My News
Good Morning,
Pandemic! National emergency! Closing our country’s borders. Shortage of toilet paper and hand sanitizers. Are you in panic mode? Are you searching for a scapegoat? Please don’t. If you can, self-quarantine. Buy the supplies you’ll need to live at home for a month, but try not to hoard.
Friends, is that advice easier offered than followed? It is for me. The third book in my Silent Series is titled Blame for a reason. When things go wrong, most of us seek someone to blame. But will it solve the problem? Rather than seeking a group to single out and blame, we must work together to solve our problem.
I’m proud of many of my fellow Americans who are doing just that. Thank you for coming together to help. I love the hilarious GIFs people have shared with me. The toilet paper shortage, while troubling, has provided a chuckle. As Shakespeare demonstrated in his tragedies, when we are overwhelmed by tragedy, we turn to humor as a defense mechanism. Thank you all who have helped me by sharing toilet-paper jokes.
In Blame, Jacob’s girlfriend’s nickname is Squirrel. It’s because she’s a hoarder. That characteristic she inherits from me. I tend to hoard, but I’m trying not to buy all the toilet paper in Volusia County, Florida.
Hand sanitizer is another thing. My friends will tell you, like Jacob, the main character of Blame, I carry hand sanitizer with me always. This habit has resulted in my dry, chapped hands. You don’t want to shake my hand. It feels like sandpaper, so in addition to hand sanitizer, I must carry hand cream.
I’ve resisted the urge to order all the hand sanitizer Amazon sells because I’ve been hoarding it for years, and I plan to stay home and clean the house with Clorox. Early in our marriage my husband came home from work and said, “Not everyone is as crazy about the smell of Clorox as you are.” I guess he’s right, but answer one question for me please. Are you welcoming the smell of Clorox, when you enter a restaurant, hotel, public bathroom, hospital, or grocery store these days?
If you’ve read my books, you know I usually write about serious issues. I write to right wrongs. Today, I’ve tried to write to suggest we take time to laugh during this difficult time. We must not allow ourselves to get too depressed. Laugh. It’s easiest for me to laugh at myself. I’m very imperfect. I could write for years giving my characters foibles from my own life.
Thank you for visiting My News. Stay safe, but take time to smile today.
Good Morning,
Thank you for visiting my site. If you are here because you read on my Facebook page that I’d give you more information about this year’s collections contest, thank you. Illusions is the theme. You must write a short piece to the theme. You may write an essay, short story, or poem. Your genre choice may be fiction or non-fiction. In fact, you may write two pieces. I usually write one prose piece and one poem. My husband, Barry Dimick, usually writes something based on his life experiences.
Follow this link for complete details and guidelines. https://floridawriters.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-Adult-Collection-Contest-Guidelines_Final_2019_1230.pdf
Keep your entry short. Read and follow the guidelines. Fiction, non-fiction, essays
(maximum: 1,200 words), and poetry (maximum 50 lines). The contest is open to Florida Writers Association members, but you don’t have to live in Florida. You may pay membership dues online from the Florida Writers site.
Good luck!
In addition to playing pickleball and pinochle together, Barry and I belong to the same writers group. We help each other by critiquing, editing, and attending conference together. We even did a two-hour radio interview with Mary Flynn, a fellow Florida Writer and radio host. After that, we spoke for Nylda Dieppa’s Maitland FWA writers group about our experience.
A misconception many people have is that authors write books and then sit back and wait for royalties. In the world run by Amazon, to be successful, one must do more than write a good book to get sales. If you want to write for a living, consider learning techniques for marketing, but there’s one technique we should forego.
Many will tell you a good handshake is important in business, and writing is a business. But I think it’s time to reconsider shaking hands. The coronavirus is a clear and present danger around the globe. Let’s face it. Not everyone washes their hands to the tune of Happy Birthday. Ever wonder how many hands the person shaking hands with you shook before he or she offered a hand to you?
Consider replacing a handshake with a polite bow. It’s a courtesy, a sign of respect, and it will save you from those who squeeze your hand hard enough to bruise your fingers by pinching a finger against a ring.
Stay safe. If you decide to shake hands, wash them as soon as you do, or do as Jacob, the main character of Blame does, keep hand sanitizer in your pocket. Go through life with a loving, lovable partner and spend time together. Jacob has Dallas (Squirrel). I have Barry.
One final morsel of advice. If you haven’t started keeping a journal, start now.
Aspiring and Floundering Authors Take Note
My website cost me thousands of dollars. If I were more technology savvy and could have designed and created my own visuals, it would have been less expensive. To sell books, I purchase what’s called swag (bookmarks postcards, notepads, door hangers), give copies of my books to libraries, blog, advertise, hire talented graphic designers to draw attention to my website, and travel to book stores.
The road to being a published author is expensive for most aspiring writers. According to The Guardian, the average author makes a little over 6,000 dollars a year for writing. Most writers think until they breakthrough like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling, they must supplement their writing by teaching, editing, having a wealthy benefactor, being independently wealthy, or waiting until they retire and can live on their retirement income.
That’s what I thought before I met Linda Hollander, the “Wealthy Bag Lady,” author of Corporate Sponsorship in 3 Easy Steps. If you’re an aspiring author, I recommend you read her book and consider seeking a sponsor. It’s on my to-do list. I’m thinking I’ll contact Converse first. If you’re wondering why, read Silent Screams. What do you think? Am I running on track?
I’m praying for the breakout novel. When I did my taxes this year, I realized how much my writing is costing me. Is it worth it? Yes. I love high school students. If I can help one lonely alienated teenager feel more comfortable in his or her sneakers or prevent one tragedy, my writing will be worth the price. If like me, you have a story to tell, don’t give up, and don’t be afraid to have a sponsor help you fund your writing.
Thank you for visiting My News at www.melodydeandimick.com.
One in 6,000
Good morning,
Thank you for visiting My News. As you know, my latest book, No Parents Allowed came out last week. What you don’t know is it was the second book I wrote. When I first wrote it, the concept was great, but I had too many characters. It got rejected about five times. I couldn’t accept rejection at that time since I was new to creative writing and unaware that Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie had been rejected 473 times before being published and turned into a movie. I didn’t know Jack Canfeld’s Chicken Soup for the Soul had been rejected 144 times, or that Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance was rejected 121 times. Publishers even rejected Stephen King’s Carrie 30 times, but I didn’t know.
I put No Parents Allowed aside and starting to revise my book of poetry, Backpack Blues: Ignite the Fire Within.
I’ve been lucky enough to find a publisher, Taylor and Seale Publishing, and Dr. Mary Custureri has published three of my books. While I was revising another book, mental health issues came to the forefront on the news. I realized the time was right for No Parents Allowed because it deals with mental health issues teens and some adults deal with on a daily basis.
I went back to the manuscript for No Parents Allowed and cut. I did what Stephen King calls “killing your babies.” I eliminated characters, cut words, and changed outdated material. When the revision was completed, I sent it to an editor to be edited, and pitched it to my publisher. She loved the concept. Hope you will too.
Writing can be a lonely job. I get up in the dark when ideas poke me awake and won’t let me go back to sleep. It’s frustrating when publishers or agents reject my work, but there’s a possibility of finding help.
It is a literary agent’s job to find publishers for the writers they represent. They negotiate contracts and open the door to publishing houses that won’t accept submissions from authors who don’t have agents. Daily I wish people a Happy Birthday and recommend they check something off their bucket lists this year. My birthday is in sixteen days. On the top of my bucket list is find an agent. One in 6,000 authors is lucky enough to acquire an agent. I’ve decide this is the year to get an agent. Can I beat the odds?
What about you? What tops your bucket list? Is it something you can do without getting rejected? Hope so. Have a lucky day.
No Parents Allowed is now available on Kindle and in the print version. Ever move to a new school? Remember having to make new friends? Do you have a friend struggling with self-harm? If you know young adults dealing with mental health issues, please recommend this book.
Free
Did you know that reading for pleasure reduces stress, heightens empathy, improves test scores, slows the onset of dementia, and makes us more active and aware citizens? Reading has been one of my greatest pleasures in life. Since libraries and bookmobiles lend books, reading is free.
One year when I taught English at Northern Adirondack Central School in Ellenburg Depot, New York, the principal allowed the English teachers to teach an elective course of our choosing. I chose to teach a course titled Reading for Enjoyment because if we find the right book, reading is fun. I wanted to share the pleasure of reading with my students.
The National Endowment for the Arts annually supports approximately 75 dynamic community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read selection. The NEA Big Read is designed to both revive the role of literature in our country’s culture and to encourage Americans to read for pleasure and enjoyment. Wouldn’t it be nice if it also makes us kinder people?
This year in Volusia County, Florida, the NEA Big Read book selection is Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. I participated in a Panel Discussion: Unraveling the Mystery of Writing sponsored by the Daytona Writers Guild. The panel moderated by Dr. Mary Custureri, was offered for free at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach.
On Friday, at 10:30 in the morning, award-winning playwright Ann Magaha will present insights into Ms. Ng’s book. Please join me at the DeLand Regional Library for this event.
The NEA Big Read: Central Florida begins April 1. The NEA Big Read will partner with Central Florida’s Veterans Legacy Program to acknowledge Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Check out UCF Celebrates the Arts 2020 and your local library to learn about events and activities in Central Florida.
Don’t live in Central Florida? Contact your library to learn what free events are planned to celebrate books and reading in conjunction with the NEA. I’d love to hear what’s happening near you. Reading is free and fun. Please go to my website at www.MelodyDeanDimick.com. Click on Contact Melody and tell me about the book your community has selected and the events which will be offered for free.
Black History Month
It’s Black History Month, as if we could relegate all the contributions of Black Americans to one month. As most of my followers know, I’m a poet. I love to read and write poetry and enjoy listening to other poets read their poems. I’m proud of Noir Jente ‘s Breaking Bad Open Mic & Poetry Slams in DeLand, Florida. He’s brought culture to our city. I’ve enjoyed judging some of the events and being the sacrificial poet at one reading.
This morning, I reflected on some of my favorite Black poets. For example, it was a privilege to meet Toni Morrison and to hear Maya Angelou read her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. I love Langston Hughes’ blues poems and mention them in my book, Backpack Blues: Ignite the Fire Within. My book is modeled in part after Spoon River Anthology, but I give voice to young adults coming of age, not dead people in a cemetery.
But… my new favorite poems appear in the novel in verse, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Now I must confess, I may be biased because I write novels in verse. Novels in verse combine poetry and prose. Jason Reynolds hooks the reader from the first poem.
Watch for my work in progress to be published sometime in the future. In the meantime, who is your favorite Black poet? I’d love to hear from you.
Note Barry Dimick is wearing his coat. I was wearing three layers of clothes. We were both very cold at the Florida Heritage Book Festival in St. Augustine, despite the great workshops. Reminder: When you attend a conference at a hotel, bring layers of clothes if you want to stay comfortable.
Be sure to attend conferences. I met my editors and publisher at a previous Florida Heritage Conference. One can hone writing skills by listening to fantastic speakers.
Sharing Ending Note From Robert N. Macomber’s Winter 2020 Newsletter
As many of you have heard me say over the years, I strongly believe literacy is the crucial bedrock of an educated electorate and a healthy democracy. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to assist the FL Writers Foundation [FWF] in their mission to promote “literacy by enhancing writing skills and creating a love of reading in children and adults” with two unique events.
At the FWF’s Celebrity Dinner on Wed., 14 Oct 2020 [Hilton Orlando in Altamonte Springs, FL], you’ll get a chance to savor exotic cuisines from Peter Wake’s world, and, as the host, I’ll lead you through the celebratory evening with stories, multi-lingual toasts, insider revelations, and all sorts of fun. Get your tickets today to support this effort, plus reap the added bonus of receiving one of the first released copies of my next novel, Word of Honor. https://floridawritersfoundation.net/dinner
But that’s not all … The next day, I’m putting on a Writers Workshop about “Literary Arts and The Writing Craft.” Plan on a day full of inspirational yet practical tips and stimulating brainstorming about storyline styles, word bombs, character illuminators, plot insinuators & story punctuators; the veritable what to-do’s & not-to-do’s.
So, if you are a writer, hope to be a writer, or want to help someone who is a writer, you’ll not want to miss this on Thursday, Oct. 15th [9am-4pm]. Sign up & support the FWF, a 501©(3). https://floridawritersfoundation.net/workshop-sign-up
2020 has proven to be busy, pleasant, and productive for me, and I am looking forward to spending time with you this year at various places around the world. In the meantime, though, I’ve got to get back to work on my three current book projects!
Onward and Upward, my friends,
Bob
Robert N. Macomber
The Boat House
Pine Island, Florida