Monday, December 16, 2013

Pigtails, Chin Hairs and a Giveaway!

Happy Monday, all!
And it is a happy Monday for me--I'm done Christmas shopping! (and I'm half wrapped too)
Woo-hoo! Cookies will start being baked by the end of this week. (I like them fresh for Christmas Eve)

Anyhew...I'm so pleased to have my bloggy friend BECKY POVICH here today. She has a memoir out now called FROM PIGTAILS TO CHIN HAIRS and will be giving away a Christmas wrapped copy of it to some lucky commenter!
Double WOOT!

So please give a warm welcome to Becky!
******************************************************

 
Hi Jennifer ~ Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog!

TO START OUT, TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

I celebrated a "big" birthday this past January when I became 60 years old. Sixty years old! I certainly don't feel that old and I like to announce that I feel 35, both mentally and physically.

I love listening to almost any kind of music, watching old, black and white movies, and breaking out into song at the oddest times….and of course, writing!

Although I'd always been an avid reader, and enjoyed writing letters to friends, pen pals, and family members, the thought of being capable enough of writing something worth publishing was never more than a passing thought. That is, until May of 2001 when my estranged father became gravely ill and wasn't expected to live. My startling emotions brought out the writer in me, and my fingers magically typed a piece about Dad. I was 48 years old and the rest, as they say, is history!


TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BOOK From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More AND WHY YOU CHOSE TO WRITE IT.

The idea to write my memoir came to me as I read the hugely popular, bestselling book by Haven Kimmel, A Girl Named Zippy. It was during the same time I was writing short, personal articles for a local newspaper, and the thought occurred to me that just maybe I had enough interesting/humorous/poignant times in my life, to fill the pages of a memoir. I certainly knew I wasn't anywhere near as talented as Ms. Kimmel, but my ideas began to take shape.

Even though that idea took many months/years to materialize, I never gave up. My road to completion and publication was a long, winding, ziggy-zaggy road, and I'm a perfect example of: You're Never Too Old and Don't Ever Give Up!



WHAT GENRES ARE YOUR FAVORITE(S)? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS TO READ AND WHY?

My favorite genre is women's fiction, and to break it down --- I love beautifully written coming-of-age books, stories about women's struggles and accomplishments, and humorous versions of both, and funny books that make me laugh out loud.

Some of my favorite books are:

Joy School, by Elizabeth Berg   (coming of age)

Salt Dancers, by Ursula Hegi    (women's struggles)

The Cape Ann, by Faith Sullivan  (coming of age)

 The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd   (coming of age)

 Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott  (women's struggles and coming of age)

 Mrs. Kimble, by Jennifer Haigh   (women's struggles)

Bread Alone, by Judith Ryan Hendricks  (women's struggles)

Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris  (laugh out loud funny)

AND many more including books by: Philip Gulley, Mitch Albom, Michael Lee West, Rosamunde Pilcher, Maeve Binchy, Fannie Flagg, Lorna Landvik, and Erma Bombeck.

 

WHAT THREE THINGS DO YOU NEED IN ORDER TO WRITE?

1)      Being in the mood to write

2)     Coffee and/or Diet Soda

3)     My laptop



WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO WHEN NOT WRITING?

Watching TV, blogging, e-mailing, reading, eating and sleeping!

 

HOW CAN READERS CONNECT WITH YOU?

I would love for readers to connect with me!


My website: www.beckypovich.com


Facebook: Becky Lewellen Povich



Thanks so much, Becky!

*GIVEAWAY*:  Becky is kind enough to offer up a wrapped print copy of her memoir FROM PIGTAILS TO CHIN HAIRS to some lucky commenter. Giveaway will run from now until Thursday 11:59PM EST. Winner will be announced Friday here on my blog. Every comment will be an entry.  Giveaway is for U.S. and Canada only.

28 comments:

Karen Baldwin said...

Nice to meet you Becky. Your memoir sounds like my kind of read. Happy Holidays to you both, and Merry Christmas.

BECKY said...

First of all, thank you Jennifer for posting such a wonderful piece about me!
AND
Thank you, Em-Musing! Nice to meet you, too! Thanks for leaving a comment and being in the drawing!

Old Kitty said...

Hi Becky! Lovely to meet you here at Jennifer's!! First HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY YEAR!! Yes!! Sixty!! Brilliant!!!

Second, huge congratulations with your memoir! The title is lovely! All the best! Take care
x

Unknown said...

That is great Becky and we enjoyed seeing you here.
Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly

BECKY said...

Hi Karen! I'm surprised you didn't know about my memoir ~~ as often as you've visited my blog...and I have it plastered all over! LOL Thanks for stopping and leaving a comment! And thanks for stopping by here today! :)

BECKY said...

Hello Old Kitty! Lovely to meet you, and thank you for the fantastic birthday wishes! Thanks for the congrats, too, and glad you like the title! Thank you for stopping and leaving a comment!

BECKY said...

Hi Molly The Wally! Great to see you here, too! Thanks for stopping and commenting! And tell all your friends! :D

Laura S. said...

This was such a nice interview! I love how Becky got her start writing; you just never know what will trigger that urge to create. She's an inspiration, and I wish her all the best in her career!

Happy cookie baking, Jennifer!!

Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

BECKY said...

Hi Laura! Thanks so much for stopping and commenting! And I'm glad I can be an inspiration to some people....that's really one of my top priorities! Jennifer...wish I was baking cookies right now...I'm in the middle of vacuuming zillions of dog hairs! LOL

Beth said...

A great post Becky!! Little Women has always been my all time favorite book!

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you Jennifer and Becky. Happy dances here - and who ever wins the autographed copy is in for a BIG treat.

Connie Keller said...

Congrats to Becky (it takes a brave person to write a memoir)!

And, Jennifer, I'm so jealous that all your Christmas shopping is done. I'm down to my last three presents, which, of course, are for the hardest-to-buy-for people. (sigh.)

Sarah Allen said...

Lovely to meet you Becky! I love that title :) Sounds like a great read!

Sarah Allen
(From Sarah, With Joy)

BECKY said...

Hi Beth! Thank you for commenting! Here's a bit of trivia for you.... Little Women is the only book that I know the exact first sentence: "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
LOL

BECKY said...

Hey there, EC! Thank you for taking the time to comment when you know you can't be the winner :(
(Lovely EC lives in Australia!)

BECKY said...

Hi Connie! Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and for the very nice compliment!

BECKY said...

Hi Sarah Allen! Lovely to meet you, as well! Glad you love the title, too! And yes, I must say, it's quite a "great read!" :)

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I rushed right over from Becky's blog (I know you see me over here, girlfriend!) What a wonderful giveaway! I would be thrilled to have a copy of her book! Thanks for a chance to win! Happy holidays!

BECKY said...

Hey there, Diane! Isn't this wonderful of Jennifer? Thanks for stopping and commenting! Tell all your friends to come by, too. They'll all be in the drawing!

Val said...

Hey, Becky, if you like funny books about women's struggles, check out Jenny Lawson's "Let's Pretend This Never Happened."

I don't need to be entered in the giveaway. I already have a copy of your book!

Liza said...

This sounds like a lovely read. Also, I'm adding some books from you list to my own. Best wishes Becky.

BECKY said...

Hi Val! Thanks for commenting! That was really nice of you especially since you don't want to be entered in the giveaway! I'll check out that book, too. Thanks for the suggestion!

BECKY said...

Hi Liza! Thank you for stopping and commenting!

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

So proud of you Becky! Your book is on my list, I just need to be sure I get a signed copy. :)

J.L. Campbell said...

Hi, Jennifer,

Nice to know a bit more about Becky and her book.

P.S. I'm ineligible for the competition as I live in Jamaica. Just dropping in to say howdy.

BECKY said...

Hey Lisa, Awww, thank you! You'll definitely get a signed copy if you order from my website, ya know! www.beckypovich.com!

BECKY said...

Hi JL! Another very sweet woman for stopping and commenting, even when you can't be part of the drawing!Thank you so much! I'm sorry about the shipping rule, too, by the way :(

BECKY said...

Jennifer, it's 9:45 pm, my time, which is CST, so I know your drawing will be in a little over an hour. I'm mentioning it again now on my blog. I'm anxious to see who the winner will be, too! Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for your time and generosity to do this for me. Big hugs to you... ♥