Year in Review

February 8, 2022 | Filed under blindness nonfiction writing Writing Life

Annie Shares News Issue 2.2 February 2022

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Here’s to palindromes, 2.2.2022! There are ten palindrome dates during 2022 and in 2021 there were twenty-two. Hm. 💭

I wasn’t going to do it, wasn’t going to give into the year-in-review, fan the rolodex of personal and literary accomplishments and ego-boosting feats and phantasms claiming it is imperative for others to read it and feign being impressed. What can I say? I gave in like a cheap pair of dollar store flip-flops.

Here’s a year in review. I’ll attempt to complete it in quarters and leave the unmentionables unmentioned.

Two of my books on Audible.com.
Narrating part of the book, Words of Life: Poems and Essays. Gads of winks to Lilly and Graydon for encouraging me to even do it.
Completing my YA novel, Hope for the Tarnished and getting it to my editor, Leonore.
Submitting to more journals and article writing opportunities in paying markets to benefit my craft and visibility in the writing community.
Collaborating and developing two podcasts.
Being a guest on two international podcasts to promote my books.
Posting a monthly newsletter and making it a routine.
Stepping back from stressful volunteer responsibilities and healing my overstressed mind, body and spirit.
Joining a private weekly poetry writing and critique group that I adore.
Embracing my talents in both the physical, creative, and metaphysical places and forms.
Accepting the aging process and working with what I’ve been given.

I am sure I could go on to number over twenty items but won’t belabor it, folks. I am good and find the place where I am now one of wonder, learning, and balanced with stubbornness necessary to push through the challenges.

Peace and health for you, friends. I value the connections and the free exchange of support and care we’ve shared over the past year and hope we continue the connections into the future.

Dreya the book dragon wants to wish you all well and continued flights of creativity to come your way.

1Red and green dragon floating amid books and musical notes. She is smiling and Ann’s name and the words “Making meaningful connections with others through writing” is to the right of the dragon.

The Lost Homonym

January 31, 2022 | Filed under writing Writing Life

👚 Six Sentence Story

Where is my underwear? Folded neat and clean only a moment ago, gone like the unmatched socks lost in the great beyond. The brassiere and shirt and even the socks are present, along with the pants but the bloomers have disappeared. I decide not to call for bloomer back-up, instead I find a spare to wear, dress and reach for my shoes. fingers brush against familiar lace and Lycra and I smile, feeling less like a doddering fool. Now, I wonder, how did the darn undies get over there?

Thanks to Abbie Johnson Taylor and Behind Our Eyes for weekly prompts like this one to keep us writing. 😊

Tulips and Breath and Shadow

January 19, 2022 | Filed under nonfiction Relationships writing

Thanks to editor-in-Chief, Chris Kuell, I am honored to be featured, with other talented writers in the Winter 2022 issue of Breath and Shadow. Check out the prize-winning essays, fiction and poetry in this issue.

https://www.abilitymaine.org/bs2022winter-1/%22the-tulips-come-back%22

The New Year, and Pandemic Stress

January 1, 2022 | Filed under nonfiction Relationships writing

Annie Shares News Issue 1 January 2022

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🍾 Happy New Year! 🎇

Well now, friends and followers, 2021 has been complicated, hasn’t it? I don’t know about you but I feel wrung-out and all kinds of weird – hm, could it be the wacky weather or maybe the long-term effects of a two-year long pandemic. One blogger I know stated the continual loss and grieving may contribute to feeling wrung-out and disheartened. – whatever is contributing to it, it’s sure been a rollercoaster ride of strained emotions. If you think you’ve been alone in feeling this way, rest assured you are one of many and you are not alone.

As written by Plato: “Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school. And the person that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool”

He might have been talking about himself yet his words are prophetic and powerful. I never thought we would be living through a pandemic and yet here we are.

I will move onto less troubling topics,. Most of the early part of 2021 was recording my two most recently published books as audio books. It’s a goal to strive for my material to be offered in alternative formats for the blind and people with print disabilities like dyslexia. All my books are available from audible.com and as digital books from the National Library of Congress talking book catalog. The specific links and everything Annie is on my website, www.annchiappetta.com .

I would not have been able to do it myself, and huge thanks goes out to voice actor and the best narrator, Lillian Yves for being there to help.

Taking part in interviews and podcasts is fun and exciting, especially when being an international guest. Check out this one with Princess Diva: https://anchor.fm/diva-williams/episodes/Inspirational-moments-with-Ann-Chiappetta–Author-e19j36i

and this one with Karina KKantas: https://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm

Here’s a haiku for you to ponder:

Hands cup grains of sand

Delicate and Rough to touch

Stars pulsing through time

Dreya the book dragon sends wing beats of creativity and kindness your way, 🐲

A whimsical red and green dragon floats among flying musical notes and books. Text to the right reads Ann Chiappetta making meaningful connections with others through writing.Ann’s personal logo

Smashing prices, not Pumpkins

December 17, 2021 | Filed under blindness Fiction Guide dogs nonfiction paranormal Poem writing

📚 You won’t want to miss out on these discounts

All my titles are on sale until January 1, 2022. Save 50% at the Smashwords year-end sale.

Or visit my author’s page to find out more and read a preview:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnChiappetta

Why Smashwords? Electronic choices, of course. Simple and get the book delivered to your inbox. Transfer it to your favorite book reading app. It’s great, kindle isn’t the only eBook reading app in town. 😉

The Holiday Spirit

December 16, 2021 | Filed under Guide dogs Poem writing

🌲 🎄

2022 greetings and blessings to all of you from our family.

Irish Christmas blessing

The light of the Christmas star to you

The warmth of a home and hearth to you

The cheer and good will of friends to you

The hope of a childlike heart to you

The joy of a thousand angels to you

The love of the Son and

God’s peace to you

Photo description: Annie and Jerry stand together wearing festive burgundy shirts. Yellow lab Bailey sits in front of Annie wearing a leather guide dog harness and leash.

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A Round Trip From New York to Greece in an Hour✈

November 17, 2021 | Filed under blindness Fiction nonfiction Poem writing

Yes, folks, I spent time with Karina Kantas, the host of the author’s assist podcast and the Artist First Radio Network , talking all things creativity and writing. Karina lives in the Greek Isles and it was a great show. To visit with us and enjoy the conversation, click here.

Not sure where Dreya and I will fly to next but it’s sure to be interesting. I’ve got our virtual bags packed and ready to go.

Ann’s personal logo

Felines on the Mind

October 29, 2021 | Filed under nonfiction Poem writing

This poem was written for a weekly writing prompt generated by https://writingworkswonders.com/Writing Works Wonders. It’s fun and keeps the creative muscle in top shape.

In the Sun

By Ann Chiappetta

Bandana the cat dozes

A ginger tabby

lazes in the pumpkin patch

Hooded candy corn yellow eyes

the sphinx

basking in the warm praise of Ra.

2021

Life is a Grand (Writing) Adventure

October 7, 2021 | Filed under blindness writing Writing Life

♓ ✨ 🔯

I read my daily horoscope. It waits in my inbox until the right time. Sometimes it is a day late, providing insights into things that already happened, other days it’s right on the money. Today is an accurate horoscope day.

Since semi-retiring at age fifty-something, I’ve picked up a few contract jobs but none in the field where my true passion lay: writing and creating content for blogging and podcasts. I am hoping my horoscope and a new opportunity will assist me in shifting focus and a new adventure will include my passion with a salary, too.

I’m on a grand adventure

Full of words and sounds

Together Heart and mind smile

Ann’s personal logo

Why I Like the Word Tweak

October 3, 2021 | Filed under nonfiction writing Writing Life

Why I Like the Word Tweak

Hey there readers-

I left you all in limbo with a post stating I was moving my blog over to my website www.annchiappetta.com and I am happy to announce it is now completed. This is what I refer to as a tweak. As an informal verb definition, among other terms, it means to make an improvement to a system. Thank-you Siri, for the information. 😊 You all will still receive the blog updates, too.

Stay tuned for more now that thought-wheel has settled into it’s new home on the interwebs. 💻

And, as the announcer once said on the old-fashioned TV broadcasts, “and now back to the show.” 📺