Thursday, October 14, 2010

Two Things that Made My Day and One that May Make Yours

The first item on my list of Three on Thursday, and this one really made my day, is a wonderful note I received from a school friend (Thanks, Dianne!) on my Facebook today. It's the first feedback I've had (other than from crit partners, close friends and family) on my novel, Summoning.

OMG, Debi, I just finished "Summoning." Truly amazing! I couldn't stop reading! Every minute I could steal today to read it, I did! That's all I want to say because I don't want to be a "spoiler." Well, except, the acknowledgments...Nadine Dyer, almost brought tears to my eyes. Do you know anything about, well, to be blunt, is she still around? And if so, how is she? I can't wait for your next novel!

This leads into my second thing that made my day. Those of you who did not attend Redford Union High School *mumblemumble* years ago may be wondering who Mrs. Dyer is. She was my English teacher. But she was almost much, much more than that. She was my original inspiration. That woman told me I had the soul of a poet before I even knew what she meant. Mrs. Dyer introduced me to the likes of T. S. Eliot, Dante, Nietzsche, Satre, and so many more. It was because of her that I became a writer in the first place. Thank you, Mrs. Dyer . . .  wherever you are.

Now those are the two things that made my day today. Hearing that someone liked my book and that she also loved Mrs. Dyer like I did, was a great way to start my day.

So, since I'm in such a good mood, I thought I'd try to do something to make someone else's day. And what could possibly be more fun than a contest?

Here are the rules:

1. Comment here about a teacher who changed your life for the better.
2. While you're here, browse around and read through my other posts . . . (okay, that's not a requirement, just a recommendation). 
3. All comments to this post on or before Sunday, October 17th will be eligible to win. On Monday, October 18th, I'll write down all the names on slips of paper and have one of my daughters pull one from a hat. (Or, in the absence of a hat, some other random choosing method.)

And why should you bother with all of this posting nonsense? What's in it for you, you ask?

Well, first prize will be a $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Second and third prizes you ask? How about my undying gratitude for playing along?

So what are you waiting for? Tell my about your life-changing teacher!






5 comments:

  1. Well, Debi, first of all, you made MY day by mentioning my name in your blog! I guess this is my 15 minutes of fame, lol. Secondly, I have to say that Mrs. Dyer also impacted my life in a very positive way. Without her I don't think I would have nearly as much confidence in myself. I also loved the fact that you couldn't pull anything over on her. Robin and I decided to go the Cliffs Notes route for "Moby Dick" (No offense, but I really couldn't get past "Call me Ishmael.") So, when my test was returned to me, written on it was, "The next time you are going to use Cliffs Notes, don't bother to take the test." Well, I never tried to go the easy route again.

    Congrats again on a fantastic novel!

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  2. Dianne, That's so funny about Moby Dick! I absolutely couldn't make my way through that book, either.

    In fact, that is the only test I ever FAILED in an English class . . . ever!

    (Maybe I'd have done better if I'd gotten the cliffs notes, too)

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  3. No, I failed the test BECAUSE I read the Cliffs Notes, lol. Only test I failed too, so, I guess I learned my lesson. :0)

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  4. Ha! Maybe they should stop making high schoolers read that book . . .

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  5. Mrs. Dyer changed my life- she had faith in me! I learned how to write and how to think. I am a high school art teacher and artist. She must be very proud of your accomplishments.

    As for Moby Dick, I recall dismantling a rubber doll to show the allegories. I had to read the books and the cliff notes.

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