** And The Winner Is....**

We've all heard how hard it is to judge a writing contest, or to select the best of the best for an anthology, and believe me...that is so true.

I received twelve submissions for my writing contest, based on a photo prompt. All the stories were so unique and had their own individual voice. I barely glanced at them when I received each e-mail, because I didn't want to begin judging while the person's identity was fresh in my mind.

Tonight after I printed each story, I cut out any name or e-mail address, and gave them to The Ronald to read. After he made some decisions, I read all of them and made some of my own decisions. A little discussion began and then I was the one who ultimately made the final decision. (By the way, The Ronald was really pleased to be part of this and took it very seriously!) Thanks to all twelve who took the time to write a story and submit it. I really appreciate it and I thought it was lots of fun, hopefully for you, too.

THE WINNER IS: BOOKIE - CLAUDIA!  Coming in at exactly 100 words.  Below is her story:

Addy swung her worn boot into the truck, brown leather faded white from work. She drove down the bumpy lane’s fresh wash outs, bouncing with a bronc rider’s grace. As she passed the Winston place, she saw an autumn scarecrow waving. None of that fall frippery for their place, only work.

When she pulled into the farm store, she saw a painter’s palette of robust hues. The uninhibited colors took her breath away. Pumpkins nestled among mums like perfect harvest moons, something she hadn’t witnessed in years.
Driving away, her cargo included orange and yellow mounds.

What would John think?

I chose this one because the story took me along with it. I was right there with Addy, as if I was riding along in the passenger side of the truck....and smiling silently as she headed home with her somewhat forbidden cargo! Great job, Claudia! Please e-mail me and let me know which book you'd like to add to your prizes.

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." ~ Elmore Leonard

** Sunday Synopsis **

* The twelve (12) contest entries have been printed. I cut out names and/or e-mail addresses, so when I sit down to read them, I truly won't remember who wrote what. Then I'll turn them over to The Ronald to read. After he gives his opinions, I'll read them again, and then.....voile'....the winner will be announced! That will happen most likely later tonight.

* A few days ago, I mentioned a Call for Submissions I received in an e-mail. But the information didn't make sense with what I saw, and didn't see, on the web site. (I couldn't find anything about Flashlight Memories!) I haven't heard back from them, but decided to go ahead and post the link: http://silverboomerbooks.com/submissions.html.

This is what the e-mail said: Flashlight Memories Silver Boomer Books is seeking poetry - 23 lines or less (this includes the spaces between lines and/or stanzas) - for the upcoming anthology themed Flashlight Memories. Flashlight Memories recounts memories experiences with reading, which produced lifelong readers.

Please submit your work according to the guidelines found at http://silverboomerbooks.com/submissions.html
Poetry deadline: October 5, 2010  

(Good luck and let me know if any of you figure this one out!)

* Speaking of anthologies......I have an announcement that is huge to me! I have just been notified that a story I began working on in April of 2009, has been accepted by Kiwi Publishing for an upcoming Thin Threads Anthology. Woo-Hoo!! Doin' the Happy Dance! I cannot tell you how much this means to me. The story I wrote and submitted was the first one I've ever written that wasn't about my own life. It was an "As Told By" story of a Hurricane Katrina survivor, her struggles and her eventual joyful life. She came from Mississippi to this area and I was fortunate enough to interview her and become her friend. To find out the rest of the story......well, you know what you have to do....buy the book when it comes out in November! I'll even autograph my chapter!  (Thin Threads accepts inspirational, true stories. Click on either link above and check them out.)

* One more thing. Just yesterday morning. (♫♪ okay, who just heard James Taylor's voice in your head ♫♪)
 The quote at the end of my post was, "So many books, so little time." (one of my absolute favorites!) THEN, last night I was at the mall, just kind of wandering and looking. And I found, tried on and bought THIS:

Isn't it adorable?? This white sweatshirt is so soft and comfy.

 

I couldn't get a good close up. The books say: Who's Who, Give a Hoot, Book of Wisdom, and under the steaming cup of coffee or tea, one of the books says Night Owl.

Is that too cute, or what??

I only wish it would've come in other colors. I'm afraid I'll have trouble keeping it clean! ☺

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." -- Henry Ward Beecher

** Contest: ADDITIONAL PRIZE! **

Just a quick post about the contest that ends tonight at midnight CDT.

I have 10 Entrants so far: If you entered and you don't see your name here, than I didn't receive it. Please e-mail and resend.

And the rest of you out there....You've Got Plenty of Time!! Give It a Try!

AND, I'M ADDING ONE MORE ITEM TO THE PRIZE LIST! I WILL INCLUDE ONE OF THE BOOKS I PURCHASED AT BIG LOTS! ......The Small Print: If you don't mind waiting until I've read it! Whichever one is chosen, I will read right away and then send it, but the other prizes will be sent asap!! ☺
Barb H.
Donna V.
Nancy O.
Kathy M.
Myrna
Jennee T.
Janel G.
Sioux
OJ
Claudia

*Note: As of 11:00 pm, I have 2 more entrants: Susan W. and June Freaking Cleaver! Good luck to everyone, and if I receive any more before midnight, I'll post about them tomorrow.*

"So many books, so little time" -- Unknown

** Fantabulous Friday **

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I love to use the words fabulous and fantastic (and marvelous!) In fact, I use them quite often, so my title for tonight combines at least two of those words. I could've squeezed a portion of "marvelous" in somehow, but I didn't want a Fabrication Friday! ☺

I really don't have much else to write about tonight, other than to share my feelings of what kind of week I've had. It's been a weird one. Some of what I've learned or experienced first hand, I may blog about later. I'm not sure yet. Please forgive me if I sound mysterious or dramatic, because that's not my intention at all. It just hasn't been my "normal" kind of week, and here I am, late on a Friday night, and the title of my post is Fantabulous Friday. The good has totally outweighed the bad, by far.

One of my firm beliefs is that no matter what the day brings.....it's like the weather: It will always change! And part of that change can truly be controlled by me. I can choose to change my attitude. I can choose to turn around and make a difference. I can choose to let things get me down, or I can concentrate on the wonderful, fantabulous parts of life.

For my quote tonight, I'm going to post something I just heard this morning and it really grabbed me. It will probably end up as one of my main quotes! It's part of the lyrics from a song called "Anthem" by the fantabulous Leonard Cohen.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in. -- Leonard Cohen

** There's Still Time to Enter Contest **

Hey everyone! Please remember to enter my 100 Word Contest I posted on September 11th. You have until midnight tomorrow (Saturday) night CDT. Come on, give it a try! It'll be fun! NO entry fee, and you just might win. You don't even have to be a "writer". Just look at the photo I posted and write a little story about it, 100 words or less.

And remember, The Ronald is helping to judge. I'm going to print the submissions, without any names listed and he'll read them like that.

You don't know what you can do, if you never try! Join in on the fun!!

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." -- Edmund Burke

** My First Cloche -- Fall Decor **

Hey Everyone, I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for her Fall Cloche. This is my very first attempt at decorating, using a cloche. I had never heard of them until I saw summer ones at Marty's beautiful blog!
Definition of a Cloche: Glass bell jar, first used by the French to protect an early garden plant. Who Knew?!

I bought this cloche at Hobby Lobby and the wooden stand at Michael's Crafts.

I think the bird is a pheasant!

The other decorations are from my storage box, plus a couple of new items.

I realize already that I should've staged this much better....pretty doilies, different table, etc. I'm almost embarrassed to post it, but I was so excited about doing this......I promise to do better next time! ☺

* P.S. I forgot to mention that I also bought the beautiful bird at Hobby Lobby. It was one of the 50% items of the week....of course!

AND

* I guess I didn't explain it correctly that Marty at A Stroll Thru Life, posted some gorgeous examples of cloches on her blog, to give everyone ideas on how to do this! After reading everyone's sweet comments this morning, I wanted to make it clear that I would've never thought of this myself!! Please go to Marty's and click on some of the other participants' cloches! Every one of them is unique and beautiful.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

** It's a Waggish Wednesday **

I just discovered a new word I like! Waggish. Depending on which dictionary or thesaurus you use, it has various/similar meanings, but most are: cheerful, humorous, amusing. I'd say that sounds a lot like me!

Just a few short things this early morning: My blog friend, Mollye at http://mizmollye.blogspot.com/ is having a Clearance Sale on a lot of lovely craft items; lace, scrapbook paper, wallpapers, yarn, rubber stamps, ribbons, etc. If you're at all interested, please jump on over to Mollye's, because, She's A Doozy!

Because of the many comments about receiving a used book as a contest prize, being acceptable, that's what I'll do in the near future. I'll give away one or more of the many books I've already read. Details will follow when the time comes!

NPR Three Minute Fiction Contest  Have you heard about this contest? Click on the link and check it out. If your story wins, it will be read on NPR -- National Public Radio! Wow! Talk about a major listening audience!

I received an e-mail about a Call for Submissions for an anthology (Not Chicken Soup for the Soul). It didn't quite make sense after I got to the website, so I don't want to post it yet. I'll let you know what I find out.

And with that, I say Adieu!

"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

** It's Monday ... "Car 54, Where Are You?"

Don't ask me where THAT title came from because I have NO idea! It just popped into my head, the way most things do that I write about!  Yeah, I know... scary, isn't it?!

I completed another little task today pertaining to marketing of my book. (I'll be so glad when I won't feel like I'm doing everything backwards...and The Book is OUT THERE!) This was one of the things listed on the "Pre Published - Lay the Foundation" Parts 1 & 2 that I mentioned the other day. Gosh, I wish I could remember where I read that, because I'd love to thank the writer and give her/him recognition. This was #5 on the list: "Invest in a P.O. Box at your local Post Office. You will be mailing promotional items....."etc. I thought that was a great idea and would be much more professional, especially when those checks start rolling in! ☺

I told the clerk I probably won't be getting any mail in it for years and then added, "I guess I'll have to mail myself something", and she just cracked up. I also bought a page of the new Katherine Hepburn 44¢ stamp. What a fabulous actress she was!

Okay... I didn't mean to ramble on so much. NOW, I want to tell you about those 5 books I bought last week at Big Lots. I am so excited about them! Especially because the very first one I chose to read is SO good! I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I really, really do. It's called "The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times", by Jennifer Worth. I also discovered it's part of a series of three or four books, so Yippee! I'll have more to read by Jennifer.

The other books I bought that day are: "Hardly Knew Her", by Laura Lippman. This is a book of short stories.

"The Condition", by Jennifer Haigh. I'm familiar with this author. I read "Mrs. Kimble" a couple of years ago and really liked it, so I was thrilled to find this new novel.

This is "Homestead", by Jane Kirkpatrick. It's a memoir about "Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility". Sounds intriguing!

And lastly, another memoir, "The End of the World As We Know It", by Robert Goolrick. It's about his life growing up in the 1950's. (Hmmm, that's one of my eras!)

You know what "they" say.....Writers should read the same genre that they write. Or something like that. I love memoirs anyway, so that certainly isn't a chore for me to do!

If I can get myself to part with any of these after I read them, I may include one or more in another contest. Would y'all mind reading used books? I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that!

"Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out." -- Michael Burke