[tag]Empower: International Competition for Writers with Disabilities
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The Arizona Phoenix Sister Cities introduces its International Competition for Writers with Disabilities 2010. Below is a summary of the major elements of the competition:

Phoenix Sister Cities International Competition for Writers with Disabilities 2010

Eligibility
Persons 19 years of age and older with a disability residing in the State of Arizona or one of Phoenix’s nine sister cities (for a list of the sister cities see attached brochure.

Type of Writing
Poems of 32 lines or less written in English

Contest Theme
Reflections on Life

Entry Fee
$15 per entrant residing in Arizona, regardless of the number of poems he/she submits

Due Date
April 1, 2010

Prizes
$500 first place; $350 second place and $150 third place as well as plaques. A certificate of participation to all entrants

Publication
Poems will be published on Phoenix Sister Cities Website and made available internationally. Poems will also be published independently

Awards Event
Friday evening June 11, 2009 in Central Phoenix to award prizes to the winners

More details about the competition can be found here:

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While the deadline for the writing competition is imminent, we will also be having an art competition in November 2010. When we have our brochure for that competition available, we will provide you with a copy.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Harry Wolfe at 602-279-7356.

Technorati Tags: The Arizona Phoenix Sister Cities, International Competition for Writers with Disabilities 2010

DANYA BUSH - $50 gift card to an independent bookstore in your area.

ALEX MACFARLAND – $25 gift card to an independent bookstore in your area.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Thanks to everyone who entered. I greatly appreciated your two cents on the matter. I’ve decided not to change Draven’s last name. I like the way it sounds and it’s pretty unique.

However, if I had changed her name, I would’ve changed it to “Addair”. Since I’m not going to change it, a character in Book Two will be given this last name.

Thanks Danya and Alex. Please contact me at celise[at]celisedowns[dot]com with the name of the indie bookstore in your area. If you need help finding one, do a search HERE.

YOU HAVE THREE MORE DAYS TO VOTE! Enter to win either a $50 or $25 gift card to an independent bookstore in your area. Should I change Draven’s last name? Head over to my FUN STUFF page and give your two cents. For teens only, ages 13-18. Deadline is July 31st, MST.

Saturday, I saw THE UGLY TRUTH twice in one day. It wasn’t a hardship, really, seeing Gerard Butler for a couple of hours. It’s interesting to see how well he can hide that Scottish accent of his. In 300 and ROCKNROLLA, he let it all hang out. But in this movie, P.S. I LOVE YOU and NIM’S ISLAND, he Americanized it a little bit, but the accent still slipped through. I didn’t think Mr. Maul would want to see it, but he surprised me by suggesting it.

Sunday, we went to breakfast at U.S. Egg. My co-worker and sometimes go there for lunch. It used to be called the Blue Plate Brunchery, but now they’re under new management. With a completely different menu. That’s one of the places I like to go that serves breakfast all day long. Sometimes, a burger or a sandwich just doesn’t cut it. We weren’t too impressed with the coffee, but the food we ordered was pretty good. Mr. Maul liked their protein pancakes (blueberries, cinnamon and slivers of almonds are baked into the pancake batter).

We also watched QUANTUM OF SOLACE on Blu-Ray later that night. I think he bought the regular version for me, but of course, this one looks a lot better.
Surprisingly, I have yet to finish typing up the revisions, but I had good writing movement last week: 12 new pages in The Lesson segment. Yeah, it had already been written, but when I was going back through it—and trying to find a place in the novel to put it—I realized I needed to add a little more detail. 12 new pages emerged. Yay me.

So, how was weekend?

Technorati Tags: THE UGLY TRUTH, Gerard Butler, 300, ROCKNROLLA, P.S. I LOVE YOU, NIM’S ISLAND, U.S. Egg, QUANTUM OF SOLACE

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO VOTE! Enter to win either a $50 or $25 gift card to an independent bookstore in your area (yes, I changed my mind. We need to support local bookstores more). Should I change Draven’s last name? Head over to my FUN STUFF page and give your two cents. For teens only, ages 13-18. Deadline is July 31st, MST.

Friday after work, I went to see HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. I liked it. It amazes me how much the characters have grown. Literally and figuratively. I mean, when these kids were tapped to play Harry, Hermione and Ron, they were 10-11. We’ve watched them grow up. Rupert’s 20 yrs old and Emma will be attending Brown University. How wild is that? I’ve never read the books, but I’ve seen all the movies. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. So unlike the extensive review I read over at Horserider’s blog, I can honestly say that I never have any expectations going in when I see these movies. I don’t know what’s missing, what’s been added or how important those deletions/additions are to the story. I just like the movies, so I go see them. Plain and simple. One thing for all you HP fans to keep in mind, and it’s also something Daniel Radcliffe mentioned in an interview, is that they can’t put everything from the books into the movie. It’s just not possible. Just be glad they’re making the movies.

Saturday, I spent the better part of the morning in the heat at the The Arizona Rod & Classic Car Club Annual Backpack Giveaway. My Dad is a member of this car club and this is their second year doing this backpack giveaway for ChildHelp and Keys. It was my second time volunteering as well and this time, I was manning the Book Booth. Not by myself though, because that would’ve been a freakin’ nightmare. Each booth had something different. Backpacks, school supplies (puzzles and notebooks), children’s books, free hot dogs and drinks, raffle tickets, etc. Once kids got their backpacks, they could visit the other booths and pick up stuff.

Last year, I was giving away stuffed animals—this year it was children’s books. Kohl’s donated over 1000 books. Me and 5 other people gave away 9 different titles, one of which was Kung Fu Panda (that one was a big hit, needless to say). The one thing I discovered at this event this year was that a couple of volunteers felt “entitled.” During the course of handing out books, a volunteer from another booth (and I really wish I could remember from what company, because I would’ve called them out in this post) came over and helped herself to two books saying that “her daughter would really like these.”

“Really? That’s nice. How about you wait until the event is over to see if we have any extra copies? Because these books are for the kids here. The ones who are standing in line. Or did you forget who this event was for? You stupid, selfish twit.”

I didn’t say that, but I wanted to. I let it go. It was two books out of 1000+, but it was two less books that other needy children didn’t get. Children who probably hate to read, but would’ve liked one of these books enough to try it more often. That pissed me off a little.

Oh, and of course we can’t forget that one volunteer from SRP who told her grandson to swipe some extra backpacks (probably for her own kids or some co-workers kids). One of the booths had backpacks leftover and were going to give them out to parents whose children couldn’t attend. The boy came over and nearly helped himself to 6 backpacks. I say nearly because the woman who was passing them out stopped him in his tracks. She’s all “Uh, no, you need to put these down.” And he’s all “But my grandmother said—“and she’s all, “I don’t care what your grandmother said, you need to put these down because that’s not how it works around here.” And then she promptly went over to the boy’s grandmother and gave her what-for.

It pissed her off so much, that people could be so greedy when it comes to charity, she said “That’s it. We’re done. We’re only giving away what’s left in these two open boxes and then we’re done.” Despite the fact that there were several more unopened boxes nearby. I didn’t blame her. Really, I didn’t. Her group was in charge of those backpacks. And to have someone come over and just take whatever they wanted? That was wrong. You came to this event with the intent of helping underprivileged children. Just because the stuff you’re passing out is free doesn’t mean you can put aside something for yourself. Get with the program, people. Volunteering means giving back, not taking. Jeez. I know all the future events I’ll volunteer for won’t be like this, so I’m just going to chalk this experience up to the sweltering heat. Despite the fact that I was under a canopy, I still felt like I was going to pass out a couple of times.

Sunday, I cleaned house and did laundry. I never got a chance to finish it, either, because my body was protesting from all the bending and lifting I did on Saturday! Mr. Maul rubbed this foul, strong-smelling Tiger Balm crap on my leg. It smelled stronger than menthol and started to burn after a little bit (I guess it’s supposed to do that). I’ve never experienced that icy-hot stuff before, but I imagine if felt something like that. But 3 times worse. It’s now Tuesday and I’m still feeling a little stiff, but it’s not as bad.

I’m now up to Chapter 4 in typing up revisions. I’ve been slacking a little. Even though I had written a whole new section regarding The Offer, I just ended up taking some words from that and putting them in the first chapter. I think that section will make a good short story, though, so I’ll keep it around. I’m also debating on whether The Psych Eval should be part of the final chapter or make it into an Epilogue. I have something else for the Epilogue, but I was thinking about making the book interactive with the website (when I design it, that is). I dunno, maybe I’ll host another contest and get everyone’s opinion again.

So, how was your weekend?

Technorati Tags: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, Brown University, Daniel Radcliffe, The Arizona Rod & Classic Car Club Annual Backpack Giveaway, ChildHelp, Keys, Kohl’s, Kung Fu Panda, SRP, Tiger Balm

It’s Monday and I’m sooooo tired. Three days off was not long enough. Mr. Maul and I went to a DSG 4th of July party. The theme was South Pacific. As in the musical. He downloaded it last Friday so we could get ideas on what to wear. Needless to say, it was really, really, really, hard to get past the first cheesy song: something about dames. LOL. And the crazy-ass Technicolor themed scenes. Sometimes it appeared as though whole one whole scene was filmed in fuschia. Or yellow-gold. Yeah. crazy. So, Mr. Maul and I ended up going for the more “military” theme and wore camo shorts and tanks. We had fun. I didn’t hear or see any fireworks, though. Mr. Maul had too much fun and I ended up driving home (I don’t drink so I’m always the designated driver) and we didn’t get home until around 3-something. We were supposed to go see PUBLIC ENEMIES over the weekend.

That didn’t happen. At all. Not even on Friday and we had that day off. Didn’t feel like doing anything on Sunday, that’s for sure, and I don’t know why we didn’t see it Friday or Saturday. If anyone saw it, please give your review. I’d be interested to hear what you thought about it.

And I did laundry. Nothing more I can say about that because, well, it’s laundry.

Writing Movements – no writing last week. I know, I’m such a bad authoress. I should be diving back into revisions for Book Two, but I have yet to incorporate those other sections I wrote into Book One. I need to do that. I’ve been procrastinating. Over the weekend, I talked to a fellow DSGer about podcasting. I’ve been on the fence about this series in regards to the publishing route I should take and this dude gave me something to think about. Speaking of the series…

You still have plenty of time to vote on whether or not I should change Draven’s last name. Go over to my FUN STUFF page and vote. There are two chances to win. The deadline is July 31st. Remember, only teens can vote

Tomorrow night, Mr. Maul and I are going to see Beyonce (aka Sasha Fierce) in concert. Section B, Row 8. Not close enough to see her pores, but close enough to see her sweat. Close enough to see a wardrobe malfunction. Close enough to see her trip and hope she doesn’t fall into our area (if that were the case, I’m sure Mr. Maul—and a bunch of other guys—would lunge to catch her). LOL. This should be interesting.

So, how was your holiday weekend?

Technorati Tags: South Pacific, PUBLIC ENEMIES, podcasting, Beyonce, Sasha Fierce

This weekend we had our family reunion. It was so much fun, despite the small size. We were lucky to get as many as we did (31 total), but like I said, we all had a great time. My sister and I saw a cousin we hadn’t seen since we were in high school! It was crazy, but he still looks the same, just a little more filled out. I wish I had pics to show you, but my cousin has a lot of work ahead of her in posting pics and creating the DVD. Can’t wait for the next one in 2011. Wherever that may be.

I saw TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN twice this weekend. Despite the length and the crappy reviews from the movie critics, it had a blockbuster opening weekend. It was too long and I thought the first one was better. I give it 3 Snaps. What about you?

Writing Movements - no writing last week. I’m done with The Lesson and will now have to incorporate it into the story. Meanwhile, you still have time to vote on whether or not I should change Draven’s last name. I’ve been getting some good suggestions. Head on over to my FUN STUFF page and give me your two cents. Oh, and the catch, of course, is that only teens can vote. Sorry.

This is a short but sweet post, folks. I think I’m still trying to recover from the weekend. How was yours?

Technorati Tags: TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

I wish I had something more exciting to talk about, but really, this weekend was pretty uneventful. Mr. Maul and I went to The Original Pancake House for breakast yesterday. We forgot that it was Father’s Day (yes, I sent my Daddy a card), so the wait was a bit long (30 mins) but that place is worth it. Should you ever visit Scottsdale, AZ, eat at The Original Pancake House on Camelback Rd, next to the Motel 6; it’s also walking distance to Scottsdale Fashion Square so if you eat too much, you can always walk it off over there. Every weekend that place is hoppin’, but like I said, the food is worth it. We get the same thing every time: I get a bacon waffle (crispy) and one scrambled egg, Mr. Maul gets the spinach omelet (it somes with a short stack of buttermilk pancakes).

Saturday, while Mr. Maul was doing the male bonding thing with his BF, I went to see THE PROPOSAL. Loved. It. I’m buying this when it comes out. Seriously. If only to see the outtakes. It was a nearly full theater, too. Three reasons you should go see this movie:

1) Ryan Reynolds naked. The man has got the most awesome physique.

2) Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock singing “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ-Rock. Hi-larious.

3) Sandra Bullock singing and dancing to “The Walls” by Lil’ John. You know what song I’m talking about, right? Hi-larious times 3. Especially Ryan’s comment afterwards.

On a major side note here: I have to come up with a new nickname for when I talk about my husband. I was using Mr. Maul because he’s part of this very special group and dresses up like Darth Maul. However, he’s grown out his hair a little and hasn’t done Darth Maul since the Fiesta Bowl Parade in January. So, I’m going to start referring to him as Mr. MMA, because he LOVES mixed martial arts (his favorite fighter is Wanderlay Silva) and he does a little martial arts himself.

Did some laundry on Sunday, too. Only 4 baskets this time. Not so bad, but man, I hate doing laundry. I guess it wouldn’t suck so much if the appliances were inside the house, instead of outside in the shed. Yeah, don’t ask.

Writing Movements – I had good writing movement last week. 12 handwritten pages. Don’t know what that adds up to in typed pages, because I haven’t done that yet, but it felt good to me. I finished The Lesson today on break. Now, I have to go through the hard copy of the story and put it all in. Oh, and as a reminder:

I’m running a Character Last-Name Change Contest and need your opinion on whether I should change Draven’s last name. The general consensus so far is that I should and people have been suggesting some good replacements. Check out my FUN STUFF page for more deets.

So, how was your weekend?

Technorati Tags: The Original Pancake House, Scottsdale, AZ, Camelback Rd, Motel 6, Scottsdale Fashion Square, THE PROPOSAL, Ryan Reynolds, “It Takes Two”, Rob Base and DJ EZ-Rock, Sandra Bullock, Darth Maul, Fiesta Bowl Parade, Wanderlay Silva, Character Last-Name Change Contest

Diana Peterfreund is giving away copies of Dull Boy by Sarah Cross. As part of the contest, you have the opportunity to create your own superhero.

HOW FUN WAS THIS???

Here’s mine:

I could’ve played with this thing forever. Go on over and enter the contest and create your own.

Technorati Tags: Diana Peterfreund, Dull Boy, Sarah Cross

Saturday morning, the hubby and I went to see Twilight. I don’t think he really wanted to see it, but I kept asking if he was going with me because I was going to see it by myself if he didn’t.

I don’t think he wanted to stay home by himself, so he went with me.

I never read the book, but I wanted to see the movie. I had no expectations going in, didn’t expect to be disappointed if it wasn’t like the book (are they ever?).

I liked it.

In some ways, it reminded me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer T.V. show. Y’know, with the whole YA factor appeal. Some of Robert Pattinson’s facial expressions were funny. Especially the one in the classroom. And for some reason, I was expecting him to turn into a pile of ashes when he stepped into the sunlight, but apparently, their “kind” of vampire doesn’t do that. Someone care to explain that?* I could just read the book, I know, but I would rather have the instant gratification of knowing the answer now rather than later. I don’t know if they plan to turn her other books into movies (again, anyone care to weigh in on that?*), but I’ll go see them if they come out.

I just feel sorry for the stupid fool who was stupid enough to release a portion of her WIP. Because of that one person, 1) the author will probably no longer trust you with her work and 2) you ruined it for the ENTIRE NATION who was looking forward to reading the last installment. What did this person think would happen? If I had been as heavily invested in this series as everyone else, and then read that the last book may never be published, I would’ve been seriously pissed. It would be like watching the series finale of a favorite show and then not knowing what happened to the characters. coughAngelcough.

Much sympathy going out to all you Stephenie Meyers fans. A word to the wise: don’t screw with an author’s work. You really don’t want to see our bad side.

Sunday, I took my braids out. This is what it looked when she was all done removing them: CLICK FOR BIGGER VIEW

It’s kinda fuzzy, but that’s what you get when you take pics with your camera phone. The Finger in the Light Socket look is very “in” right now, isn’t it? LOL.

And then here I am all straight and pretty: CLICK ON PIC FOR BIGGER VIEW

What a difference chemicals can make, eh?

Writing Movement - To quote Fiona Apple, I’ve been a bad, bad girl. I didn’t write at all last week. Holding out my hand. I know, I know. Go on, feel free to give me a virtual slap on the wrist. I’m totally procrastinating with this short story, can you tell? I gave myself until the end of the month to finish the first draft. So, really, I have until Sunday to reach that goal. I still got time, folks. I’ll get on it, I swear. I’ll do some writing this week. Maybe I’ll finish before Thanksgiving.

So, how was your weekend?

*Would you like to pre-order a copy of A Royale Pain? The first person that answers my questions about Twilight will be given the password for the protected offer page.

Technorati Tags: Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Robert Pattinson, Angel, Stephenie Meyers, Fiona Apple

Thanks to everyone for your honest opinions regarding the business layout. They were greatly appreciated. The winner of the $25 Barnes and Noble GC is…

Keep a look out in your email for your gift certificate, Suzy, and thanks again for putting in your two cents.

Both me and the designer were feeling the creative pinch this time around. My author site and my online store were a whole lot easier to design. Truth be told, I was pretty anal in regards to the author site. I knew what every page was supposed to look like, from the image used right down to the text. I was trying to give her more creative license with the business site, and we got stuck, but I think we’re good now. I’ll be sure to announce when the site goes live.

Technorati Tags: Barnes and Noble