Military Heroes, my husband, brothers and brother-in-laws

Books, meetings, workshops and poison ivy - Ivy traveled with me last week to meet with Pat Avery, one of the partners of Red Engine Press. We had a delightful chat over lunch at The Keeter Center on the campus of The College of the Ozarks. I was assured my book, Submarine Stories of World War II, would be published in time for the November 5-7, Military Writers Society of America Conference in Branson, Missouri. I wish it could have been sooner for our Arkansas Submarine Veterans gathering in June at Russellville and for the September National Conference in Billings, Montana. I am reading Pat's book Letters from Korea, an interesting read for children to learn how awful that war was and how families worried about their love ones in a war where over 33,000 men died.

I sent out my fourth children's book manuscript. I submitted to three editors I had met at conferences. I had an article published in the Ozarks Writers League's newsletter. It is a paying market. We went up on Friday to enjoy dinner with a few members and later met at one member's motel room to catch-up on all the news. Dusty Richards, a friend who has encouraged many writers has won two Spur Awards. He will receive his awards at the National Western Writers of America's conference June 12-16 at Springfield, MO. We are excited for him and his wife Pat. Their website www.westernwriters.org. What a list of speakers.
Plus, I got to visit with what I feel is a new friend, author Cara Brookins. She is the author of the children's novel, Doris Free, a story of a young girl living on a Wisconsin farm during the 30's. Nancy Robinson Masters was the morning speaker. I purchased her book, All my Downs have been Ups, filled with essays,articles and short stories. One of the stories she sold 18 times. You'll have to go to their websites to learn more.

We had an uplifting business meeting filled with exciting future plans for The Ozarks Writers League(OWL): a two day conference in November, selling our anthology, Echoes of the Ozarks 1 & 2 at Silver Dollar City's bookstore and plans are being made for the 2008 speakers. I was sorry to heard The Ozarks Mountaineer bookstore is closing. I love reading about the Ozarks. We still have the magazine.

Next time we go to a meeting at Hollister or Branson we'll be staying at the lodge on the campus for they have beautiful rooms for as little as $65.00. Check out my friend Velda Brotherton's new book, Fly with the Morning Dove. I can't wait to read it. I have a lot of reading
and writing to do. Plus, I picked up some work to get out before June. The garden needs the poison ivy killed, trimming, weeding and I need to direct all my vines.

Enjoy each day God grants you to see the sun and feel the rain. Fill each day with positive thoughts.

Ozarks Writers League will meet May 19, at the Plaster Auditorium at the College of the Ozarks. It has been a long time since we had speakers who are children's book authors. Nancy Robinson Masters' (www.nancyrobinsonmasters.com) and Cara Brookins (www.carabrookins.com) will join us for an exciting full day of motivation to kick-start our creative juices. Registration starts at 8:30 am. For more information go to http://www.ozarkswritersleague.org. OWL meetings/workshops are quarterly: February, May. August and November. When you join you will attend four workshops with exciting freelance writers and book authors each year, receive the quarterly newsletter The OWL's HOOT and find new friends - all for 20 dollars.

Reading, writing and submitting makes for a happy creative person.