My News

After the proof has been accepted, many writers order author copies of their books to sign at local events and to give to family members and friends. My husband, Barry Dimick, is expecting his memoir, Second Son Growing Up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, to arrive today. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has delayed his launch party 🎈 What event in your life have you put on hold because of the pandemic?

Why I’m Smiling

As it has been for most of my friends, 2020 has been a Ferris-wheel ride for me. I said Ferris wheel instead of roller coaster because I’ve had some exciting and a few down moments on Ferris wheels. In my first novel Silent Screams, one of my main characters, Layla has a scary Ferris wheel ride. 

Like most people the coronavirus has ruined many of the events I’ve planned to attend, turning them into virtual events. I’m a people person, so I was looking forward to attending our Florida Writers Association banquet next month to learn if I’d won the Young Adult Novelist award. Now, the award will be given in a virtual ceremony. I’m still hoping I’ll win. 

Even if I don’t win the Royal Palm Literary Award Competition this year, I’m going to consider myself a winner because I’m a finalist, and I acquired an agent, Joyce Sweeney. Thank you, Joyce for representing me. 

What will make 2020 memorable for you? I’d love to hear what you’re hoping to acquire.

Thank you for visiting my site.

I’m a Finalist

Learn more about me and the other finalists. Fittingly, I’m a few after the ink blob with the word Discover. 

Thank you for your support. In the time of the coronavirus No Parents Allowed seemed to be a perfect read for teens and those who love them, but the book was written before the pandemic. Hope you’ll read it and review it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsa4iJKvM8w&feature=youtu.be 

Remember

Google Meet

Good morning. Thank you for visiting my page.

Yesterday, I met with Taylor and Seale Publisher, Mary Custureri, on Google Meet in preparation for our Daytona Writers Guild virtual meeting on Saturday.

It was my first Google Meet. My Florida Writers Foundation holds meetings on Zoom. In this time of the coronavirus, we must physically distance ourselves, but business must continue. Physical meetings have become virtual gatherings.

Socializing must carry on because most people aren’t meant to live in seclusion. As Barbra Streisand sang in Funny Girl, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”

And we need people. Feelings of loneliness and isolation can impact our mental health. Today is National Suicide Prevention Day. Reach out to friends struggling while quarantined with a phone call, or go to Facebook, Google Meet, or Zoom. Physically distancing does not have to be social distancing. We live in a virtual world.

Celebrate literacy 🎉 It’s International Literacy Day 📕 Did you know the Florida Writers Foundation sponsors grants to promote literacy?

To learn how to apply for a grant, please follow this link:https://floridawritersfoundation.net/educational-grant-program/

Enjoy a Safe Labor Day Weekend

Good morning. Thank you for visiting My News. Happy Labor Day. Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays because I believe in the importance of the American workers. Working gives us worth.

American workers create the products I relish. Today, I salute the workers who make up our middle class and thank the laborers some might call the lower class.

We’ve all heard of Bill Gates, Andrew Carnegie, Sam Walton, and Henry Ford, but have you heard of Kate Mullaney, Eugene B. Debs, Samuel Gompers, Matthew Wendel, or Mary Harris? The stories of working men and women tend to be forgotten or considered less important than the stories of the wealthy. They shouldn’t be.

If you work for wages, consider learning more about men and women who founded labor unions. Read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle or listen to the audio book, Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle, try a recipe from Matthew Wendel’s Recipes from the Ranch, Google “Mother Jones” on the internet, or visit the Kate Mullany House in Troy, New York.

Celebrate Labor!

Punching the Air

Thank you for visiting my blog. Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam appeared on the CBS Morning Show yesterday to promote Punching the Air, their new novel in verse. They whet my interest.

When I read the endorsement “Nothing short of a masterwork of humanity,” on the cover attributed to Jason Reynolds, I downloaded the book onto my Nook. Why?

First, Jason Reynolds is my favorite novel in verse author. His books are like potato chips to me. I can’t eat just one.

The second reason I purchased the book is I love and write novels in verse. Consequently, I support other novel in verse authors because as Ibi Zoboi said, “Life is poetry.”

Right now during this coronavirus pandemic and unrest in our country, I find myself somewhat powerless, seeking insight, valuing all life more, questioning the conduct of others, and punching the air.

Words matter. Good poets choose them carefully. The third reason I downloaded Punching the Air, is I was seeking words that speak to me.

Have you ever felt your friends abandoned you when you did or said something controversial? I thought the authors captured the essence of that feeling with the line “… best friend Lucas ghosted me…” The line also seems to capture the crux of what is happening in our country right now as we have split into factions.

Thank you for reading my blog. I’m hoping you’ll read a few novels in verse. Until mine comes out, you might want to start with Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. It is powerful.

Whether you publish traditionally or self-publish, the day the proof arrives is a day to celebrate 🎉 Here my husband, Barry Dimick, is holding the package containing his soon-to-be published book. When I say soon-to-be published, the soon is relative. Barry hopes his book will be available at Phoenix Book Stores in Vermont and on Amazon by October 1.

Publishing is no fly-by-night endeavor. It takes time and patience, but as you can see by the smile on Barry’s face, it’s worth the effort 😊

CORRECTION: EDIT: REVISE

GOOD MORNING,

Thank you for visiting my blog. I’m in a super mood this morning. For the first time in two weeks, my television, internet, and phone all work at once, and my husband is sitting in the recliner next to mine while I write. What are you happy about today? I’d love to hear. It’s time to celebrate what makes us smile.

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m fortunate to be the president of the Florida Writers Foundation FWF, a group that provides grants to schools, libraries, and other organizations in Florida promoting literacy. In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned Young Writers’ Voices, an anthology published by the young women of the Chiles Academy in Daytona Beach with the help of their mentor, Veronica Helen Hart. FWF provided the grant for the publication.

Ms. Hart reminded me that the publication includes poems and stories. I’m about to revise yesterday’s post. The beauty of word processing is it allows us to revise and edit our work. Since I make mistakes, I must proofread, revise, and edit.

Thank you for visiting my page, and remember the Florida Writers Foundation promotes literacy and provides grants. Contact me for more information.