More Holiday Silliness

This weekend, we’ll be having our annual Gingerbread gathering. The children will get together with some close friends and spend the evening making anatomically correct gingerbread people. You really don’t know how creative your children can be until you give them free reign on a project like this. We’ve had everything from squalling newborn gingerbread babies to saucy gingerbread ladies-of-the-night…and some pretty hilarious characters in between.

More Inexpensive Holiday Crafts/Gifts By Angela Hoy

Last week, I wrote about paper sculptures, personalized dolls, and personalized snow globes.
The snow globe materials arrived this week but it’s slow going so I don’t have any pictures of the finished goodies to show you yet. We took photos of the children that make it appear they are holding their breath and swimming in the globes.. I originally took photos of the backs of the children, too, so there wouldn’t be just white photo paper on their backs. Well, that didn’t work…

BOOK CONTESTS – IMAGE MAKERS By C. Hope Clark

Contests are everywhere for short stories, poetry and essays. One almost has to wrack his brain to name others. But to a novelist or book-length author, such competitions are rare; for self-published writers they are practically nonexistent. Everyone knows that using “award-winning” after one’s name may make someone take notice. But where does one find book contests? Not many people award self-publishing authors, but the few that do, do it quite well.

Why Should I Sign a “First Rights” Contract, Not Knowing When Publication Will Be?

Dear Angela,
I’ve been waiting for nine months for a magazine I really like to schedule a publication date for my inspirational essay. Soon after I submitted it, the editor told me she really liked it, but it would take them a while to schedule it. Now they’ve sent a contract in which they want me to sign over Exclusive First Rights for it to be put on their website without paying me on acceptance or scheduling a date for its publication. I’ll be paid when it is uploaded on the website, but “its placement is subject to the editorial staff’s discretion and may be removed from the website at any time without prior notice.”
I think they should pay me now or schedule a publication date if they want me to sign a contract.
If I turn over first rights, they could sit on the piece forever. I think it’s a good piece and I really want to see it in print. What do you think about the contract and do you think there is any advantage to my letting someone put it on the website? This isn’t a major magazine. I need good printed clips.
Thanks,
A.

Blizzard!

In case you missed the news this week, Maine got hammered by a huge snowstorm. It started snowing around 3 a.m. on Monday morning and, as I write this at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, it’s still snowing, but just a light, misty snowfall now.

Loving and Inexpensive Holiday Gifts for Creative People to Make By Angela Hoy

Loving and Inexpensive Holiday Gifts for Creative People to Make By Angela Hoy

I have a big problem buying stuff for people who already have everything… especially when I know they probably won’t want whatever I could find on sale at the mall or at the department store. I’d much rather spend less money, but more time, making homemade gifts for family members and close friends.