Buffalo Small Press Fair Saturday - Special Deal

I'm one of over 80 Western New York writers and publishers participating in the Buffalo Small Press Fair this Saturday, March 27th at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, 453 Porter Ave., Buffalo, NY.

It should be a blast - I know I look forward to meeting a bunch of people from the publishing world there! Hopefully sooner than later, I'll be on my way to being a publisher as well! Hope to see you at the Fair. Check out the list of fabulous authors and publishers who will be there at the site, http://www.buffalosmallpress.org/

In celebration of this event, I am discounting my remaining copies of Mother Muse, Awake Before Dawn, and Midnight Summons:

1 Copy of each of the three volumes, each personally signed at your request for only $30 ($40 value)

OR

1 Copy of Mother Muse and Awake Before Dawn, each signed, for only $20 ($26 value)

If you can't make it to the event Saturday, but would like to order copy/ies, let me know via email and we can arrange pick up or shipping (shipping is $2 each copy via USPS).

Email me at motherhood2009@yahoo.com with any questions.

Daylight Savings Time

My hubby and I had our first date night in a year, and it was absolutely fabulous to get together with Sarah and Ryan sans kids, and miraculously, without too much kid-related conversation. A great meal at our traditional restaurant, and a great visit to their home. Sarah's wedding dress is beautiful, and I can't wait to help her in any way I can over the next year. Wedding Crashers was of course a hit, too - for some reason, hubby and I find we can actually catch a movie after the girls are in bed now, so that's great.

Last night was also Daylight Savings Time (the 'bad' one in which we lose an hour of sleep), which I usually gripe about, but which I don't really care about since the girls at the grandparents' anyway. But for some reason my mind woke up to the sump pump (checked it and it was just fine) and wouldn't shut off ... at 4 am NEW time. So yay me, I got a total of four hours of sleep and here I am at almost 8am and have been up for four hours! Yikes!

But - on our kidless overnight, we intend to complete a bunch of hard-to-do-with-the-kids-around household tasks today before we pick them back up, and my mind pushed forward to them. Might just as well get up.

And so now here I am, four hours later, and the MOMS Club newsletter is all done, sent to the President, Club bank statement and ledger reconciled, Preschool Playgroup flyer sent to all my like-minded momma friends, cinquain project complete (Woo hoo! 400 linked cinquains completed in 365 days! - Now let's see what happens as I edit and market the project or chunks of the project), of course emails checked.

On top of all of that, though, still stand the big thoughts weighing heavily on my mind:

1. House-hunting - we'll be visiting one more open house this afternoon on our way to pick up our lovelies - there's a lot of work involved in a move, and in selling our house, going through our 7 plus years of crap, weighing options of reconciling perfect house for house we'll 'settle' for in the school district we desire. So much involved with all elements.

2. Imminent loss of my income as a daycare provider, and the proposals for alternative income, including opening my home to additional children now and/or when the current family moves on to stay at home mom status in a few weeks, and including the application for a teacher or teacher's aide position at the girls' preschool. I am a certified English teacher whose primary experience has been in the secondary and post-secondary education field (and that's where my passion remains ... to potentially return to when my kids are both in school full time), but a year at the preschool level between my Bachelor's and Master's provided me with great experiences, and I wouldn't mind going back to benefit the family and the school that gives my daughter such great experiences. And to top that all off, I have been approached by two RIT Master's students for me to work as their thesis editor (I have been freelance editing for Master's in Graphic Design program students for the past two years). They were referred by the previous year's students, so how can I say no - my freelance editing gig relies on these referrals, so here we go another round. I just hope they are as responsible with their time as some of the past thesis students!

Anyway. I've spent enough time away from the 'list' of things to do before the girls return, so now I'll go see what I can salvage from my old resume (gosh, a year and a half doing daycare as my only 'real' source of income makes me wonder what I can and cannot put on my resume ... maybe I'll revamp its sections ...) Off I go.

Until next time, I hope the muse inspires you!

Freelance editing and writing available

I have fielded the question of working with writers on getting their own manuscripts ready for publishers or even publishing their works with my own resources. My goal is to one day create my own publishing company, so I would love to work with folks between now and then to expand my repertoire.

So - I offer the following rates for freelance editing and writing:

Services for $25/hour:
- Content Copyediting, General Proofreading
- Book Proposal or Query Editing or Writing
- Manuscript Critiques
- Book review for book back material
- Editing, Formatting, Proofreading, Publishing

Additional services:
- Press Kit - $150 for time and all materials within the kit.

Additionally, I would love to review books or manuscripts for book back materials with byline for a $50 fee. Contact me with any interest in this service.

I am happy to provide samples of my work in all services. See my PoetTalk review of Denise Thompson-Slaughter's upcoming poetry collection, Elemental, due out this year. :-)

Until next time, may the mother muse inspire you!

Mother Muse on its way to the publisher

Thanks again to all the fabulous contributions to this volume. All contracts have been received, all proofs have been accepted by the contributors, and the entire manuscript is on its way to the publisher. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be accepted in its entirety and I'll be able to pass on the positive word to the great women and men who have submitted their soulful writings.

Mother Muse volume on its way to editing completion

Thank you to all who submitted essays, short stories, poetry, and photography for the upcoming edition of Mother Muse, tentatively slated for publication through Diversion Press. Unless you have received emails from me stating otherwise, we are now closed for submissions.

I currently am poring through the submissions, doing a final edit on all pieces I'd like to accept.

The next step will be emailing each individual contributor (yes, you'll receive an email either way) with the proof copy of your piece/s, along with a contract from the publisher and an explanation of what will be needed for each piece to make it to the publisher.

Once I receive all contracts and accepted proofs (and any comments from the contributors), I will send the entire manuscript to Diversion. Assuming they accept the final project, we will be on our way to publication and distribution.

All contributors will be contacted at each step of the way thereafter.

Again, thanks so much for your submissions. If I yet await your submission per a previous email, please get it to me as soon as you can, so we can proceed along this journey together.

Cheers!

You, awake too early, and me, too impatient

I don't know why I even try to carry an asleep child from the bedside rocker to the living room couch so I can journal or do some other writing or reading. So selfish of me. You always wake up, thwarting my multi-tasking plans.

This time I intended merely to capture with my pen the glow of my rare rocking chair star-gazing at your repose, you so easily comforted with a little snuggle.

And now you should see the paper I write on through your wide-awake play, so crinkled from my 'fight,' handwriting atrocious, stray marks everywhere, as I race to put words to paper before you snatch it again.

As the weeks are passing, and the Mother Muse deadline is quickly approaching, I have fielded many questions on what specifically will be sought in the selection process. I cannot say for sure (as this is of course the subjective side to editorship). What I can say is that I have not read enough about motherhood. Keep those quality submissions coming.

A few pointers that may help:

- Be concise. Think Cup of Comfort or Chicken Soup for the __ Soul sorts of essays and poetry under about 2-3 pages typed. Don't stress if an essay or story is a little over that, but that's a general guideline.

- Be descriptive & sensory. Let the readers experience what you're sharing; don't just tell us about it in broad terms. Oftentimes, we as humans gloss over scenes, etc., because our minds fill in the sensory details. If your reader has not had your experience, how is he or she to know quite what was going on unless you tell him or her?

- And overall, stay positive - I aim for this collection to be an uplifting sort, just as the original Mother Muse was, so even when you treat challenges in your pieces, be sure the overall tone and 'message' remains positive.

Those are the key thoughts at this time. Keep spreading the word about this collection and its upcoming deadline. And certainly email me with any questions you have along the way.