Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Third Writer's Platform-Building Campaign

I've just joined a new and exciting group that was started by Rachael Harrie on her Blog.  It's a way for writers to help build platforms for themselves and others as we connect!

This is the Third one, but the first one for me and I'm looking forward to the challenges!

Just click on the title above if you'd like to check it out! If you'd like to join, HURRY!  Today is the last day!   ; )

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

She Writes Bloggers Ball

Blogger Ball

She Writer Blogger Ball #6


Welcome to the SheWrites Blogger Ball!





 Welcome,

My name is Sheri L. Swift and I'm the author of Legend of the Mer which is a Christian Y/A Fiction Fantasy that I had originally written in my junior year of High School.  My daughters would take it out of an old trunk and read it each summer.  After my baby entered college (some 30 years later) I finally sat down and rewrote it. The first draft was on an electric typewriter because I didn't own a computer.  Then I had a surgery in March of 2008 that revealed that I had cervical and uterine cancer.  I had to go through two separate rounds of radiation.  During those days, my youngest (who still lived at home) not only drove me each day for my treatments, but also read each chapter of my manuscript to me out loud as to help me edit it.  Those were some pretty bad days, but the story helped me to *escape* from my current situation (which was pretty much lying in bed in pain).  I credited her as assistant editor in my book for all of the work she helped me to do.  I eventually took my story one chapter at a time to our local college where they allow the public to use their computers.  Then in November of 2009 I was able to email it for copyright.  After one year of sending my manuscript daily to traditional publishers, it became apparent to me that my book would only be published as a "Partnership" publication which meant that I would spend a great deal of money to have my book in print.  I researched the self-publishing route and discovered that I could have an ebook and a print book without any cost to me.  As you can see by my links to the right, I have successfully published!  ; )

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Life Lessons from the front window ; )

In my living room, I have my sofa backed up to a large bay window that faces the front of my home.  I have a beagle that loves to lie in the sun behind the sofa.  One morning I saw that she had collected a few toys behind the sofa and I put them back under a chair in the den where she also likes to sleep and where we keep her things.

One day I noticed that a tin can that holds my coasters was not on the living room end table where I keep it.  Although I searched the house, even looking behind the sofa, I couldn't find it anywhere.  Later that night I thought that I heard the dog playing with the tin can, but when I came out and looked for it, I still could not find it.

Each day we noticed that one of her toys or an item from the house was missing and each day we began to look around the house, not finding any of them.  My husband called for our beagle one morning and couldn't find her.  He began to call out louder and thought he heard her behind the sofa.  When he looked he did not see her, but he did hear her.  All along she had been going through a slit in the back of the sofa and had created for herself a nice little hideaway complete with her stash of toys!  Lol!

We found that the back of the sofa had some wear from the sun and that is what allowed her to create a hideaway.  I had to laugh, all along we couldn't see what she was up to, but then I realized that the entire world could have been watching her!  Lol!  What a sight that must have been.

I guess that life can be like that sometimes.  Just when we think we've cleaned up nicely and have everything in its place, there might actually be a blind spot that we cannot see that might need some looking after.  All I can do is pray that the Lord gives me eyes to see where I need to be looking.

What about my sofa, for now my husband has patched it with some (yeah, you guessed it) duct tape!  Lol!  I told him that I discovered that there are actually different colors and patterns of duct tape now and that we might find one more suitable than the grey!  Lol!

Help me Lord to not only watch my back, but my forward as well!  ; )