Winter Solstice
December 26, 2024 by Neetu Malik in category Poet's Day by Neetu Malik tagged as longest night, Neetu, snow, Winter
Winter Solstice
don’t tell me how much
you love me, not now
when days are fragrant
with lavender
and the earth’s pulse
throbs with the beat of every heart
and I hear yours
make no promises when
the scent of moonflowers
rides on the night breeze
through the window
wait until fluttering wings
have flown south
the sky is muted
and snow has padded
the ground
until the air wears
a winter shroud
tell me then how much
you love me
on the longest night
and if you’re still
by my side
© Neetu Malik
Some of Neetu’s Books
NISHA’S JUST-RIGHT CHRISTMAS TREE—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
December 22, 2024 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Jaya Mehta, Nisha's Just Right Christmas Tree, Parvati Pillai, Susan Lynn Meyer
NISHA’S JUST-RIGHT CHRISTMAS TREE
SUSAN LYNN MEYER
AND
JAYA MEHTA
ILLUSTRATED by PARVATI PILLAI
Beaming Books
2024
ISBN 978-1-5064-9646-7
BIG. That’s all Nisha can think about. After all, in her mind, she’s not little anymore. She’s big. So, when it’s time to buy the family Christmas tree, Nisha wants to help her father pick out the right one.
Nisha wants a big tree. “As tall as a camel! As wide as an elephant!” One that can fit all of their ornaments, many of which came all the way from Baba’s home country of India.
But her Baba wants a small tree. One that he can easily carry up the stairs and that will fit in their small Brooklyn apartment.
Nisha and her father shop around, but they cannot seem to agree on a tree.
“Too big,” says Baba.
“Too small,” says Nisha.
Yet somehow they must find a tree that’s just right for each of them and that will make their Christmas special.
Nisha’s Just-Right Christmas Tree celebrates the childhood excitement of growing “big enough” to participate in holiday preparations, and is a heart-warming story of a little girl on a mission to help her father find the perfect Christmas tree.
Parvati Pillai’s illustrations in deep rich green, red, and gold colors draw the reader into the magical season and the warm tender family moments.
Nisha’s Just-Right Christmas Tree is a meaningful story of the ways in which cultures often mix and blend traditions from their home countries with those of their new country in order to create the just-right life for their families.
This is one to add to your holiday collection.
Veronica Jorge
Happy Holidays!
See you next year, January 22, 2025!
Featured Author Renae Wrich
December 14, 2024 by Renae Wrich in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured author, Mac and Cheese, mac and cheese in outer space, renae Wrich
A born and raised Minnesotan, Renae Wrich is a lover of hot dishes, lakes, and snuggling up with a good book on a cold winter day. Renae holds a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with her husband and two children (who love macaroni and cheese).
Her second children’s book MAC AND CHEESE IN OUTER SPACE was just published. You can read more about it here.
More of Renae’s Books
Hover over the cover for buy buttons. Click on the cover for more information.
The BWR 2025 Short Story Award competition opens soon!
December 13, 2024 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as 2025 Short Story Award, Bethlehem Writers Group, BWG
Beginning in January 2025, the BWR Short Story Award will open the competition soliciting stories of 2,500 words or fewer on the theme of Speculative Fiction (tales of science fiction and fantasy, broadly interpreted).
The winners receive cash and publication, with the first-place winner being considered for their upcoming anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy, forthcoming in 2026.
Contest will open January 1, 2025 and the deadline will be March 31, 2025. The 2025 contest judge will be science-fiction and fantasy author Adrian Tchaikovsky.
For more information on the 2025 Short Story Award, click here. You can read an interview with Mr. Tchaikovsky here.
Other BWG Publications
When SEO Works The Way It Should
December 12, 2024 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as Denise M. Colby, Marketing for Authors, SEOI wanted to share a fun full circle moment. It has to do with the SEO I created in a 2019 blog post on my own website. And a current search in 2024. The SEO worked the way it should. Which is why I titled this blog post When SEO Works The Way It Should.
Here’s what happened.
My youngest son had been helping me search for Christmas stockings on his own computer. We want to find one to match our current style. What we have are all Disney themed and have a character head at the top.
My husband and I first got our Christmas stockings the year we were married, which was 1995. A few years later, after our first son was born, we were able to add to the original set. We decided to purchase all that we could find for future children. We have six stockings in the set, with one being used for the dog.
In 2019, I had written a blog post about my favorite decorations at Christmas time. I mention the history behind our stockings and included a picture of our stockings. I added alt text for the photo and named it before uploading it. Other decorations are mentioned in the blog post, but it’s the stockings that are relevant to today’s post.
Flash forward back to 2024. When my son and I were googling Mickey Christmas stockings 1995, my blog post from 2019 popped up. It was a full circle moment. And it shows that if you spend the time setting up your SEO well, people will find your blog posts. This means it’s important to use phrases for your alt text on your images people would search by.
Why is Denise talking about SEO?
Denise loves to share learnings about blog and website SEO. She teaches classes on SEO and author branding as well. One of her blog posts is titled Why SEO Should Matter to An Author. Sign up for her Marketing for Authors newsletter on her website.
Denise loves to share about her writing journey (see all her posts here), including her word of the year (this year it is GROW), her debut novel When Plans Go Awry, and all the things in between. You can visit her at her website and blog at www.denisemcolby.com or on her facebook or instagram. Please note: some links include Amazon Associate links where Denise can earn from qualifying purchases.
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