Welcome to February! I didn’t take this photo, but I may have well have. It’s still snowing, and I’ve cleared the walk and drive four times in the last 24 hours. That’s the only part of snow I’m not too enthusiastic about—that and wiping it off the roof of the SUV. I did get my first COVID shot, though, so that’s good. Did you?
Heartfelt thanks and a humble request
I’m thrilled that you’ve signed up for my newsletter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Do me a favor, if you don’t mind. Please click the heart at the end of this post if you like it. It’s one of the ways I can gauge the appeal of my content. It would also be great if you would comment on what things you’d like to see more of and what you’d just as soon not see at all. Here’s why:
Substack recently changed its features, so I can now see which of you open these emails, how often, and whether or not you click on any of the links to my stories. It’s come to my attention that not many of you interact with the content, and I’d like to figure out why. It may be that your inbox is flooded, and you don’t have the time. It also may be that these emails are going straight to spam, and you are not even seeing them. If you don’t respond in the comments below, I will contact you to see if that’s the case.
I want to give a special shoutout to Pam D. and Austin S. You are officially my biggest fans. You can ignore the feedback request.
Good news!
I’ve had three haiku poems published in the Better Than Starbucks literary magazine.
Here they are as they appear in the magazine:
Whether it’s the weather or the general malaise that’s fallen over COVIDworld, I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately. (You may have noticed this newsletter has arrived later than usual.) The fact is, I haven’t been writing much since you last heard from me. I have several unfinished stories languishing on my laptop. I did manage to dash off another haiku for Valentine’s Day, though. You can click here to read it.
(Not exactly cheery, is it?)
I also wrote this in response to a ridiculous Craigslist ad I saw where a guy was advertising for a muse. (Not kidding.) Click on the link below to read the ad and my response.
Wanted: Free Inspiration, Bring Your Own Snacks
That’s it for now. Next month I hope to have a lot more. If you liked this, please remember to click the heart (it should appear right under my name below).
Thanks and have a great weekend.
Cheers!
Denise
Now is the winter of our discontent
I am notoriously bad about checking my email. It is a habit I am working on improving. I love reading your work. I have probably got a backlog. January was a really tough month for me, too & turned off FB & Instagram. Probably not my best choice as I feel more isolated now than ever. I have re-installed the apps, but still not on there much. Spring will help 😉😍