Someone Said “Prizes & Giveaway”

Yes, someone did say “prizes & giveaways” and as promised there is a bunch of them. To begin, one of the prizes is a book entitled Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life In Poems which is signed by author Patricia Neely-Dorsey.

Patricia visits my blog and since she donated her book to my giveaway (wasn’t that sweet of her?!!), I wanted you all to get to know her and anticipate winning her book!

How long have you been writing?

“I wrote my very first poem Feb 14, 2007. I woke up out of my sleep with a poem swirling around in my head. I quickly got up and scribbled it down. After that day, poems just started to flow and flow.”

What do you find to be the greatest reward in seeing your book published?

“I mentioned in one of my poems what a wonderful feeling it is to see my words in print, but the most rewarding part of having the published book is the wonderful feedback that I get from readers about the personal connections they make with the book/poems. I am often told that the book brings back to them beautiful childhood memories that they had virtually forgotten or had tucked away, very far back in their minds.”

What do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

“The poetry writing to me comes very naturally . I would say that is the easy part. The real work to me in “the business of books” is marketing and promoting. It takes a constant 24/7 effort to really get the name out there.”

What motivates you?

“My book is meant to give a positive glimpse into the southern way of life. I am constantly motivated and inspired by the beautiful aspects of the southern way of life…the beautiful landscape and scenery, the wonderful relationships and family ties, etc. I am motivated to continue in what I do by the overwhelmingly positive response that I have received and continue to receive from my poems.”

What atmosphere do you find most conducive to writing?

“That’s funny..Unbelievably, I have written over 50% of all of my poems in my car! (LOL)
I call my car my personal think tank (LOL)”

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting a book?

“Make lots of contacts and connections with people who do what you do or aspire to do. Ask lots of questions.. Do lots of research on the business side of it all. Join writers and book groups on the social networking sites. Shadow an author that you admire. Take note of their work (ie: how they market and promote their their book, what venues and events they attend.) Join a local writer’s group for support and resources. Most importantly, believe in what you do.”

Where do you get the ideas for your poetry?

“I get most of my ideas from the everyday things around. Eudora Welty said “Write about what you know”. This is what I do.”

What are you hobbies other than writing?

“I love to read..everything!”

What are the web addresses that people can find your blog, store, or other interviews other than www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com?

“BOOK AVAILABLE: www.reeds.ms/books.asp or Amazon.com“

Tell us a something else about you…

“I am totally enamored with the southern way of life and I want to share a part of that with the world. There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the south in general. I want to show a flip side of the coin.”

SOUTHERN LIFE

If you want a glimpse of Southern life,
Come close and walk with me;
I’ll tell you all the simple things,
That you are sure to see.
You’ll see mockingbirds and bumblebees,
Magnolia blossoms and dogwood trees,
Caterpillars on the step,
Wooden porches cleanly swept;
Watermelons on the vine,
Strong majestic Georgia pines;
Rocking chairs and front yard swings,
Junebugs flying on a string;
Turnip greens and hot cornbread,
Coleslaw and barbecue;
Fried okra, fried corn, fried green tomatoes,
Fried pies and pickles too..
There’s ice cold tea that’s syrupy sweet,
And cool, green grass beneath your feet;
Catfish nipping in the lake,
And fresh young boys on the make.
You’ll see all these things
And much, much more,
In a way of life that I adore.

Copyright 2008 Patricia Neely-Dorsey
from Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life In Poems

For more interview questions and answers visit her website at http://patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/interviewsp1.htm and http://patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/interviewsp2.htm

Visit Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s blog at http://patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/apps/blog/ and let her know how excited you will be to win her book!

Image: Wikipedia
So do you want to know about the rest of the prizes?

I’m sure you do..

and I will tell you…

the rules of the contest and giveaway…

and show you a picture of all the prizes…

tomorrow.

Should I sing the Carly Simon song “Anticipation” or do you hear it in your head now? LOL If it is any consolation, the video is great!