February | 2011 | Cathy C. Hall Writes

I’ll bet you’re thinking of love love. That’s a strange expression, isn’t it? But words (and connecting them to each other) lead to the love I’m thinking about–the love of writing.

You see, last month, after I sent my column to Modern Senior Living, my editor friend emailed and asked if I had a picture of myself in a hat. That’s because a hat comes up in the column.

Now, I write a humor column, folks. And with humor, writers play fast and loose with the truth. At least, this writer does. I’m not saying I make everything up. I mean, the part about the coyotes is one hundred per cent true. But the part about the hat may have been a slight exaggeration.

Still, I did have a hat that would go along quite nicely with the column. So, after 42 minutes of throwing things around the basement (and a couple closets), I found the hat. Then, after 13 minutes of badgering the Beneficent Mr. Hall to take a picture, combined with the 17 minutes he spent taking 8 different pictures trying to get the perfect one of Cathy C. Hall in a hat, I had a photo of me in a hat. (Whew.)

You can see the photo on page 8 of this month’s issue of Modern Senior Living Magazine. Not only did I send the photo to my editor, but here I am, promoting the look.

Oh, the things we do for love.

If you visit here often, you know that I love fairy tales. I fell in love with the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen once upon a time and long ago. When the Junior Halls came along, I loved revisiting my old friends and making a few new ones. And now, I try my hand at writing a tale, or putting a new spin on an old one.

That’s why I love this market, Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine. I’ve been hard at work on the latest issue’s call out for Rumplestiltskin stories. And I cannot tell a lie. I’ve spelled Rumplestiltskin about 27 different ways in the last week. But I think I finally have it down. I just call him Rump in my story.

This market has recently upped its pay-and the editor’s throwing a swell contest to increase its readership. Now, if there’s one thing I like as much as fairy tales, it’s contests. (Although technically, I like winning contests.) You can have a chance to win EC’s contest if you spread the love about this wonderful market.

Whether you enter the contest or want to try writing a story for the next issue, you’d best hurry. Contest ends February 18th and submissions are accepted February 21 through the 24th only. But I can get you started on that story with a surefire opening.

Once upon a time…