Sheila's Guests and Reviews

I made it! I finally finished my short story in time to enter Second Wind Publishing's competition. The theme was spring or renewal and there are lots of really great entries. Click here-- http://secondwindcontests.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/ark-by-sheila-deeth/ --if you want to read mine, and here-- http://secondwindcontests.wordpress.com/contest-entries/ --for links to all the entries. Enjoy! (And please wish me luck!)

I read an article today that bemoaned those holiday camps where children's sports aren't "competitive." The author wondered if we're failing to teach our children to cope with life; after all, most people's adult lives will include some measure of failure, so how will they learn? Coming to the States from England I was amazed how competitive children's lives are here. My sons used to play soccer every Saturday, but only one of them dreamed of being on a team; the others played for fun. Here they were only allowed to join in if they solemnly promised to turn up for every practice and compete in every match! Help. I guess the question is who's going to measure the failure. Have I failed as a writer if I can't be JK Rowling or JRR Tolkein? Or am I just enjoying myself, doing the best I can and hopefully one day becoming "good enough." Perhaps allowing kids not to compete gives them the chance to judge themselves instead of accepting othe...

Three posts in one day! This is surely a little excessive, but I really can't help it. I'd like to shout it from the mountain tops except it's too far to drive at this time of night. So I'll just post it here... My story won in the Second Wind mystery contest , and will be appearing together with other stories by new and established authors in their Murder in the Wind anthology. I won! I'm going to get another story published. So thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who voted for me, for your votes and for your kind comments and encouragement. I really enjoyed reading the other two finalist's stories, and I'm just over moon at my good fortune. Thank you. And thank you Second Wind.

I entered Second Wind Publishing’s “ Murder in the Wind ” competition, and my short story is one of three short-listed for inclusion in the anthology. Now I just need to garner some votes and I might get published in the same volume as Pat Bertram and other favorite authors… Well, at least I can dream. So, if you want to read three really fun murder mysteries, just follow the link, or go to secondwindpublishing.com and click on "mystery contest." All three stories are printed together on the page, and there’s a place for you to vote down at the bottom. Second Wind are really great about voting in their competitions—they don’t ask you to join anything or offer up your firstborn or other valuables. All they want is your email so that one lucky voter can win a free copy of the book! So, happy reading, and please vote for one of us: “Distractions” by Deborah Watson “Jack” by Sheila Deeth “Lady Blue” by Carla Damron