Volunteers Who Pay It Forward Each Day & What I've Been Doing!

Photo of hospital volunteers bringing a patient the joy of reading .
Dartmouth Hospital Medical Auxillary circa 1934

There are many unsung heroes each day who never get paid one penny.  I've worked at two large hospitals in my life,  and each day am amazed at the volunteers, many of whom are retired , enter the doors and selflessly give of their time and love to the patients, doing whatever they can to bring smiles to the faces of the injured or sick.

Healing isn't just about medicine, tests, and surgery, it's also about mending the soul and that's what hospital volunteers do!

And as someone who loves to write, what really speaks to my heart (and the volunteers do many wonderful things) is watching them push the book cart around the hospital, bringing the joy of reading to those in need of their spirits lifted.  I've seen them stop and visit the chemotherapy treatment rooms, offering an escape in the form of a paperback novel to cancer patients.  Also I've seen the smiles on the faces of children on the pediatric floor as they're handed a favorite, comforting story.

Won't you pay it forward by donating your old books to a local hospital?  I guarantee the smiles generated would warm even the coldest of hearts.

So fellow writers, I challenge you to pay it forward by donating a book!  And I am going to also let you know of an author friend of mine who did.

Many thanks to Sophie Perinot, author of  THE SISTER QUEENS, for sending to the volunteers at the hospital where I work, a copy of  her book.  And trust me, this historical fiction is anything but a boring history lesson.  I loved it and it's got excitement, passion, and plenty of drama for even a woman like me, who adores thrillers.

Historical fiction with spunk & plenty of romance.  Just my cup of tea!

Get it here!

Now back to me.  Why have I been amiss with my posts?

Hello NashVegas!

My short-lived hiatus from blogging was because I have entered the first fifty pages of my manuscript, THE DEATH BROKERS, in the 2012 Claymore Award for best unpublished manuscript in the thriller/suspense genres, and I'm really excited about it!  I'll be sitting on pins and needles until the weekend of August 23, when the winner is announced at the Killer Nashville awards ceremony.  It's my first big contest as a writer, and I hope my evil little manuscript punches its way into the top ten.

THE DEATH BROKERS, a hopeful for the 2012 Claymore Award at Killer Nashville!

So send out good karma, prayers, and thoughts and of course remember:

"That Which Kills Us Makes Them Richer"!

During the last few weeks, I've been very busy, deep in revisions,working hard to make THE DEATH BROKERS ready for not only the competition, but also for querying.  Cross your fingers for me, because at the latest, I anticipate my first query to be submitted within a month to month and a half.

I also am planning something quite unusual on that day.  It's my plan to throw a small party and invite some of my close friends over from the neighborhood to celebrate the "Mailing O' the Query" , and I'll also blog away,  sharing the night with you when that day comes!

The BEST way to approach querying.  Throw a party!

 As most writers know, querying is challenging, stressful, and overall a nail-biting type of experience.

 Rejections are painful and almost inevitable, but somehow I think having a positive mindset at the beginning of it all will make the difference and keep me from becoming discouraged.

What have you done to minimize the sting of query rejections?  How have you made your stay in query purgatory a bit more...well fun?  Let me know.