Contest: Win a Mentorship Program for One Lucky Winner

Mortimer Literary Agency Announces its Yearly Mentorship Program. I received this information via Kelly Mortimer's newsletter:

"And awaaay we go! I'm ready to tell y'all about my mentorship program, started because I'm mental. I wanna help writers. I can't help everyone, but I can help ONE. It could be you.

You'll get more details later, but here's the overview.

I'll choose a writer and starting with chapter one of their finished manuscript, help them transform the work with the end goal being a contract for representation and the sale of the manuscript.
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The mentorship program isn't meant for those with one foot in the door, but for someone with a great idea or voice, that ain't getting' pubbed until they learn all the fun rules we have.
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The program is open to the first 100 applicants who satisfy the requirements TO THE LETTER. If ya can't follow simple directions, ya need more help than I can give.
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I have a lot of friends, and I wanna keep it that way. I'll be judging blind. Your application will go to someone else, contest style. The only info I'll receive will be the genre and word count. Sooo, you haveta send something unrecognizable to me. Something you haven't submitted before.
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You'll need to send the app form, one page of your manuscript (250-words computer program count, 250 words in Courier New font, or 300 words in Times New Roman font), and a one-page essay on why you should win the mentorship. If ya give me any clues to who ya are, you're outta there!
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I'll be accepting the submissions from October 1-31, 2008. If ya send your app in a minute before, you're outta there!
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The actual program will start in the second week of January."

That's a direct quote

PAX - My sons went to the Penny Arcade Show

On August 29, 30, and 31st Luke and Jake went to Seattle to the Penny Arcade Conference you can read more about it here. Luke spent a lot of his time playing video game challenges and finished 8th.

Jake ran around and checked some of the stuff out, when he wasn't cheering for his brother. He even met Felicia Day who played Vi on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Jake and his buddy Aaron had their pictures taken with the star.

It's Finally Here! Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning

Borders didn't call but I stopped by during my lunch hour and checked to see if Danette Haworth's new book was finally in. Hooray!!! It's finally here. And I had to climb into my "garden" and start it right away. And with talk of coral snakes and alligators on the jacketflap, before I even made it to the first page, I can tell you, I'm excited to see what will be popping out at me from these sheets of pen and ink.

I'll post more in the next day or two with what I thought about the entire story - but just reading the jacket, I'm sure I'm going to love it.

If you want a chance to win a copy, all you have to do is click on this link to Angie Frazier's blogspot and read all about the contest: here.

Random Acts of Photography from the Summer

These are photos of friends. First Jess and EJ, then Pintado and EJ, then Jess innertubing. And here's one random sunset over Portland, Oregon.

Fun on Tuesday Night

Here is MacKenzie playing Boil the Cabbage. Just click on the arrow to play.



And here is MacKenzie and Lars playing Adoration:

Why You Need an Agent

I just read a great post by an editorial assistant and think everyone should read it.

Click here

And here is a link to SM's webpage and one reason not to be willy-nilly about who you share your work with. Check it out (8/28/08-post) here.

Banana Bread and Blackberry Jam - Yum

It was a long weekend so my husband and I went to Mt. Tabor, picked blackberries, made homemade freezer jam and then I got up on Monday to work on my latest WIP, using my laptop - in the kitchen. And, while I was sitting there, I baked some banana bread.


I'm giving away an old family secret to making the most fantastic banana bread (Shhh!)(we learned it because, with 9 kids, Mom never wasted anything). The trick to moist, delicious banana bread is to use overripe (and by that I mean almost rotten) bananas.

Banana Bread:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder

6 T butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 overripe (almost spoiled) bananas

Mix and bake in a bread pan (lightly greased and floured) for 1 hour at 350

YUMMY!

Blackberry Freezer jam

1 quart fresh berries
5 cups sugar (if the berries are very ripe, you can cut this to 3 cups)
(Mix berries and sugar well)

Then mix berries with pectin mixture (which is 3/8 cup boiling water with pectin) I prefer the Ball freezer jam pectin - but you can use whatever you like. You have to cook the pectin and water together on high (stirring constantly) bring to a boil for one minute, then pour into berry mixture. Stir well for 3 minutes, then pour in plastic containers (can be tupperware or whatever you have) and put lid on. Can last for 1 year in freezer, 3 weeks in refrigerator but mine never makes it much past a week - not in my house.

Even YUMMIER!