Happy Dance !!

This book arrived in today's mail -

Lovely, isn't it?!











































AND - -

lookee here -



oh my.

How cool is that?!

VERY cool!!

Who's included?

As you can see from the title page - 75 western North Carolina women are featured in CLOTHES LINES - Edited by Celia H. Miles and Nancy Dillingham.

Seventy-five women.

Including Me!!

Many of the women included are local or regional names I'm familiar with, some I've admired from afar, some I'm only now becoming aware of. I'm quite honored to be included among them.

Three of the women, however, are giants in my mind.



Novelist Joan Medlicott, author of the award winning Ladies of Covington series,











Novelist and poet Isabel Zuber, author of SALT,










and




North Carolina Poet Laureate (2005 - 2009) Kathryn Stripling Byer.











oh my.


Am I over the moon?! you bet.


I have been a huge fan of Joan Medlicott's for a number of years and snatch up her newest Covington novels the minute they hit the shelves.

Isabel Zuber's "Salt" is one of my favorite novels ever. One that I reread with some regularity.

Kay Byer writes some of the absolutely most perfect poetry I've ever had the joy of reading, and her words enrich my life.

It was through Kay's blog, "Here Where I Am," that I learned of the call for submissions for this anthology, which is the second edited by Celia Miles and Nancy Dillingham. The first was "Christmas Presence, from 45 west North Carolina women writers," published in 2008.

This submission call was for " The Clothes We Wear . . . stories, memoirs, essays/reflections, poems for an anthology about the garments we wear — metaphorically, symbolically, literally---from hair bow to bra to Birkenstocks, from christening gown to prom dress, from waitress uniform to nine-to-five stiletto heels" and I immediately thought of a piece I had written for Meanderings and Muses about needing a little red in my life. Not allowing myself to think about things too much for fear of getting cold feet, I revised it and sent it in. Still not allowing myself to think about it too much, I was tickled beyond belief to hear back from Celia and Nancy that my piece had been accepted.

Had I known that Ms. Zuber, Ms. Byer, and Ms. Medlicott were to be included there is no way on God's green earth that I would have given any of this a second thought. Which says to me that sometimes we just need to put aside our fears - our lack of confidence in ourselves, and just say "oh, the hell with it," and stretch ourselves. By stretching myself, I've been granted an opportunity to be a part of something that I'll always be proud of. And that's a lovely thing, indeed.

Note: some of you have sent emails wanting to know how to get a copy of Clothes Lines. My copy of the book is, I believe, an early release, and we're all supposed to get together next Saturday to discuss "stuff" at a "Meet & Greet Tea." (won't that be fun?!!) I'll find out about distribution then, I'm guessing it will be available through amazon, along with our local and regional indies (I'll keep you posted). BUT - in the meantime you can order copies from the publisher - Catawba Publishing or from the editors: Celia Miles - celiamiles@fastmail.fm or Nancy Dillingham - nandilly@earthlink.net