Writer's Digest Short Story Prompt Contest

Hi Everybody!  Yesterday I was reading my January 2012 issue of Writer's Digest. I read this months writer's prompt contest and decided to enter. Like I said ..., submit, submit, submit! The 750 word short story title is
I WENT TO A FUNERAL TODAY

 The prompt was  about going back to your childhood home and finding it's been condemned.

 As always, I'll let you know how it goes.  How are you all doing? We have a month and a half to get something submitted in 2011 so keep writing and keep smiling!     : )

NANOWRIMO 2011 is on!!

Hello Fellow Writers!  The month of November is National Novel Write in a month challenge. You spend the month challenging yourself to write a 50,000 word novel from beginning to end in one month. I enjoy this challenge very much! You don't get any actual prizes and you don't get any promises of publication or exposure but you DO get self satisfaction when you complete the challenge. Not only that but you also have the great beginning of a good project to work on over the next year. I wrote my first messy draft of the novel I mentioned in my previous post during a November NANO challenge. I've entered the NANOWRIMO challenge twice and both times I've successfully completed the challenge. I hope many more will enter and enjoy the craziness of it all! Especially if you sign up now you're already a few days behind! (That's how I did it last year and I also worked on the first draft of a YA novel. That is still in the first draft stage.)
I've chosen not to enter this month due to my health and other projects I'm pushing to complete. But I think it's a BLAST and I recommend it to anyone, especially those who start a novel but never can get themselves to finish!
Keep Smiling and Keep Writing and submitting!        : )

I FINALLY submitted my novel for consideration!!!

Hi Everyone! Despite the long gap in blogging, I have spent much time finishing the edits for my romance novel AND I submitted it on October 25, 2011~ The guide lines state if you don't hear anything in three months consider the story not what they are looking for at this time. I've added a blurb from my query letter to this post and any feedback to that is greatly appreciated!

COULDN'T LOVE THAT DOG MORE
BY Mary Staller

Set in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, my hero is a dedicated Veterinarian devoted to the animals in his clinic.  Abandoned by his first wife, he trusts only in the unconditional love from God's four legged creatures and turns his back on love of the two-legged kind.  My heroine fell hard for our hero three years earlier when he'd saved her puppy's life but he'd made it clear there was no future in loving him.  She'd been able to protect her heart until her precocious little dog became critically ill and again needed his expert skills.  With the addition of an ailing grandmother who adores the Veterinarian and wants him to marry her granddaughter before her time on earth runs out and the return of our heroine's younger brother, who can never say no to Gram, agrees to join forces to make an unlikely  matchmaking team.  Their determination to unite the couple makes for plenty of laughter, romance, tension and tears to keep the pages turning.

I'll let you know if.......I mean WHEN, I hear back! In the meantime, keep writing and submitting, we still have almost 2 months to submit in 2011.    KEEP SMILING!  : )