Writerly News for Young Writers--"Dream Power" Writing Contest

Attention young writers! If you love to write, and dream of being published someday, now's your chance. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of its award-winning fantasy, The Dark Dreamweaver, Imaginator Press is seeking creative stories for its "Dream Power" writing contest. Winning entries will be published in a "Dream Power" anthology, and have a chance to win an 8GB iPod Touch or iTunes gift card. The contest is open to children and teens 14 and under. Entries must be received on or before October 31, and related to the "Dream Power" theme. See the contest page here for details and a link to the contest rules and official entry form.

Writerly Workouts

For the next two weeks, Teaching Authors will feature back-to-school writing workouts for teachers, writers and anyone else who wants to move his/her gray matter creatively. The series launched yesterday just in time for back-to-school. I've already bookmarked the first post. Check it out here.


Current read: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.

Of Vampires and By-Lines

In my quest to sate my appetite for vampires and all things undead, I've spent the last couple of weeks working my way through the House of Night Series by the mother-daughter team, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.

The series is such a popular one at our library that I've been forced to read the books out of order. Even so, between the characterization, world-building, pacing and suspense, they're really working for me, enough so that I'll likely invest in my own copies.

Current House of Night read: Chosen.

On the clips front:
The August issue of Family Time Magazine hit the newsstands today, featuring an article by yours truly. My story focuses on a local mom whose daughter was struggling with learning disabilities and developmental issues, but is now showing marked and measureable improvement thanks an innovative new treatment approach called Brain Balance.

Doctor's visits, Deadlines and Dog Parks

E, Jewel and I spent all day downtown yesterday at Children's. We thought the appointment with Dr. L would be routine, fully expecting to get the clearances we needed for E's surgery on the August 20th and be on our way before lunch. Not.

Turns out E's anemic--again--which means the issue from March isn't resolved. Frustrating thing is that if the numbers don't go up, they could be a deal breaker for surgery. We need clearances from the hematology folks before surgery's a go. Before we can get clearances, we need to see the hemo folks again. Their next available appointment isn't until after August 20th.

Insiders are working on the Powers that Be, hoping they'll bless E with the golden ticket needed to win a seat at a clinic before surgery. The problem is we're talking hospital time here. Even if we get said seat, there's no guarantee the low numbers will be resolved in time. *Pauses to take a long meditative breath.* Can you spell roller coaster ride?

While waiting on the Powers that Be, I'm focusing on my next Family Time article. It's due Friday. The subject is dog parks. In addition to interviewing area dog lovers about why they go, E, S and I ventured out to a local park. What fun! In less than a half hour's time, our labs, Buffy and Jewel, made three new friends, Diamond, a sled dog with remarkable blue eyes, Bailey, a sweet chocolate lab puppy, and Nadine, a tail-wagging Shepherd-like mutt with an attitude.

Jewel and Buffy came back exhausted, but happy. For anyone who's ever owned a dog, you know why the exhausted part is so huge. We're already planning our next visit.

FYI, the article's scheduled to run in September. I'll give everyone a heads up when it hits the newsstands for sure.

For Every Writer's Toolbox: This is Just Too Cool

I've been meaning to write about a really cool game, one I believe belongs in every writer's toolbox for days when you need to coax the muse out to play. The game is called Crayon Physics. The shapes you draw on your screen will move, tumble and roll, depending on how and where you place them. This in turn affects the scene on your screen, and helps you build contraptions reminiscient of Mouse Trap and, ultimately, experiment with physics. Brilliant. There's a free downloadable demo on the website. I dare you to play it without smiling.

In my Spare Time (and In Between E's Doctor's Visits)

Most recent reads:

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.


The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff.


Current read: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

A Wake-Up Call from My Muse (and April Halprin Wayland)

I subscribe to the belief that there are no coincidences in life, only God incidences. Yesterday was no exception. After writing my post about how difficult I expect the next month to be in terms of finding butt in chair time with my characters, I read this entry by April Halprin Wayland on the Teaching Authors blog about writing time (and the perceived lack thereof.) Thanks for writing your post, April. The way I see it, you were the equivalent of a phone call from my muse.