AGF INTERVIEW WITH NOVELIST DONNA FLEISHER-Part I

Part 1 of a three part interview runs today with novelist Donna Fleisher on www.agreaterfreedom.com that I did. She's a great person and the interview is one of the most inspiring (and funny...later) I've ever done. You won't be sorry for reading it! Visit Donna's website too! www.donnafleisher.com Next month I'll be posting a writing-related interview with Donna on my blog and I'll put a notice out as well.

Squirrel (Cheryl Wyatt)

WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE BY MARGARET DALEY

What I love about this book:

This is one of the books in Margaret's "The Ladies of Sweetwater Lake" series, published by Steeple Hill in their Love Inspired line.

WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE by Margaret Daley www.margaretdaley.com
ISBN 0-373-87355-7

Margaret weaves an intriguing story that starts tugging at your emotions from page one and doesn't stop until the last where she gives a wonderfully satisfying ending. I thought this book was unique in how she used married characters instead of unmarried characters who get together during the course of the story.

If you love children you will love this book.

If you love romance, you'll love this book.

If you want to see a beautiful portrayal of the sanctity of marriage held by two people longing to make their marriage work you'll love this book.

You can purchase it any day now from Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, possibly Sam's club, or visit your local Christian bookstore or Barnes and Noble or anywhere you shop for books. If they don't have it, ask the clerk to order it for you. You'll need the ISBN 0-373-87355-7.

Another way to get the book is visit Margaret's site (link above) or go to www.steeplehill.com, and navigate around the eHarlequin site until you find the buy link. If you don't want to miss the Steeple Hill collections, you can have them conveniently delivered to your home each month for the price of a pizza. It's well worth it.

Squirrel

OMINOUS CODE WINS 1ST PLACE IN JASMINE!!!

Finally! The book that nearly drove me mad with rewriting. And rewriting. And rewriting. The characters refused to obey the plot that I set out before them and therefore I tried to kill them off numerous times but they refused to die. They kept coming back to life and kept coming back to life. The hero is shaping up but the heroine needs a good old scorpion in her sleeping bag or something. But anyway...rewriting PAYS OFF!!!!!

So I'll try to sum up my contest finals and wins:

MANUSCRIPT CONTEST PLACEMENT

AMBIENT BETRAYAL 2004 Where the Magic Begins First!
OMINOUS CODE 2005 Jasmine First!
COVENANT SEAL 2005 Noble Theme First!
CODE YELLOW 2005 Heart of the Rockies Second
(Covenant SEAL) 2005 TARA Second
(Ambient Betrayal) 2005 Touched by Love Finalist

I know there's more but I can't find my sheet right now.

Thank you God, for the gift...and the gumption to write.

Thanks to contest judges and coordinators everywhere. My mss are better because of your service to the writing community.

Love, Squirrel

WRITING CONTESTS-PART 2

Contests for unpublished authors*

and links in no specific order except what pops in my head.

These are ones that have Inspirational category as of 2005 and 2006

Winter Rose Contest-Yellow Rose RWA chapter
hHeart of the Rockies-Colorado Romance Writers

Daphne De Maure
Genesis Contest formerly Noble Theme-American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)

Touched by Love
TARA formerly First Impressions
The Susanna
The Rebecca Contest www.leranm.com
Barclay Sterling
Jasmine
Golden Heart
Ticket to Write
Beacon

The Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America's "Happily Ever After" Contest * pubbed may enter in a category other than the genre they're pubbed in.

Contests with non-inspirational categories, or I'm not certain if they have one:

The Laurie-Smokey Mountain Romance Writers

The Perfect Pitch

Grand Beginnings-Northwest Indiana Romance Writers

Fab 5

Golden Acorn-Charter Oak Romance Writers

American Title


Realizing the Dream-Desert Rose RWA

Laurie Contest - Smoky Mountain Romance Writers www.smrw.org
FAB 5 Unpublished Sponsored by Wisconsin Romance Writers www.eclectics.com/WisRWA
Gateway to the Rest
Hook, Line and Sinker
Great Expectations Contest-North Texas RWA www.NTRWA.com
Marlene Marlene Washington Romance Writers www.wrwdc.com
Sharp Synopsis-San Francisco Area RWA http://www.sfarwa.com/contests/sharpcontest.asp/lsharp

Linda Howard Award of Excellence-Southern Magic Chapter http://www.southernmagic.org/lhcontest.html

Winter Rose-Yellow Rose RWA http://www.yellowroserwa.com
Merritt -San Antonio Romance Authors http://www.sararwa.com/merritt/2006_rules.htm

Heart of the Rockies-Colorado Romance Writers http://www.coloradoromancewriters.org/hor.html
The Laurie-Smokey Mountain Romance Writers http://www.smrw.org/contests/laurie/laurie.htm
The Laurie-Smokey Mountain Romance Writers http://www.smrw.org/contests/laurie/laurie.htm
The Rebecca -Land of Enchantment Romance Authors http://www.leranm.com/
Grand Beginnings -Northwest Indiana Romance Writers http://www.nwinrwa.org/Contest.html .
Golden Acorn -Charter Oak Romance Writers http://www.charteroakromancewriters.org
Dixie First Chapter-Magnolia State Romance Writers http://bellsouthpwp2.net/r/8/r81999/entryfm06.htm .
Fire & Ice Contest -Chicago-North Romance Writers http://www.chicagonorthrwa.org/contest.htm .
Enter Laughing Contest -Grand Rapids Region RWA http://www.grrrwa.org/contest.html
Where The Magic Begins-Romance Writers Ink
Lone Star
Romancing the Novel
TARA
Jasmine
Faith Hope and Love-RWA-Touched By Love

MINI-CRASH-COURSE ON WRITING CONTESTS-PART 1

I skitter around Steeple Hill's message boards www.steeplehill.com where we've been discussing writing contests. The next week or so I'm going to be posting information about contests that I'm aware of. Later I'll do a more comprehensive list of contests that do not have Inspirational categories. Besides this blog, there are places you can obtain a more comprehensive and ongoing list of upcoming contests.

You can join contest alert...a yahoo group that will send alerts to you about contests.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ContestAlert/ or email ContestAlert@yahoogroups.com

You an join RWA (Romance Writers of America) and order their RWR or Romance Writers Report which lists information about contests.

www.rwanational.org

Once a member of RWA you can join a wonderful RWA chapter called Faith, Hope and Love

http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org/

If you sign up for the FHL newsletter, Susan Alverson does a listing of upcoming contests with Inspirational categories in that newsletter which comes out every other month.

Another place to look for contests is to google search different RWA chapters to see what their annual contest is. I'll try to help you with that by listing some contests that I am familiar with. I've been a contest entrant, I've been a contest judge, and I've been a contest coordinator so I've been on every side. So if you have specific questions you may email me at anavim4him @yahoo.com and I'll be happy to help.


Squirrel

THOSE LITTLE RED RINGS

I have a BIG pet peeve about those little tiny rings from the milk cartons. If you don't pull them off then they sometimes fall in your cup...which grosses me out because I can't be sure eveyone who's fingers open the milk have washed their hands so now all the little germs that were on the ring are now floating around in the milk that I refuse to drink. So I poured the milk in the sink and the offending ring decides to take a suicide plunge down my garbage disposal...causing it to gargle louder as the tiny little ring is shred to bits and pieces. So anyway, I don't really have a point here except I needed a place to vent and rant about those little red, or blue, or pink depending on whether you use whole, 2% or skim milk. There's also 1%.

What are your pet peeves? C'mon...there has to be something. That way I don't look totally compulsive here.

Squirrel

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

This year was just to listen more than I talk. So basically to be more "others" focused than on myself...especially when it comes to my children.

Did you make a resolution? If so, what was it? I'd like to hear about it.

Squirrel

BLUSH AND CRINGE

If you're going to gripe.....don't wear a name tag. That works both ways. Snicker. As some of you know I've been struggling with chronic pain for two years now. There is not one single second where I don't hurt in my hip and leg area among other places which will remain unnamed. So anyway, this week they found the problem...they think. Severe hip dysplasia with a torn labrum...which is the soft tissue/cartlidge ring that cushions the hip joint. They found this on MRI but the diagnosis will be confirmed with an arthroscopy soon. Anyway, the receptionist at one of the doctor's offices I went to was, has been RUDE, RUDE, RUDE to me every time I've called or went in. So anyway the last time I blew up at her. "What is your name?" I demanded, intent on writing a letter of complaint. I feel all proud of myself because I stood up for myself...(people I've been really patient and understanding and gracious through this entire process..I'm telling you this woman has no business working with the public. She has no phone manners or people skills. She's downright hateful.) So I leave there and look down to where I saw her smirking....

Blush. Cringe. I still had a sticker from my children's room at church that had "My name is (my name)" and at the top it had, "You must return this form in order to pick up your child."

ROFL. I nearly suffocated laughing in the car because in reality I really did throw a tantrum of epic proportions in the office. Pain will alter your personality people...so for all of you who've thought about me what I've thought about this woman...forgive me. I know I've been a witch with a capital B sometimes.

The sticker was just too much...but I guess you had to be there.

Cheryl

MORE REVAMPING

Okay,

In order to streamline my blog, this will now be a writing-related blog only. When I'm freed up time wise I may start a different blog with other stuff on it, like pics from India, etc. etc.

Thanks for being patient as I revamp!

Squirrel