Well Versed

May’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

After a few delays and a little confusion, here’s another winner of my First Friday Freebie.

Check out the First Friday Freebie rules below. You’ll find out how simple it is to enter to win.  This is a special monthly gift for my email subscribers only.

Meet May’s winner –

Elise from Sterling, Illinois.

Congratulations, Elise!  Let me know how you liked the stories (especially mine).

Elise is shown here with the book she won. As an email subscriber, Carol commented as directed in the freebie post on the day it arrived in her inbox.  I require this tiny bit of effort each month in order to prevent spam and make sure you’re on your toes and paying attention. 

I send freebies anywhere in the continental U. S., so don’t think you’re too far away to enter.

If you’d like to see other past winners and their gifts check it out here on my Freebies! page.

You can see the original First Friday Freebie offer for the one Elise won here. 

Trying to subscribe?  Here are a couple of tips –     

NOTE:  Subscribe with an email you intend to keep and check the week after the drawings.  This is my only means of notifying winners.  If it isn’t up to date, you may not get your gift!

We live in a life filled with gadgets and you’ll find that this blog can have a different appearance depending on whether you are on your computer, tablet or smartphone.  You can easily navigate in the menu under “CONTACT”, fill in your email and hit “SUBSCRIBE”.  Confirm your subscription when the email arrives.  If you’ve don’t receive a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com – it seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribers get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE, news on my upcoming novels, a new story or recipe.

Please share what you find here with your friends and family.  When you share on MeWe, Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also.  Subscribing is free.  Freebies are free. 

On August 1st, you’ll see the new Freebie.  Enter to win that day.  Then, check your email in the days following. 

Smartphone reminders help.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

It’s hot – it’s super hot out.  If you live in the Midwest, it’s oppressively sticky.  I try to take Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles to the park in the mornings before it gets unbearable out.  Afternoons are filled with books, play and arts ‘n crafts (and keeping Fruity Pebbles from eating everything associated with all those activities).   

Leave a comment – what are you doing (besides perhaps enjoying a snooze) on these days when you’re staying in the air conditioning and asking God to bless the person who invented it?

First Friday Freebie – a Sample of Things to Come!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 5 Comments

May always brings warmth, flowers, and a perfect excuse to lay the indoor chores aside and head outside and make the world a more beautiful place by adding that one extra pot of blooms or trimming up a scraggly bush.  This month’s Freebie will give one of you an excuse to relax on the porch for a while. I’m giving you a free book!

Here it is  –

Well Versed 2019 www.midweststoryteller.com

If you saw my last post, you know that the first book in my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series is coming out soon – hopefully next month.  I’m excited about that, but there is much to be done in preparation for the upcoming books in the series.

When asked what comes next for me after the “Morgan’s Landing” series, my answer comes without a second thought.  I plan to write, in novel style, the true story of my Aunt Martha’s life.  I interviewed her extensively before she passed away and what a story! She and her husband were married for over 80 years (that is not a typo) and had a rare and special love story that needs to be told.

I told a small portion of it in a short story entitled, “The Brown Wedding Dress” which was published a few years ago in “Well-Versed”, the annual anthology of the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild.  This month, I am giving away a free copy of this book in order to give you a little taste of what you can look forward to after you finish the “Morgan’s Landing” series. If you don’t happen to be this month’s winner of the First Friday Freebie, you can also obtain this book on Amazon.

The 229 page book is a collection of poetry and prose written by various authors.  My story begins on page 139.  Various genres are included in the book, so I can’t promise you that each and every one will be your cup of tea, but I think you’ll enjoy “The Brown Wedding Dress”.

To enter to win the “Well Versed” anthology, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I do love a good book!”  You’ll need to leave your comment before midnight TONIGHT, May 2nd, 2025.

NOTE:  An occasional problem occurs with subscribers not receiving confirmation emails.  Should this happen, email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.

You need to be an email subscriber to Midwest Storyteller before entering to win.  If you haven’t already subscribed, head to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can fill in your email address and then watch for your confirmation email.  You’re not officially subscribed until you confirm by email.

Smuffy and I have our own brand of romance on my “Life with Smuffy” page and you might enjoy my “Laugh!” page.

Remember to be sure to share the content you enjoy here on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram and “X”.  If you save things on Pinterest like I do, hover over the photo and “pin it”.  Help me get the word out!

On the “Freebies” page, you can see what readers have been winning every month.

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, May 2nd, by leaving a comment which says, “I do love a good book!”   

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here.

“The Brown Wedding Dress” is definitely a romance, but a bit more sober than most of the stories you find here.  I’m curious to know what genres you enjoy reading.  Please leave a comment and let me know.

Exciting News! I’m Hot Off the Press!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 2 Comments

Just a quick note today to announce that once again, one of my stories has been accepted for publication in the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild’s annual collection of poetry and prose! “Well Versed 2020” makes it’s debut this Saturday, June 13th! My story, “The Eyes of Love” is among the entries chosen for this year’s book.

I was honored to be chosen for publication in this anthology last year (Well Versed 2019) with a story called, “The Brown Wedding Dress” a true-life depiction giving but a snippet of the great love story of my Aunt Martha and Uncle George who were married over eighty years and shared a life and love that I was privileged to witness and record.

I share more of their story this year with “The Eyes of Love” which tells of a horrifying incident that occurred shortly after they married and which, though it brought them shock, pain and responsibilities that any of us would shrink from, drew them into a greater knowledge of love’s sacrifices and brought healing to Martha’s soul.

My apologies for being so late with this announcement. It seems there’s something about keeping a five-month-old while in the midst of this kitchen remodel that keeps me from getting things done quite the way I’d like.

Further apologies for having to announce that if you’d like a copy, you will have to email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com no later than Friday, June 12. (I told you I was behind on things!) They are $11 and if you need me to ship it to you, they will be $14 if you’d like to get one directly from me. You may also respond to my Facebook announcement in the comments. They will be available on Amazon at a later date.

Mine is one of the many contributions to this anthology and I offer my congratulations to all the other contributors!

If you’d like to have get to know Martha and her family members, glimpses into their lives are found along with other family stories can be found right here on my “Laugh” page.