PARASOL PUBLICATIONS BIRTHDAY MONTH

Season’s Greetings and Our Writing Contest at The Narrative Arc

In comments, share your favorite story from any Parasol Pub in the last year, and say why you loved it — win a tip!

Oh, the holidays are upon us, and I’m not exactly ready

That beautiful girl in the photo? Meet Tegan Marie, of the Yellow Bear Clan. When we adopted her twelve years ago from some people whose labs had puppies, she was the biggest pup of the litter. The opposite of the ‘runt of the litter.’

No one wanted her, as her paws indicated she’d be huge. As a pup, she was so much larger, longer, and taller than the others in the litter, no one chose her. Big dogs don’t live as long. Well, tell Tegan that. And of course, I chose her.

This morning, she is lying comfortably on her dog bed, on a soft blanket. She’s had her breakfast of boiled chicken, quinoa, and carrots. No kibbles for her; she can’t tolerate fake food. We often eat from the same pot, to be honest. Different spoons, people! So the last few days, I’ve been nursing her through a rough patch, and this morning she is — thankfully — better.

But that reminds me of this: there will be hard times. Even when people seem happy, you don’t know what’s going on, really. People have invisible struggles. Problems with family, addiction, depression, sorrow, illnesses. You can’t know, so it’s best to be kind. Just a thought there.

While the US Thanksgiving holiday has been going on for friends here, I’ve been burning the midnight oil. Up at 6 am. In bed at 1 am. Editing like crazy, as our team here at Parasol enjoys family and holiday time. Tegan’s been unwell, so I lift her (as you know, she’s a big, big dog) and get her to her feet, then we go outside for a break. Back in, and back to editing. And more editing. I’ve kept our queues sorted, along with several editors who’ve stepped in to work hard.

Thank you deeply to our team — those who have stepped up to work extra hard, and those on holiday with their friends and families

Christine Schoenwald | Darren Weir | Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles | Kim Kelly Stamp | Kit Desjacques | Ellen Eastwood | Sieran Lane | Conni Walkup Hull | Chevie Hanssler | Lucinda Munro Cook | Natalie Gasper | Jojo Teckina

As most of you know, we’ve added two new publications in the last month — a fiction and poetry pub, which is doing well. Meet Imogene’s Notebook!

We’re honored to meet so many amazing creative writers. Thank you for joining us recently, so many poets and fiction writers. We are delighted that your work is so magnificent that it’s been noticed by curators and boosted. To all those who think poetry doesn’t get attention, it’s alive and well! Come visit our pub and see. Also, we are seeking new poets and writers of fiction and micro fiction.

Darren Weir has also launched his own publication, Travel Memoirs. It’s a pub for writing your personal experiences while traveling in faraway places. Have a look! Darren is a world traveler, and recently he and a friend hiked the Camino Porto. As he planned, he shared his travel details with me. I’m not as healthy as he is, and I gladly rode his coattails when — a month after he embarked on his Camino Porto — I also walked that journey. Unlike Darren, one of my best friends, I walked the Camino by myself. I met people along the way, and had some adventures that were surprising. I’ve written of them too.

It was so thrilling for me to travel again, as it’s been six years. Cancer and COVID and bears (oh, my). Thanks to Darren for his exciting new publication, as well as sharing all his knowledge with us. And head over and get involved! His writers are amazing.

Because we are a writing cooperative at Parasol Publications, we have editors with their own publications who work under our umbrella. Darren is one of those. Christine Schoenwald is another, with her publication Seen on Screen.

We are open to collaborations, and they are healthy for us. We talk as a team, make decisions together — not in isolation — and we workshop essays. We support each others’ work. Are we perfect? No. We’re human beings doing what we love to do, which is write, talk about our writing, and assist other writers.

We make all sorts of magic and mistakes! Sometimes both at once. Join us and write with us!

I’ll share our editor guidelines here, so click the link and have a look. Our two cardinal rules are ‘be kind’ and ‘show up.’ Our team is active. If you’re interested in joining us, send me a note and if we add staff at some point, we’ll keep you in mind! No claims to perfection, but we are a very cohesive group of writer friends.

Now, let’s talk about the contest! You know — this contest…

Cash prizes are as follows:

First prize — $100

Second prize — $50

Third prize — $25

and Honorable Mentions galore, no doubt

Please read the article to get more information. We’ll be announcing the winner in about a week!

Oh, and one person who likes and leaves a comment on this article is going to get a $10 tip! Name ONE story from the past year of stories with any Parasol Pub, and say why you loved it. Any writer, including Parasol editors, is eligible! (it’s my money, and they are not paid employees, so of course they’re eligible!).

I’ll list the names and draw from a hat and announce the winning comment when I announce contest winners!

Enjoy your day, and thank you for being a reader and writer with Parasol Publications. We appreciate you. As for Tegan, she just had a walk around our pond. She does that every day when she feels well enough. She is a slow walker now, but my husband and I took the time. We paused during the walk to gently massage her legs, back, and ears.

We are grateful for every day that we have with our big yellow dog, and will continue sharing updates. Our precious Tegan reminds us that love is the most important value of all!

May you find some love today.