New Year...

Happy New Year Wishes - praying 2024 is a year of health, happiness, peace, and love for all - stay safe. See you in January!

Merry Christmas!

 

This picture was taken in the front yard of my old house some years ago. The figures were inherited from my grandmother. The manger was built by my husband and oldest daughter.

So far this year, we haven't had any freezes or snow. I'm sure we are due some.

Wherever you are, whatever your situation, I pray you all enjoy a beautiful holiday season full of your favorite traditions. May your best wishes come true.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Freebies and Traditions

There are only two weeks left until Christmas. Have you already finished your shopping, or do you wait until the last minute? If you tend to procrastinate, and you find yourself scrambling to find that perfect gift for someone - or even if you just want to treat yourself - this list of 25 ideas might help.

Whether you're shopping for yourself, a loved one, or just for some basic holiday ideas - this list has a little something for everyone!

1) FOR KIDS - If you have the Amazon app, you can download some children's Christmas books for FREE. While this link in specific to Christmas reads, there are some out there for non-holiday themed reads as well. To learn more: http://www.amazon.com/iMarvel-Christmas-Story-Books-Free/dp/B0062NFLBM

2) FOR KIDS - Interested in more free books for kids? This site offers both holiday and other popular reads for free: http://www.kcedventures.com/blog/free-kids-holiday-and-christmas-books-online

3) FOR MUSIC LOVERS - iHeartChristmas Classics offers a free variety of traditional and contemprary tunes to get you in the holiday spirit: https://www.iheart.com/live/iheartchristmas-classics-6137/

4) MOVIES FOR ALL AGES - 28 of the best Christmas movies on Youtube in time for the 2018 season:  https://www.lifewire.com/watch-christmas-movies-on-youtube-3486071

5) 10 SHORT CLASSICS - some of my favorites are in this list: https://ebookfriendly.com/christmas-stories-free-download/

6) 31 BEST CHRISTMAS READS - Classics most everyone will recognize and love:  https://www.bookbub.com/blog/2017/11/21/classic-christmas-books-to-read

7) CHRISTMAS RECIPES - nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit faster than some of my favorite holiday foods. Check out these free recipes: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/187/holidays-and-events/christmas/

8) Free, Printable Christmas Gift Tags

9) Free Christmas Card Templates

10)  Free Letter From Santa

11) Printable Christmas Coloring Pages

12) Free Christmas Party Invitations

13) Christmas Party Games That Won't Cost You a Cent

14) Christmas Word Search Puzzles

15) Free Christmas Sheet Music

16) Free Christmas Clip Art

17) Printable Christmas Tree Templates

18) Free Christmas Fonts

19) Printable Christmas Stationery

20) Printable Christmas Wish Lists

21) Letter to Santa Templates

22) Christmas Newsletter Templates

23)  Gifts Needs: 13 Can't-Miss Christmas Freebies You Didn't Know - The Krazy Coupon Lady

24) MORE MISCELLANEOUS - https://www.thefreesite.com/Seasonal_Freebies/Christmas/

25) 121 Christmas Freebies: Amazing Free Stuff to Celebrate the Season With - MoneyPantry

Are there any freebies out there that you want to recommend? What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? 

IWSG: Book Reviews

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

DECEMBER 6 QUESTION - Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave book reviews do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author?

MY ANSWER - I've done both - left a review for the book itself and as a favor to author friends. I believe in supporting authors and works you like.

How about you? When you leave book reviews do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author?

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

                                                          -Psalm 107:1 NIV

We are heading toward the week of Thanksgiving in the United States. I’ll be spending time with family, and hopefully doing very little actual work :-). I also plan to enjoy some of my favorite foods, reading, and writing time! 

I feel so very blessed. Despite the craziness of this year (working full time, attending college full time, and running my kids to all of their activities) I have so much for which to be thankful. Just as many of you probably do, this is the time of year I enter a particularly reflective mood. My heart is full of gratitude for so many things: I still have a job I enjoy, a home I love, and a family I adore. 

For some fun reading, here are ten reasons I'm thankful to be a writer.

I'm also extremely thankful for my online family. As a thank-you to my readers and fellow bloggers, I wanted to share a short Thanksgiving romantic fiction piece I wrote a few years ago (it's about 800 words long). I hope you enjoy! http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/2017/11/thankful-every-day.html

Want to impress your dinner guests? Try: https://parade.com/1072705/jessicasager/thanksgiving-trivia/

I pray you all enjoy a wonderful week full of what you need. Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for having in your life?

Win NaNoWriMo in Just 9 Days!

As most of you know, I chose not to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. I won't bother recapping my reasons now. 

However, if you are struggling to finish, or if you find yourself wishing you had joined in - it's not too late. There are two weeks left to November, and thanks to Melissa Maygrove I found the article How I Won NaNoWriMo in 9 Days.  

That's right - nine days! The author, Ava Jae, shares her tips to completing her work in such a short amount of time. She also offers statistics to show you how she achieved her goal. It's worth a look.

Best of luck and HAPPY WRITING!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? How are you doing?

Veteran Writing: Submissions Open

Happy Veterans Day (Week)!

Thank-you to all veterans and active military. We may not show it enough, but you are so very appreciated!

Ten years ago, my interview of Vietnam War Veteran and author Tim O’Brien appeared in Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 2.  

The publishers have since continued the tradition of supporting our troops. 

This yearly anthology presents essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and photography by military-service personnel, veterans, and their families. It is an annual series published by Southeast Missouri State University Press in cooperation with the Missouri Humanities Council's Veterans Projects and the Warriors Arts Alliance.

"The stories and poems of service and sacrifice are essential in understanding what has so broadly been termed 'the American experience.' For me, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors is required reading and worthy of a thousand tears."     ―St. Leger Monty Joynes, veteran, Vietnam

Books can now be ordered from the Southeast Missouri State University Press and Amazon.

Interested in submitting to Volume 13? They are already accepting submissions which are due by April 26, 2024. Contests and prizes will be awarded in each of the five categories. To learn more, please visit:  http://www.semopress.com/events/proud-to-be-writing-by-american-warriors/

Want to check out more "support America" reads? Chicken Soup for the Soul publishers have several books honoring veterans and their families as well. Try some of their titles such as: Military Families and The Spirit of America.

How about reading more veteran related material? Try Noir and Returning War Vet Sub-Genre, or Being a Veteran.

Have you thanked a Veteran for their service? Have you written with our military in mind? What military reads would you recommend?

IWSG: NaNoWriMo

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

NOVEMBER 1 QUESTION - November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

MY ANSWER - I participated a couple of times several years ago. While the process is interesting and I believe it's beneficial to some, the process just never worked out for me. I always seem to have a family emergency in November. Four years in a row now an immediate family member ended up in the hospital in November. So, NaNoWriMo fell by the wayside each time. Right now, it's not feasible for me to try again. I'm working full-time (two jobs) so I cannot dedicate the time this month.

How about you? Have you ever participated. Are you this year? Why?

The Next Fall Step

It's the last weekend of October and while many of you will be celebrating Halloween or Dia de los Muertos, others are preparing for NaNoWriMo and/or the next step.

No matter where you are in your planning, writing, or publishing journey, I thought you might be in need of some inspiration and advice.

https://nanowrimo.org/

Becoming Your Own Best Critic

Interview With a Gatekeeper: Riverheads Rebecca Saletan

Ask the Editor: An Interview With Sarah Cantin of St. Martins Press

Picturing the Personal Essay

How about you? What is your next step?

Fall Fun 2023

Fall temperatures have finally arrived in our area. Orange decorations, and pumpkin everything, seem to be surrounding us. We usually stay busy all month long with many seasonal activities: marching contests, Fall festivals, the Texas Renaissance Festival, etc. We also enjoy visiting the local pumpkin patches and Scarecrow Festivals.

If you prefer to stay home cuddled up with a good read instead of heading out to crowds celebrating seasonal festivals, try one of my suggestions from 10 Scary Reads to Terrify Your Inner Child.

I also recommend my short story "Lights Out" which can be found in Road Kill, Texas Horror Volume 4 from Hellbound Books Publishing: here.

If you're looking for something a little lighter, try my romantic Halloween short story (about 800 words): Madame Tooshkas Spell.

Interested in FREE scary books? Try one of these!

Need a few scary good costume ideas? Try one of these 10 Minute Literary Halloween Costumes and dress like your favorite characters.

How are you celebrating this season?

#WEP - October #FlashFiction Challenge - The Phantom of the Opera - Post October 18 - 20

  Welcome writers! Are you ready for a spooky challenge? For more specifics than I have listed here, or to visit the source: Write...Edit...Publish -- Online Writing Community: #WEP - October #FlashFiction Challenge - The Phantom of the Opera - Post October 18 - 20 (writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com)

Welcome to the October Challenge 

for WEP - Write...Edit...Publish,

The Phantom of the Opera!

Hey writers, Renée here with our next challenge. We chose the movie The Phantom of the Opera to inspire your writing for this month's WEP Challenge. 

Post October 18th to 20th, 2023

FLASH FICTION, POETRY, NON-FICTION, PHOTO ESSAYS...
POST OCTOBER 18th - 20th

1. SUBMIT your name and URL to the list below starting October 18th to the 20th
2. POST your entry according to October's prompt "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"
3. USE WEP in your Title and the Poster on your page. Post your word count.
4. STATE feedback preferences and give positive feedback as requested. See WEP Critique Page.
5. SHARE THE CHALLENGE on social media. Tweets are ready on the WEP blog.

Open to all genres - 1000 words maximum 

Email Denise or another team member if you have more questions:

den.covey@gmail.com  yolandarenee@hotmail.com nilabose@gmail.com

1.

Denise Covey

2.

Yolanda Renee

3.

Olga Godim

Autumn Writing

It's finally Fall, and we just had our first big cool front here in southeast Texas. Although, highs are still near 80, we are getting into the 50's at night. Just a few weeks ago temperatures were still hitting near 100 degrees. I'm glad to see the changing season. 

I'm also hoping to change and increase my writing output as I've been too busy to write as much as I would like lately. I'm teaching both high school and college classes, and my kids are involved in a lot of extracurriculars which require a lot of travel. Don't get me wrong - I'm grateful for everything we have and share. It can all just be overwhelming at times and writing continually takes a backseat when it isn't directly related to work. In that vein, I thought I would share some writing prompts - not all of them are season related, but you can make them such if you wish. I hope they inspire some wickedly wonderful Autumn tales!

1) Write a Fall or Halloween special for your favorite television show.

2) Design your own school of magic: what does it look like? what subjects are taught? Who are the teachers? What are some of the back-to-school traditions?

3) Create a legend about your city.

4) Write an acrostic poem.

5) Write about a Thanksgiving dinner attended by your favorite fictional character.

6) Write a scene from the POV of Alexa or Siri.

7) Create a fake news report.

8) Write a retelling of your favorite Shakespeare play.

9) Write a scene that takes place in your favorite bookstore or coffee shop.

10) Write about a character who has terrible luck.

11) Write a Fall scene without using the word pumpkin.

12) Write about the worst possible break up you could imagine.

13) Make up your own conspiracy theory.

14) Write a story that takes place in a corn maze.

15) Write a ghost story.

16) Take a favorite Christmas song and rewrite the words to be about Halloween, or Thanksgiving.

What are you writing? Are you trying any of these? Any other prompts you want to share?

IWSG:AI

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs. You can also join us on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG, or on the Facebook page.

Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.

OCTOBER 4 QUESTION - The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?

MY ANSWER - A lot of people are worrying about AI writing. If you'll remember, many worried electronic devices would replace physical copies, self-publishing would be the downfall of all publishers, etc. I think AI will cause changes, but not replace all writers. As we've seen from the writer's strikes already, many want laws put into place to prevent loss of jobs and identities. I believe society will grapple with this concept for quite a while.

2023 Banned Books Week

October 1 is the beginning of "BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2023". Below is a couple of lists of the most frequently challenged books.

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.

The Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged books list is compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and is based on or derived from communities across the United States. However, this year (2022) they increased their list to the 13 most challenged. See that list here.

Levar Burton is the Honorary Chair of this year's "BANNED BOOKS WEEK". You can learn more about him and this activities this week at: Banned Books Week | October 1 – 7, 2023

You can also view previous lists by year as well at OIF. The list of the most banned books for 2023 will be available in April of 2024. However, if you're curious about the most frequently banned books of all time in America:

TEN OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY CHALLENGED BOOKS IN AMERICAN HISTORY:

Some books have been repeatedly banned or challenged throughout history. This is a list of books that appear the most often on THE UNITED STATES banned books lists.

• 1984 by George Orwell
  Call Number: PR6029.R8 N49 1984
  Publication Date: 1984
  Reason: pro-communism ideas, sexuality

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Performed by); Emory Elliott
  Call Number: PS1305 .A1 1996
  ISBN: 0585363447
  Publication Date: 1999-01-01
  Reason: racism

• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
  Call Number: PS3537.A426 C3 1979
  ISBN: 0316769533
  Publication Date: 1951-07-16
  Reasons: offensive language, unsuited for certain age groups

• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  Call Number: PS3573.A425 C6 1982
  ISBN: 0156028352
  Publication Date: 2003-05-28
  Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for certain age groups

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Matthew J. Bruccoli (Preface by)
  Call Number: PS3511.I9 G7 2000
  ISBN: 9780684830421
  Publication Date: 1996-06-01
  Reasons: reference to drugs, sexuality, and profanity

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  Call Number: PS3551.N464 Z466 1997
  ISBN: 9780394429861
  Publication Date: 1970-01-12
  Reason: sexually explicit

• Lord of the Flies by William Golding; E. M. Forster (Introduction by)
  Call Number: PR6013.O35 L63 2003
  ISBN: 9780399529207
  Publication Date: 2003-10-28
  Reason: profanity, sexuality, racial slurs, and excessive violence

• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
  Call Number: PS3537.T3234 O2 2002
  ISBN: 9780142000670
  Publication Date: 2002-01-08
  Reasons: offensive language, racism, violence

• One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken kesey
  Call Number: PS3561.E667 O5 2002
  ISBN: 9780670030583
  Publication Date: 2002-01-28
  Reasons: profanity, unsavory theme, sexuality, and racism

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  Call Number: Adult PS3562.E353 T6 1982
  ISBN: 9780061743528
  Publication Date: 2010-05-11
  Reasons: offensive language; racism

If you would like more information about banned and challenged books, contact the Office for Intellectual Freedom at (800) 545-2433, ext. 4220, or oif@ala.org. Another god source of information on banned books is the "Libraries and Center for Academic Technology" site by Butler University: https://libguides.butler.edu/c.php?g=34189&p=217684