Serenity Sunday

Selfie Saturday: The Big Snow

Since today is Selfie Saturday, I thought I'd share some pics of the recent snowstorm. Here in our part of Pennsylvania, we got more than 2 feet!

Belle running in the snow.

Our mailbox. Yikes!

This was what it looked like outside when we went to bed that night.

The view from upstairs the next morning, looking down at the patio table and the hot tub. Now that's a lot of snow!

My hubby's breakfast, once he came in from shoveling.  :)

Have a great weekend!

How about you? Did you get snow where you are? If so, how much?

Free Friday: New Contest Announced Today

Today's prize is is a lovely journal with a traditional Irish blessing on the front cover, which makes it the perfect prize to give away in honor of Adele and Jocelyn, the Irish heroines in Echoes of Titanic.

This journal will go to the winner of next Friday's drawing.  For your chance to win, click on the button, below, and complete the form.

Up Your Odds of Winning

Get your friends and family to sign up as well! You can earn 1 extra entry for yourself for each new person you get to register, as long as:

a. they have not registered for any of my previous "Free Friday" or "Countdown to Christmas" giveaways, and

b. they provide your info when requested on the form.

The Fine Print

• Winner will be chosen at random using the True Random Number Generator at Random.com.

• Please note that YOU MAY ONLY ENTER ONCE. DUPLICATES WILL BE DELETED.

• Entries must include your name, email address, and full mailing address to be valid. If any of these are left blank on the form, your entry will not be eligible to win.

• This is a NEW CONTEST. Previous entries for any other contests do not carry over to this drawing. Thus if you would like a chance to win the prize described above, you must complete the entry form. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON please.

• If you bring a friend and for some reason they forget to give you the credit, then please email the details to my assistant, Tara @ mindystarnsclark.com, who will work with you to make sure you get any extra entries you have coming.

BYOF

Don't forget, the more friends you bring, the greater your own chances of winning. Good luck!

And the Winner Is...

Winner of Friday's giveaway, the Amish wall hanging, is Len Hodges. Congrats!

Be sure to check back on Friday for a brand new contest.

Tell Me Tuesday: A Turkey of a Tale

Here's another fun answer to this question:

What is the best and/or most fun thing you’ve ever won? 

 from author Deborah Raney.

The best thing I ever won was 2 season tickets to Wichita's Music Theater. My husband Ken and I saw some fabulous shows we could never have afforded otherwise.

The “funniest” thing I ever won was a turkey. Okay, turkeys aren’t that funny, but what happened with that turkey was pretty funny. Well, NOT at the time, but looking back years later I can laugh. The rest of the story is here. 






That turkey story would be a great fit for a new book I'm working on, called Laughing at Life's Most Embarrassing Moments. Thanks for sharing!

To learn more about Deborah, visit her website and be sure to check out her latest book in the Chicory Inn series, Another Way Home.

                                                          

                    


So what's one of your most embarrassing moments? Care to share? ;)

Serenity Sunday

Free Friday: Who Will Win the Wall Hanging?

Today's prize is this adorable Sewing Amish Girl Wall Hanging, given in honor of The Amish Seamstress.

The drawing will be held today around noon, the winner will be notified via email, and the winner's name will be posted here.  Good luck!

And be sure to come back next Friday for a brand new prize and drawing.

Writing Wednesday: Of Deadlines and Trash Bags

Here’s what it’s like to be a writer on a deadline: Your head is so wrapped up in your story that you’re not really present in your own life at all. You’re off somewhere far away, your brain working on the tale even when you’re not at the computer.

Then you go downstairs to get a cup of coffee and decide to change out the load of laundry you ran last night...only to find when you look in the washing machine that you somehow washed a box of trash bags with your towels.  

Here's what was waiting for me inside my washer this morning:

No clue how this happened, the trash bags are kept on a shelf about 5 feet away from the washer. But there it was–and I didn't have time for this! Had to pull out all 20 of the bags, shake out every single towel that was in there since they were covered with tiny pieces of cardboard. Then I had to sweep up the mess those pieces left all over the floor. Then I had wipe out the inside of the washer. Then I had to start the load over again. Then I had to decide whether to save the trash bags themselves or toss ‘em. Just couldn’t bring myself to throw them all out, they were perfectly useable. But I couldn’t put them away wet.

So I hung them out to dry on the deck, grateful at least that it’s a windy day. Yes, this is my clothes drying rack, full of trash bags.

And that’s what it’s like to be a writer on a deadline. 

How about you? Done anything really stupid lately because you were distracted?

Tell Me Tuesday: A Trip to American Idol

Time for another answer to this question:

                                        What's the best and/or most fun thing you've ever won?

I got this awesome response from author Vickie McDonough...

The best thing I ever won was an all expenses paid trip to the American Idol's 8th season finale in Los Angeles. It was one of the few years I'd followed the show from the beginning, and two Christian signers were in the top three. My husband had no interest in going, so I shocked my daughter-in-law, who was a HUGE American Idol fan, and took her with me. It was an incredible time. We took a side trip through Beverly Hills and rode the Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier.

That certainly sounds like an amazing trip and wonderful prize!

To learn more about Vickie, be sure to check out her website and her latest book, Jolie’s Redemption, as well as the rest of her Land Rush Dreams Series: 

                                


Are you an American Idol fan?    

If not, what show would you love to see filmed in person?

Serenity Sunday

Selfie Saturday: Picture Time

The deadline looms for my next book, so today's post is quick, just a fun photo I thought I'd share. This is Belle, the World's Best Dog, on her daddy's lap in front of the fireplace.

Have a great weekend!

Free Friday: New Contest Announced Today

It's time for another contest. This week's prize is an adorable fabric wall hanging that I discovered in a small gift shop in Lancaster County:

The wall hanging is approx. 10" by 13" and features a little Amish girl sewing. That makes it the perfect prize to give away in honor of my book The Amish Seamstress, co-written with Leslie Gould.  

This lovely work of art will go to the winner of next Friday's drawing.  For your chance to win, click now on the "Enter to Win" button, below, and complete the form.

Up Your Odds of Winning

Get your friends and family to sign up as well! You can earn 1 extra entry for yourself for each new person you get to register, as long as:

a. they have not registered for any of my previous "Free Friday" or "Countdown to Christmas" giveaways, and

b. they provide your info when requested on the form.

 To help you spread the word, here's a handy graphic that you are welcome to post, tweet, email, and otherwise pass along:

The Fine Print

• Winner will be chosen at random using the True Random Number Generator at Random.com.

• Please note that YOU MAY ONLY ENTER ONCE. DUPLICATES WILL BE DELETED.

• Entries must include your name, email address, and full mailing address to be valid. If any of these are left blank on the form, your entry will not be eligible to win.

• This is a NEW CONTEST. Previous entries for any other contests do not carry over to this drawing. Thus if you would like a chance to win the prize described above, you must complete the entry form. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON please.

• If you bring a friend and for some reason they forget to give you the credit, then please email the details to my assistant, Tara @ mindystarnsclark.com, who will work with you to make sure you get any extra entries you have coming.

BYOF

Don't forget, the more friends you bring, the greater your own chances of winning. Good luck!

Tell me Tuesday: Two Trips to the Podium

Here's another answer to last week's question, which I posed to some of my author friends:

                                       What's the best and/or most fun thing you've ever won?

I got this great response from Dan Walsh... 

The most fun thing I've ever won was a second Carol Award in 2010 for the same book on the same night. To my utter shock and surprise several months earlier, my first novel, The Unfinished Gift, had been named a finalist for both Debut Author and in its category, Historical Fiction. I sincerely didn't expect to win either award, but I came to the big banquet, all dressed up, honored just to be among the crowd. When they called my name out as the winner for the Debut Author award, I could hardly believe it. I had prepared a speech (since they asked us to), but could hardly get the words out.

Then a few minutes later, they get to the Historical Fiction category. I'm already done for the night and can die a happy man. It's one thing to say my book was the best among the new authors that year, but there was no way it would win in its category, sitting next to the works of such experienced writers. Still basking in the glow of that first shock, I heard my name called out again. My heart almost stopped. I couldn't believe it. The Unfinished Gift has won again. I have won again. I never win anything. The last thing I won was a 6th grade spelling bee. Even as I look back on it now, the second walk to the podium to accept that second Carol Award was like having an out-of-body-experience.

Here is Dan accepting his first Carol award (he’s the head sticking up)

There is nothing like the feeling of being recognized for something you created. Way to go Dan!

For more information on Dan be sure to check out his website as well as his award-winning book, The Unfinished Gift, and his latest release, Rescuing Finley.

                

Have you ever won an award? Tell us about it in the Comments below. 

Serenity Sunday

First Ever Selfie Saturday: Pies on Parade

My husband and I don't eat refined sugar, so whenever we're in the mood for a sweet treat, we'll usually bake a pie. Over the years we've learned that the right mix of fruits can make things plenty sweet without need of sugar or artificial sweetener.

Anyway, when either of us throws a pie together, we always use any extra leftover crust to create an edible design on top, something relevant (big or small) to whatever's happening at that time. I'm not sure when or how this tradition started, but it's been going on for so long now that it's part of each pie we make.

Thought I'd share a few of our recent favorites, including:

• A big "The End" for finishing my last manuscript

• A palm tree in honor of an upcoming trip to Bermuda

• A turkey for Thanksgiving

• A Christmas tree for Christmas

• An Amish horse and buggy upon the release of Amish Christmas at North Star

And finally, our most recent pie, which I baked over the Christmas holidays, during our own personal Star Wars marathon with the kids...

That's it for today, with just one final thought: May the Pie be with you!

What Are You Watching This Weekend?

Fun news for an author friend of mine, Rene Gutteridge, whose book My Life As A Doormat has been adapted into a new movie from the Hallmark Channel. The movie has been retitled as "Love's Complicated", and it'll debut this weekend, so be sure to check it out!

You may also want to read Rene's novel, which you can find here: