Likey Linky and Awards

I was given several awards this week, which I greatly appreciate, but first I wanted to ask that if you liked my Flash Fiction Campaign Challenge on Thursday, could you take a moment to click "like" on the linky list? I am number 291, which is a rather awkward number, as many won't get that far. I didn't think to mention the "like" thing in my initial post, as I didn't really understand how any of this was working at the time (things have been overwhelming lately, but it's September, so I suspect a lot of people, especially parents and students, are feeling the same).

Now to the awards!

From Jennifer, of Hunting Sea Glass With Wolves and Ms Saba of Of Thoughts and Words Thank you, Jennifer and Ms. Saba!

From Julie at What Else is Possible? Thank you, Julie!

For the Versatile Blogger Award, I am supposed to tell you 7 random things about me, while I'm to list 7 of my own blog posts for the 7x7 Award. I'm pretty certain people must be tired of random facts about me, so I'm going to combine the awards and just list 7 of my blogs that meet the requirements:

Most Beautiful: I'll have to go with a [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday for this one, so how about my Pikes Peak/Garden of the Gods panorama? It was this or Apache, but I'm feeling rather fond of the mountains today.

Most Helpful: I'm having some trouble on this one, but I think I'll say that my Publicity Primer post, where I passed on notes I'd taken from a Pikes Peak Writers' Conference workshop on how to drum up your own publicity as a writer, would be my most helpful, or at least most recent helpful post.

Most Popular: Technically, if I go by comments, my most popular post would have been my introduction in the Platform Building Campaign, but I think that's a bit skewed since that is introductions and not really anything I said (lol). Two tie for second place with number of comments, and those are my post for the First Campaign Challenge - Flash Fiction piece and the MC Blog Fest in Kieran's Voice (Kieran being the main character in my YA WIP).

Most Controversial: I don't really write about controversial stuff, but a discussion ensued on whether horror was actually dead in my Where's the Horror? post. So we'll say that's the most controversial.

Most Surprisingly Successful: For this one, I will go with a recent post-Top Ten Signs You Watch, Read or Write Too Much Horror. I was surprised it got so many comments because I was just playing around and having a bit of fun when I wrote it. See what happens when you relax? Other people have fun, too!

Most Under-Rated: I guess I'd go with Hangin' With the Cool Kids on this one, not because it's some spectacular post, but because I thought I might get more feedback on this than I did.

Most Pride-Worthy: Erm, I'll go with the two that are listed under "Most Popular," simply because they involved my coming out of my shell and sharing a little bit of my fiction world with you. This is something I've been afraid to do, and I've skipped some very fun-sounding blog hops because I was afraid to post any of my fiction. Since there were two in that category, I figure that evens everything out, anyway.

I am excited to announce that I will be interviewing Andrew Leon, author of The House on the Corner and blogger on the blog Strange Pegs. He has some interesting things to say about self-publishing, as well as the writing process, so check back on Thursday!

As I did not tag anyone in this, I'd love to see what anyone's answers are for the blog categories listed above. If you post about this, put a link in the comments. If you don't wish to make a post about it, feel free to put a link to your favorite blog post (one you've written) and I'll come check it out!

May you find your Muse.

First Campaign Challenge: Flash Fiction & Books, Brews & Bards Info

It's time for the first challenge of the Platform Building Campaign. Here is a description of the challenge from host Rachael Harrie's blog, Rach Writes:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

If you like this, you can press "like" on entry #291 here (in the linky list): Campaign Challenge Linky.

The door swung open and in stepped one tall drink of water. He swept the room with eyes that shone emerald like his scales.

A few men looked up, quickly returning their attention to the drinks they nursed in front of them. He stood there another minute as if waiting for something then drew three guns, two with his hands, one with his serpentine tail.

Guns ablaze, he wiped out the entire room, save myself and the bartender, who promptly passed out cold behind the bar. The stranger's tongue darted out, tasting death and liquor, then snapped back into his mouth with a dry rasp.

I couldn't help myself; I was drawn to his shimmering beauty and strength. I wrapped my body around his and rubbed my cheek along his neck, purring.

"I'm not into furries," he said, not even wasting a glance my way. He shrugged his shoulder, forcing me to pull back.

"What'd these guys ever do to you, anyway?" I asked. Behind the bar, the bartender groaned.

Without a word, the stranger holstered his guns and turned, briefly silhouetted by the glaring sun as it peeked inside, as if for a better look.

The door swung shut.

Microsoft Word says it's 200 words exactly, so there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it! If you posted to the linky list for the Campaign Challenge, I will be by this week to read your entry.

Also, I wanted to pass along a local poetry shindig called Books, Brews & Bards, hosted by Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District with support from Phantom Canyon Brewing Company.

There will be poetry readings by our Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, Jim Ciletti, and Poet Laureate Emeritus, Aaron Anstett, as well as a brewery tour and open mic for poets and aspiring poets. Click HERE for more information.

What comes to mind when you read this piece? What sort of genre, characters, scene do you envision? Have you tried your hand at flash fiction?

May you find your Muse.

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday 9/7/11

Since we just had a federal holiday, how about a federal picture?

This is the White House, photographed from the National Mall. There were five billion people there, due to it being Memorial Day weekend (boy, did we regret that one!). There were political rallies and bikers galore, as well as a parade. Best of all, we got to tour the White House, thanks to hubby's connections, which included visits to the Rose Garden, the Oval Office, the Press Room and the Situation Room(s). They had a groovy high tech phone booth for very private calls. Soundproof. We kept the kids in there for a little while and couldn't hear a thing. ;-p (I jest...mostly.)

Sadly, only photographs from the press room and outside the White House are shareable. There were parts of the tour where we had to lock up phones in little secure cases and swear on our future graves that we wouldn't take any photographs.

Also sadly, I did not get to have any discussions about how Capraesque the situation was. Guess the guards just weren't feeling chatty that day.

Five bonus points to anyone who can tell me what I'm referring to right there!

May you find your Muse.

Teaser Tuesday 9/6/11

If you're a Campaigner stopping by (or just someone who might like a bit of flash fiction), I will be doing my Campaign Challenge flash fiction piece on Thursday. I hope you'll come back by then!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This one is from a memoir, which makes it a tad different than my usual reading material, but I'm an equal opportunity reader!

From I Think I Can, I Think I Can, by M.J. Brett (a Colorado Springs author and member of my Pen Women group):

"Do old people think we don't understand what they're saying, or that we're too little to remember? I've thought about it a lot, and sometimes I think I remember most everything, but not the thing I most want to know."

The back jacket:

What do an unknown soldier, a Victorian zealot, Ferdinand the Bull, an old philosophical farmer, a mean Army colonel, a progressive young doctor, and a stepmother have in common? All become part of the thinking of an abandoned child who just wants to know WHY.

How she learns to accept what she can't change, and change what she can through forgiveness of herself and others is the crux of this tender tale of a child's view of the world. Her quest to find her origins and the why of the matter take her from a farm in Missouri to a stage in Hollywood, to a satisfying realization of the mysteries of life.

What are you reading right now? Care to share a teaser?

May you find your Muse.

Tag: 10 Random Facts About Me

I was tagged by Robin Weeks (@Robin_Weeks) from my Urban Fantasy group in the Platform Building Campaign, which means I need to tag four others and write ten random facts about myself.

I'm tagging:

T.F. Walsh (@TFWalsh), because I like her banner and I enjoy her mythological creature Mondays.

Tangynt (@Tangynt), because of an awesome website.

Liz at That's What Liz Said (@LizHellebuyck), because I like her banner, also, and she moved her blog, so why not help get people over to the new one?

and

Andrea S. Michaels (@words2live), because she's doing a fun "getting to know you" thing on her blog, though I haven't had the chance to participate yet.

10 Random Things About Me:

1. I have an overactive imagination.
2. Garden of the Gods is one of my favorite places.
3. I am addicted to pictures, as in ones I've taken. I love to take pictures and I love to look through my pictures.
4. I enjoy school so much I'd be a permanent student if I was rich.
5. I'm the oldest of five kids.
6. I'm about to have two kids in school, woo-hoo! (Though only one is in full-time).
7. I love baths, but rarely take them instead of showers.
8. I love autumn.
9. Halloween is my favorite holiday (I'm hoping to do some fun posts in October!)
10. I did not get any writing done this week (~slaps own hands~).

May you find your Muse.

Feature Friday Features: "Superman Sammy"

In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I would feature the blog Superman Sammy. It is written by Sammy's mom, who details what it's like being the mom of a boy going through treatment of ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia). She details his progress in kicking cancer's *ss and shares with us wonderful times, such as Sammy's Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World.

She has another son, Jack, and she features him in his own blog, as well. It is easy to overlook the child who is well, but she has very obviously not done this. You can find Jack's blog HERE and get an idea of what it's like to have a sibling with ALL.

May you find your Muse.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Project 52 Update & Awards

Did you know September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? We've all seen the pink stickers for breast cancer awareness, but the color of childhood cancer is gold.

This topic is near and dear to me, as one of my son's friends developed AML Leukemia when the two of them were 3 1/2 years old, just days before her baby brother turned 1. I learned a lot the year she was undergoing round after round of chemotherapy. It's shocking just how prevalent childhood cancer actually is, despite the fact that I very rarely hear about it. I understand why, of course. It's terrifying. No parent wants to think about their child getting cancer. I mean, isn't that just something you have to worry about when you start getting older? Isn't it something your grandparents have to watch out for? That's not even close to being true, of course, but the face of cancer we typically see is older. How common is childhood cancer? Here's a quote from the National Cancer Institute to give you an idea:

In the United States in 2007, approximately 10,400 children under age 15 were diagnosed with cancer and about 1,545 children will die from the disease. Although this makes cancer the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children 1 to 14 years of age, cancer is still relatively rare in this age group. On average, 1 to 2 children develop the disease each year for every 10,000 children in the United States. Source.

I'm not typing this to scare anyone, which is why I posted the above quote. While the number was more than I thought, it does state that it is "relatively rare in this age group," this age group being children 1 to 14. I do think, however, that it is important to shed light on an under-publicized portion of the cancer population. All cancers are not created equal when it comes to research dollars, and there are many worthy charities out there fighting to find answers to why children develop cancer. In addition, there are charities that work to provide housing for the families of child cancer patients (Ronald McDonald House, for instance); programs that help children through their treatments by bringing them toys, activities, wigs, and other special items; places like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which help give children who are suffering something to look forward to.

An all around wonderful charity supporting research and family assistance is Alex's Lemonade Stand.

My son's friend is in remission and is currently in first grade. She's doing wonderfully, thanks to her doctors, her family and many charitable groups who helped along the way. The last two years, we have attended something called The Miracle Party. At this party, children who have, or have had, cancer get to party like rock stars. They're honored in front of everyone for their bravery and strength. It truly is such a phenomenal night.

Now for a quick update on Project 52!

I have scratched out #26: Complete work on Pen Women scholarship and distribute information. Done! As a reminder, this scholarship is open to Southern Colorado women, 18 and up, who are seeking advancement and/or enrichment in areas of art, writing and musical composition. For more information, CLICK HERE.

I am making progress on several other items on my Project 52 list, but most of them are long-term projects. Still, yay! If you'd like more information on Project 52, please click on the logo on my right sidebar.

Lastly, I received two blog awards from Rachel Pudelek at Rachel-Dreamer, Bread Baker, Story Maker. Rachel is a mom and an aspiring author who blogs about writing. Thank you so much, Rachel! I hope you don't mind if I fudge on the rules for now.

I think there were other things I wanted to talk about, but this post is more than long enough, eh?

May you find your Muse.