MY NEXT BIG THING...is Showing (More) Love for Mississippi !

MY NEXT BIG THING...is Showing (More) Love for Mississippi ! 

Welcome to......

Blog Hop ...............


I was absolutely THRILLED when fellow blogger friend NancyKay Wessman
at  www.wessmanwords.com invited me to participate and be "tagged" in the “The Next Big Thing,” blog chain “Blog Hop” started by the She Writes blog site to help female authors promote their current work by answering a set of questions and then “tagging” other writers, inviting them to do the same. 
 
Here are the questions and my answers: 

1: What is the working title of your book(s)? 

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems (2008)
My Magnolia Memories and Musings- In Poems (2012)

2: Where did the idea for the book originate? 

As the bible says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
I believe that my poems all came from an overflow of my great love for Mississippi and the southern way of life. 

3: Under what genre does your book come? 

Poetry...... more specifically Southern Poetry.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 

Jennifer Hudson ... I absolutely love her !!!
"Jennifer, Play Me ! Play Me !!!!" 

~Jennifer Hudson~

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

I call both books "a celebration of the south and things southern "
My slogan is "Always, Always Celebrating the South and Promoting a Positive Mississippi ".  One reviewer called Reflections "A love letter to the south".
In My Magnolia Memories and Musings, the love affair continued.
Now, there is, yet another book to come, showing even more LOVE ! 

  

6: Will your next book be self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? 

Self-Published 

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

Most of the poems in both of my books were written in a span of about 6 months.
I wrote my very first poem February 14, 2007.   I woke up out of my sleep with a poem just swirling around in my head.  I quickly got up, and scribbled it down.  After that, the poems just started to flow and flow.  In a span of about two months,  I had over 200 poems.  Those poems became the first and second books.
My first book was published February 2008 and the second February 2012.
The poems that were not published there, will be included in my third book.

8: To what other books within your genre would you compare this story? 

The Collected Works of Maya Angelou 

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? 

My love for Mississippi, the south and the life that I have lived are at the root of all of my poems. 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 

For readers, I think the book will bring back a lot of very fond, familiar, shared memories of growing up in Mississippi and/or the south. 
Here are some of my poetry titles....... 
JUST SEE IF THEY DON'T CONJURE UP SOME WONDERFUL 
SOUTHERN MEMORIES FOR YOU .................................

~'Summer Nights' ~ 'The Rules' ~ 'Country Breakfast' ~
~'Preaching Sunday' ~ 'Southern Comfort (Food)'  ~
~ 'Fall in the Country' ~ 'Going to Town' ~
~'Neighborhood Groceries' ~ 'Childhood Christmas'~ ......  :)

Please click this link and ......
LISTEN to me read a few of my "Mississippi" poems.


~ MY NEXT BIG THING ~
 
The 3rd book in the Reflections "trilogy"
It will be entitled Mississippi In Me - Poems and More.
Set to be published early 2014.
I am also working on audio recordings of a selection of my poems.

Always, Always Celebrating the South and Promoting a Positive Mississippi

CHECK OUT these other blogs in hop tour :


Christy Williams
http://www.godsdesignforyou.com/2013/article-blog-hop-waste-storm.html



Emerald Barnes
http://ebarnes23.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/why-yes-i-am-participating-in-the-next-big-thing/


Kory Wells
http://korywells.com/2013/02/the-next-big-thing-is-there-still-a-novel-in-this-poets-future/


Susan Cushman
http://susancushman.com/writing-on-wednesday-the-next-big-thing-authors-blog-hop/


Stephanie MacAfee

http://stephaniemcafee.wordpress.com

MISSISSIPPI IS THE MOST RELIGIOUS STATE (Again)

MISSISSIPPI IS THE MOST RELIGIOUS STATE (Again) 

Mississippi is ranked as the nation's most religious state in 2012, ahead of Alabama and Utah, which tied for second, according to the latest Gallup poll.
The poll found that 58 percent of Mississippi residents identified themselves as "very religious" - based on saying religion is an important part of their daily life and that they attend religious services every week or almost every week.
Alabama and Utah were at 56 percent.

Eight of the 10 most religious states were in the South, with Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma rounding out the top 10. The rankings were unchanged from a similar survey by Gallup in 2011.

~ We live by faith, not by sight ~

2 Corinthians 5:7

 

 

 

I Wanna Be A "Hat Lady " (Like Her) ...When I Grow Up !

I was on Facebook recently when one of my More than Fabulous , More than Facebook friends Ms. Jo McDivitt  of Hattiesburg, Mississippi posted a picture of herself in one of the hundreds of amazing hats that she owns and loves.  This one though, was extra special.
To me, it was THE hat ! It was THAT Hat ! I remembered it very well !

It was the hat ( or one almost exactly like it ) that she had on when I was first blessed with making the acquaintance of this absolutely phenomenal woman !

I was at one of my very first large book-signings with multiple Mississippi authors. 
It was an annual book-signing extravaganza held by Main Street Books in Hattiesburg. There were some very popular, big name authors in attendance.   I definitely was NOT one of those big names !   I was one of about 25 authors there.   My little book of southern poems, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia,  had just been published in February (2008). The event was in December.  I had the privilege of being an invited author, riding on the coat tail of my dear friend John Campell, the brother of the late, great blues legend "Little Milton" Campbell who had published his book, Day Dreaming on My Cotton Sack,  several months before mine and was very instrumental in making my new life as a published author a reality.
I wrote about that journey and our longtime friendship in the foreword of my book.

Anyway, back to the storyline of Ms Jo McDivitt ......
I was a wide-eyed new author who was simply excited to be in the presence and listed alongside so many wonderful Mississippi authors.  I dutifully said my "spill" about my little
" book baby " to anyone who would remotely listen or glance my way.  One very distinguished gentleman came over and listened very intently to me, asked me several questions about the book and and purchased a copy.   It might have just been out of pity and to encourage a new author, but it was a sale!    I made several that night . He looked the book over and flipped through a few of the poems.   He then told me that I should definitely introduce myself and my book to Jo McDivitt.   He said that he was sure that she would be there sometime during the evening.  He said that he felt she would really be interested in the book and enjoy the poems. He also shared with me that Ms. McDivitt was a writer /publisher of her own newspaper,
Today Mississippi Woman. 

That really made me ears perk up.  Even as a young author I knew that much of the success of a book depended on good press and publicity, in whatever form.  Maybe she WOULD like my book and maybe she would write about my book in her paper and maybe she could help more people find out about my little needle in a haystack book.  I was excited!
Then,  I looked around, at the almost standing room only crowd of people.   With new faces coming and going and standing in long lines, I wondered how in the world I would possibly know who she was since,  this kind gentleman was on his way to another engagement and would not be there to introduce me to her.   I said these thoughts out loud.   A boyish grin came across this very sophisticated face and I could have sworn that his eyes glazed over in some type of wistful longing.  He simply said. "You'll know her."  "She'll be the one in the big hat." 
Again, I thought to myself, I wondered how in the world he knew she would have on a big hat and how he knew that I would know that it was her in that hat.

It was cold outside,  and as I looked around,  I saw that there were already several ladies inside that had on hats.  This time, though I did not voice my thoughts.
He seemed very confident in the fact that I would know her when I saw her.

How right he was!.  Maybe an hour later, this little, delicate waif of a woman came floating through the door.  It seemed almost like the heavens opened up and a spotlight was shining down on her from above.  She was an amazing sight to behold!.   People, mostly men, flocked around her like flies.   It sort of reminded me of that scene in Gone With the Wind when all of the men and would - be suitors were flocked around Scarlet trying to get her some tea or some cake ..or ANYTHING.

Ms Jo McDivitt was indeed wearing a VERY BIG hat, almost as big as she was. 
It was big......and fabulous !!!!

I had to wait for the dust to settle to finally get a chance to approach her about my book.
It took quite a while, because it seemed like she was, on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.   It was a book signing event and was suppossedly all about the authors, but she was undoubtedly and- hands down the star in the room !

To make a long story short, I met Ms Jo, I introduced my self and my book . She bought a copy and promised that she would let me know what she thought .  A few months later I received a glowing review in her Today's Mississippi Woman publication.(February 2009).
Since then we have frequently been in touch and as I said we are Facebook friends.
We share many interests and a passionate love for hats.  I am only a closet "Hat Lady" and a Hat Lady in training.  I frequently buy hats but rarely wear them in public.  This baffles my Dear Hubby to no end.   I just don't feel ready to do the Hat Lady thing justice.  To me, it is serious business!!     I have been telling all of my friends since I turned 40 that I planned to be a full-fledged Hat Lady when I turned 50 !  That will be next year (February 2014)


Ms Jo wrote a comment to me on her fabulous hat post !
This is my "Patricia Neely Dorsey hat-in-waiting" until you are fifty-or-so!
I just so happen to have an extra one because I knew it would be difficult to find another?!
After a while following a few of my excited comments she wrote:: "This hat has stopped traffic from Manhattan to Potts Camp, MS!  I WANT you to have one. Will you be fifty in ten years?
If so, I will continue to dust the webs from its brim. Deal completed."

Later on in the evening , she wrote:
It's way past my bedtime but that did not stop me from dashing to the "hat room" to place the "other" hat on VIP reserve.  I think it will be delivered prior to the fiftieth celebration! PND will let her glowing light "shine" in this chapeau.

Woo Hoo !!! February 2014 ..It's on !!!!
I am going to be a real, full-fledged TOO FABULOUS Hat Lady just like her ...
especially in THAT hat !!! Just Wait And See !!!
OMG!!! Ms Jo MUST really LOVE me !!! Hat Ladies DO NOT just Willy Nilly give their hats away even if they do have TWO of same.

~*~  Ms Jo McDivitt  ~*~
THAT HAT !

About Jo McDivitt:

Jo McDivitt is a writer, newspaper publisher, bookworm, publicist, gourmet cook and gardener. She was a stewardess with United Airlines during the golden era of flying; a publicist at Niki Singer, Inc., on Madison Avenue in New York City, and host of a Memphis "morning and evening drive" talk radio show, "A Cup of Jo." Jo's first newspaper column was published when she was fourteen-years-old. She has continued to write product copy and features for a variety of publications.
Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, in 1948, she grew up in the northern Mississippi town of Amory.

Jo is featured in the University Press
soon- to- be- released book:
Coming Home To Mississippi

The book is scheduled for release in April 2013.

Coming Home to Mississippi


Celebrations of homecoming by prominent Mississippians who made the return journey.    In this collection, essayists examine their lives, their memories of Mississippi, the reasons they left the state, and what drew them back.
They talk about how life differs and wears on you in the far-flung
parts of our nation, and the qualities that make Mississippi unique.

Cover artwork by Mississippi Artist -  Wyatt Waters

Coming Home to Mississippi
~*~  On Amazon ~*~

"A woman's hat speaks, long before she 

ever opens her mouth"
from "Crowns" The Stage Play 

~*~

Home Is (DEFINITELY ) Where My Heart Is !

My name is Patricia Neely-Dorsey. I am from Tupelo, Mississippi... located in the beautiful red clay "Hills" of Mississippi and yes, the birthplace of Elvis Presley!

I am the author of two books of poetry: 

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia -A Life In Poems.

My Magnolia Memories and Musings -In Poems.I call both books a true celebration of the south and things southern.   There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the south in general. 
I try to give a positive glimpse into my home state and region.  There is much to love about this much maligned and misunderstood part of our country.   I invite readers to get to KNOW Mississippi (and the south) in a different light I invite EVERYONE to Meet Mississippi Through Poetry, Prose and the written word.

I travel all around my state speaking at schools, churches, libraries and various civic organizations, delivering the message of a positive Mississippi and a positive southern experience....According to me, one of the best places to live in ALL of the world is POSITIVELY MISSISSIPPI !!!

LINKS TO AMAZON ..............

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems  -  


My Magnolia Memories and Musings- In Poems  



ENTER AT the BOX in the top of this blog post
for a chance to WIN these prizes......... 

1st Grand Prize: $40 Gift Certificate from your
favorite eBookstore
2nd Grand Prize: $40 Gift Certificate from your
favorite eBookstore
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, and more!

Any time from February 15th, 8:00 a.m. CT to February 18th midnight CT you can enter both individual blogger prizes and the Grand Prize by commenting on each blog. Be sure to give us an email address so we can contact you if you win.

TO WIN 1 OF MY BOOKS.... 
JUST LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS - For More info please go here...

To visit the other blogs on the tour...
Please follow these links below......

Gloria Harchar: Steampunk Novels

Bonnie Blythes: Pure Romance

 
Emerald Barnes Dreaming Awake Blog

 
Under the Trolls Bridge

 
Prism Book Group Publisher Blog

 
Just For Laughs

Catherine Chant Time Travel Romance

Cause Everyone Needs Romance

 Pauline Creeden Blog

 

 

BE MY (Southern) VALENTINE

BE MY (Southern) VALENTINE

(Through Poetry , Prose and The Written Word) ! 

♥ Happy Valentine's Day from the South! ♥

 ♥

Love is in the air !

Love must have really been in the air, for me, on February 14, 2007,

I woke up out of my sleep and had a poem swirling around in my head . 

It was a love poem.

I quickly got up out of the bed and scribbled it down.

It was my very first poem, "Our Place" !

After that, the poems just started to flow and flow.
Those poems resulted in two wonderful little books of
southern poems, which I call .......

 "a celebration of the south and things southern" 

You can purchase them here:

Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems

 
My Magnolia Memories and Musings- In Poems

♥"Always, Always Celebrating the South  

and Promoting a Positive Mississippi"♥

FIFTY SHADES OF...BLACK!

 

'Since we are currently celebrating Black History Month, I thought that it would be very appropriate to post my poem "Shades of Lovey" , which acknowledges and celebrates the unique beauty of black women in its broad spectrum of colors.'   PND.

 

Presidential Proclamation:
National African American History Month, 2013

By The President of The United States of America A Proclamation

In America, we share a dream that lies at the heart of our founding: that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter how modest your beginnings or the circumstances of your birth, you can make it if you try. Yet, for many and for much of our Nation's history, that dream has gone unfulfilled.
For African Americans, it was a dream denied until 150 years ago, when a great emancipator called for the end of slavery. It was a dream deferred less than 50 years ago, when a preacher spoke of justice and brotherhood from Lincoln's memorial. This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily -- but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible.
Today, because of that hope, coupled with the hard and painstaking labor of Americans sung and unsung, we live in a moment when the dream of equal opportunity is within reach for people of every color and creed. National African American History Month is a time to tell those stories of freedom won and honor the individuals who wrote them. We look back to the men and women who helped raise the pillars of democracy, even when the halls they built were not theirs to occupy. We trace generations of African Americans, free and slave, who risked everything to realize their God-given rights. We listen to the echoes of speeches and struggle that made our Nation stronger, and we hear again the thousands who sat in, stood up, and called out for equal treatment under the law. And we see yesterday's visionaries in tomorrow's leaders, reminding us that while we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing.
Today, Dr. King, President Lincoln, and other shapers of our American story proudly watch over our National Mall. But as we memorialize their extraordinary acts in statues and stone, let us not lose sight of the enduring truth that they were citizens first. They spoke and marched and toiled and bled shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary people who burned with the same hope for a brighter day. That legacy is shared; that spirit is American. And just as it guided us forward 150 years ago and 50 years ago, it guides us forward today. So let us honor those who came before by striving toward their example, and let us follow in their footsteps toward the better future that is ours to claim.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2013 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA

(The White House  Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 31, 2013)

HAVE A SIMPLY SOUTHERN VALENTINE'S DAY!

I extend a warm Southern welcome to everyone on the 

~ Eat My Valentine Southern Blog Tour ~
I am thrilled to be kicking off the tour with a super SIMPLE version of 

a traditional southern dessert .
As I always say: 

"Life is short .... have dessert first" !
Enjoy the tour!

Valentine's Day is fast approaching!

Although, I am not a cook, myself, I know that many of you will be serving up some 
scrumptuos meals for your loved ones. Of course, you will want to have something sweet for your sweetie, to top it all off. 

Why not try something Simply Southern?
I have a recipe that is VERY Simple and VERY Southern.
It is even simple enough for a totally (Un)Domestic Diva like me!
I got it from a blogger friend several years ago when she added it to a post/review about my "little book of southern poems”, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia.
I really was AMAZED at how simple it was!
I even added it as a permanent fixture on my website!
Check it out at http://patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/poemsouthernlife.htm    .
*You will find it midway down the page* .......
It goes though each step of the recipe one by one.


DUMP PEACH COBBLER

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 large can Peaches DO NOT drain
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix flour and milk, in 9x9 square Pyrex dish,
add sugar, dump can of peaches and juice into it mixture.
Cut butter into patties and put on top.
Bake for 1 hr

Enjoy!

DUMP PEACH COBBLER

February 9:  Sally Whitney – Pecan pie,  Scalloped oysters
www.sally-whitney.com/category/news

February 10: NancyKay Wessman – Ratatouille
www.mizrizbaboo.wordpress.com

February 11: Amy Neftzger – “Broken” Rice Krispie Hearts
http://neftzger.blogspot.com

February 12: Trisha Faye -  Dr. Pepper Pork Chops and Pecan Broccoli.
http://www.trishafaye.wordpress.com

  ♥             WIN THE “GRAND TOUR” PRIZE ♥
♥                                          
One person will be picked at random from all the comments left during the tour to be eligible to win the “Grand Tour” prize donated by author/editor Zetta Brown.
With every comment you leave during the tour you increase your chances!
Zetta will be offering a food-inspired “surprise” prize to one person who leaves a “thought-felt” comment during the tour. This means the comment needs to have some “meat” to it. It cannot be just a one word comment like “Great” or “Yum” or “Thanks” or “Great! Thanks for the yummy recipe!”
In order to receive the prize, when chosen, the winner must provide their legal name and address. It will NOT be shared with anyone or put on any mailing list. It’s only to facilitate shipping the prize.
The prize drawing is limited to U.S. participants only because availability and access cannot be guaranteed elsewhere.

Good luck , have fun, and have a

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Mississippi poet to speak at Calhoun City Library

In observance of Black History Month, the Calhoun City Public Library will host an evening with Patricia Neely-Dorsey Thursday, February 7, at 6:30 p.m.

The Library is at 113 East Burkitt Ave.

Neely-Dorsey is a 1982 graduate of Tupelo High School. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in Boston, Massachusetts.
After living for almost 20 years in Memphis, working in the mental health field, she returned to her hometown in August 2007.

Patricia Neely-Dorsey

Her first book of poetry, “Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems”, was published in February 2008.  Her second book, “My Magnolia Memories and Musings In Poems” was published in 2012. She calls both books “a celebration of the south and all things southern”.
Patricia currently lives in Tupelo with her husband, James, son, Henry, and Miniature Schnauzer, Happy.

Last February, Patricia delighted patrons with poetry from her first book, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia-A Life in Poems.  Since that time she has published her new book, “My Magnolia Memories and Musings-In Poems”.

This year’s program promises to be even better.  Following the program, Patricia will sign copies of her books, and everyone may enjoy some light refreshments, sponsored by the FRIENDS of the Calhoun City Public Library.


By Janice Vaughn
The Calhoun County Journal