PARENT BLESSINGS (previously titled PARENT PRAYERS) is geared specifically for parents and will have the same spiritual tone as BABY BLESSINGS. The intention of the book is to provide insight, joy, and support for parents throughout their parenting journey. Parents will read PARENT BLESSINGS when they feel like celebrating the simple joys of parenting and will also turn to the book for comfort and insight when they feel discouraged in their role as a parent. The primary market will be a gift book for new moms and dads. The secondary market will be parents buying it for themselves for encouragement and inspiration. The chapters include: Pregnancy, Babies, Toddlers, Children, Teens, Leaving Home, Adulthood, Reflections, and Inspiration. Please avoid standard "Please help me be a better parent" submissions. I particularly need submissions for chapters printed in bold. As always, I appreciate freshness and originality. The selections will reflect upon the spirituality of parenting and day-to-day family life. Parents whose children have passed beyond the first few chapters will enjoy the book for the emotional recollection of the precious early years in a child’s life and appreciate the later chapters that pertain to them. Submission date is open.

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS: Inspiring Poems and Prayers to Celebrate all Birthdays. Harper San Francisco is very interested in this project. The book will feature selections that can be used to celebrate birthdays of family members and friends of all ages. Chapters include: Babies and Toddlers, Children, Teens, Decade Birthdays (21^st Birthday, 30^th Birthday, 40^th Birthday, 50^th Birthday, 60^th Birthday, 70^th Birthday, 80^th Birthday, 90^th Birthday, 100^th Birthday), Friends, Relatives (husband, wife, mother, father, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews), and Anytime Birthdays (general wishes for anyone's birthday). Please keep in mind that the pieces need to be universal; imagine the family down the street reading one of your pieces for their own birthday celebrations. For tone of book, please refer to Family Celebrations. I need lots of submissions for all categories. Submission date is open.

365 BLESSINGS: A Year of Inspiration, Comfort, and Gratitude (previously titled 2007 EVERYDAY BLESSINGS Calendar). Sourcebooks published my 2006 EVERYDAY BLESSINGS Calendar. They have decided not to publish a 2007 calendar because the market for boxed calendars is "trending down." However, my agent thinks we could take the same concept and make it a book.  I cannot pay a permission fee, but you would receive one book for each piece published. Since I need 300+ pieces for the book vs. 100+ pieces for one of my regular anthologies, your chances of being published in this book are a good 300% higher than in one of my other books. When writing submissions, picture a 365-day book with the title "Everyday Blessings" - how would you like to be inspired throughout the day? Keep your submissions to 24 lines or less including stanza breaks. If your submission would work as a specific date (such as a holiday) or seasonal match, please mention this in your cover letter or attach a sticky note to your selection. Submission date is open.

EVERYDAY INSPIRATION™ Series I’m creating a gift book series that will function as an extended greeting card. One mini-book, Because I Love You, Mom, will celebrate mothers; one will celebrate grandmothers; another will celebrate the bond between sisters; and the last one will celebrate the bond between friends. Your submissions should be short (ideally 12 lines or less). They need to be both universal enough to appeal to someone other than your own relative or friend and specific enough that the recipient feels the piece was written for her or him. Your words should help nurture a strong bond between the buyer and the recipient of the book. Please mark the outside of your envelope, "Mothers," "Grandmothers," "Sisters," or "Friends." Submission date is open.

FAMILY TRADITIONS: THE 100 BEST IDEAS FOR CREATING A LEGACY OF LOVE. Does your family have a certain ritual that you feel is unique? Something that other families might appreciate knowing about? Was there a fun or meaningful activity in your childhood that brings back warm feelings? Here are some categories of traditions to consider: weddings, anniversaries, new babies, christenings, birthdays, graduations, family reunions, housewarmings, memorial services, family vacations, and retirement, as well as all of the holidays. You can also submit any idea not related to the above categories, such as a mother/daughter or father/son activity. The book will likely have the same trim size as Family Celebrations. I am looking for prose submissions (not poetry), limited to approximately 180-word increments and ideally no longer than 360 words, which represent two pages in the book. If you can limit your description to 180 words (one page), so much the better! Submission date is open.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT: POEMS, INSPIRATION, AND REFLECTIONS (Previously titled A WOMEN’S BOOK OF POETRY FOR THE SOUL) Over the past decade I’ve received countless amazing submissions from female writers that never quite fit the particular theme of my current project. These are poems about womanhood, stages of life, memories, and everything in between. As a result, I created this book to compile the breath-taking poetry that simply would not fit into a typical "inspirational book." I would love to add a few more high-quality submissions. This book is definitely "edgier" than my other books. Chapters include: Our Bond, Spirituality, Shared Experiences, Grief and Healing, Partings, Love, and Reflections. The submissions shouldn’t have an "I am woman, hear me roar" tone, but more "this is my experience as a woman." The collection will be for women to turn to when they need hope and understanding. Submission date is open.

WHAT IS LOVE? This is a prose collection of short thoughts, submitted by people of all ages, answering the simple question, "What is love?" For those who are 19 and under, please list your age. Adults: Feel free to ask this question to children of all ages, then write and submit their answers. The first book in the series will likely be selections written by elementary school children. If you are an elementary school teacher (or a parent volunteer), I'd be happy to email you a handout that describes this project, gives examples, and ideas about how to collect submissions.  Submission date is open.

*TERMS: Terms are generally $25 + one complimentary copy of the book for each poem published for one-time rights. You retain all rights. If the book's advance is small, I can't always guarantee $25/poem, but I do my best! At the minimum, you will receive a complimentary book for each poem published.