Flash News!
There's a brand new online literary journal created right here in hidden Twin Cities literary circles, called Sleet Magazine. The first issue was released in April with three categories, Poetry, Fiction, and Flash. The staff includes Susan Solommon, Editor, Nate Thomas, Poetry Editor, and Kathleen McEathron and TJ Kampa.
My short story, One More Chance, was selected as one of three fiction pieces for the first issue. Check it out at Sleetmagazine.com, Current Issue, Fiction. By the way they are currently accepting submissions in all three categories for their Fall 2009 issue.
On a side note, it was 85 beautiful degrees in the Twin Cities yesterday. Wonderful!
Blessings to all,
Barbara
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Brule' Concert in Willmar
This past Thursday, April 16th, John and I were once again treated to an amazing performance by the Brule'/AIRO gang. Paul LaRoche continually finds ways to improve his concerts, bringing in new dancers and drummers, adding a story or new song, and sometimes he simply hooks us all with a good old fashioned joke. Altogether it really defines the direction he is going...all the way to the top!
This spring Brule'/AIRO has been on a tour sponsored by DMM Productions with several stops in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In reading the message board on the Brule' website, it's evident that scores of people are thrilled to see them in person, right in our own backyards.
The reason hubby and I chose the Willmar stop is because John's stepmom, Lorraine Majchrzak, lives near by. She has followed the Brule' journey along with us and never thought she'd get to see them in person. I was a little hesitant because at 84 years of age, I didn't know if she'd be bothered by the pounding drums or loud music. Not to worry, she loved every minute of it, completely enthralled with the dancers.
This summer it will be 10 years since we first saw Paul performing on the sidewalk in front of the Buffalo Stockade in downtown Deadwood. It's amazing to think all that has transpired since then, fulfilling my dream to be an author. I never fully understood why God chose Paul's story for me to write, it's simply one of those "trust & faith" things that comes along in life, sometimes when you least expect it. Needless to say, it's been an incredible journey and opened so many doors. And what's especially neat is knowing the journey isn't over.
Right now Paul and I are taking the Hidden Heritage story to a new format...television. More on that to come...
Blessings,
Barbara
This spring Brule'/AIRO has been on a tour sponsored by DMM Productions with several stops in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In reading the message board on the Brule' website, it's evident that scores of people are thrilled to see them in person, right in our own backyards.
The reason hubby and I chose the Willmar stop is because John's stepmom, Lorraine Majchrzak, lives near by. She has followed the Brule' journey along with us and never thought she'd get to see them in person. I was a little hesitant because at 84 years of age, I didn't know if she'd be bothered by the pounding drums or loud music. Not to worry, she loved every minute of it, completely enthralled with the dancers.
This summer it will be 10 years since we first saw Paul performing on the sidewalk in front of the Buffalo Stockade in downtown Deadwood. It's amazing to think all that has transpired since then, fulfilling my dream to be an author. I never fully understood why God chose Paul's story for me to write, it's simply one of those "trust & faith" things that comes along in life, sometimes when you least expect it. Needless to say, it's been an incredible journey and opened so many doors. And what's especially neat is knowing the journey isn't over.
Right now Paul and I are taking the Hidden Heritage story to a new format...television. More on that to come...
Blessings,
Barbara
Thursday, April 2, 2009
A Word of Advice for Freelance Writers
As we all know it's rather amazing what we can find out by doing searches on the internet these days. Recently I was amazed to discover two stories I had written nearly four years ago were published---and I had never been informed or paid! It all started when I decided to Goggle my name to see if Hidden Heritage was included in the class-action lawsuit against Google Books. The book cover and information came up, however the contents were not uploaded.
As I continued looking through the list of books that came up with my name search, I found several stories I had written for different anthologies, such as the Cup of Comfort series. Then I noticed two stories that I'd written but as far as I knew had never been published. One was titled, Second Blessings, shown in a book called Blessings for Mothers by Regal Books, and A Guide for Life was listed in The Bad Hair Day Book by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson. Both had publication dates of 2006.
Needless to say I immediately checked my submission records from 2005 and found both stories had been submitted to a "middle-man" type editorial company that worked with inspirational publishers. From what I could tell he collected and edited stories for a themed project and then sold the entire contents to a publisher as a package deal. I contacted both publishers who directed me to this person. My purpose in sharing this information is not to "bad-mouth" him or his business...I was told he went through a "perfect storm " of changes and events that caused the breakdown in connecting with all the authors. Regardless, it took a full month after my initial query and further prompting on my part to get a resolution.
It's a lesson I think many freelance writers can learn from. Keep good records and take the time to search your name and articles/stories by title. You never know what you might discover!
Blessings,
Barbara
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