I’ve found myself singing Carrie Underwood’s latest hit, Love Is All That Matters. The overall message is uplifting, but I keep getting drawn back to one line — “Sometimes, that mountain you’ve been climbing, is just a grain of sand…”

That rings so true to me, and reminds me of a favorite saw of my dad’s — don’t make mountains out of molehills. Yes, he told me that many times, and though the lesson stuck, I’ll admit there have been instances where I perceived things to be bigger, or badder, than they were. It’s part of human nature.

Those seemingly insurmountable odds are a wonderful vehicle in fiction, but they can be a defeating one if you’re on the creative edge and the sand starts piling up. Sometimes it’s hard to tell at first (or second or fifth) glance the scope of our particular challange. Like a sandstorm, the true picture can be obscured.

I see people as bits of sand, being blown by life over the dunes of time to mound or drift on. Some grains find purchase and welcome others to pile up on them, creating a refuge–their own mountain of support. Others never find a place to rest, and are soon worn down to dust.

Our very lives sift through a miniscule hole in the hourglass of the world, marking our days, minutes, seconds. That’s never been more obvious to me than now when my mom is battling a terrible illness.

We need to make the most of life. Now. And we need to stop looking at those molehills as insurmountable obstacles, or we’ll never stand a chance when we do face that mountain.

So I’m ignoring the Mt. Impossibles and focusing on the things I can control, like writing another historical novel, and going over my final copy edits for One Real Man.

Life. You should love it to live it to its fullest. 😉

I’m guest blogging about guest ranches over at Petticoats and Pistols on Saturday, Nov. 3. I used a guest ranch as the setting for my April 08 release, One Real Man. Drop by and say hi. I’m giving away an autographed copy of One Real Cowboy to one commenter.

And in case you’re wondering–Griffin’s Lair is done and off to editors today. My progress meter is caught in the NANO writing crunch, but GL IS done, but I couldn’t update my progress meter.

Deborah MacGillivray is raffling off editors for a great cause!!!

Listen up!!

Tired of submitting to slush piles and getting rejected before
the editors even see it?

Want a chance to get your book before a print editor???
Want a guaranteed that the editor actually reads it?
You don’t ever get that request for a FULL manuscript??

Well here is your chance!!

Win a chance to have your completed or nearly completed
manuscript read and receive a one page critique from

Hilary Sares
Kensington editor
(Debut, Brava, Approdisia lines)

YES!!!!

FIFTEEN people will win this amazing opportunity.

Yes, 15 people will have their full or nearly completed
manuscripts read and will receive a one page
critique from editor Hilary Sares.

How do you win this amazing chance??

RAFFLE — $100 per entry.
Enter as many times as you want.
(all money is going to a worthy cause)
~~~~~~~~~ Rules: ~~~~~~~~~

You may enter as many times as you want at $100 a “ticket”.
The more times you enter, the better your chances are.

Winners will be randomly selected from a drawing of names.
on
December 21st, 2007

~~~~~~~~ What do you get? ~~~~~~~~

15 people with completed or nearly completed manuscripts
(any genre!) will have their manuscript read
by
Hilary Sares
(Impress her and she could even want to buy you
~~ if you are what she’s looking for!)
All 15 will get a one page critique of their manuscript.

But that is not all….

RUNNERS up will get….

2nd place Runners up…. (#16 and #17 winners)

Chris Keeslar
Senior Editor, Dorchester Publishing
(Leisure Books and Love Spell)
~~ will read and critique 100 pages ~~
you get to put a proposal of 100 pages before
Dorchester’s editor, and receive 1 page critique.
Again, he will consider buying if you impress him!
(Historical Romances, Magna, Contemporary, Paranormal)

Leah Hultenschmidt
Editor for Dorchester Publishing
(Leisure Books and Love Spell)

~~ will read and critique a 100 pages ~!
you get to put a proposal of 100 pages before Dorchester’s editor,
and receive 1 page critique.
Again, she will consider buying if you impress her!
(Historical Romances, Contemporary, Paranormal)
3rd place Runner up (#18, #19, #20 and #21 winners)

Leanne Burroughs
Publisher/Editor of Highland Press, will read and
critique 4 full manuscripts -the publisher/owner of
Highland Press
will read and giveeach a 1 page critique.
Again, she will consider buying.

(Historical Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary,
Mainstreams YA, Childrens)Trade size PRINT Books

Details….The raffle runs through midnight EST December 15, 2007

The random drawing will be held on:
December 21, 2007

so 21 people will have a very Merry Christmas!!!
winners will be notified by phone and email on that day.

All monies raised go to help author Dawn Thompson’s hospital
and medical bills.Dawn recently had a bad fall. She is a new
writer so has to wait for nearlya year or more to start receiving
her royalties. She doesn’t have family to help herand has a lot of
needs not being covered by her insurance. Money will go to
help her pay for medicine not covered, and other needs
arising from her recovery.

All drawings will be final. No Refunds

Any questions about the contest
email
Deborah Macgillivray
Kensington, Dorchester, & Highland Press author
writer@deborahmacgillivray.co.uk

To enter

Name:

email address (working email addy for you will be billed $100 through Paypal):
Penname, if any:

Your full address:

Your Phone number:

The Title of your manuscript:

The genre of your manuscript:

Is your manuscript completed? Yes NO

If no – expected completion date

Once your email application is received
you will be sent a “ticket” bill through
Paypal at $100.00 for each entry.
You pay enter has many times as you want to increase your odds.

You will be helping a fellow writer get back on her feet
after trauma, and you finally get that GUARATEED
chance to be read by some top print editors.

I hit double deadlines this month, with copy edits for ORM and then major revisions on GL. The edits are back with Kensington Publishing in New York, and I’m making serious progross on the historical revisions. Whew!

Our weather is crazy–mid October and I’m still wearing shorts. In Kansas that’s pretty much unheard of usually, but we’re have awfully mild weather.

I’m not complaining because I love the nice weather, but I’ve got to wonder how deep we’re into the global warming. This isn’t natural.

Amy Knupp tagged me to do the 8 random facts about myself. BTW, she KNOWS I’m in the middle of copy edits of One Real Man. Gee, if she wasn’t such a good friend…

Okay, here’s the list.

1) My mom enrolled me in dance lessons when I was three, and I stuck with it until I graduated from high school. Ever since, when I hear music, I want to buggie.

2) When I was in high school, it was a toss-up what I wanted to be when I grew up (if I ever did). My lit teacher thought I had a talent for writing, though it bugged him that I’d do my daily journal five minutes before class started and turn it in to him. (I still have that journal.) My drama teacher said I had a flare for acting–I even tried regional theater once.

3) I grew up on a farm and thought it was normal to have a cow for a pet. Note: I also had horses, chickens, dogs, and lots of cats.

4) I love to target practice with a gun or bow.

5) My radio is on nearly all the time, usually tuned to a country station.

6) Given the choice, I’d buy a truck instead of a car.

7) I am a shopaholic ,with a particular addiction for shoes and boots.

8) I’d rather be an optomist than be a pessimist. It’s highly possible that’s because my mom is the queen of pessimists.

Ok, back to the copy edits.