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In this Issue
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Mom-Writers
PUBLISHING COOPERATIVE
A Division of Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, Inc.
We empower mom writers.
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Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine
Mom Writers Who Have Something To Say
March 2008
Editor's Note...
Something has changed. Writing is progressive for me now. Used to be,
I’d submit anything, anywhere, anytime (maybe I’m exaggerating, but I
didn’t discover Submission Guidelines as soon as I should have). Used to
be, one rejection letter or seeing my SASE in the mailbox would send me
into self-sabotage, with hapless “I’ll get back to my manuscript another
time,” thinking. Used to be, I’d find excuses not to write, but take
every opportunity to talk about writing. Does anybody know what I mean?
There has been a leap in how I feel about this craft and I hope you know
what I mean because it’s a good feeling. These days, although I still
have trouble getting up very early to write, I somehow make time to do
it more so than talking about doing it. Extracting the wisdom of Norman
Mailer, I don’t discuss my current works in progress or ideas as freely
as I would, for example, share a recipe (and now my recipes only appear
on my blog). I’m getting the hang of this, and in due time. It certainly
can’t be rushed.
Has
this ever happened to you – you state you’re a writer, and suddenly
realize you’re surrounded by fellow writers? Not too soon will you learn
that anyone can call themselves a writer. From the age of 13, I kept
journals, had mental catalogues of manuscript ideas, and scribbled
poetry, but not until I joined the company of other writers – in Nancy
Cleary’s publishing cooperative, at MWLM, and in different
publications – did I consider myself a writer (and you are the only
audience I will tell). It takes a daily commitment to stay on that
course. Like everything else, writing is work we sweat to improve.
Sometimes, like motherhood, writing isn’t a paying job. But, as I
recently heard at a Writer’s Conference, “writers can’t not
write.”
So
here we are together, us writers, us moms. Welcome to our Spring 2008
issue!
I
love Spring, I think, the best of any season. Baseball returns, and I
still get the occasional dramatic thunderstorm I need. I also get the
warm, not-too-hot sunshine with life sprouting everywhere. Such worthy
metaphors. But Spring is just the beginning.
Something has definitely changed. I know, like you know, that writing is
what we are supposed to be doing. Writing is less of a pastime and more
of an identity, and what I create with words, I love like my children.
One
comes before the other, though. So spring forward until the two seasons
blend together in metaphorical, surprising ways. There is so much to
say. Dive in, the water is getting warmer now.
Best,
Samantha Gianulis
editor@momwriterslitmag.com
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Spring 2008 Writing Contest
"I knew what I was supposed
to be doing, but my desires distracted me..."
Deadline: May 16, 2008
Entry Fee: $10.00
We are
accepting submissions for our first-line writing contest
starting March 31, 2008. It may be creative non-fiction or
fiction and should be between 700 - 1,200 words, and the
first line must be "I knew what I was supposed to be doing,
but my desires distracted me..." The work submitted will be
judged by MWLM Editors, and we will choose one grand prize
winner to receive $100!
Click here
to submit your entry. |
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Our Feature Cover Story for MWLM
Mom Publisher Nancy Cleary
by Kathy Schlaeger
Up before the sun, passionate about her work,
Nancy Cleary strives to keep her finger on the pulse of the
publishing industry. For Nancy, it's her author's experience
that reigns supreme, and her dedication to empowering mom
authors has created a worldwide following. Since launching
Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, named for her son and daughter,
Nancy has printed over a quarter of a million books, many of
them award-winning, and each of them a career stepping
stone for the author. Her own Fall '07 release, A Book is
Born, chronicles the publishing journey with insight,
humor, and heart. Nancy works out of her home-office in rural
Deadwood, Oregon, with her office companion, a chocolate lab
appropriately named “Book...”
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Our Profiles
An
interview with Ellen Cockrill
interviewed by MWLM’s Jackie Papandrew
As Senior Vice President of Animation for Universal Studios
Family Productions, Ellen Cockrill oversees the production of
television and Universal DVD Originals™ animated fare for the
studio. In this capacity, she has managed the development of
television series such as Curious George, which is
based on the classic booksabout everyone’s favorite inquisitive
monkey, and The Land Before Time, which is based on
characters from the beloved film franchise. The Land Before
Time TV show debuted last year on Cartoon Network, while
Curious George premiered on PBS in 2006...
An
interview with Susan Heim
interviewed by MWLM’s Jackie Papandrew
As a writer, editor and the mother of four
boys, including a set of twins, Susan Heim says when she became
a mother she discovered that existing books on parenting did not
address the emotional impact of having a baby. So she set out to
change that, writing Oh, Baby! 7 Ways a Baby Will Change
Your Life the First Year. Formerly a senior editor for
Health Communications, Inc., – publisher of the best-selling
Chicken Soup for the Soul series – Heim is also the author
of Twice the Love: Stories of Inspiration for Families…with
Twins, Multiples and Singletons, and It’s Twins!
Parent-to-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence...
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Our
Guest Profiles
An
interview with mom author
Julie Compton
interviewed by Sue Donckels
Julie Compton was born and raised in St.
Louis, Missouri, the setting for Tell No Lies. She’s
been married to her husband Rick for over 20 years now, and they
have two daughters, 15 (almost 16!) and 13. Though she spent the
first 32 years of her life in St. Louis (and still gets quite
nostalgic for it), she’s since lived in the suburbs of Boston,
Philadelphia, and now Orlando, Florida. She earned both her
undergraduate degree in English Literature and her law degree
from Washington University. She no longer practices law and
spends most of her time these days writing...
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Our Guest Features
Her Golden Time
by
Monica Crumback
The Cat in the Closet
by Elizabeth Rau
Vintage Baby
by Suzanne Schuckel Heath
Miles in the
Morning
by
Michele Markarian
Truth Without
Answers
by
Kimberly Paulk
Catalyst
by Jenna Rindo
On Watching
American Beauty
by J. K. Dane
Welcome to
Preschool
by Za Flores
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MWLM Columnists
Check out all of our down-to-earth columns by the
MWLM’s regular columnists – Lucie Bouchard Antoniazzi,
Jennifer Brown, Samantha Gianulis, Maureen
Locher, Karrie McAllister, Stephanie McCarty, Jackie Papandrew, Lisa Rickwood,
Denise Roy, Dionna Sanchez, Linda Sharp,
and Julie Watson Smith. |
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Our Book Reviews
Review of
Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice
Box
Reviewed by Jennifer Brown
Review of
The
Accidental Mother
Reviewed by Jennifer Brown
Guest Review of
Dispatches from a
Not-So-Perfect Life
Reviewed by Cheryl Morgen
Review of
Odd Mom Out
Reviewed by Deb Kincaid
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Our Poetry
Transformation
by Kimberly Hiatt
This Moment
by Robin Keith
Stone House
by Patricia Kennelly
First Dance
by Linda O'Connell
Before I Knew
by Martha T. Robinson
Baby Doll
by Connie J. Schlosberg
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Mom Writer’s Productions, LLC is a company dedicated to mom writers.
We are a literary magazine for mothers with something to say and we honor the fulfilling and tedious work that
women do by making their stories visible through print.
For more information about Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine please visit
www.momwriterslitmag.com.
If you have questions about your subscription to this newsletter, please write to:
newsletter@momwriterslitmag.com.
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