Irish Fireside Tales and more

July 9, 2012
Well, I have been busy this week for sure. Irish Fireside Tales is a collection of early Irish myths and legends retold in my oown words. This came about from the course I took on the early Irish legends. Over the course of a year I read one story eeach month, retold it in my own words and then journied to discover what kernel of knowledge or hidden meaning the tales hheld for me personally. It was a wonderful and immensely enlightening process. At the end of it I had this file of wonderful sstories and the idea came to me that I should share them with others. 
Irish Fireside Tales has been over two years in the making as it kept getting sidelined as I got distracted by other projects. However, the final files have been sent to the publisher and I'm waiting for the proof copy to arrive. The book should be available very soon from Create Space or by contacting me via email.
The course on the stories was through Tira Brandon Evans, you can find more information at http://www.faeryshaman.org/
The first year is the Irish Cycles and the second year is the Welsh stories from the Mabinogian.
 

Time Management

June 20, 2012
It seems that time is slipping by and I am unable to stop it.  I still think of myself as young, you know, like in my thirties. Hard to fathom that I will be 56 this December. I mean, FIFTY-SIX??? How the heck did that happen?? On some level I know my sons are now 32 and 30, but somehow it doesn't seem to follow that I must then be older than dirt. But, alas, it would appear that I am.
There are still so many things I want to do and learn and there will  never be enough time. Yes, I know, 56 ...
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Springtime In Alberta

June 12, 2012
My goodness, what a weekend. Windy and rain, the wind was blowing hard enough to take you off your feet if your were't carefull. The horses and pony were happy to be in the barn for a couple of hours and get out of the crazy weather. Today, is hot and sunny with some periods of cloud. For the most part the flower gardens survived without too much damage. Thankfully, there was no hail. The big white combine wiped out my six foot high delphiniums last year. 

My two granddaughters had a sleepover...
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Where does the time go???

June 8, 2012
Wow, it is June 7th already. Registration for the Surrey International Writers Conference opened yesterday, October seems like such a long way away, but this brings it closer. This year I will participating in the conference taking pitches on Friday and Sunday for MuseItUp Publishing. If you all have something you are thinking of pitching please consider MuseItUp!
 Just planted a new garden out by the lilac tree, the only shade garden I have. I hope the wind is kind to my poor baby plants.

More...
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Wonderful night at East Longview Hall with The Travelling Mabels

June 4, 2012
Saturday night at the East Longview Hall at TheTravelling Mabels concert! What a perfect way to end a beautiful Alberta day. Lana, Eva and Sue were great at always. They mixed in their perennial favorites with some new original works and a few covers of iconic Canadian songwriter's work. 
The little hall on the prairie was rocking as the June twilight lingered outside, the almost full moon lit our way home and illuminated the rolling Alberta grasslands while the white peaked Rockies stood guar...
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Correction on name of Publishing House in my last blog post

May 31, 2012
Sorry for the goof up, the publisher of Scarlet Whispers is Scarlett River Press  NOT Scarlett Whispers Press. I apologize for the mix-up
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Scarlet Whispers Anthology listed at #5 on Amazon!

May 31, 2012
Scarlet Whispers is an anthology of horse stories which has just been released. I contributed a short story called Sunrise Surprise and I am thrilled to say that the anthology is listed at #5 on Amazon's Hot New Releases List for Anthologies. This is even more wonderful as the proceeds and any royalties are being donated to a horse rescue. A cause that is very near and dear to my heart.
So if you have a horse lover in your circle of family and friends, or if you are one yourself, consider pur...
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MuseItUp Editor Speaks to Calgary Chapter of SCBWI

May 30, 2012
On the evening of May 28, 2012 I spoke to the Calgary Chapter of the SCBWI. The meeting was a great success with 30 people in attendance. The world of epublishing was discussed, highlighting the differences and similarities between traditional publishing and the new world of epublishing. I spoke for sixty minutes covering topics ranging from the huge rise in ebook sales to submissions, contracts, cover art and editing of an ebook. The presentation was very well recieved and a thirty minute qu...
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Well, I've gone and done it. I've taken the plunge

May 28, 2012
Welcome to my blog! It has taken me a while to get to this but here it is. My first blog posting. I am planning on sharing some highlights from my daily life with you. I live on a small acerage near Calgary, Alberta with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, a token cow and even a sheep named Spot or Rambo, depending on what he is doing at any given moment in time. I also want to share my progress with the manuscripts I am currently working on.

A bit of exciting news for today. I am speaking to the Ca...
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Pleased to meet you


Nancy Marie Bell Nancy Marie Bell lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. She enjoys writing poetry and fiction and non-fiction. Nancy is a Senior Acquistion Editor with MuseItUp Publishing Inc. Please visit her webpage http://www.nancymbell.ca You can find her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/NancyMBell Follow on twitter: @emilypikkasso

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