Writer's Guild Author of Month
🔗 http://neighborsgo.com/stories/38203
I've Heard Verse: awfully good poetry http://www.lulu.com/content/8696799
at amazon.com and on Kindle
at iTunes Bookstore-- http://tinyurl.com/3h2d4p5
http://stflossie.blogspot.com
Writer of the Month June 2009 Writers Guild of Texas
June welcomes Barbara Blanks poet and author.
Since her sun is now heading for the western horizon, Barbara Blanks says she’s blooming as fast as she can. In less than a year she’s had a book signing, and won two first place awards in the Poetry Society of Texas annual contest--and placed in several categories. As a result of that, she was not only a WGT guest speaker in April, but her winning poems and a book review/article about her were featured in the May/June issue of The Senior Voice. As a result of that, she’s been asked to speak (on July 29) at The Point at CC Young in Dallas .
Some of those events led her to being nominated and elected as a Director on the board of the PST, and--she is also Recording Secretary for the local Garland chapter of the PST.
And on the basis of a 500-word humorous filler piece sent to RubberStampMadness, a national stamping magazine she’s been subscribing to for twenty years, Barbara was offered assignment work. Her first article appeared in their Fall 2009 issue. Her second assignment will be in the Holiday issue, and she's just finished her third article for them.
Barbara's story, "A Bird Too Bizarre," appeared in the July 2009 issue of Beyond Centauri, a Sam's Dot publication. She is also pleased about 35 books sold to the New Jersey Book Agency for re-sale --and puzzled as to how they learned about her book. But she says, “When Serendipity slaps you in the face, start chewing!”
OUT OF THE WRECKAGE: The Pop Stories is the name of her non-fiction memoir.
<p>(Book 1)<br />Betrayed by the woman he loved and on the verge of destitution, artist Jonathan Martinez channels his anguish and rage into what will become his greatest masterpiece—Passion and Betrayal. The painting, critically acclaimed, ushers him into the world of fine art and allows him to realize his dreams. Stepping out of the shadows, he transforms into Phillipe, a wealthy artist and sought-after bachelor who enjoys an extravagant lifestyle—including his pick of any woman he desires.<br /><br />But when Phillipe least expects, the woman who almost destroyed him returns on the arm of his agent. Despite his anger, she awakens the part of his soul he entombed long ago. The part of him that can never forget her, no matter how deeply he buries himself in his art.<br /><br />With everything he's accomplished at stake, can Phillipe overpower the demons that haunt him and learn to love again? Or will his heart remain a shattered work of art that can never be restored?</p>
<div class="contentReview"> <div class="bglight contentReviewHeader"><strong>A journey</strong> </div> <p class="bglight contentReviewHeader"><span class="xsmall">18 Jun 2009 </span>by <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/dolphinpub"><font color="#005388">Marilyn Stacy</font></a>, Dallas psychiatrist, professor emeritus, writer, award-winning poet</p> <div class="contentReviewBody">From beginning to end this book's journey is one of love, humor, sadness and surprises. If you've experienced the aging and loss of a loved one, you'll identify with the feelings evoked by Barbara Blanks in her story. If you haven't had this experience yet, you'll find a road map for patience and love. Ms. Blanks words are prose, but they have a wonderful, poetic feel to them. <br />Read it...You'll love it. </div> <div class="contentReviewTools"> </div></div> <div class="contentReview"> <div class="contentReviewTools"><span class="xsmall">9 May 2009 </span></div></div> <div class="contentReview"> <div class="bglight contentReviewHeader"> </div> <div class="contentReviewBody">I finished the book. It’s not a happy ending, I knew that. You brought life to your Pop by writing the book, it is really good. Not sure I like the feelings of losing my mother in law being brought up again, tho, I have that empty feeling now. The experience with Hospice was relived for me, almost exactly how it was with her, having to tell her it is ok to go, the final steps etc. <br /><br />The book is a good tool all children with parents in nursing homes or care facilities to read. You did a remarkable job!! <br />Thanks, <br />Maridel Hick <br /><br /></div></div> <div class="contentReview"> <div class="bglight contentReviewHeader"><strong>Readers Choice Award!</strong> </div> <p class="bglight contentReviewHeader"><span class="xsmall">16 Mar 2009 </span></p> <div class="bglight contentReviewHeader">by <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/popstories"><font color="#005388">Barbara Blanks</font></a> </div> <div class="contentReviewBody">OUT OF THE WRECKAGE: The Pop Stores is the First Place Winner of the February Readers Choice Award at AmazonClicks! http://amazonclicks.com/index.html <br /></div></div> <div class="contentReview"> <div class="bglight contentReviewHeader"><strong>Out of the Wreckage: The Pop Stories</strong> </div> <p class="bglight contentReviewHeader"><span class="xsmall">31 Jan 2009 </span>by <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/joanrodgers"><font color="#005388">Joan Rodgers</font></a> </p></div> <div class="contentReview"> <div class="contentReviewBody">The Pop Stories took me back to 1953. After my Dad died, my Mom thought she would die anytime, and since she had really awful "back sessions" that made her an invalid every other month, I was in exactly the same position Barbara was. She lived only a mile from me, so I was there every day. The book made me laugh (ruefully at times), and I do think men are more likely to be difficult to care for. My husband's last few years were hard on me because he didn't have any hobbies. Anyway, I'm rambling. Just really wanted to say this is a Neat book, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.</div> <div class="contentReviewTools"><a href="http://www.freado.com/browse/review.php?fContestID=1&fCID=3677822&fParentID=83524&fSubject=Re:%20I+completely+related+to+this+story&fSubmitComment=1"><font color="#005388"></font></a> </div></div>