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Helpful Information for Fellow Writers…

May 31, 2007 1 comments

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Good evening, Friends! Tonight's post will be a bit short, because I have a recap to write as well as some other writing to do. However, I wanted to make a brief post for all you other writers out there like myself. I frequently visit the At Last! Writer Beware Blog by A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss, and yesterday they had a guest blogger post on their blog. The guest blogger is a book reviewer, and her post gives some great tips for authors looking for book reviews. Since I found the post helpful and learned something new, I thought I'd share the link with other writers. With that said, for tips on having your book reviewed, read A Reviewer's Plea at the At Last! Writer Beware Blog.


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14 Years Ago...

May 29, 2007 1 comments

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I remember 14 years ago when I had just given birth to my first child -- a baby girl! It was an experience not only will I never forget, but one that seems like only yesterday. However, 14 years has come and gone, and last Thursday night I wasn't giving birth and holding my daughter for the very first time, but I was watching her graduate from the 8th grade. Now, as the years continue to pass, I will watch her grow and mature into a very beautiful, young woman with many dreams. She not only graduated, but she received a Patrick S. Gilmore Award from her band teacher. Although she's growing up, Thursday night will be another moment that I'll cherish for the rest of my life, and I'm sure there will be even more moments down the road.

Speaking of Thursday night, I had the pleasure of meeting her boyfriend, which she talks about a lot. He seemed like a sweet guy, and you can be sure mom will make sure he stays that way ;) She already talking about her plans for the future, and she even has her freshmen classes all set up. I'm so proud of her! Of course, I can't forget her brothers. They also passed and will be in the 5th grade next year. Before I go, I'll leave you with a picture of my daughter on her graduation night. In the picture, she's holding her Patrick S. Gilmore Award. Enjoy them while they're young, Friends, because they do grow up fast!


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My Two Cents…

May 21, 2007 3 comments

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Good evening, friends! First, I want to admit that I did not create or print a single invitation to my daughter's graduation party last night. But wait; don't start judging me yet. Instead of creating invitations, I decided to do the invitations over the phone. One, it will be more a more personal invite. And two, we could use more trees. ;) Okay, I'll also confess that a couple of those invites may also be done via e-mail rather than phone. However, I have a reason for that too. A couple of my family members travel as a part of their job, and because they travel, it's much easier to reach them through e-mail than any other way.

Okay, back to what I originally intended to blog about this evening. While reading an article in an e-zine I'm subscribed to, I agreed with most of what the writer said. However, there was one thing she said that I had to disagree with, and that one thing had to do with kids. I won't mention the writer or the name of the e-zine, because I don't want any hard feelings. Besides, the e-zine does contain some very interesting information at times, but just this once I had a difference of opinion. Most of the rest of her article was great advice, and many writers may also believe the part I disagree with is also great advice, but hey, we're all entitled to our own opinions, right? In her article, she was giving tips on increasing productivity, and one of tips suggested that… basically, we should forget about the kids. Maybe I'm the only "writer mom" in this world that believes my children will ALWAYS come before my writing or anything else, but I can't help it. It may be the way I was raised -- that family and your children come first -- but I can't help how I believe. I have always put my children first. I will stop anything I'm doing if one of my kids needs me. Everybody has a pet peeve, and one of mine is that I can't stand to see parents push their children aside in order to work. I've seen it done many times on "Wife Swap," and in several movies. In my opinion though, business can wait. The business, work or etc. will always be there, but my children may not. I can't count how many times I've stopped writing to nurture a skinned knee from a bike wreck, or to just listen to one of my kids tell me what's making them so sad.

Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not criticizing your mothering skills, nor am I saying that you're a bad mother if you forget the kids for a little while to write, because I understand the reason we do our job is for the income so we can take care of them, feed them and put a roof over their head. This is just something I believe in, and I guess I felt I had to put my two cents in. No matter how you choose to juggle your family and write, please know this: You ARE a great parent no matter what, and you're great because I'm sure you have set aside time for your kids as well. Just think about what I said the next time you're writing and one of your kids comes to you with a problem: "The work will always be there, but your children may not."

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New Columns for Coffee Break for Writers

May 9, 2007 0 comments

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If you're already a subscriber to Coffee Break for Writers then you know about the new columns, but if you're not a subscriber, keep reading. I decided to include some fun within the pages of Coffee Break for Writers, and to do that I added Café Fun. Every month Café Fun will bring readers one of the following: a crossword puzzle, word search, word scramble or etc. Whether it's a crossword puzzle, word search, word scramble or etc, it will be related to writing in some way. In addition to Café Fun, I replaced the tips column with something I think is much better… Test Your Grammar. Test Your Grammar is a short quiz, also related to writing. The answers -- along with explanations -- will be included on the last page of the e-zine.

If you haven't subscribed to Coffee Break for Writers yet, then you're missing out. A sample of the latest edition of Coffee Break for Writers can viewed here (Adobe Reader 6 or above is required). If you like what you see, then by all means I invite you to subscribe to Coffee Break for Writers!

Never give up on your dreams -- work toward them,
Misti Sandefur
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Graduation Time

May 7, 2007 0 comments

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Looks like I'll be busy this month and next month. My daughter will be graduating JR High toward the end of this month. Then again, in June, my stepdaughter will be graduating High School. I'm planning a graduation party for my daughter, and my husband and I will be making a LONG trip (over 700 miles) to see my stepdaughter graduate. Needlesstosay, I have a lot to do for the next two months.

We'll be spending about three of four days on the trip to see my stepdaughter's graduation. She recently enlisted in the Navy, so she'll head off to boot camp soon after her graduation. Since we won't see her for a while after she graduates, we're going to spend some time with her before she has to leave. I sure do dread the trip, though. We've made it a few times before and it's tiring. It's amazing how much a long drive can wear a person out.

When we leave for the trip, I plan to take my laptop along, but I will have a sub writer for my "As the World Turns" updates. I don't plan to write much while we're there. However, I do plan to write about the trip and do a few reviews so I can have some articles to sell when we return. Who knows, I may even blog about the trip.

Speaking of graduation… if you know someone who's graduating soon, check out Top 10 Graduation Gifts. Top 10 Graduation Gifts is an article I had published last year. Before I wrote the article, I asked graduates what gifts they would like to receive. Furthermore, I also asked men and women who recently graduated what gifts they liked. Oh boy, talking about graduation gifts, I have two to buy. I may refer back to my own article. ;)

Well, I'd better go now. I still have some work to do before going to bed.

Never give up on your dreams -- work toward them,
Misti Sandefur
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Misti Sandefur's Official Web Site

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