“The Song of the Saw-Whet Owl”, a story written by member Ed Hara, won 1st place in the Writer’s Digest 81st Annual Competition in the Inspirational Writing category. Ed won $1000, $100 off any purchase from the Writer’s Digest Shop, and a one-year Writer’s Digest VIP membership, which includes a one-year subscription to Writer’s Digest magazine.

He also won access to the Writer Digest online site, Writers Market, for one year, discounts on Writer’s Digest University workshops and discounts off of purchases made at the Writers Digest Shop.

For over 90 years, Writers Digest magazine has been providing writing information, market information, books and classes for writers. Whether a writer is a beginner or an old hand, the classes, contest and books offered by the magazine/website are chock full of useful and timely knowledge about the craft and business of writing.

Sarah Reinhard’s newest book, “A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking With Mary From Conception To Baptism”, published by Ave Maria Press, will be available for sale on September 10th, 2012. You can pre-order by going to her website Snoring Scholar.

This book is a weekly companion that considers not just the physical dimensions of pregnancy but the spiritual dimensions as well. Keeping our Holy Mother, Mary, at the center of each week, Ms. Reinhard prepares the reader for the joyous addition of a new and precious soul to the family. “It is my prayer that this book will touch many hearts and be a work of the Holy Spirit for families”, said Ms. Reinhard.

Please support your local Catholic bookstore if possible! “A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy: Walking With Mary From Conception To Baptism” will also be available September 10th at these sites: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Aquinas& More Catholic Goods. You can get an e-gally of the book for free if you would like to review it for your blog!

Sarah Reinhard and Ave Maria Press present “A Catholic Mothers Companion to Pregnancy: Walking With Mary From Conception to Baptism”

Karina Fabian, member and Guild Vice-President is one half of a military couple. As such, she and her family move around…a lot. For the time being they reside in Colorado. When the forest fires exploded earlier this summer, Karina looked to her gifts to determine how best to aid her fellow Coloradoans who were suffering and struggling.

“About a year and a half ago, I wrote a little story about a series of wildfires being set near Los Lagos, Colorado, the fictional home of Vern and Sister Grace of my DragonEye, PI world. The story itself was a mystery involving Sister Grace and Coyote the Trickster God. It was fun to write about Coyote again and it explains a few mysteries mentioned in Magic, Mensa and Mayhem. I’ve sent it out to several places, but no one took it. However, I know that every story has its time and place,” she said.

One day she realized the time for her story, “Coyote Fires”, had come. She and Muse It Up publishing have joined forces to allow people a unique way to donate to the victims of the Colorado fires. The story, Coyote Fires is in a serial format and has six episodes.

“The first episode is posted at Coyote Fires“, Karina said. “I have a donation button on the site, and I’m asking that if you enjoy the story, you help me help others by donating a little to the cause. You can donate as little as $1. For every $10 I earn (from one to ten donors), I’ll put up another episode. I’ll take donations until the story is totally up or September 1, whichever comes later. At that time, I’ll send all the proceeds to the Colorado Springs chapter of the American Red Cross. I also have a deal, where if you donate over $25 dollars, I’ll send you an autographed copy of Magic, Mensa and Mayhem. (Your entire donation will go to the ARC.)”

“In addition, between now and Aug 31, the Muse It Up publisher, editors, and I are donating all our profits from the Coyote story, Perfect Ten and the DragonEye novel, Live and Let Fly. Order them through the links on the story website or from MuseItUp in order for the donations to work.”

Here are a few ways you can help:

Read the story and donate.

Buy “Perfect Ten” or”Live and Let Fly for yourself or a friend.

Tell others: You can copy this blog, make up a tweet or use one of mine:

#Coyote #Fires, a #fundraising serial story at http://coyotefires.karinafabian.com. Enjoy some fantasy and help victims of the #coloradofires.

Like #DragonEye? Read #Coyote #Fires online & help victims of the #coloradofires. http://coyotefires.karinafabian.com
Donate to another charity of your choice. (Let me know, and I’ll send you a copy of the story!)

“I can’t go out and fight fires,” Ms. Fabian said, “and I can’t travel to the [Colorado] Springs to help rebuild; however, I can offer my talents to help raise some money to help those who can be there for the victims.”

The Works of Mercy
THE CORPORAL ACTS

To feed the hungry: “For I was hungry and you gave me to eat.” Mt. 25:35

To give drink to the thirsty: “…I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…” Mt. 25:35

To clothe the naked: “I was…naked and you clothed me…” Mt. 25:36

To visit the imprisoned: “I was in prison and you came to me.” Mt. 25:36

To shelter the homeless: “…I was a stranger and you took me in…” Mt. 25:35

To visit the sick: “…I was sick and you cared for me…” Mt. 25:36

To bury the dead: “Amen, I say to you, insofar as you did it for one of these least of my brothers, you did it for me.” Mt. 25:40

THE SPIRITUAL ACTS

To admonish the sinner: “…there will be more joy in Heaven at the repentance of one sinner than at ninety-nine of the righteous who had no need of repentance.” Lk. 15:7

To instruct the ignorant: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation.” Mk. 16:15

To counsel the doubtful: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…Let not your hearts be troubled…” Jn. 14:27

To comfort the sorrowful: “Come to me, all you grown weary and burdened, and I will refresh you.” Mt. 11:28

To bear wrongs patiently: “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you.” Lk. 6:27-28

To forgive all injuries: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Mt. 6:12

To pray for the living and the dead: “Father, I desire that they, too, may be with me where I am…” Jn. 17:24

Annette Tenny is a regular contributor to the Catholic News Herald, the Charlotte, NC Diocesan newspaper. She has worked with middle and high school kids in sacramental preparation as well as the 'little peanuts' in Children's Church. Annette is currently discerning becoming a Secular Franciscan and plans to begin her Lay Ministry studies in the fall of 2012. She is also working on her first non-fiction book geared to those discerning or currently in the RCIA process.