My Query Was Critiqued by Ishta Mercurio!

I'm so excited! 

Ishta Mercurio posted last week about her new idea.  She would critique query's on Wednesdays!

I decided to go for it and posted to her and today is THE day... My query for Rilla's Bangs was critiqued.  I haven't read it yet, but I do know I have a lot to learn and there will be a lot for poor Ishta to correct lol but I am up for the challenge of fixing my query to the best I can get it.

So the idea is... You all can go post on Ishta's site to critique my query, too.  The more people who critique it, the more I learn.  Hard critiques are the best and most wanted.

Hope to see some of you over there!

I've been busy, busy, busy with writing.  I'm looking for a job and know I've got to get as much as I can done now, while I have the time.  It's busy, but I'm up for that too!

Now,

Positiveness - I'm a good listener.  I might not remember much lol, but I can listen when it's needed.

Thankfulness - I'm so thankful for being able to get warm on these cold days.  <3 


Can YOU take the plunge to say what you are thankful for and the hard part... tell me one positive thing about Y-O-U? 


Off to check my critique now!  Thanks so much, Ishta! 

Relaxing with Willard and Susan Branch

I was busy today, and couldn't wait for a break.

I had the best break of all *sigh*  Susan Branch sent out her dear Willard... who is Willard, you ask?  It's her newsletter.  It can be seen here... and you can also sign up there for it.

You can also buy a set of Willard's to come to your door.  I've yet to do this, but so can't wait!  Here's the link.

I'll copy and paste a little tease here for you ...

Believe YOU ME!!   This is THE BEST newsletter ever!  It's all written and painted like this.  It's a true treasure.  Susan Branch is such an inspiration.  She gets me out of a sadness so fast.  I hold her up there with my dear Lucy Maud Montgomery for sure. 

When I feel blue, or the day just won't go right, or I had sad news, or even the weather not cooperating' I just have to open one of Susan's wonderful books up and am instantly filled with a delicious happiness.  

This is my very first Susan Branch book... 

It's an Ingleside Treasure for always. 

Testing to see if this posts in the Life tab... I doubt I did this right, but we'll see ;)  otherwise I'll put it all back as it used to be.

Positiveness: hmmm these are so hard to say something good about yourself... Hope I didn't use this one before lol... I'm a good decorator... if you like the way I decorate lol

Thankfulness:  I am so, very much, thankful for Susan Branch.  <3  

I must ask you all... Will you post a Positive thing about yourself and something you're thankful for?  #1 is hard, but it helps to have the 2nd easy one lol 

Have a special night <3  

I just won Dies Irae by Christine Fonseca!

What a day :)  I just found out I won this book... Dies Irae by Christine Fonseca

Here's what Christine has to say about it...  The older kids will love reading it :) Thank you Christine!  And a bit Thank you to my critique partner, Nata who had the contest on her wonderful blog!!


"Some sacrifices should never be made—even for love. 

Mikayel lives by one rule—obey the orders of the angelic Council at all costs. That is, until he and his friends, Azza and Demi, are sent to Earth. Assigned as Watchers while they await their decision of which angelic order to serve, the three assume the bodies of teenagers and experience life as human. 

The sensations are overwhelming as the angels experience a host of human emotions—rage, terror, love—and come ever closer to breaking one of the unbreakable rules—never fall in love. 

But being human isn’t the only problem facing the three angels. Unbeknownst to the Council, demonic activity is on the rise, threatening to break a tenuous peace that has existed for a millennia; a peace Azza seems bent on destroying. 

Caught in a struggle for power with unseen demonic forces and Azza, and fighting against his rising emotional attachment to Demi, Mikayel must now decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for his new found love—a decision that could reignite an ancient war and will threaten the only thing that matters to the angels, the survival of humanity."






The older kids will love reading it :) Thank you Christine!  And a bit Thank you to my critique partner, Nata who had the contest on her wonderful blog!!  

Positivness- I'm a good mommy.  


Thankfulness- I'm thankful to critique partners who are so kind and caring. <3


Have a nice evening, everyone.

Entered Julie Hedlund's pitching contest!!

EEK!!  I entered a pitch contest!!

Julie Hedlund of 12x12 in 2012 had a guest on her blog... Tamson Weston.  She's giving us the chance to win a manuscript critique from her... it's worth $300~!!!~

Not sure if I wrote mine right, but I did it!  I took a deep breath... thought of my story... had Nathan Bransford for help too ( after I googled ;)

I pitched for the story I mentioned the other day.  Rilla's Bangs.

I'm sooo excited!!!  I don't care if I don't win... I'm just so excited that I wrote that pitch!

Yay me!

Positiveness - I'm willing to take a leap into the unknown.

Thankfulness - I'm thankful that I have God to help me through the struggles of my life.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Ice Storm Hit Prince Edward Island

I thought I'd share some of the pictures of the ice storm we had.  My son went out and took some pictures and got some great ones. We lost 3 trees and a lot of limbs off others.  I was sad about my babies, esp one in particular, but they are so deliciously pretty *sigh*
Here's the first .. our clothes line

This one is our lane... 

My Honey Suckle Vine lost the battle :( 

My Rose Hedge hopefully will make it... 

The ice was everywhere! 

My beautiful birch showing her strength

Such a sad spruce... the other lost it's top! 

Here's my saddest one..  I wrote a story for this set a couple years ago.. The Birch and The Spirea... when I bought the spirea many years ago, I notices the birch growing out of it a couple years later.  I hid this from my husband ;)  I knew he'd want it cut out.   How could I separate them!!  The birch grew taller and finally my husband noticed.  I wouldn't let him cut it down... they belonged together... but the storm did it's nasty work to the birch and it's broken, but if you see, it's only broken where it meets the spirea...  more to the story when it's published ;)  

Everything happens for a reason.

the other side of the tall birch growing with the tiny spirea

so much ice!! 

this tree was so covered in ice, it was like a pure sheet of ice! wow!

LOve this one my son took

and last, my weeping birch, my son loved the sound when he walked under this baby. 

so Ingleside was a Winter Crystal Palace for a few days.  We've finally warmed up today and the ice is off my babies.  We'll have a lot of work in the spring and my biggest hope is my weeping birch and the birch in the spirea make it. 

Love,

Denise

  

Piboidmo - 12x12 in 2012 - Writing in Verse

Yes, it's me, after a long absence, yet again.

I've been sick, but am 100% this week, yay!  BUT!  I haven't stopped writing during these days.  I've been working with my critique groups on a few stories.

You all know I've been working on Pippa, as my #1 story in verse.  I've sent it to a wonderful lady, who is so kind and giving.  Margot Finke   Here's her facebook page.  She critiques manuscripts and is very kind.  She helped me and advised me and steered me in the right direction with writing in verse.  

One lady Margot directed me too is Dori Chaconas  who has great advice on that link about writing in verse.  I was able to start getting a handle on that horrid meter.  It wasn't until I found Writer's Helper ...   you sign up for the 4 emails... it's free... and BOOM!!  I was able to understand meter and be able to catch it with the taDA TAda system!!   sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... I redid Pippa... and again... and again... and now again... I'm going to get this story perfect if it kills me!  It's a good story and worth it to me.  I know I can do it... it's just going to take a loooooooooooooooooooong time lol  I'm so up for the challenge.  After almost a year of working on this story, I can't give up on her now :)

I also have a few stories out there getting critiqued... been working on them since November during Piboidmo  which started with the wonderful Tara Lazar  Then I signed up for the 12x12 in 2012 challenge with Julie Hedlund  who is so kind and caring.  It's where you take your piboidmo story and write one out for every month of 2012 and you end up with 12 drafts of your stories.  It's a great way to motivate.  I'm trying to do it for now, but once work starts up, I'll have to leave it.

One story I started at the beginning of piboidmo was about my daughter and her bangs... I'm happy to say that it's ready to send out :)  I can't believe it after such a job it is to get Pippa perfect.  I hope it's a winner!

Lesson learned... you need critique groups to learn... if you don't have one, go find one.  They are worth it.  Some might be hard to take, but give it a while and you'll realize they are for the best and will help you.  Maybe I'll do a post on critiques later on :)

Ok, Thankfulness and Positiveness...
I'm thankful my kids are kind and soft hearted, which means they get hurt easily, but it's better than being an unkind person with a hard- sending hurt to others on purpose- heart.

I'm becoming a better writer of verse than when I started :)  it's positive! lol

Have a nice day, everyone.  I hope it's filled with many blessings.
Love,
Denise