19 years of Awful Waffles!

   I was out of my little easy readers so I ordered another set, and realized that the first one, Awful Waffles, came out 19 years ago!  I'll have to celebrate next year.  The good news is--all five are still in the current 2017 catalog! 
   I lined up my books and some of the magazines I've written for (to get a photo for my facebook author page) and my newly adopted ten year old cat Maggie May checked them out.

Hearing Crickets (and not hearing about submissions)

  Well, like Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part."  I heard from the agent on March 7 and I'm hoping to hear again soon.  According to Submittable, my October submission to Highlights is still "In Progress."  I attended an SCBWI event a few weeks ago which allowed me to submit to one of the editors there--and I'm hearing crickets.  I had what I thought was a wonderful time with a guy who looks a lot like Hemingway--and he hasn't called since.  Sigh....
    But, I'm making some progress while I wait.  I bought a domain name, although I'm not sure yet how to make the most of it.  I found a manuscript I wrote 16 years ago, and it needs work but it's worth editing.  I realized I own the rights to a long poem which appeared in Spellbound years ago, so I may send it out.  I sent a short "action rhyme" poem to High Five.  I've been going through old notebooks and hand-outs from conferences past.  I hosted a meeting of our local writers, and I started volunteering to shelve children's books at our nearby library.
     When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  When life gives you crickets--well, I'm not sure, but I will try to use my time wisely!

50 Words? Wow!

Dr. Seuss could do it, writing a classic using only 50 different words.  Today on his birthday, Vivian Kirkfield challenges writers to come up with a story using 50 words TOTAL!  Thanks, Vivian--using #50preciouswords is a challenge indeed! Here's mine:

Rules Unbroken

“No Picking!” said the sign. “I want that rose for Mama,” said Charlie. “But she says, ‘follow the rules.’”  “My Nana loves roses,” said Olivia. “But that rule…” “That beautiful rose would delight my wife,” said the old man.  “But rules are rules.” That night, hail destroyed the unpicked rose.

Valentines Day entry

  Excited to enter Susanna Leonard Hill's Valentine story contest!  This year's story must be under 214 words and involve a cake and confusion.  I've entered a rhyming story, 90 words long:  (and if it sounds a bit familiar, it is similar to the non-rhyming story I submitted last year.)

 

                                                           The Heart-Shaped Cake

By Deborah Holt Williams

 

My name is Jake.  I like to bake.

I want to make a heart-shaped cake.

But how? I don’t see how I can.

I don’t have a heart-shaped pan!

 

Check the cupboard, see what’s there—

A pan that’s round and one that’s square.

Hmmm…I know what I can do!

Cut the circle cake in two.

 

Turn the square cake just a bit.

Arrange the circle halves to fit…

When frosting covers every part,

My cake will be a perfect heart!

A Thankful Perspective

  Amid so many rejections, it's sometimes hard to feel thankful.  But I am.  I'm thankful for the many writer friends I've made through the years on-line, and for the occasional magazine sale that gives me hope.  I'm also incredibly grateful for a clear mammogram this fall, two years after my surgery, chemo and radiation.  After a devastating, blindsiding never-saw-it-coming break up, and months of crying every day, I've met a nice man who is helping me feel appreciated again.  I have train tickets to see my grandkids in Seattle for Christmas, which fortunately I bought before I got the $726 bill from my plumber, due Dec. 18th. Then again, I'm happy to have a house to repair.
   So I'm stepping back and putting things in perspective.  Looking just at my submissions, it's been a lousy year.  But taking the broader view, I have my health, a little romance, healthy grandkids and a warm home.  I have writer friends who can commiserate with me, and I have the drive to keep submitting.  And 2017 will be a brand new year to try again! Good luck to us all!

Rocky Mountain SCBWI conference in Denver!

    Yay, retirement!  Finally, Saturdays off, and I was able to attend the SCBWI event in Denver.  I found a cute, very clean mom&pop motel for lots less than the Marriott, which allowed me to buy books and get them signed for my grandkids!  I caught the last evening the outdoor motel pool was open, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, swimming while the sun set.
     I enjoyed the speakers and the panels, and I'm excited to hear that PB bios are a hot item.  A big reason to attend conferences is the chance to submit to editors and agents that are normally closed.  So, in the days following the conference, I have submitted three different stories. Let the waiting begin! 
   $235 for the conference, $170 for two nights at the motel, $57 for books, chance to submit--priceless!

Met with the director of the Ute Indian Museum

    We hugged, we got teary together--I've never had an interview like it!  The most important thing CJ Brafford wants children to know about Chipeta is that "Her greatest strength was her gentleness."  She feels Chipeta is working through me to tell her story.  She was so encouraging and helpful!  She's going to look over my manuscript, and she told me to contact another author who wrote a book on Chipeta for older kids who she knows will help me with mine.  I came out of that interview with my spirit soaring!