<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1055 lazyload" title="wordimp" src="https://ericswyatt.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/wordimp.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="200" />I collected the names of those eligible, wrote each on a note card, folded them in half so my beagle, Joy, couldn’t read the names, made her sit and wait, tossed the cards into the air, and when she went to investigate (ie, see if this was food) I picked up the first card she touched with her nose.

Thanks to those of you who helped Shawn Smucker with the launch of his new e-book. There were several other Tweets, Shares, and other mentions of Tuesday’s blog post, but only three of you, dear readers, actually followed the second step of the contest: responding to the blog post. Being the great guy I am (*sarcasm*) I’ve decided to give a copy of the book to all three of you who both shared the blog post AND left a comment. So, Belinda, Shannon, and Jon, send me an email an

My friend and fellow Queens University of Charlotte MFA writer, Kelly Fordon, has a poetry chapbook available for purchase. Those of you who know me well know that I’m not GREAT with the poetry slice of the creative writing pie. It is one area where I feel least-able to offer critique or even respond beyond a, “Hey, I kinda like that one.” But, this is a book of poetry that I’ll be ordering. Why? For one, Kelly is a friend, and I want to support her work. Beyond that, though,