Pay It Forward Update

Yes - this is my second post today!  “Snowmageddon 2015” upended my publishing schedule! I promised to announce these winners today, but I really wanted to warn people about the dangers of snow shoveling. You can read that post here.  Now - on to my winners. 

Drum roll please!

Last Thursday, I suggested that we make kindness an epidemic.  Actually, the idea for doing so was not mine, but Carol Cassara's.  She began a “Pay Kindness Forward Initiative for Bloggers,” and Rena McDaniel was one of the winners of her drawing. Rena then held her own contest, and I was one of her winners.  Continuing the initiative, I opened the contest to anyone in North America who left a comment about my post Let's make Kindness an Epidemic on any of my social media sites.  

The winners that agreed to continue the Pay It Forward Initiative will received a surprise in the mail from me, some time in 2015. I hope you will also support them by visiting their websites and “liking” or following some of their work...  I follow them all closely, and enjoy their blogs and writing very much!

The winners, randomly drawn, were surprisingly all writers that I have followed for a bit. (I drew a fifth name, but she was unable to participate.) These women all expressed willingness to continue to “Pay It Forward,” and I was delighted by how enthusiastic they all are for this project.

The winners are...

Marisa B. 
Marisa is actually the author of three blogs - I can't figure out how she manages it! She will be “Paying It Forward” on her blog Squaarekat, “A Four-sided View on Just About Everything.”  Yes - it is just as interesting as it sounds! Minstrel's Song is her poetic - creative site, and her blog Mangia, Mangia No Talk! is where I first began to follow her, because of the wonderful stories of her Italian heritage and food.

Kelly McKenzie
Kelly's way with words, and her witty humor drew me right in, the second I discovered her blog Just Typikel. A talented writer, her work has been published by The Vancouver Sun, she has been a guest on HuffPost Live, and her online work can be found on numerous sites. On her blog, Kelly tells stories of her everyday life - as she describes it, the “comical, quirky and so untypical (yes, Just TypiKel) things that happen to me.” Kelly and I have a lot in common - and I somehow feel like I have known her forever! Once you read one of her stories, I promise you will be eager for more!

Jacqueline Horsfall
Jacqueline and I first met when we were both contributors at Yahoo Contributor Network. She always made kind comments about my work. When YCN folded, we fortunately reconnected on Twitter, and I have continued to be grateful for her support. Jacqueline is a humorist, and writes both fiction and nonfiction. She has published a long line of children's books, many of them joke books.  Visit Amazon's Jacqueline Horsfell page by clicking here to learn more about her and her books. Follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/jackiehorsfall  

Kim Cee
Kim's blog 2JustBYou is a lot like mine, in that it covers a variety of topics -  hers include family, recipes, fashion, beauty, inspirational /motivational pieces, linkups and giveaways. She is one of the most generous bloggers I know, often featuring other shops and handmade items.  2JustBYou may seem familiar: I won a giveaway she co-hosted, and part of my prize was free advertising of my blog on hers. As a bonus, she provided me the opportunity to guest post there as well.

My winners will received a surprise in the mail from me, some time in 2015. I hope you will also support them by visiting their websites and “liking” or following some of their work...  I follow them all closely, and enjoy their blogs and writing very much!

Remember my story about the movie Pay It Forward?  My husband and I watched it this weekend. I'm glad I finally got to see it!

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, this post may contain an Amazon affiliate link, for which I may receive compensation if any purchases are made. All opinions expressed, however, are entirely my own.