Today is special to me because this marks my 200th post.  I never imagined in May of 2012 that I’d still be here two years later, writing a small column with a growing group of friends and fellow-readers/writers. In this time, I’ve met some wonderful people through this blog, and look forward to meeting more.

Here are some of my favorite comments . . .

• “I have a lot of notebooks in different rooms around the house so when an idea comes to me, I quickly write it down…” Letitia
• “I think about writing every day but reading and dreaming about it is more fun than actually doing it.” Sharon
• “I paint because I have to, if anyone sees the beauty in it, so much the better.” Cindy
• “I learned in Toastmasters there is a way to offer help that is truly helpful. A gifted speaker in our group said something like, “I really enjoyed . . . about your talk. One thing I noticed, that may be just me, was a lack of wrap up for your main points. Others may have heard it – it’s just my thought.” So easy to hear this kind – and kind – of help.” Linda
• “My favorite use of the ellipse in writing is when I want to give a dramatic effect to my reader. That pause before a shocking sentence arrives.” Ahamin

New Book Cover!

Whoo Hoo! Can’t wait to promote this book!

Yippee! I received the cover art for Sliced Vegetarian last week.  The artist, it turns out, is also from Colorado, so I hope to meet her in person one day (and with her permission) will do a blog interview with Deirdre Wait.

We live in a visual world, with color printing and on-line art so prolific, we take it for granted.  But don’t be fooled by the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”  Anyone who’s been in marketing for more than a week knows that well-ordered and professionally executed visuals “sell” all the time.  People buy books, at least in part, by what the cover looks like and what’s printed on it.

Some of the things I like about Deirdre’s work on Sliced Veggie, is that she connected one book to the next through the use of typeface and cover elements.  I love this new cover because of how bright and fun the graphics are, and I can see people enjoying the vegetable stand with the–heh, heh, heh–bloody knife in the middle.  My good guy thought the knife came from me, because it looks so much like a set we just bought. Hmm . . .

Taking A Holiday Break

Now that I’ve made such a big deal of publishing 200 posts, I’m going to turn around and let you know that I’m taking a little vacation.  This will be my last post until the New Year.  I might post a picture for Christmas, but other than that, I plan to spend the next couple of weeks enjoying a bunch of holiday movies (thank you Netflix), eating too many sugar-coated cookies, and reading some books that have been calling to me.

I wish you all a peaceful, holiday season, and hope all your special wishes come true.  See you in 2015!