Home again, home again...jiggidy jig!

What an exciting time it was to be in New York! My Aunt Dorothy and her friend, Jack, were great hosts and the Rockettes rocked! My brain is on overload with all the wonderful sights of the city...epecially at Christmas. You'd think with all the walking we did I would have lost at least 10 pounds...but we also ate wonderfully delicious food...Gi Gi's Cafe is awsome! And Jack's kosher veal meatballs were incredible! Did you know there are 72 steps up from the street (72nd Street) to Aunt Dororthy's apartment door on the 4th floor? She climbs them everyday! No wonder she is in such great shape and has enjoyed such a long life!

Flying was another experience...let's just say there were a few challenges. Shortly after Bob took me to the airport in Omaha, the snow began to fall...and fall...and fall. There was a lot of activity around the check in counter and finally the announcement telling us that our flight was not taking off because the pilot refunsed to fly unless there was a break in the storm. I knew this would mean that I wouldn't make my connection in Detroit, so I called the airline to see what could be done. Within minutes my connecting flight was rescheduled...problem solved...I thought. Well, there was no break in the storm and the plane was still on the ground waiting to be boarded. I realized I wouldn't make the new connecting flight so I called again to reschedule. This time I was too late to get the soonest connection and had to take the next available flight which would get me into New York around 10:15...I took it. I felt so bad that my aunt and Jack would have to drive so late to the airport and offered to just take a cab...but they wouldn't hear of it and would be there for me. I was so glad to see them when I arrived at LGA. I thought for sure the flight home would be better because the weather in New York was fine. I boarded the plane on time, but it didn't take off for 45 minutes...which meant I would once again miss my connecting flight in Detroit. When we landed in Detroit I called the airline and they confirmed that I would probably miss the connection as I only had about 7 minutes to get to the gate which was a whole other terminal area, but they assured me I would be on the next flight...IN THE MORNING!!!! AUGH!!! I got off the flight and ran to the other terminal. (It's a good thing I did as much walking in New York as I did so I could run my marathon at DTW!) When I arrived at the departing gate, the plane was still there and people were de-boarding. Apparently, the plane only had one pilot and couldn't take off. They realized this AFTER everyone had boarded so they had everyone exit the plane while they located another pilot...lucky for me...but the other passengers weren't as happy. I was thrilled! Maybe I wouldn't have to spend the night at the Detroit airport after all! I had called Bob and he told me there was a storm supposed to hit Omaha later that night. If I ended up staying overnight I might have been stuck even longer! Anyway, they found a pilot, we took off and got to Omaha and I made it home...YAY! While on the flight, I had an enjoyable conversation with a sweet young woman...Ashley, my prayers are with you.

I am still trying to grasp the emotional impact this little trip to New York has had. I feel as if part of me is still there and I am still trying to reconnect. The time I had with my aunt was priceless. She has a smile that can light up the darkest subway coach and her energy amazes me. She made me feel young, but created an excitement about growing old...I could barely keep up with her. Our time together was like a big slumber party...including sharing make-up and the talk about "boys"! I took many notes!

I will write more about New York again soon.

S.A.S.E.

I have learned that when you really want someone to reply to you one of the best ways to encourage this is to include a self-addressed stamped envelope in the correspondence. I have done this with my children and grandchildren and for the most part it is effective. I may not hear back right away, but eventually they discover the envelope buried beneath some papers or stuffed in a drawer and send it back with a short letter or drawing. In the case of my youngest daughter, they have yet to come back...but I will continue sending and hoping...and praying.

Once, I included a SASE in a card to my youngest brother (estranged from the family) and he simply used it to send the card right back to me...no note...just the card...funny. I guess it was his way of letting me know he is still alive, but nothing more. I have also included them in query letters to publishers and have a good collection of those returned.

When I arrived home this evening, there was an envelope (with familiar handwriting) on the table from Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency of New York. I had sent them a package with some information about my books and requesting an opportunity to discuss representation by them. I also included a SASE and it served its purpose. I could tell by the "thinness" of the envelope that it was probably not good news. Inside was a standard form post card stating, "Please accept my apology for this form response, but the volume of mail received in my office makes a personal reply impossible. I have reviewed your material and it is not anythng I wish to work with at this time. Thank you for the submission and I wish you the best of luck with other agents."

And so that is the way it goes. Sometimes there is good news and sometimes there isn't...but it is nice when the SASE is returned becasue some news is better than no news at all...and hey, the card does say they reviewed my material. That's something to hope for!

I also want to let you all know that you can go to www.amazon.com/abna to find out information on the contest that my book, "The Scrapbook" is entered in. Here is the latest news:

• Over 5,000 authors have registered for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
• Registered authors represent nearly 2,000 different cities worldwide and 22 countries (including South Africa, Denmark, Malaysia, Argentina, and more)
• There is at least one author from every one of the 50 states (and the District of Columbia, too) registered for the contest
• Of the novels submitted for consideration, 42% fall into the general fiction category; 25% are mystery, thriller, and suspense; 18% are science fiction and fantasy; 8% are historical fiction, and 7% are romance (The Scrapbook is this category)

If you are an Amazon.com customer you will be able to view excerpts from the semi-finalist manuscripts starting January 15. Hopefully you will give favorable reviews and cast your vote for "The Scrapbook". What an opportunity! I just keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming! Thanks for all your encouragement and support...it means so much. I feel so blessed to be a part of it. It would be a dream come true.

Thursday I am leaving for another dream come true. I will be going to New York City to visit my Aunt Dorothy. I have always wanted to see New York during the Christmas season. It is a short trip, but will be fun. Dorothy and her friend, Jack, have gotten us tickets to see the Christmas Celebration and Radio City Music Hall on Friday morning. That should encourage some holiday spirit! Lord willing, the weather will be good and all flights on time. I will be gathering material for my next novel, "New York Winter Love"...more to come on that in later posts!

Well, I need to go spend some time with my sweet husband...Hallmark has some great holiday shows on right now! I will write again when I get back from the "Big Apple"!