Love Your Heart

St. Valentine's Day is traditionally the day we show our love for others. I think it's also a fitting day to remind us all to take care of ourselves, especially our hearts.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women.

My sister and brother-in-law have recently had surgeries to address heart issues. Thankfully, they have adjusted their diets, are exercising more, and doing great. (I need to follow their examples.) My sister-in-law also has had several surgeries for a congenital problem with her heart. So, this issue hits close to home.

Several corporations have programs to encouage us to take care of our hearts. Campbell's soup has a sweepstakes going on until March 31 to encourage people to have a heart-healthy lifestyle. They are giving away prizes as part of their continuing program to fight heart disease.

Their AdDress your Heart program going on until March 31 also encourages women (and men) to watch inspirational celebrity videos. For every video viewed, Campbell's will donate $1 to the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women program," up to $625,000.

So, while you're remembering your loved ones today, don't forget to take care yourself--and love your heart!

Story Plot Line Contest for It Happened One Season

St. Peters, MO: Rest of the day, snow showers, high 35 degrees.

Along with all the snow, love is in the air. In honor of St. Valentine's Day, here's a sweet contest with a deadline of Feb 14 that I discovered while visiting C. Hope Clark's blog. Her blog is one I check out regularly because of all the useful information about writing and contests. So, here's the deal about the It Happened One Season Contest:

Put on your thinking caps and submit three specific plot elements, and your ideas could create the theme of the four tales in a new anthology collection: IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON.

Four best selling authors will write a Regency historical story using the winning theme. The story must take place during the Regency social season and must include three specific plot points: (1) a couple meets at an inn (2) they had met before but not within the past ten years (3) the whole story takes place within a 24-hour period.

The four authors choose the four finalists, readers vote on the ultimate favorite, and one lucky winner will be acknowledged on the dedication page of IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON and receive a $1,000 American Express gift card and a copy signed by all four authors.

Semi-finalists will receive $100 American Express gift card.

Good luck!

Redbook and Cup of Comfort Love Story Contest Announced

Got a love story? How about entering it in a no-entry fee contest about LOVE with a nice payoff?

Today in St. Peters, MO: Fog and mist, high 40 degrees. Today's weather reminds me of a Clint Eastwood movie with a twisted kind of love. It's a "Play Misty for Me" kind of day.

Now, back to the contest: REDBOOK magazine is co-sponsoring another story contest with the folks from Cup of Comfort. This time the topic is LOVE. (LOVE Image courtesy of Flickr).

The Cup of Comfort/REDBOOK Love Story Contest will be announced in the February 2010 issue of REDBOOK, which should be on newsstands by January 26. Meanwhile, the Contest Rules will be posted on the Cup of Comfort site today. The top 50 (or so) submissions will be published in A Cup of Comfort for Couples.

New new submissions for the contest/book will be accepted through April 20, 2010.

Adams Media, the Cup of Comfort publisher, will award one $1,000 grand prize as well as three runner-up prizes of $150 each. The grand-prize winner and runners-up will also receive a full run of all Cup of Comfort books, including A Cup of Comfort for Couples. The remaining stories selected for publication in A Cup of Comfort for Couples will receive the standard $100 stipend, plus a complimentary copy of the book.

For more information as the contest and book progess, tune into the Cup of Comfort blog. They will also post updates in the Cup of Comfort News Forum and future issues of their newsletter.