Calls for Submissions: Angel Encounters and Times to Remember

Here are two submission call outs to get your writing juices flowing over the next few months.

Earlier this week my writer-friend Sioux Roslawski reminded me about a call out from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angel Encounters. According to the guidelines on the CS website, the editors are looking for "stories from people who believe that they have encountered or been helped by angels." Their editorial preferences are quite specific, so be sure to read the complete call-out guidelines. The deadline for submission of a true story or a poem about an angel encounter is July 31, 2012.

The second call for submissions was e-mailed to me by Becky Haigler, one of the editors at Silver Boomer Books. The working title of the anthology is Times to Remember: A Pocketful of Holidays. According to Becky's e-mail, "When the phrase 'the holidays' is mentioned most of us quickly think of the end of the year and the period of Thanksgiving through Christmas. That time of year has produced many wonderful stories and poems from many talented pens. If you have a piece for that season, you may send it but we are hoping to include events from throughout the year in this project. Your chances of being selected will be higher with a well written essay or poem about Flag Day, or Arbor Day or the Watermelon Festival, etc. Surprise us." The deadline is May 31, 2012.

So, be an angel and take time to remember to check out the submission guidelines from Chicken Soup for the Soul and Silver Boomer books. Good luck if you submit.

Silver Boomer Books Call for Submissions on Widowhood

This morning I received an e-mail from Becky Haigler, one of the principals at Silver Boomer Books, announcing a call for anthology submissions.

The editors are looking for stories, essays, poems, and interviews on the theme of Widowhood for the anthology.

Short works, especially poetry, are favored. Their emphasis is on "quality rather than quantity."

The submission period opens December 1, 2011 and closes March 30, 2012.

Writers whose works are selected will be notified in August 2012.

Expected release date is October 2012.

For complete details, visit the Silver Boomer Books submission page.

Through the grace of God my husband is still alive, so I don't have anything to submit for this anthology, but I thought some of my visitors might be widows or have something to write about on the topic.

Good luck if you submit, and God bless you if you are a widow.

April is the Cruelest Month?

In his famous poem, "The Wasteland," acclaimed poet (and St. Louis native) T.S. Eliot wrote:

"April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain."

In many ways, April 2011 has not only been cruel, but devestating. Mother Nature showed her raw fury on Good Friday with the tornado that caused damage and destruction in Missouri and Illinois. Thankfully, no one was injured. Sadly, the tornadoes that whipped through the South last week left death as well as destruction. All who have been affected by these storms are in my prayers.

I was also saddened to find out that last week, New York Times bestsetting author Beverly Barton passed away from a massive heart attack. Beverly was a "steel magnolia" from Alabama and a robust and sassy romantic suspense author whose books I've reviewed, as well as interviewed for Bookreporter.com. Although I never met Beverly in person, after reviewing so many of her books and reading her answers to my interview questions, I felt as if I knew her--and I respected her as a writer.

That's the sad news about this past month.

Now for the good news:

My lilac bushes by the front porch are blooming, and their sweet fragrance greets me every day.



This week, my husband and our grandson spent time out at our country place in Osage County. Our grandson is on spring break. With all the rain, the Gasconade River (which abuts our property) is up, but it didn't keep them from having fun. The found several pounds of morel mushrooms and saw turkeys and deer. I can't wait until they come home later today day so I can see all the pictures they took.


My granddaughter had a good month, too. In the middle of the month she traveled to Columbia after winning first place and the right to represent this district in a state-wide leadership conference. Her soccer team won 1st place in a local conference and her team was undefeated (until last night). The team that defeated them last night "played dirty," with slide tackles and faking injuries when our players had breakaways. And sadly, one of her teammates was injured and had to be carried off the field.

April was also a good month for members of my critique group.

Alice Muschany won a 1st, a 2nd, and a 3rd place award in the sponsor and chapter categories at the Missouri Writers' Group Conference. Marcia Gaye won a 1st and a 2nd place in the sponsor and category awards at the same conference.

Claudia Shelton, also a member of my critique group received outstanding news. She is a finalist in the Daphne Du Mauier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense. Her unpublished category suspense (Please Be Careful) was among the five finalists. Keep your fingers crossed.

April was a productive month for me personally:

* I won 1st place in the President's Award category for Best Short Story at the MWG conference this month for published short stories. My story, "Criminal Minds," had been published in Hot Flash Mommas, A Shaker of Margaritas by Mozark Press.
* My personal essay "Read Away Vacation" was published in Flashlight Memories by Silver Boomer Books.
* Two of my short stories have been accepted for anthologies to be published later this year.
* I finished three reviews and two interviews for Bookreporter.com and Teenreads.com.

And finally, who could not be swept up by the pagentry, drama--and yes love--of the Royal Couple, William and Kate, in yesterday's ceremony in London?



Now that April is behind us, with its mixed memories and desires, I wish you all a wonderful month of May.

Good News and An Opportunity from Silver Boomer Books

Earlier this week, a writer friend and I had lunch with Becky Haigler, one of the principals of Silver Boomer Books. Becky is editor of FLASHLIGHT MEMORIES, a Silver Boomer anthology that accepted my true story "Read Away Vacation," as well as stories from a couple blogger buddies--Linda O'Connell and Cathy C. Hall.

Becky and her husband recently moved to the St. Louis area, so I thought it would be a good idea to welcome her to the writing community. Lunch was entertaining and enlighting. We talked about writing, publishing--and of course family.

Becky is excited about the soon-to-be-released FLASHLIGHT MEMORIES anthology. She told me the anthology should be going to the printer soon. When I asked about the cover, she told me it is a photo her dad took of her reading a book.

Shortly after I got home I searched to find an image of the cover and discovered it (photo above) on Sharpwriters.com, the website of Silver Boomer Books partner Barbara B. Rollins. Isn't the cover wonderful? I can't wait to hold the anthology in my hands!

Becky is also excited about Silver Boomer Books' latest call for submissions. The editors are accepting stories for a Patriotic/Military Anthology to be published later this year. The deadline is March 31.

If you have something that might fit, read the submission guidelines and submit by the end of the month.

If you submit, good luck!

An Early Christmas Gift and A Few Submission Opportunities

Last Wednesday I received an early Christmas gift from Silver Boomer Books out of Abilene, Texas. An e-mail from an editor informed me they would like to include "Read Away Vacation," in their Flashlight Memories anthology.

Yay! I'm excited because my essay is about how a program called "Read Away Vaction," put on over fifty years ago by the St. Louis Public Library , helped spark my life-long love for reading.

When I read an early draft of the essay to my Tuesday critique group last summer, they encouraged me to let loose and not to hold back my feelings. In my final revision I did just that. Once again, my critique partners proved how smart they are. (Thanks, guys and gals!)

For giving Silver Boomer Books approval to publish my essay, I'll receive a small cash payment and one contributor copy. I don't know the publication date, but after I find out I'll blog about it.

So, what does my good news have to do with you?

How about a link to the Silver Boomer Books Call for Submissions page with descriptions of anthologies they might (or might not) publish in the future:

* The Faith of our Mothers. This might not actually be your female ancestors, but it should be stories of faith of real women at least a generation older than you are. Of course people like Susanna Wesley fit, but look for the more obscure ones like Mary McKendree, the invalid mother of Bishop William McKendree, a physician, a general, and lots of other outstanding children.

* Out of the Kitchen. When Sarah T. Hughes (who much later swore in Lyndon Johnson as President) was suggested as judge of the 14th District Court of Texas in 1935, a senator made a comment about the need for her to stay in the kitchen and not take the job of a man. Women pioneers in all the professions faced this kind of obstacle. Do you have stories about them you want to tell?

* Life Spinning Moments. Sometimes a comment or an event pivots a life into a new and startling direction. What happened, and where did the spinning end?

For complete guidelines, including desired word count and proper format for speculative submissions, visit the Silver Boomer Books website.

Call for Poetry Submissions - Flashlight Memories

Here's a market for my poet friends.

Silver Boomer Books is seeking poetry of no more than 23 lines (including the spaces between lines and/or stanzas) for their upcoming anthology themed Flashlight Memories.

Flashlight Memories recounts memories experiences with reading, which produced lifelong readers.

Please submit your work according to the guidelines found at http://silverboomerbooks.com/submissions.html

Poetry deadline: October 5, 2010

Good luck!

Quick Call for Submissions - Silver Boomer Books

Silver Boomer Books is posting a quick call for submissions for an anthology. They need short prose pieces (1000 words or less) which fit their Grandma’s Quilts/Grandpa’s Attic theme. Submissions of prose and poetry are accepted. Deadline April 15.

Please send your submissions to: silverboomerbooks@gmail.com - subject line should read: QUICK CALL - GRANDPARENTS.

Electronic submission is preferred, with the manuscript or poem pasted into the body of the email. They ask for one-time rights. Payment is $5 for poetry and $10 for prose plus a contributor’s copy. See guidelines for further information. Here's a link http://silverboomerbooks.com/submissions.html Scroll to HOW WE WANT IT for specifics on how to submit.

Oh, can't forget the weather: Today in St. Peters, MO: Sunny, high in the mid-fifties. Yay!

Note: Thanks to everyone who e-mailed about my absence from Donna's Book Pub over the last several days. Last Wednesday I had surgery. The results were good, and I'm feeling better now. Check back next week for another contest to win a book, plus other market and submission opportunities. Have a great weekend!