Mysteries of the Ozarks and Welcome

Last week I posted a brief review of Mysteries of the Ozarks (Vol III) on my A Book A Week blog.

If you like reading about the Ozarks, local history, or mysteries, check out the anthology, which is newly released from High Hill Press. Volume III is full of lovely stories, and the cover is amazing.

I have a story in Volume I and another one that will be included in Volume IV, which will be published later this year. Check out my review of Mysteries of the Ozarks Volume III if you get a chance.

Also, I would like to welcome my newest follower to Donna's Book Pub.

Welcome Tiger85. Thank you for being a follower, and I hope you visit often!

Saturday Writers 8th Annual Short Story Contest

Today in St. Peters, MO: Areas of fog, high 60 degrees, but thankfully no rain. Yay! No need to build that ark afterall.

Hi All,

Has it been a week since my last post? I've been sort of busy driving grandkids to school and sports and other events, attending a wonderful writing workshop, and doing housework for Bunco this Friday at my house. Yikes!

At the Saturday Writers workshop last weekend, Pat Carr talked about "Vision, Voice, and Viewpoint." Pat is an inspiration; I have tons of notes and ideas for stories. My dear writing friend Louella Turner did a STUPENDOUSMARVELOUSMAGNIFICIENT (I made that word up) job planning the workshop. I played a bit part as workshop contest chair. We had 23 contest entries and lots of happy faces when the winners were announced!

I'm also the contest chair for the Saturday Writers 8th Annual Short Story Contest. (Note to self: Stop volunteering so much or quit whining--or both). With two contests running, the 8th Annual Saturday Writers Short Story Contest hasn't gotten the attention it deserves (my bad) so we've extended the deadline until November 15.

Here are the details, so PLEASE, PLEASE spread the word about the contest to your writing friends--or better yet, enter yourself. If we don't get a lot of entries, I'll get "fired" as the volunteer contest chair. Hey, wait. Is that a bad thing? Just kidding; I love being contest chair, although I think my mail carrier hates delivering all those brown envelopes.

*****

Saturday Writers 8th Annual Short Story Contest 2009 CONTEST GUIDELINES (Short stories only. no essays, poems, or articles)
EXTENDED DEADLINE: November 15, 2009 (postmarked)

Word Limit: 2009--as in the year 2009. Clever, right?

Contest is open to EVERYONE. Open subject, open genre. (No pornography or gore.) Entry fee: $7 Maximum of three entries per person.
(Members of Saturday Writers, MWG, or other MWG Chapters: $5 per story.) Checks payable to: Saturday Writers.
Prizes: 1st place - $100, 2nd place - $50, 3rd place - $25. 4-10th Place receive a certificate.
Short stories must be in English, unpublished at the time of submission, and the original work of the contestant. Contestants retain all rights to their stories. Standard manuscript format: 8 1/2 x 11 paper, typed and double-spaced on one side of the paper, pages numbered, title of entry on every page, 12 point Times New Roman. Paper clip pages together. No name or other identifying information should appear anywhere on entry.
Attach a separate cover sheet and include: story title, contestant’s name, address, e-mail, phone number, and MWG chapter name (if applicable). Do NOT send by certified mail!
Mail entry fee and two copies of each entry, flat, not folded, by November 15 (postmark) to:
Saturday Writers 8th Annual Short Story Contest
c/o Donna Volkenannt
32 Country Crossing Estates Drive
St. Peters, MO 63376
Stories exceeding word limit, not having adequate postage, or not adhering to contest guidelines will be disqualified and entry fee will not be returned. Decision of judge is final. Not responsible for lost or misdirected entries. Keep a copy of your entry because stories will not be returned. For a list of winners, visit the CONTESTS page of our website in late December 2009: http://www.saturdaywriters.org/ Certificates and prizes will be mailed by the end of December.
Judge: Lynn Carney from Fayetteville, Arkansas, has been nominated for a 2010 Pushcart Prize and has received many awards for her fiction, including a Mainstream Literary award from the 73rd Annual Writer's Digest Competition for a short story, and others.

**

On Friday, my guest blogger will be Therese Walsh, who will answer interview questions I sent her as part of the WOW! Author blog tour. Anyone who posts a question or comment (or who sent an interview question for me to ask her) is eligible to win a copy of her novel, THE LAST WILL OF MOIRA LEAHY. Tomorrow I will post a review of her book on my other blog, A Book A Week.

Writer Mama Back to School Giveaway

Today in St. Peters, MO: Overcast, high 80 degrees.

Beginning today, and for the rest of the month of September, Christina Katz is GIVING AWAY a Writer's Digest book each day on her Writer Mama Blog. Some of the giveaways are: Day one: The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book edited by Jane Friedman; Day Five: Writer Mama by Christina Katz; Day Eleven: On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels; Day Thirteen: Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz; Day Nineteen: The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass; Day Thirty: The Deluxe 2010 Writer’s Market by Robert Lee Brewer.

If you want to read more about Christina's Writer Mama book (Day 5 giveaway) pop on over to my other blog, A Book a Week, to read my review.

Learning from Other Writers

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Chance of thunderstorms, high 90 degrees.

Last night I attended an author talk at the Kisker Road Branch of the St. Charles City-County Library. During the event three local contributors to the Chicken Soup series spoke about their writing experiences, families, and careers.

Becky Povich, one of the speakers and a member of Saturday Writers, did a wonderful job encouraging writers to pick up their pens (or crank up their PCs) and write--no matter what your age.

In fact, all three women were great. After their talks, each of the three speakers read one of their published stories. As I sat there, I was amazed at their poise and courage reading in front of a group, mostly because their works are so personal.

Listening to advice from writers who have achieved some measure of success is always inspiring. When my schedule permits I try to attend these type of events, not just to support local writers, but also to learn from their experiences.

Another way I learn is by regularly seeking out books with solid writing advice.

Today on my other blog, A Book A Week, I have posted a summary of a book with some superb writing advice. The book, written by Ann Whitford Paul, is Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication (Writer's Digest Books).

If you get a chance pop on over to A Book A Week to check out my comments on Ann's book. Even if you don't write for children, Ann's book has lots of helpful advice and hands-on exercises to hel you become a better writer. While you're there, you'll discover which famous writer celebrates her birthday today. Hint: Did you love Nancy Drew books growing up?

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Blog Announcement - A Book A Week - and A Contest Announcement

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Mostly sunny. High 90 degrees. It's a hot one out there. The kiddos are already asking when they can go swimming.

* If you get a chance, pop on over to my new blog, A Book A Week, where once a week I will discuss a book I have read. This week's pick is SECRET KEEPERS by Mindy Friddle, from South Carolina. Mindy's writing has been compared with Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty.

* I will also interview Mindy right here Friday, June 5, on Donna's Book Pub, as part of the WOW Author's Blog Tour.

* The second announcement is courtesy of my writing friend, Julie E. about the 2009 Juked Fiction and Poetry Prizes. The winner in each genre will receive $500 and publication in an upcoming print issue. Final judges this year are Dan Chaon (fiction) and Dora Malech (poetry).
Submission Deadline: August 31st, 2009

Entry Fee: $10

Fiction: one story per entry, no length requirement

Poetry: up to five poems (no more than ten pages total) per entry

Complete guidelines at: http://www.juked.com/prize/

Coming Attractions and More Free Chocolate

Today's forecast for St. Peters, MO: Mostly sunny, high 81 degrees. A lovely last-day-of-school for Michael, who gets out of school at 11:30 then summer vacation begins.

Over the next several days, a lot will be happening around here. I thought my readers might be interested in learning about what's going on in my writing world:

May 30 - Saturday Writers presents, "The First 300." Members of Saturday Writers who have submitted up to 300 words will have their works in progress read and critiqued by editors: Lou Turner, Amy Harke-Moore, and Donna Volkenannt--hey, that's me! The panel and will offer practical comments about what's working with their piece as well as what needs tweeking. Prior to the panel, David "Kirk" Kirkland will give a brief tutorial on "Self-editing." For more details, click on the Events page at http://www.saturdaywriters.org/ .

June 1 - I officially launch a new blog, A Book A Week, at http://donnamariev.wordpress.com/

Each week, baring any serious injuries such as paper cuts, eye strain, or pulled muscles in my typing fingers--or illness or vacations--I will introduce my blog visitors to books I have read. The first book I will discuss is SECRET KEEPERS by Mindy Friddle. Note to all my Donna's Book Pub blog readers: I will continue Donna's Book Pub, where I will post several times a week about writing and books in general. My new A Book A Week blog will focus on specific books --- one each week!

June 5 - Acclaimed Southern writer Mindy Friddle will be interviewed right here on Donna's Book Pub, as part of the WOW Author's Blog Tour. Friddle will answer questions about the writing life, as well as her latest book, SECRET KEEPERS, which I have read and love! Friddle's writing has been compared to Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty.

If you missed last Friday's posting, where I did a lot of whining then talked about chocolate, here's some "sweet" news. Every Friday through September, the folks from Mars (the candy company, not the red planet) are offering chocolate lovers the chance to get a Free* Real Chocolate coupon for your favorite Mars brand. Visit their website for details.

Hope you all have a "sweet" weekend--sorry I couldn't help myself.