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."