Category: Contest

Poetry contest

Colleen Chesebro Announces The Word Craft #Poetry Contest Winners

Published on by dgkaye28 Comments

Colleen Chesebro ran a contest in June using syllabic poetry, using the theme, ‘dreams’. There were certainly some fantastic entries, and winners. Congratulations to Diana Peach for her gorgeous entry. Today I’m sharing my Tanka prose and poem I wrote for the contest. Tanka is written in 5 lines in 5/7/5/7/7 syllables, and the prose relates to the poem.

~ ~ ~

When love is deep, there can’t be measure. The longing for lost lovers never dissipate, but linger in shadows of dreams as we live out the rest of our lives, awaiting glorious reunion.

Waiting

Lost love yearns for time,

Space where all is linear.

Grief seeps into dreams.

Undying love never fades.

Clocks echo love eternal.

..

Visit Colleen’s blog to see the list of winners and their entry poetry.

I’m thrilled to announce the winners of the Word Craft Poetry Syllabic Poetry Contest held to honor the Summer Solstice. The theme was dreams, and the syllabic form to write was tanka prose. Many thanks to all the poets who entered this contest. Thanks for being part of our poetry community… Please visit Colleen’s Word Craft to view the winners and their poetry at:

https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2022/07/13/announcing-the-winners-of-the-word-craft-poetry-syllabic-poetry-contest/#comment-116380

©DGKaye2022

Rodeo Poetry Contest

CarrotRanch RODEO #2: DOUBLE ENNEAD SYLLABIC POETRY – Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry

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Colleen Chesebro ran a Double Ennead TUFF Poetry Challenge for Charli Mills’ annual Rodeo for the CarrotRanch writing contests. This was a difficult poetry challenge with lots of criteria involved. I hopped on this one.

 

 

Welcome to the Carrot Ranch Rodeo! This challenge is sponsored by the Carrot Ranch Literary Community at carrotranch.com and run by lead Buckaroo, Charli Mills.

Almost everyone knows my love for syllabic poetry; especially haiku, tanka, cinquain, and more. Woo HOO! I’ve got something special wrangled up for this challenge!

For this year’s rodeo, I’ve created a special form called the Double Ennead. The word Ennead means nine, and a double nine is ninety-nine! Carrot Ranch is famous for 99-word flash fiction. Now, the ranch has its own syllabic poetry form written in 99 syllables!

The Double Ennead comprises five lines with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, (33 SYLLABLES per stanza) 3 STANZAS EACH = 99 SYLLABLES, NO MORE, NO LESS!

 

CRITERIA:

 

* The Double Ennead features three stanzas of five lines, each with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, totaling 99 syllables, no more—no less. Count your syllables. Read the instructions carefully.

* For syllable and line count use: writerlywords.com. Your poem does not have to have a western theme. It can be in any genre, and can include any tone or mood. However, it must have a title. Punctuation and rhyming are optional and up to the poet.

* For this challenge, your poem must include five words taken from the found-poem by Cowboy Poet, Charles Badger Clark, called “The Springtime Plains.” You must use the fives words you choose in the order you found them in one of the three stanzas.

The word placement also depends on the line. Pay attention to the placement of these words in your poem.

  1. Line 1 starts with word 1
  2. Line 2 ends with word 2
  3. Line 3 starts with word 3
  4. Line 4 ends with word 4
  5. Line 5 starts with word 5

* Submit your five consecutive words from the poem “The Springtime Plains” so the judges can determine the placement of your words. Specify which stanza contains the five words.

* Make the judges remember your syllabic poem long after reading it.

 

“The Springtime Plains,”

by Charles Badger Clark

 

Heart of me, are you hearing

The drum of hoofs in the rains?

Over the Springtime plains I ride

Knee to knee with Spring

And glad as the summering sun that comes

Galloping north through the zodiac!

Heart of me, let’s forget

The plains death white and still,

When lonely love through the stillness called

Like a smothered stream that sings of Summer

Under the snow on a Winter night.

Now the frost is blown from the sky

And the plains are living again.

Lark lovers sing on the sunrise trail,

Wild horses call to me out of the noon,

Watching me pass with impish eyes,

Gray coyotes laugh in the quiet dusk

And the plains are glad all day with me.

Heart of me, all the way

My heart and the hoofs keep time,

And the wide, sweet winds from the greening world

Shout in my ears a glory song,

For nearer, nearer, mile and mile,

Over the quivering rim of the plains,

Is the valley that Spring and I love best

 Poemhunter.com

EXAMPLE of how to write the Double Ennead:

Line 1 starts with word 1 = wild

Line 2 ends with word 2 = horses

Line 3 starts with word 3 = call

Line 4 ends with word 4 = to

Line 5 starts with word 5 = me

Double Ennead: Five lines, with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, 33 syllables per stanza, 3 stanzas each = 99 syllables.

 

~ ~ ~

 

The five consecutive words I selected: “Shout in my ears a” used in the first stanza.

 

 

A Pitiful Plague

 

Shout loud at what it is.

Words and actions in

My head ring clear of the assault on mankind.

Open your eyes and ears.

A call for kindness.

Stifling in ignorance,

Poison fills the mind.

This hate virus infects and sheds viral ash.

Soil, rinse, spin, and again,

The story repeats.

The cure for this madness,

Some will fail to learn,

Only love and kind words can conquer this plague.

For a fresh breath of life –

Love thy fellow man.

©DGKaye2020

 

Source: Carrot RODEO #2: DOUBLE ENNEAD SYLLABIC POETRY – Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry

 

bitmo live laugh love

 

 

 

Red - A Voyage into Colors

#Blogtour – Let’s Travel In The Cosmos Of Colors, Book Launch | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer | Valentina Expressions

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Today I’m taking part in a #Blogshare to help promote Valentina Cirasola’s newest booklaunch – Red – A Voyage into Colors. As Valentina quotes below – “Color is the language of the listening eye.” In this book, Valentina takes us into the world of color and how color plays an integral part into our daily lives from the foods we eat, to the clothes we wear and our home surroundings. I hope you enjoy this beautiful and colorful post Valentina has put together.

 

Valentina with short hair

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 5 published books so far, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. She has conceived a few new books of various subjects to which she is working simultaneously. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking, and travel. She never gives up trying new things and doesn’t fear failure. A couple of years ago, Valentina became a TV producer/host. She produces shows under her label: Valentina Design Universe. The goal of her shows is to entertain, inspire and inform, while she is living her passion. Her goal is to write a screenplay for theatre or TV.
Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble

 

I am happy to announce the release of the Second Edition of the book ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors, a book on colors I published for the first time in 2012. The book was performing well until one day I received the classic lemons from the publisher. I was asked to let go of 50% of my profits from the sale of this book. I refused to comply and my book was made “temporarily not available” on Amazon for three years. I am not a person who gets defeated easily. This year, I reworked the book and republished independently the Second Edition of ©RED – A Voyage Into Colors. Now, the ball is back in my court.

(Click on each picture to view it larger).

 

RED-A Voyage Into Colors

Available on Amazon

 

Red – A Voyage into Colors – Second edition is a paperback, 124 pages, full of my colorful photography of things that attract me and some of my clients’ homes. After all, what is a book explaining colors, if it doesn’t include colorful pictures? The eyes want to see the beauty and the brain feeds on colors.

Often people refer to shades when they really mean the value, brightness or the darkness of a color.
What is a color without referring to its profile and character? Just like humans, colors have their own character. If we understand how to describe the emotions and sensations they provoke, we will always have a good reaction around the colors we choose, we will subconsciously feel the harmony inside of ourselves and in turn, others will see it and respond positively to us. How people perceive us through colors is very important, colors transmit a message and that is what others see.

What is your message when you get dressed? It doesn’t matter where you go. If you go to grocery shopping with rollers on your head and you are dressed in red, it means you don’t care what others think of you, you dare to be you, the red color will project you as having courage, and the rollers in your hair will pass in a second order. In the same scenario, rollers on your head and you are dressed in black, it means you are trying to hide from the viewers and protect yourself from their criticisms. The colors of your home have messages as well. If your front door is painted red, it means you are an upbeat person; if the front door is yellow, you are an inviting person, cheerful and sunny. My front door is burgundy… exactly…I like red wines and beyond that burgundy door, I added a bit of sophistication to my décor.

Can you sleep and wake up in your zodiac colors? Of course, you can, you were born under those colors, they are natural to your soul.
The moment you came “into the light” many planets revolved over your head making those colors your aura and affected your entire life since that moment. Often, people prefer totally different colors away from their zodiac sign and perhaps totally contrary to their character, simply because they are not aware of the beneficial effects of the colors they were born under or don’t believe it. Colors will determinate their actions, the troubled or unsettled souls living in the wrong colors will continue to feel troubled or unsettled.

With this book, I wanted to depict a colorful bouquet of information regarding home interiors, fashion, and food, all the subjects dear to my heart, each of these subjects thrive on colors. I also delve into explaining colors from a spiritual point of view and how to use them in a technical way. Nature is our best teacher, where all colors are mixed together and co-exist well without rules and prejudices. We can simply copy nature and feel perfect in our choice of colors.

If we live in a home reflecting our personality, if we wear colors becoming to our face and body and if we eat in the rainbow, we can only expect to exude positive energy, which in turn will captivate our surroundings.
Gauguin said: “Color is the language of the listening eye”. It helps our imagination soar with inner power and mystery”. Allow yourself to experiment with various color combinations and challenge your fantasy!

 

Let's travel into the cosmos of colors with Valentina and RED

Let’s travel into the cosmos of colors with Valentina and RED

 

This graphic represents all the authors and artists who have agreed to travel with me in the cosmos of colors for the launch and promotion of ©RED-A Voyage Into Colors – Second Edition. 
They are Melissa Muldoon, Teagan Geneviene, Debby Gies, James J.Cudney IV, Sally Croning, Joy-Ruffen-Oake, Bonnie Smith, Robbie Cheadle, Shelly Wilson.

Starting on Oct. 25, 2019, for twenty days, I will travel with them to their planet of birth, I will write about them, their books and arts and they will receive something special about their zodiac sign. This will be a fun and unusual book launch! Some giveaway will happen as well. Anyone can participate in the giveaway by following me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest , Instagram,  MeWe, and commenting on the launch. The contest will start on Oct. 26th and will end on Oct.31.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e5ee1a9212/?

I am so grateful to my Supreme Being to be able to see all the glorious colors in its realm, fantasize, wallow in their vibrations, sentimentally self-indulge in their atmospheres, and to be able to talk about them every day. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com
http://valentinaexpressions.com

 

You can visit all Valentina’s book on Amazon

 

Join Valentina in her social sharing of her new release and you will be entered to for the giveaway!

 

 

Source: Let’s Travel In The Cosmos Of Colors, Book Launch | Valentina Cirasola | Interior Designer | Valentina Expressions

 

 

Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest

Rodeo #3: Travel with a Twist « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

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Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest

 

First, I want to thank my dear friend and Fey Sister, Colleen Chesebro for all the work she did to help me with changing my blog’s theme – something I’ve neglected to do for some time. I do hope you people like it!

 

I took part in Charli Mills’ Carrot Ranch Rodeo Challenge – Travel with a Twist, Flash Fiction in 99 words. Here was my entry.

 

 

Nailed It!

 

My seat vibrates with the familiar sound of wheels locking, in preparation for landing. Good to be home despite missing the sizzling sunshine of St. Martin.

Glancing my souvenir, my stomach tightens at the familiar fear of having to pass customs with zero intentions of mentioning my sparkler. Sliding the ring off, I stashed it in my bra. Please don’t send me to inspection, a familiar prayer I chant in silence awaiting my turn to declare, or not.

Customs form in hand, I immerse myself in the cattle-like crowd, hoping to go unnoticed by the inspection deciders.

Home free!

 

I didn’t win, but it was a fun challenge. And thrilled to mention here that my Sister of the Fey, Colleen Chesebro won!!!

 

Visit the announced winners list and view some of the entries HERE

 

Source: Rodeo #3: Travel with a Twist « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

Aggression

When Hell Froze Over and Heaven Raged – Short Story Submission

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Aggression

 

 

Stevie Turner has a monthly short story writing challenge up on her blog and I’ve written this story to submit for the November challenge.

 

When Hell Froze Over and Heaven Raged

 

“We are untouchable. We the people decide what we want – whatever we want, despite the cost to anyone else.”

“This is your democracy – the one you asked for.” Satan delivered his sermon to the crowd and the people laughed and cried at the absurdity in disbelief. “I know I pulled a big one over you, but the bottom line is, you voted for me and this is now your reality.”

Absurdities fueled the cries and warnings of the people in the land. One citizen rose, “We were granted the freedom to speak by our founding fathers. What we are living now – these things aren’t supposed to happen here. Freedoms evaporating, children in cages, persecution of people because of their religion or the color of their skin. Lives not mattering. Have these values become obsolete, accompanied by the fear and loathing of everything else once sacred? Were these values we clung to so easily tucked neatly under those red hats, awaiting the word of Satan’s order of destruction of all things good, unleashed by the urgency of one paranoid gluttonous coward? We have sold our souls to the devil!”

God watched in the wings and had seen enough.

“I have seen what man has wrought onto my world. I am omnipresent. I am not your babysitter. I see and hear all of what you do, but I gave you all free will to do what you deem appropriate and you have chosen what you wanted to do with it.”

Another citizen stood to speak, “It appears to me we have abandoned goodness and the laws of God and his Ten Commandments in exchange for rule by the Seven Deadly Sins for instant gratification. We have abused the powers granted to us with greed and our loss of values for humanity.”

The shouting and cries continued from both sides – the good and the evil. They all took their turns fighting to be heard – some applauding for Satan and others repenting for what they had done.

Man had created everything they were living. God had sent them numerous warnings about protecting the environment, loving the brotherhood of man, and how to produce wholesome, natural foods to sustain good health, among so many other things. But greed spread as quickly as the devastating wildfires and floods. It became every man for himself, forgetting the poor and the hungry left behind. Chaos ensued when there was no longer law and order and God threw his hands up in defeat. And then he spoke.

“Commandments were broken repeatedly. Powers have been abused. You have poisoned the land I have given you with toxic chemicals because you couldn’t be bothered waiting for nature to take its course. You have poisoned your minds with false ideals and beliefs by get rich quick schemes and the promises of temptation. You have lost your way from common sense and kindness and compassion and love for your fellow man.” God had spoken. And now he let them run wild and parish into the hell they created.

This wasn’t the first time he had to do this, but hopefully, it would be the last. God once again raised his mighty staff and swiped the earth of its existence. Even hell had formed into a block of ice.

It was time to start over again with a clean slate.

 

 

If you’d like to enter Stevie’s contest, visit the link below:

Source: https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2018/10/30/share-your-short-story-november/

 

 

 

 

Free book promo

Giveaway Time! Win FREE Books Now – When Women Inspire – Time Sensitive!

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Free book promo

 

I’m thrilled to be sharing Christy Birmingham’s Giveaway post today. Christy runs an inspiring blog – When Women Inspire, and this week she is running a Rafflecopter giveaway contest for 3 different paperback copies from 3 different authors. And yes, one of those authors contributing to Christy’s giveaway is moi, yours truly.

 

Please hop over to Christy’s blog and enter her giveaway she is so generously sponsoring in celebration of her 10,000 subscribers to her blog. The contest ends July 7th so hurry!

 

Giveaway Time! Win FREE Books Now

 

Yes, that’s right. We’re having a Rafflecopter giveaway. For 3 FREE paperbacks!

Three female authors are kindly offering up their books for this contest. If you’re like me, you love to read and cannot wait to sink your teeth into a new plot. All 3 reads – 2 fiction and 1 memoir – are by women who have been featured right here on this blog. Yes, all of these authors have inspiring stories.

 

Why am I Running the Contest?

This contest is in celebration of reaching 10,000 blog subscribers! This blog currently has 9,807 subscribers so the big day is only weeks away 🙂 I want to send this out as a thank you!! (Note: the subscriber number on the follow box shows as higher because it adds in the social media followers too). I also hope that this contest will encourage you to read more female writers!

So…

What are the Prizes? Who are the Authors?

Here you go: Continue reading and enter here . . .

 

Source: Giveaway Time! Win FREE Books Now – When Women Inspire

Newflash

The Blogger’s Bash Voting for Awards for Bloggers is Now Open – I’ve Been Nominated

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I’ve Been Nominated!

Newflash

 

 

The annual Blogger’s Bash Awards are now open for voting. I was thrilled to discover again from Sacha Black that I was nominated for an award in 3 categories! So first, let me say thank you to all of you who even considered nominating me!

 

When Sacha informed me that I was nominated in 3 categories but I had to choose one only, it was a tough decision for me. Apparently, you wonderful blogging friends had nominated me for – Best Book Reviewer, Most Inspirational Blogger, and Best Pal Blogger. I thought about it carefully and I chose to go with ‘Best Pal Blogger’ because I felt most comfortable with it and consider all my readers and friends here as pals.

 

The categories have some tough competition in them, especially my category – Best Pal, where one of my best pals is nominated along side me in the same category, lol.

 

So now that I’ve explained my choice of category, I wanted to ask if you would take the time for a moment and hop over to Sacha’s blog and vote for me under the Best Pal category. I’ll thank you in advance here and I’ll keep you posted with another blogshare when the winners are announced.

 

You can Vote Here. And while you’re there, please don’t forget to cast a vote for some of your other favorite bloggers in the other categories.

 

 

VOTING IS NOW OPEN FOR THE ANNUAL BLOGGERS BASH AWARDS1@BLOGGERSBASH

This is it. The wait is finally over!

The FOURTH Annual Bloggers Bash Awards 2018 are now OPEN FOR VOTING.

We had a HUGE number of nominations, close to 400, so thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate your favourite bloggers.

Voting closes at midnight on April 30th (BST).The winners will be announced on May 19th at the Bash in London. If you can’t make it along to the event don’t worry, we will put a winners post out on the evening of the same day and we will also try to live stream from our Facebook Group. Although we have pingbacks to all the winners blogs it would be best for you to check back to see if you won. . . Continue reading and Vote here

Voting is open til end of April, so expect lots of reminders from me on upcoming posts! 🙂

Newsworthy notes

Share Your Short Story – January 2018 | Stevie Turner, Indie Author.

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Writing Opportunity!

Newsworthy notes

 

 

Stevie Turner is generously inviting writers to submit your short stories once a month to her blog to be showcased and one winner each month will be announced and featured in her newsletter! And as a bonus, entries will be added to an anthology at the end of the year! Check out this opportunity!

 

Share Your Short Story – January 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Authors can share their short stories (less than 2000 words please) or poetry, and it won’t cost you a penny! The stories or poems can be on any subject, but please keep them reasonably family friendly. At the end of every month I will pick my favourite one and share the link in my newsletter and on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I look forward to reading your efforts. Winners will receive the laurel below to add to their story.

There was no winner for December, as there were no contestants!  Fair enough, Christmas came along and you were all busy.  Let’s have another go for January…

SHORT STORY LAUREL JANUARY

 

Please add a link to your story in the comments section of this blog.  Thank you.  You have until 28th January to submit your stories.  When I have enough winning stories, I will promote them in a free anthology (with the consent of every author involved of course!).

Here’s a seasonal poem I’ve worked on recently:

WINTER IN MY GARDEN, BY STEVIE TURNER

Silver tendrils snake along

The shed, the hedge, and over the pond.

Jack Frost’s crept stealthily overnight,

And left on the grass a blanket of white.

. . .Please continue reading

 

Source: Share Your Short Story – January 2018 | Stevie Turner, Indie Author.