .....*Rules posted at end of this blog post.*

4)      Do you have a set writing schedule?

I wish! The only writing I am devoted to is my postcard-a-day project, which I’ve kept up with for 2 ½ years, and even then, I don’t write one every day. I usually end up doing 7 or 10 cards at a time. But I love that I’ve used up at least 800 postcards collected over the years. It’s a reminder that you can move a mountain one pebble at a time.

5)      How often do you participate in Open Mic events, seminars, etc?

Remember how I confessed to wanting to be a celeb? Teaching my weekly writing workshops in my office fulfills some of that longing to be a big shot. I also co-host a quarterly literary evening at a local coffee house, and am looking forward to introducing presenters at the upcoming Mendocino Writers Conference and Sonoma County Book Festival.  I will go just about anywhere to be on a panel!  I get to co-facilitate an annual writing retreat at Point Reyes every spring, and there’s a weekend at Spirit Mountain in Idyllwild with my friend Joan Zerrien coming up in October. I’m over the moon about pairing up with Sheila Bender and taking writers to Istanbul next May! Life doesn’t get any better than that!

6)      Are you a bookaholic? Do you have stacks and stacks of books in your home? Some you can’t part with?

Remember that I’m someone who managed to save over 800 postcards? I’m that way with books. My house and office are full of them, and I was seriously planning to build more bookshelves when my parents died and I suddenly had another house full of books to deal with. This got me thinking about the books I am holding onto so greedily. Am I really going to need them? What am I leaving for my kids to clean up? My oldest son Lucius and I talk about doing a variation on “The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written” (I have a set of those leather bound books from Easton Press that I inherited from a family friend). What if you made a collection of YOUR 100 greatest books? And any time you wanted to add a new one, you had to get rid of an old one. I don’t think I’m ready to do that yet, but I have started forcing myself to give books to new homes. I like the idea of growing less encumbered as I get older.

7)      What are your thoughts on how the publishing industry has changed in the past 10 years? 5 years? ONE YEAR?

The dinosaur stands blinking in her dying kingdom—I feel like nothing is the same as it was 10 years ago, or even a year ago. I wish I had recorded all the voices saying “There will ALWAYS be hard copy books!” because I know that isn’t true. I’m not sure how long it will take, and I’m in no hurry for it to happen, but like my grandmother, who saw the end of the horse and buggy and the gaslight and the gramophone, I’ve already lived long enough to see entire libraries that could fit into a shoebox. What hasn’t changed is people’s hunger for connection and story. I think the audiences are going to get smaller for every book out there, but those circles will be warm, loyal and loving—more tribal in nature. That’s what I keep trying to remember as I whine about having to change with the times—the thrill I got when my teachers praised me all those years ago—with the right audience, that feeling can always be mine.

Thank you again Susan for allowing us to get to know more about you! And readers, don't forget to check out the Tiny Lights website.

Contest/Give-Away Rules:  (note: although sometimes I don't require people to be followers, I am doing so this time.)

1)  Be a follower. If you already follow my blog, please remind me!

2) Leave a comment or question directed to Susan, pertaining to something specific she said. (It will be my decision as to if it's "specific" enough to apply.)

3) Post something on your blog about this contest.

~~ Sorry, open to US residents only. Postage is outrageous out of the country. Sorry! ~~

I think it's pretty simple, and hope y'all will, too. I'm not asking for you to post about it in a zillion places and then you get more chances, etc. Nope....Just all three are required for one chance in the random drawing on August 2nd. I'll post the one winner on August 3rd.

What is the prize, you ask? Well.... How ab out prizes? How about 20 things??

 The above photo shows everything the winner will receive! There are 12 colorful folders, a package of 2 magnetic list pads that coordinate with the folders, 1 set of pink floral note cards, 1 small hardcover book called "Tea Among Friends". It's adorable! It doesn't have any recipes, but wonderful little stories about tea and friendships. Then there's a small burgundy color mini notebook with pen (magnetic closure). Then a cute matchbox folder that also coordinates with the folders and list pads. And finally 2 paper back books: "Of Mice and Men", purchased at Main Street Books in St. Charles, Mo. And "Rosie" by Anne Lamott.....Yes, that same fabulous Anne Lamott, author of "Bird by Bird"....a book all writers should own and read dozens of times. (And yes I have it and yes I do....and no, it's not included in this give-away!)

I chose these items because I believe there's a little bit for everyone!

I look forward to reading everyone's questions for Susan!

Also welcome to my newest follower: Life's Beautiful Path! I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"Can you imagine a world without men? No crime and lots of happy, fat women." -- Nicole Hollander

(This quote doesn't really have anything to do with today's post, but I think it's hilarious and I had to post it!)

* Interview with Susan Bono *

I am delighted to post my interview with the fabulous writer-editor-teacher-speaker Ms. Susan Bono.


I met Susan, online, through one of my favorite writers, Judi Ryan Hendricks. Judi's website listed Susan's as one of her favorite sites: Tiny Lights A Journal of Personal Narrative. To make a long story short, I checked out Tiny Lights, submitted something, Susan and I really hit it off......and the rest is history!

I'm dividing the interview into two parts, only because Susan gave such awesome answers. Today is questions one through three. (I particularly love her first few sentences in answer number one!) Tomorrow will be four through seven.

Thank you again, Susan, for taking the time to let us get to know a little more about you.

1)      When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Did you receive any encouragement from any teachers? Other mentors?

I’m not sure I ever wanted to be a writer! I’ve always just want to be a celebrity author, accepting major awards and appearing on TV talk shows, like Truman Capote and Gore Vidal did way back when. Writing is so much work!  On the other hand, as a kid  I ended up writing a lot, starting in 6^th grade. A very artistic classmate of mine illustrated a story I wrote about a girl and a talking mouse. I was self-publishing in 1966! The book made a hit, even though I think it was really more about Peggy’s drawings. As the years went by, writing got me more praise in school than anything else I did. In 7^th grade I even weaseled out of a mid-term math project by writing a bunch of bad poems about how much I hated working with numbers. 

Looking back, I don’t know if being allowed to avoid the hard stuff by running around trying to be a creative writer was such a good idea, but it kept me writing, mostly poetry. Fortunately, in high school I had some fantastic English teachers who forced me to think and write with some degree of precision.  I went on to major in creative writing at a time when there were only a handful of those programs scattered across the nation. That’s hard to believe, given the popularity of that major now! I had good teachers at San Francisco State, and I got good grades, but I knew I didn’t really have what it takes to be a serious poet or short story writer. I knew I could never write a novel, and there were no classes in creative nonfiction back then! The term didn’t exist, and I suspect that column-style essay writing wasn’t even offered in the journalism program.  No one ever suggested that I might look into editing or publishing, so  I began to think about using my love of literature and writing in a more “grownup” way by becoming an English teacher.

I ended up in a really amazing grammar class (Believe me, it had to be a nearly mystical experience to get me to pay attention to misplaced modifiers!), got into a challenging credential program at UC Davis, and ended up teaching high school  for about 7 years, if you include the agony of substitute teaching.  For some crazy reason, I thought staying home with my kids would be easier than teaching, so when my first son was born in 1985, I left the public schools and found out what real work was. I tried to write during those early years at home—but I really didn’t know what I was doing. I muddled along in a writing group for quite some time before  I answered an ad in the paper for a features writer for a wonderful local paper called the Petaluma Weekly News. Writing for them taught me a lot about having a point and sticking to it.   In 1994,   I took a Sonoma State college course on writing personal essays from Gerald Haslam and that’s where the picture shifted. I learned a lot more about essays, thank goodness, but what I really discovered was my talent for editing other writers’ work. I began to see teaching and editing as my true calling. Since then,  I’ve tackled many kinds of projects and teach various genres, but I really love memoir and personal essay.

2)      When and why did you create Tiny Lights?

In Gerry Haslam’s fateful class, I got in touch with my desire to teach, but with my own kids approaching adolescence, I did NOT want to go back to high school!  I wasn’t qualified to teach at the college level. What to do? Somehow I got it into my head that I could start a magazine (??!!?) and thus combine writing, teaching, and editing. And I would pay for its cost by running a contest with a $5 entry fee. This was in the days when you advertised for an event like this by making flyers and putting them up around town. I got very lucky and the Petaluma Weekly News did a story about my plan, so I got about 50 people to enter. I managed to cover prizes, printing and mailing costs, and I still think the material I got to publish was incredibly good. I got some other lucky breaks in the early years, too, like having a son who created a website for me at the dawn of the Internet Age, and a friend who has a bulk mailing house so I get a better rate for postage, which has gotten OUTRAGEOUS. I feel like a dinosaur these days, not having made the transition to electronic submissions and downloadable content, but I also realize that with the way things are now,  no ordinary individual can afford to start a hard copy magazine like I did. It’s just too expensive. I would never go back to the dark times before email—I typed every single word that went into the magazine and literally pasted the illustrations where I wanted them to go.  But I miss the slower, more meditative pace of editing and publishing back then. It was more like making a quilt, when now it’s kind of like an endless game of Sudoku.  

3)      How much time would you say is required to “put it all together”?

This question had me laughing so hard I almost fell on the floor! Tiny Lights keeps getting bigger, but I’ve never added any staff. So the work associated with the hard copy editions, the online postings and the monthly e-letter is mine, all mine! I stopped feeling like I had it all put together about 6 years ago! It’s just a rolling ball of semi-controlled chaos. I feel terrible when I fall behind deadlines (like now!), but I’m trying to see the situation as an opportunity to finally learn to prioritize.  I’m one of those people who puts out fire after fire, never getting to the true  source of the blaze. If I could gaze down at the whole scene, I’d probably end up laughing about that, too. Look! She’s dousing those teeny fires while the river’s rising, the sky is falling, and all the horses, cattle and sheep are running out the barn door and escaping to the next farm!

Please come back tomorrow to read Susan's other four answers. My upcoming contest will pertain to both days of Q&As!

 "I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."--Og Mandino

Thanking Others For Their Kindness

Blogger Joyce Lansky wrote a nice review about the book she won from me: "Gone With a Handsomer Man" by Michael Lee West. You can read it here: Book Review. Thank you, Joyce! That was very kind of you.

Another Blogger friend, Patricia Preston replied to one of my comments and mentioned she was drinking her iced tea from a pretty goblet, as a little treat for herself that day. I thought that sounded wonderful and so I'm doing the same thing tonight! Thanks, Patricia! I'm using the goblet I recently took photos of, with shadows and light. I may have shown them before, too. I bought them at Goodwill a few months ago, grabbing every single one they had, (nine) in the same pattern, of course! They were only 50¢ a piece!

The newest Searchlights & Signal Flares is online at Tiny Lights. I've mentioned this wonderful site before. The editor, Susan Bono, is a very talented writer, teacher, editor and just plain great friend! Please check out this site. It's your chance to be published online, no fees, no fuss! (and yes, No Payment, but I believe that when you're a new writer, or even an experienced one, having something published and getting your name "out there" is sometimes a very good thing, even if once in a while you don't receive a payment for it.) Susan's printed and online journal is a class act. Check out all the details there. Susan is also presently looking for stories for her quarterly Flash in the Pan, 500 words or less. Check that out, too!

Oh! One more thing.You know how I've been searching for a quiet, out of the way place, for a personal writer's retreat?? A fabulous, very generous relative is permitting me to stay in her condo at no charge, although I offered approximately four times, to pay her something for it! Isn't that wonderful? I'm not going to divulge any other info. Just know that I'll be writing, writing, writing...and hopefully come back home with a much-closer-to-being-completed-book!

"Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes." -- Clare Boothe Luce

* Deadlines...Those Awful Deadlines *

I've always met my writing deadlines when it came to my newspaper columns. I submitted stories in time for contests and anthologies that I cared about. I continue getting my Searchlights & Signal Flares sent to Susan Bono as requested every month. SO, what is it with me and my self-imposed, complete-my-memoir deadline(s)??

Many times I've pondered this, talked about it with The Ronald, and discussed it with writer/blog friends. Last night while lamenting about it with a very good, non-writer friend, she spoke volumes of wisdom in just a few words. She told me I should be enjoying myself and having fun writing my memoir...make it a pleasure, not a burden. WELL! Although I've heard similar words of advice many times before, these really hit home. Sometimes it's the speaker and sometimes it's the listener, for the words to make sense and ring true at any given time.

Besides not making my deadlines, each time I would feel more foolish for writing about it here. I felt that besides letting myself down, I was letting all of my followers down, as well. That won't be happening any longer. I vow to enjoy writing my book and anything else I want to write, from now on.

Therefore, I will not be announcing any more book deadlines on this blog! I may share news of chapters being completed, or I may just wait until it's been sent off for galleys.

My apologies, too, for not getting around to blogs and commenting as much as I used to (try to) do. I know I haven't answered e-mails as promptly as before, either...or many missed replying at all sometimes. My mind has been in a fog, but like this beautiful spring weather we're experiencing today, I'm starting to bud and sprout again. Soon, I'll be blossoming!

(Photos from my front "garden" in 2008)

"You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again." -- Bonnie Prudden

“Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

* Anthology Acceptance & Other Writing Info *

First of all, I am thrilled to announce that an essay I submitted for the anthology, Cuivre River Anthology, Volume V, has been accepted! More on that at a later date.
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The newest Tiny Lights Sparks newsletter came out today.  Susan Bono is Editor-in-Chief ....extraordinaire! Please check it out, especially the section: Lights Online and then Searchlights & Signal Flares. That's where I submit monthly "answers" to Susan's very curious "questions". I've mentioned quite a few times, too, that anyone can submit their answers and they will be published online. There are no requirements, other than keep it "nice". There is no entry fee, judging, or money award involved, but "Hey...You get to see your work published!" I can't figure out why more of my writer friends haven't sent in some of their scathingly brilliant work!! Also, this month's "Featured Writer" is none other than fellow Missourian and great friend, Theresa Sanders (or Teri as most of us know her!) Why not go to the site and sign up for the monthly newsletter? Tell Susan, "Becky sent me!" ☺

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Welcome to my newest follower!... Betty Henderson, whose blog is Windy Ribbons. Betty's brand new book is just out: From Trash to Treasure; Evolution of an Ozarks Junkyard. Just the title made me curious! I've included the link to High Hill Press, Betty's publisher, where you can read Chapter One, for free! 

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In an attempt to find A GOOD WAY to keep track of the submissions I've sent, PLUS keep track of places I WANT to send my writing to, I typed up a "Writing Schedule", which is similar to the one in Bylines Desk Calendar. Sylvia Forbes, publisher & editor, included a really cute Top Ten Reasons to Buy Bylines Calendar on the website. (Sylvia also came to speak at one of our Saturday Writers meetings and she was excellent.) I hope the writers chosen to be part of the 2011 calendar will be announced sometime soon, because I submitted something and haven't heard yet. Even if I don't make it into the calendar, I'm surely going to purchase one because it is so much more than a calendar. Find out more on the site.
Last of all:  Happy Writing.....and Follow Your Bliss!

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“I began to have an idea of my life, not as slow shaping of achievement to fit my preconceived purposes, but as the gradual discovery and growth of a purpose which I did not know” -- Joanna Field