tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32580069082146843162024-03-05T02:56:55.491-08:00Shannon Marrs - Children's AuthorShannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-11832654118023372712015-04-28T07:26:00.000-07:002015-04-28T11:49:50.643-07:00Eventful 2015So it has been over 4 months since I have posted here, For Shame! For Shame! But in my defense there has been a lot going on kitlit wise and life wise. I will start with some happy happy kidlit stuff.<br />
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So I am a member of an AMAZING critique group called Trailmix (due to our varying backgrounds, genre preferences, and writing styles) and there has been a huge surge of good luck runny through our little team!<br />
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First of all, the sweet and super talented <a href="http://christijwhitney.com/">Christi J. Whitney</a> has her debut YA book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grey-Romany-Outcasts-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00MT9E66E/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430226928&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Grey+Chirsti+J+Whitney">Grey </a>coming out in just a couple of days, April 30th. It is the first in a series, so please check it out and support an amazing friend and writer!<br />
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Secondly, our YA romance author, <a href="http://www.tlsumner.com/">Tosha L, Sumner</a>, is a <a href="https://www.rwa.org/p/bl/et/blogid=20&blogaid=1070">2015 RWA Golden Heart </a>finalist for her book <a href="http://www.tlsumner.com/forbidden-secrets/">The Colloden Immortals</a>! How amazing! Winners will be announced on July 25th at the RWA annual conference in NY. I know I will be at home with all my fingers and toes crossed for her!<br />
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Thirdly, a fellow picture book writer <a href="http://kidlitdish.com/">Kim MacPherson </a>has landed an agent! YAY YAY! She is currently represented by Mary Cummings of <a href="http://amsterlit.com/site/">Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. </a>Kim has an amazing lyrical quality to her writing and I know with a stellar agent like Mary, she will be published in no time!<br />
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Lastly, (but not leastly) our spunky and quirky <a href="https://twitter.com/bennettwrites">Colleen Bennett</a> has obtained representation for her MG manuscript! Another YAY YAY! She is represented by Karen Grencik of <a href="http://www.redfoxliterary.com/">Red Fox Literary</a>. It wont be long and we will be throwing another book release party! I can feel it!<br />
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Now for me in the kidlit world. So I have been working on my PB manuscript HOUSE CAT and I have totally revamped it. This book has been on a crazy journey over the last 6 years and I really feel a true peace and happiness with it where it is! Here is my pitch:<br />
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<i><b>Chloe
is a jingle collar wearin’ house cat who longs for adventure. So, she makes a
tight eye closin’ wish that leads her to a butterfly stalkin’ stray cat life.
But, that isn’t a perfect fit either. After looking into being a farm cat, a
fashion cat, and a biker cat - she is out of ideas. So, she makes a bigger,
whole tail curlin’ wish that leads her to just the kind of adventure she needs,
a tight rope walkin’ circus cat life. </b></i></div>
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<i><b>HOUSE
CAT is a 492 word picture book aimed at children 3 -6 years old. This “Bad
Kitty” (Bruel) meets “The Mixed-Up Chameleon” (Carle) story is lyrically
written and full of humorous visuals. </b></i></div>
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I have submitted to several agents and I am hopeful that I will get at least positive feedback out of this round of queries. FINGERS CROSSED. </div>
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I have also been doing so reach on where to go from here. I am excited to know that there is another Pitch Party going on in June on Twitter and I will be jumping on that! I have also found a few contests that I want to enter. I also know that the SCBWI conference in Alabama has a writing contest that I have not entered in YEARS, so I have plans to submit to that as well. </div>
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IN THE WORKS: So I have been thinking about HOUSE CAT and at first I wanted there to be adventures for Chloe the cat but I have been pulled in another direction. I think that since she ended up at the circus, a circus animal could be inspired by her journey and make the choice to go out on their own. I have CIRCUS ELEPHANT in a good draft and that will lead me to the next idea of JUNKYARD DOG. I am hoping to be able to offer this as a series if I get lucky enough to land an agent! </div>
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NOW FOR LIFE UPDATES:</div>
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The hubby - He got laid off back in November which caused a lot of stress for our family. I am happy to report that he has started back to work earlier this month, which has made it so much brighter in our home! Whew. I think that has helped this surge of creativity I am having! </div>
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Rachel - She has made Honor Roll at school and has just started baseball. She is doing well in the new sport and the special education league is amazing! After baseball she will be going on to gymnastics which she has missed so much this year. She broke her arm last August which put a hiatus on tumbling, but now with a clean bill of health (and the bank account we need to afford it) she will be back to her flipping crazy self by the summer. </div>
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Elias - I cannot believe he is 10 months already! We are planning a monkey themed birthday party at a nearby park on the 27th of June. He weighs 20 pounds and is still trying to get teeth. But the no teeth doesn't stop him! He likes pulled pork, chicken, pasta, bread, french fries, cottage cheese, and so much more. He is not crawling yet, but loves to roll, and he gets on all fours and rocks - so I know he is going to take off at any moment! </div>
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Me - So aside from writing, researching, and submitting I have been studying, applying, and interviewing! I just finished the second class in my Masters program and I am happy to report having As in both classes. I have also been turned on to several really amazing jobs in my area to which I have applied. I have had the pleasure of interviewing for 2 of them over the last week and should know more soon. I have also accepted a part time job working with foreign exchange students at a local school. On April 17th I celebrated my 34th birthday! The hubs and I went to a nice dinner and enjoyed some kid free time, he also gave me (well us) some new sheet for our bed! So all in all, I am keeping myself busy and my heart full of hope for what the future holds for me! </div>
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Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-91857297841083858252014-12-28T09:44:00.002-08:002014-12-28T09:44:36.558-08:00Christmas Was AmazingWe had a wonderful Christmas this year. The kids got everything they asked for and there was lots of time with family and friends. It is so good to have such great memories to pull from for stories in the future.<br />
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Story ideas from the holidays:<br />
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The Christmas Light Farm<br />
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Hoot Like and Owl<br />
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Karaoke Queen<br />
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A Home for Mouse<br />
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Now just to sit down and write some stories to go with these potential titles :)<br />
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On January 5th I start classes to get my MS degree! Wish me luck!<br />
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HAPPY 2015 EVERYONE!Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-16757404589303757082014-12-16T05:25:00.001-08:002014-12-16T05:25:03.096-08:00Results from the Holiday ContestI jumped on my computer as soon as I got home from dropping my daughter off at school to read <a href="http://www.susannahill.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-4th-annual-holiday-contest.html">Susanna Hill's Blog</a> entry for the finalists for the Holiday Contest and was sad to see I didn't make the cut :(<br />
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Oh well, maybe next year! Best of luck to the finalist! Feel free to follow the link to vote! I'll be casting my vote this morning :)<br />
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<br />Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-90282190387677365712014-12-14T12:08:00.001-08:002014-12-14T12:08:30.708-08:00Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!Christmas is a very special time for me. I love the lights and smells and happiness of the holidays. I was raised to always help others in need, and I like to think I do that a good bit all through the year - but at Christmas it warms my heart so much to see the good in people come out. Communities coming together and special events for families to help create life long memories and start new traditions. I am a big supporter of local artists and was turned on to this lovely photographer in our town who does Santa pictures in her home. I booked a spot and I was not disappointed. Needless to say this will be a new tradition for us each year! I hope she continues to offer this service. <br />
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I have also really been enjoying reading that other entries to the <a href="http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2014/12/ho-ho-ho-4th-annual-holiday-contest-is.html?m=1">4th Annual Holiday Contest</a>! With 99 entries all together and so many of them being so good it has been a wonderful read so far! I hope to read more of them tonight! So fun to see everyone's take on a new holiday story.Voting will being on the 16th so I hope to be one of the top 10!! Wish me luck!! Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-30593954358813487202014-12-12T07:26:00.000-08:002014-12-12T07:26:00.287-08:00Reply from the Charlotte Sheedy AgencyDuring the twitter event #PitMAD back on the 5th of December, I had the pleasure of getting a favorite star for my PB ms HOUSE CAT from Amy Rosenbaum at the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. I sent the ms to her, and last night I got my reply:<br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Hi Shannon,</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for letting me read HOUSE CAT! Your charming, folksy diction—which originally attracted me to your tweet—worked so well, though the story itself felt a little too familiar to me. This is a hard book to turn down, but since the picture book market is so competitive, both the language and the plot have to feel fresh for me to take a project on. I do appreciate having the chance to consider your manuscript, and I know that with your stellar pitch, you’ll have no problem finding the right agent to help you see it published.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">All best,<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Amy Rosenbaum</span></div>
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I have to say that is one of the nicest rejection letters I have ever received. So often I have gotten a form rejection which doesn't give me any feedback. But now I know what she liked and what she didn't. Since HOUSE CAT is a story that I wrote over 5 years ago, this response has me thinking of a little reworking on it. </div>
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Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-88755713584506900062014-12-09T11:45:00.002-08:002014-12-10T16:55:23.278-08:004th Annual Holiday Contest Entry<div class="text_exposed_show">
I wanted to try to write something for that PB Holiday contest that I
posted about the other day and I haven't done anything poetic in quite
sometime so I thought I would write a story in rhyme. The rules are that it has to be
aimed at children 12 and under, it hast to be about a holiday in
December, it has to have something to do with crazy weather, and it has
to be under 350 words... so my entry will be THE CHRISTMAS TWISTER and
it i<span class="text_exposed_show">s 324 words long... Here it is: </span><br />
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The Christmas Twister<br />
By: Shannon Marrs<br />
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It was a Christmas to remember<br />
A crazy night in late December <br />
When a twister tried to dismember<br />
The small town of Little Green<br />
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The kids were in their PJ’s, sleeping<br />
While Mom was in the kitchen sweeping<br />
When dad went to the window peeping<br />
At the weather through the screen<br />
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Inside they all were warm and snuggly<br />
But big clouds in the sky looked ugly<br />
Then from the storm it brewed so smugly<br />
It was huge and oh so mean<br />
<br />
The twister touched down with a furry<br />
Which made the bugs and creatures scurry<br />
While all the town folk watched with worry<br />
As it put on quite a scene<br />
<br />
It sucked up all the decorations<br />
From the main street to the train stations<br />
It moved with force and quick rotations<br />
Taking all the red and green<br />
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The houses stripped of all things merry<br />
The twister took all it could carry<br />
The lights, the wreaths, each holly berry<br />
Even the yard figurines<br />
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When in the sky a sleigh was spotted<br />
Through the big clouds the reindeer trotted<br />
As Santa steered, his course was plotted<br />
He had come to Little Green<br />
<br />
When Santa saw the twister spinning <br />
He started flying toward it grinning<br />
He reached it right at its beginning<br />
He wrecked the twister’s routine<br />
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He found himself a place to enter<br />
And jumped right in the twisters center<br />
And like a magic show presenter<br />
He took over that machine<br />
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He shrunk that big twister down to size<br />
And then right before their merry eyes<br />
He gave them the best Christmas surprise<br />
A festive tree so pristine<br />
<br />
The big twister was now upside down<br />
And staged like a tree in the down town<br />
With all the lights and fun it found<br />
It’s so bright you’ll need sunscreen<br />
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Santa gave a nod and winked his eye<br />
And his sleigh with reindeer hit the sky<br />
The town all waved as they watched it fly<br />
“Merry Christmas Little Green!”</div>
Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-22878052793658077142014-12-07T06:54:00.001-08:002014-12-07T06:54:26.204-08:00How Fast Time Flies! Over a year has gone by since I have used my blog *sad* and a lot has happened in that time. In October of last year I found out I was pregnant and my husband and I were over the moon :) Our little man was born on June 26, 2014 and he is perfect. His name is Elias Matthew Marrs and he was 8lbs and 20" long.<br />
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Things have just started settling down again with being a wife and mommy so I can take time to squeeze in my love of writing. YAY! I am working *very slowly* on a longer piece... I am thinking it is going to be marketable as a MG. This is whole new territory for me but Im excited about it!<br />
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I participated in the December 2014 #PitMAD on Twitter and was happily surprised to get a star from the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency for my PB HOUSE CAT. I have sent off the MS and I got a reply stating that it had been received and she would be back with me soon. HOUSE CAT is one of my long term babies. The first draft was written in 2009 so it has been lingering on my PC for 5 years in different revisions. I will be keeping my fingers crossed about that one!<br />
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#PitMAD had lit a fire for me and made me excited to get back out there in the literary world and now that little man is nearly 6 months I can do that!<br />
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My latest work is a rhyming story called CHRISTMAS TWISTER that I have written for the 4th Annual Holiday Contest http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2014/11/whistle-happy-tune.html?m=1. I am very excited to post the story here this coming week! The prizes look amazing!<br />
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It is nice to write again! Hello writing world - Ive missed you :)<br />
<br />Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-66650920031610233482013-08-05T09:23:00.000-07:002013-08-05T09:23:02.828-07:00In The Works :)I have had a very creative morning! That is always a good thing!!<br />
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I currently am working on several projects that are all in different stages but I have seen progress in a couple of them just this week, so I am MOTIVATED :)<br />
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First of all I am working on an awesome self published picture book with my buddy <a href="http://www.shandamc.com/">Shanda</a>! She is an AMAZING Illustrator and she has agreed to work on a story I've written called "Rubber Ducky Detective Agency." Our plan is to list it on Amazon with a digital option for iPad, Kindle, or Nook and a print option where people can order a hard copy. There is not a ton of money to be made, but it will get our work out there and in the hands of our friends, family, and hopefully fans :)<br />
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My second project is a book of poems that I have been wanting to do for awhile. I grew up with dogs in my life and I love them so much. I have had it in my head for a while to do a book of dog poems about different breeds. Today I have officially started! I now have a poem for the Irish Setter, the Great Pyrnees, and the Chow Chow. I plan to have between 15-20 poems so I still have a ways to go, but I am off to a good start. I know I want to sneak in a Labrador, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, and Dashhound too since they are all dogs that have been in my life and hold a place in my heart. Some of my other favorite breeds are the Bulldog, Boxer, and Basset Hound; so I am sure they will find their way into this collection as well. This will be another project I might slip to Shanda when its complete.<br />
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Thirdly I am getting excited about the Southern Breeze conference for SCBWI this October. I missed the deadline for critiques (boo) but I still have time to register to go! The classes look amazing and I remember how inspired I was when I left last time. It has been 5 years since I have been to an SCBWI conference and I am so stoked to be going again!<br />
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Well that is my update this week! Hopefully next Monday will be just as fruitful!Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-85287022438318729612013-07-31T08:53:00.001-07:002013-07-31T08:53:33.753-07:00My Journey Poetry has always been my first love! When I was little my mom used to sing songs to my brother and I off the radio, but she would change the words to suit us. She would stay in rhyme and rhythm with the song and just be silly. It wasn't long before my brother and I were doing the same right back at her. I think this is a HUGE reason that poetry comes to me so easily. I can hear the meter in a poem, I can feel the "pulse" of it.<br />
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That makes it no surprise that my first published works were poems. In 2008 I had just started considering the possibility that I could really be a writer and have published work. I joined SCBWI (The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and researched my heart out. I found a small online children's publication called Stories For Children Magazine (SFC) and took a deep breath and hit submit on my first critiqued and polished poem "Oodles of Poodles." I was over the moon when I found out it would be published in the December 2008 Issue, and even more taken back when it won Poem of the Year for the 2008 "Granny Awards" that SFC does every year. I got a featured spot on the website and a trophy.<br />
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My confidence soared! I attended the Southern Breeze chapter of SCBWI conference in 2008 as well and had this huge moment there. Standing in the hall outside the auditorium was a book fair. Every author and/or illustrator was from our region! These were people who had made it. These were people who had found that perfect match of manuscript with publisher... I was sold! I wanted that to me MY book on that table! I wanted that to be MY autograph people were asking for!<br />
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I submitted my manuscript for a book called "Hot Dog Dog" to several publishers after the conference. I got decent feedback, but no takers. I started collecting my rejection letters so I could look back at them later when I've made it and say, "It's Worth it! All the rejection was worth it." With the rejections from my manuscript I knew I needed a "win" so I went back to SFC hoping for a second "atta-boy" and I was not denied it. I stuck to my love of poetry and my poem "Mail" was published in the February 2009 issue.<br />
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Then life took over. My ex-husband and I started classes to become foster parents in March 2009 and in August 2009 I was BLESSED with a beautiful, 5 year old little girl in my life named Rachel.<br />
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That's when I discovered that there were just not enough hours in the day. Having gone from mommy of 0 to mommy of a 5 year old in seconds flat, writing took a back seat. Rachel had my full attention, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. Between being a mom, a full time teacher, and a wife - there was no time left for much else, but I think sometimes having one dream put on hold for another is necessary and so worth the wait. My dream of being a mommy came true and that's a blessing all on its own. On April 6th, 2011 Rachel was officially adopted and I felt settled in my life as a mommy.<br />
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Feeling like I was in a good place to continue my writing, I rejoined SCBWI and did a search for local writers and Illustrators. I must have sent dozens of emails asking if anyone was interested in starting an in-person critique group. At this time I was BLESSED with replies from 4 AMAZING writers and illustrators; <a href="http://www.shandamc.com/">Shanda McCloskey</a>, <a href="http://tlsumner.com/">Tosha Sumner</a>, Aaron Yacher, and <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/christiwhitney/">Christi J. Whitney</a>.<br />
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This amazing group helped me so much as I went through a huge change in my life. Sometimes the dreams of one, are not the dreams of another. In a marriage this can be detrimental. Unfortunatly, my dream of being a mommy and his dream of being a daddy were not on the same page and in the summer of 2011 Rachel and I moved out. Needless to say, writing took a backseat once again.<br />
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But with the help of great friends and supportive family I was able to sneak in some "me" time and I was able to return to my "tried and true" publication, SFC, in 2012 to have my poem "Dance Machine" published in their April/May 2012 issue.<br />
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SFC once again restored my confidence! I also had been restored in love with the fast but exciting engagement to my now husband, Matt.<br />
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Matt and I were married on October 20, 2012 and once again I was at a place of calm in my life to where I could pull that dream out of my back pocket and write again.<br />
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Unfortunately, my best publishing friend, SFC is no longer producing new issues, so I am on to new horizons. On a happy note, our critique group had grown by 2 new amazing authors; Kim MacPherson and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Under-Howies-Hat-ebook/dp/B00B95FACS/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375285417&sr=1-11&keywords=Colleen+Bennett">Colleen Bennett</a>.<br />
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2013 has brought my family back home (from the Atlanta, Georgia metro area to Warner Robins, Georgia) which makes me sad to be away from my amazing group, however, technology is amazing and I will be attending a meeting tonight via FACETIME. But this move has done something magical in my life. Matt has landed an amazing job which allows me to stay home, take care of my family, and WRITE. Which is still surreal to me! I am so excited for what the future holds, and with a view like this from my back window, <br />
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how could I not be super inspired 24/7. I tell my daughter all the time <i>Good Things Happen To Good People</i>. I am living proof of that. Good things are happening to me and my family. Now its time to catch that dream!! <br /><br />
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Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3258006908214684316.post-32855989080131428322013-07-30T08:52:00.000-07:002013-07-30T08:52:05.591-07:00New BeginningsFor years I have dreamed of the day when I would be able to be a full time author.<br />
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For years I have said, "If I just had more time I could submit to more publishers... research more agents... write more... read more"<br />
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For years I have put my love of writing on the back burner.<br />
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NO LONGER!<br />
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As of August 1st, 2013 I... am... an... author!! Not a teacher who writes in her spare time, but a real true full time author.<br />
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Rachel, my daughter, will be in third grade this year, which starts this Thursday. Starting then, after our morning ritual of breakfast, lunch packing, and bus boarding I will come home to my empty house and live my dream!<br />
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WRITE, CRITIQUE, REWRITE, CRITIQUE, TWEAK, RESEARCH, SUBMIT, REPEAT<br />
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until I can hold in my hand a book I have written that is published!<br />
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I will walk into Barnes and Nobles or Books-A-Million and buy a copy of my book. IT WILL HAPPEN.<br />
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Thursday marks the first step.<br />
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Ready... set... GO!<br />
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<br />Shannon M. Marrshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00654220933617892707noreply@blogger.com2