1-31-12: Long ago my Ex-Brit husband used to offer a strict commandment as we approached the first day of any month.  If , tomorrow (Feb. 1) you say "White Rabbits" before you utter or hear another word from anybody, you will have good luck all that month.  So I'm offering this good luck charm to blog readers out there with a special thanks to long-ago friend in California, Anne Schroeder, who responded to my last week's blog.  She is the chairman of the current NightWriters contest, an organization in San Luis Obispo California that I joined when I first moved there in 1997.   Within a year I founded two writer workshops there, High Hopes and Night Writers.  The first for writers of any ilk; the second for writers of books.  Both workshops are still flourishing. By last count, active writers there participate in a dozen such workshops, in addition to the club's monthly meetings.  For information about their contest (up to 750 words in a short story on the subject of "Forgiveness" or up to 40 lines of poetry on the same subject). For full details see www.slonightwriters.org.  Deadline is Mar. 31.

For another contest, the Flatt PrizeforLiterature, the theme is "Interrupted." Max words, 3000.  $1000 prize.  No entry fee. Details at http://flattprize.com/submission.htm

Good news for me:  A glowing review of my Iron Grip  by Susan Stewart of Atascadero, CA has already brought me a mail order for a copy.  Susan is an editor and reviewer, under the business name, "Say It Write."  I can put you in touch with her for expert help on editing, submitting your writing.

Until next week, Willma

1/23/12– Today's mail brought me two copies of the magazine Looking Back that carries my short article, "Dairymaid Woes."  This is a true account of my life as the daughter of a dairy rancher in the early 1940s.  A training camp for young men was established there in the boonies under the label, "Civilian Pilot Training Corps."  We high school girls were agog!  We had not seen such an influx of good looking, uniformed men in our small town ever before.  I was assigned to drive the milk truck to town for late afternoon delivery to the restaurant where the young men ate their meals.  They marched to town along the same road I drove the truck.  Of course, I could not be identified as a lowly dairy maid.  My challenge was how to get my job done without being seen by these young men.

Looking Back is a good market for any of you old enough to have happy or challenging memories of the 1940's thru 1960's. Email the editor, Mary Beth Weisenburger at LookingBackMagazine.com or mail your entry (under 1000 words) to her at 306 E. Parr Road, Berne, IN 46711

For those of you with recently-published self-published books, email Writer's Digest to learn about their annual contest "Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards."  Big money prizes.  Deadline, April 20, 2012.  See www.WritersDogest.com for full information.

Until next week, Willma

Lookingb wmIL RHW WS

1/17/12– Does age slow one? Probably.  I'm only a week older than when I sent the last blog into cyberspace, but my usual Monday send escaped before I could nail it down.

I have a wonderful email this morning from a "satisfied" reader about my Iron Grip memoir.  This woman is a friend of a friend.  Her message (abbreviated)  "I read until 2 a.m.  and got up at 6 this morning to finish the book.. . ."  This was after she had borrowed the book from a friend who purchased one and lent her the copy.  She also took it to her book club and several in the goup have ordered their own copies.  Of course, this "makes my day." Meanwhile, a professional reviewer in California is sending her review to a long list of organizations and publications that we hope will want the book.   Belatedly, though the book is listed in Amazon, it moves down and down their list unless it receives approval comments from readers.  So the call is out.  If you have read the book–or want to read it–let me know. A brief review on Amazon will be appreciated.

Meanwhile for your lst of "writing things to do" here are some possibilities.  Another call out from Chicken Soup For the Soul:  This title is "The Power of Positive"  ("101 inspirational stories about changing your life through positive thinking.") See:www.chickensoup.com

Central Coast Branch of California Writers Club Contest:  $250 (first prizes) will go to two winners in prose and to two in poetry.  see: http://centralcoastwriters.org/images/2012_CWC_CONTEST_RULES_Final.pdf

The Raleigh Review seeks short fiction (1200 words max) and four to five poems.  Pays $10 per accepted title.  This is a literary magazine.  see: www.raleighreview.org/Submission_Guidelines.html

I'll try to be on time next week.  Willma