Which is more important? Seeing or hearing?

Decades before the issue potentially should become an issue for the average person aka me, I would occasionally ask myself: "If I had to lose either my hearing or my vision, which sense would I choose to lose?"  Although I do talk to myself, I didn't answer the question. The time never came when I had to make that decision and fortunately still hasn't arrived. But I know the answer as of yesterday.

Yesterday I had cataract surgery on my left eye. I had no fear of the surgical procedure but I was anxious about the outcome. Due to complications from Radial Keratotomy (twice) on my eyes before laser surgery had been approved, there was scarring which made one of the most common surgeries with one of the highest success rates a bit more challenging in my case. The 24 hours when I couldn't see with my left eye patched included a 12 hour period when I had to keep my right eye closed. Not way I could remember to do the latter so Mike taped a patch over it and kept asking, "Are you keeping your eyes closed?" Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Early this morning Dr. Fowler at the Kittner Eye Center at UNC Hospital was extremely pleased with the appearance post-op of my left eye. What a relief! Within the next several weeks I'll have the same procedure on my right eye which also has said scarring. I'll have some anxiety, but nothing like this first time.

The next major eye anxiety, as far as I can predict, will be sometime in the not too distant future when I'll be having corneal transplants as a result of the worsening of an eye condition called Fuch's endometrial dystrophy.

Lying in bed for two days either dozing, daydreaming, or listening to Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin's Three Cups of Tea, I know the answer. Seeing is more important to me than hearing. (My eyes are strained from writing this but my discharge summary said it was okay to use the computer. I push the envelope in many situations but when it comes to my health I'm medically compliant.)

Check out Hudson, and I don't mean the river!

Have you read Accidental Birds of the Carolinas? If you haven't, you should IMHO! It's easy to find. Simply look for the eye-catching  book cover with an illustration which reminds me of a present-day painting of Frida Kahlo. Author Marjorie Hudson is a talented writer, teacher, and wonderful role model for emerging writers.

For non-ornithologists, the definition for accidental birds is "Birds found outside their normal range, breeding area, or migration path, arrived through storm, wind, or unusual weather."

I couldn't resist looking at this definition in terms of my own life. I'm not sure I have a normal range. I'm definitely out of my breeding area, not to mention the long-gone ability of my body to produce offspring. I can't remember the weather when I moved to Chatham County in 1980 but it soon turned stormy and I left in 1981, returned after a year in Pennsylvania, and divorced within the next two years. That wasn't unusual weather for me, but it would have been for someone who hadn't already gone through a divorce.

To quote from Dawn Raffel's blurb on the back cover: "Marjorie Hudson writes movingly about a South we haven't often seen in literature: the rich terrain occupied by people who, owing to desire, despair, or some combination of both, have migrated in search of that elusive thing called home. That is to say, she writes about us all."

This is not Marjorie's first book. At the risk of sounding redundant, if you haven't read Searching for Virginia Dare, you should. I totally enjoy reading authors living in the South and writing about the South. Wonderful combination.
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Billie Hinton - Read her novels FOR FREE

Author Billie Hinton has five of her novels available in Amazon's Kindle Store for 0.00 to download on yourKindle. I've read all of them but Passion Flowers and Italians. Billie is a wonderfully talented writer and the books would be a bargain at their regular price! Her characters are unique, not a stereotyped one in the bunch.

I haven't had a chance to verify this bit with Billie, but I believe this tremendous opportunity is available only today and (I think) tomorrow.

If you don't have a Kindle or Nook, you can download free reading apps from Kindle for your computer. E-books can be downloaded to your PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone 7. I'll for sure email my granddaughters to download Jane's Transformation.

For more information about Billie and these novels, go to billiehinton.com and novemberhillpress.com. As you can see from the bookcovers here, you have an opportunity online to preview the books before purchase. In this case, I'd advise you to download immediately while the free special is in effect. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?

Sunday Scribblings

The prompt for today is "search."  I think of search in terms of being open to new experiences. It's not, for me, productive to think of search in terms of something being lost and in need of someone searching for it.

When we're walking the mountains trails, in all seasons, we're unconsciously on alert for plants with which we're not familiar. If  I let my mind and heart remain open they will be searching on my behalf.

Experience is MY best teacher!

I love to write. I love to learn. I love to learn about writing. I love becoming a better writer. 

That said, after the satisfaction of completing my short story, Adult Education, the fun ended and the frustration began. Submission process=frustration! (This was my first go-round. Hopefully I've learned from the experience.)

On your mark, get set, go!

 (1)  Find (in various ways) publications which accept short stories.
(2)   Read their submission guidelines.If the story meets the guidelines for number of words and/or pages, then
(3)   Read their magazine (subscription or archives or library) for stories they've published.
(4)   If the story seems to "fit," go back to submission guidelines for manuscript requirements. See list below.


What is required of the manuscript?                                                                
a. single-spaced or double-spaced?
b. any font or a specific font?
c. pages numbered or not? start numbering with page 1 or page 2?
d. headers and/or footers? if so, what should and should not be included there?
e. synopsis required? single-spaced or double-spaced? how many pages?
f.  cover letter required? if so, how to write a short bio which is enticing when one is an emerging writer? how to figure out the name of the fiction editor when there is no masthead? If the name found is Andy Jones, how does one know if Andy is male or female?

(5) How many submissions should be made?  I made 23 submissions--3 by mail, 20 electronically.
(6) How many rejections should I collect before I repeat the above process? So far, I have 3 rejections..

In the meantime I'll work on building my writer's platform and writing my novel. That should keep me off the streets and out of trouble. Or maybe I'll withdraw into my shell for a bit.

Oh, those West Virginia hills...

 I am thrilled to share a post about one of West Virginia's well-known authors, Valerie Nieman. Think of her the next time you're shopping in Charleston, West Virginia,
at Taylor Books or shopping online.



To learn more about Valerie, go to http://valnieman.com. 

Val Nieman 8:39am Mar 2 My novel Blood Clay has made the "long lists" for both the Montaigne Medal and for the Southern Independent Booksellers award! Taylor Books in Charleston is a SIBA member and I appreciate that they stock my books. Thanks, SIBA folk! Hope to stop by when I'm back in WV later this month for Kestrel. http://www.sibaweb.com/ ..

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