Novel Idea

A good friend of Lyrical Pens is Linda Busby-Parker, the noted author of Seven Laurels, an insightful novel about the human condition. Linda is also the owner and editor of Excalibur Press which is still actively selling Christmas is a Season! 2008, a testimony to the excellence of the personal essays and fictional stories contained in it. The deadline for submissions to Christmas is a Season! 2009 is upon us -August 1 -as mentioned by CJ a few posts ago. If the submissions are anything akin to the first ones, this will be another excellent book, so be sure and watch for it. I am the assistant editor for the book and anxious to get started reading the manuscripts we've been receiving. What a rewarding job. Last year's submissions were from across the country, and they were all so different from a child's story of seeking Santa Claus to a personal view of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

A supporter of new writers, Linda has a new addition on her blog called the novel gallery and will consider your submissions, including works in progress. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get your work out to the masses and get feedback on it. Check out her blog at www.lindabusbyparker@typepad.com.

Thanks to CJ for announcing my wins in the Alabama Conclave contest. I was really stoked! This was an important contest for me since both items I entered are chapters from my new book. My book is set in a small Southern town in the late 1950s when a lot of change is on the horizon from the post WWII environment in America to civil rights and the autonomy of women. And, of course, it is filled with plenty of humorous stories.

Are you old enough to remember those wonderful Burma Shave signs on little boards by the road or girdles? If not enjoy this anyway. Substitutes Are like a girdle They find some jobs
They just Can't hurdle.

Mahala

keeping on

Sorry to have been out of the loop for a while. Family illness, a drive from Mobile to Michigan, and then an unexpected death in another part of the family have taken their toll on my creativity. My energy has been re-directed to getting through the crises. It's always darkest before the dawn according to some famous someone, so I'm looking forward to those first few golden rays that streak across the blue velvet sky.

I have taken refuge recently in attacking the last few scenes I need to complete my short story for Linda Busby Parker's Christmas anthology. The story has a maximum word limit of 5,000 words, and I'm hopeful I can pull it together before the August 1 deadline.

To me, a short story is like a haiku--a formula plus semantics equals paucity of words. Major hurdle for a long-winded novelist. Even if I can't finish, I plan to enjoy the challenge.

On a brighter note, I want to throw out an atta-girl for fellow Lyrical Pen Mahala who had some success recently. Check out http://alalit.com. At the Alabama Conclave she was one of four winners for the Humor section with Peas and More Peas, and she earned an honorable mention for the 1st chapter of her novel A Few Degrees Off Center. Way to go, Mahala!

Keep On Keeping On, folks. I will.



cj