Brenda Sills: I VOTE FOR DREAMS

Friday, September 2, 2011

I VOTE FOR DREAMS

Hold on, in just a minute I'll tell you about this picture. But first—

Once I heard the most soul-stirring rendition of To Dream The Impossible Dream, it left me breathless. The Air Force Band performed at the college I was attending, and a man with a voice unheard of on Earth sang. His voice crashed through the room—powerful, vibrating with hope and courage, and it left the audience stunned.

I wish I knew the name of that man. I wish I could hear him sing that song every day.

But I think of it. And I dream.

We all have dreams. Dreams that sing in our hearts and leave us breathless. Like many of you, I’m living my dream—I’m a writer. And someday, I would love that dream to flourish into a published book, to blossom into the thrill of people
loving my stories like I do.

You know what it’s like to dream.
No matter how impossible it seems, we dream. We put our whole selves into it.

My daughter has a dream too. She gets lost in creating characters through her art like we writers get lost in creating characters for our stories.

For the first time ever, she’s bravely putting her artwork before the public. She entered a contest by Wacom—the company who makes the digital art tablet she draws on. The winners are the 25 entries with the most votes, & the last day to vote
is Sept. 15.

That's her phenomenal entry at the top of this post. WHAT AN INTENSE, RICH, FULL-OF-STORIES CHARACTER, DON'T YOU THINK?!

How wonderful it would be if you could help her dream her dream. Please VOTE for her at this link!
Thanks, you wonderful people!

http://art.wacomcontests.com/entry/189750

VOTE FOR DREAMS!

(Blogger added a bunch of white space to the end of this post & I can't figure out how to fix it - just keep scrolling down & you'll find the comments section. Thanks!:)

66 comments:

Luanne G. Smith said...: That's very well done! Are those piercings on his tail. Ha! Love it. Off to vote. :); September 2, 2011 at 6:07 PM
Susan Kane said...: Bless her heart!

I remember hearing that song, sung by the actor who played Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show". I cried through the entire song. this was during the Vietnam War.; September 2, 2011 at 8:16 PM
julie fedderson said...: What an awesome dream! And what fantastic talent she has. Love this.; September 2, 2011 at 8:39 PM
Abby Fowers said...: YAY for your daughter! I am SO IMPRESSED! I think that picture is awesome. I will definitely vote for her! We all need to support one another as we go after our dreams. :); September 2, 2011 at 9:19 PM
Susan Oloier said...: That is incredible! I will have to head over to vote.
You sound like me: I've written Adult, as well as YA. Plus, I also wrote a travel memoir. I don't know that I can commit to one genre. Thanks for stopping by my blog.; September 2, 2011 at 9:34 PM
Christy Farmer said...: Hi Brenda,
Your Daughter is very talented and I sure hope she wins. Pleasure to meet you and saying hello from your chick lit group;); September 3, 2011 at 8:25 AM
Susan Kaye Quinn said...: OMG I LOVE THAT PICTURE!

I will hop right over and vote, but I also wanted to say "Hi" from a fellow campaigner - I'm in your MG/YA group!

*Goes off to drool over the picture some more*; September 3, 2011 at 8:37 AM
Susan Kaye Quinn said...: Ok, I totally cheated and voted twice (with my two FB accounts). :); September 3, 2011 at 8:41 AM
Precy Larkins said...: oh WOW! Your daughter has AMAZING talent!; September 3, 2011 at 10:57 AM
Katie Gates said...: Hi Brenda, I just linked over from the Campaign list. I love the song, Impossible Dream, and I would love to hear it sung live by an amazing voice. Your daughter's illustration is wonderful.; September 3, 2011 at 10:58 PM
JoAnna said...: Hi Brenda, just dropping by to say hello from the writers campaign - I am in your (chick lit) group.; September 4, 2011 at 1:29 AM
Nadine Feldman said...: Hi, I'm from the Campaign, too! I wanted to say hello and best of luck -- to your daughter also!; September 4, 2011 at 2:52 AM
Kristin Baker said...: Wow! She definitely has my vote! Love the piercings in his tail. LOL You're so lucky, you can have her draw your characters!; September 4, 2011 at 6:36 PM
PK HREZO said...: Don't you hate when blogger does that?? I've found when I copy and paste something blogger enters a bunch of white space I can't get rid of.
Anyway, the pic is AWESOME!! I loved it right away, and wow some amazing talent you've got there! You must be so proud of your daughter. I'm headed over right now to vote for her pic. I think I'd like a copy for my office!; September 5, 2011 at 3:28 AM
Kadie Kinney said...: What a beautiful post! I vote for dreams too! I'm so impressed with your beautiful blog I wanted to pass along an award! You can see it at

http://3pointperspective.blogspot.com/2011/09/they-like-me-they-really-like-me.html

and keep the love going! Good work and I can't wait to see more!; September 5, 2011 at 10:29 AM
Small Town Shelly Brown said...: LOL, all of that white space made me JUST laugh! I've had blogger do something like that to me before, too.

I love your daughters art! (she did the girl at the top right as well, right?) I'll go and vote NOW!; September 5, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Cherie Colyer said...: Hi Brenda. It's great to meet you. You have a great blog and your daughter is very talented. I cast my vote for her.; September 5, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Tameri Etherton said...: She's got my vote! What an incredible picture - it made me start thinking of a story to go with it right away. I love it when that happens.

I got goosebumps reading your post. When a song or story or art touches us like that it is life changing. I wish you knew who it was that sang. I wonder what he's doing now.

Thanks for stopping by my blog - I'll definitely be back to yours!; September 5, 2011 at 12:28 PM
Tara said...: I love that picture! I hope your daughter knows what a fantastic job she did - win or not!; September 5, 2011 at 2:42 PM
Fiona Claire said...: How old is your daughter??!!! I think her mer-guy is totally hot and if you don't write about him, I will! Thanks so much for your lovely comments on my blog. Happy campaigning! Def going to go vote for your 'baby' - she should be working at Disney!; September 5, 2011 at 3:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Voted! Your daughter is really talented, I hope she wins. Does she draw your characters?

Haha, the blank space made me laugh :D Have you tried switching to HTML view? If there's anything that looks like < br > or < p > at the end, you need to remove it :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog!; September 5, 2011 at 5:12 PM
Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...: Your daughter's art work is charming. She's really good. She seems to have good control of her style.; September 5, 2011 at 5:39 PM
Katharina Gerlach said...: I love the pic (although I think the guy should have webbing between the fingers) and would love to hire your daughter as an illustrator for some of my stories. Would she be interested? BTW, how old is she?; September 6, 2011 at 2:14 AM
cleemckenzie said...: What a splendid talent your daughter has. Of course, I'll pop over and give her a vote.

See you around the Campaign blog trail.; September 6, 2011 at 9:12 AM
Kimberly Krey said...: Beautiful art work! Heading over there now. :); September 6, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...: BTW: Because you are a new follower, you have been entered in the contest to win a free copy of my MG Fantasy, The Fourth Wish. Check out the rules for increasing your chances on my August 26th post, and good luck. Friday, Sept. 9th is the last day.; September 6, 2011 at 1:51 PM
Katharina Gerlach said...: I left an award for you on my blog (1st Campaign Challenge post). Come and get it. ;-); September 7, 2011 at 3:42 AM
Robyn Campbell said...: Hey Brenda! I wanted to thank you for your lovely comment over at my place. I appreciate it very much. I will definitely vote for your daughter. I really hope she wins. And that song in flitting about inside my head. Thanks for reminding me.

Your daughter is so very talented. Please tell her we said that. :-); September 7, 2011 at 5:30 AM
Amy said...: Hi Brenda! Congrats to your daughter - her work is absolutely beautiful. She has my vote! :); September 7, 2011 at 5:36 AM
Robyn Campbell said...: I posted it to my FB wall too. Hope she wins. I added you on Google+. Hope that was okay.; September 7, 2011 at 5:37 AM
Kelley said...: Very, very cool. I'm off to vote! Thanks for stopping by my blog too! I'm a new follower now :); September 7, 2011 at 9:20 AM
Chantele Sedgwick said...: That makes me want to write a book about a shark boy! :D So awesome! What a talented girl you have!; September 7, 2011 at 2:41 PM
Sangu Mandanna said...: Hi Brenda! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog - and for the lovely comment!

That picture is gorgeous. You have such a talented daughter!; September 7, 2011 at 4:42 PM
Katie Dodge said...: Awesome job, Danica! I'm heading over to vote right now! And I'm not voting just because-- I really think she is uber talented, just like her mother! :D; September 7, 2011 at 4:55 PM
Cheryl said...: He's great! I'm going to vote too. What a great artist she is, and what potential she has to be even better. :); September 7, 2011 at 6:04 PM
Brenda Sills said...: *
WE
ARE
VERY
HAPPY
BEYOND
EARTHLY
SENTIMENT
RUMINATING
ECSTATICALLY
APPRECIATIVELY
HEART-WARMINGLY
OVER
YOU!

Here's our Gratitude Tree for all of you incredible people who are cheering and supporting my daughter so wonderfully!

We have been so overwhelmed by your kindness, your good-heartedness, your happiness at helping a fellow dreamer dream. Your comments mean more to us than we can say and we grant you this wish (because we are Genies) - that your dreams will come true too!

We thank you with all of our hearts dear—

~L.G.Smith ~Susan Kane ~Julie Fedderson ~Abby ~Susan Oloier ~Christy ~Susan Kaye Quinn ~Cherie ~Katie Gates ~JoAnna ~Nadine Feldman ~Kristin Baker Przybyla ~Pk Hrezo ~Kadie Kinney ~Small Town Shelly Brown ~Cherie Colyer ~Tameri Etherton ~Tara ~Fiona Claire ~Daina Rustin ~Elizabeth Varadan aka Mrs. Seraphina ~Cat ~cleemckenzie ~Kimberly Krey ~Robyn Campbell ~Kelley ~Chantele Sedgwick ~Sangu ~Katie Dodge and ~Cheryl

HERE'S TO ALL OF YOUR DREAMS! YOU'RE THE BEST!; September 7, 2011 at 9:21 PM
jonyangorg said...: This art is amazing! And her profile photo for you too!; September 8, 2011 at 6:35 AM
Creepy Query Girl said...: wow! that is one very talented daughter you have!; September 8, 2011 at 6:53 AM
Jennie Bennett said...: The moment I saw that picture I thought of a story. You should be very proud!; September 8, 2011 at 9:50 AM
Annalise Green said...: Wow, your daughter is really talented! I cast a vote. :) Hope she wins! And I hope she realizes how mega-talented she is.; September 8, 2011 at 10:34 AM
Deana said...: That is a beautiful picture. I voted for her!; September 8, 2011 at 10:40 AM
Elana Johnson said...: Excellent artist you've got there. There's nothing scarier than letting someone else see/judge your creative work. What guts!; September 8, 2011 at 3:39 PM
Peggy Eddleman said...: Holy moley! That picture is SO fabulous! I voted for it. She is so talented!!; September 8, 2011 at 8:50 PM
Heidi W said...: Very cool! I love her artwork!

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Always excited to meet other writers.; September 9, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Unknown said...: Hi Brenda. Thanks for visiting my blog and all of your kind comments. I voted for your very talented daughter's art. It was nice meeting you.; September 9, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Sophia Chang said...: Brenda, you're one of the few people on the Campaign so far who've actually left substantive comments - brava! You've gone a long way to endear the community to you and your daughter's artwork, which is GREAT by the way!!; September 9, 2011 at 3:24 PM
Cortney Pearson said...: Brenda, thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your enthusiasm! I'd love for you to read my Tears book sometime! And holy bananas, your daughter is mega talented, an artist and she plays the violin? Amazing! I'll definitely vote for her. I try to draw my characters sometimes, but they always end up looking deformed lol. Great to meet you!! :D; September 9, 2011 at 9:09 PM
www.jolenestockman.com said...: Voted! How cool is it that she is able to inspire with a single image? She is a storyteller :) Woohoo - talented family!; September 10, 2011 at 3:05 AM
Anonymous said...: What a beautiful illustration! I just voted.; September 10, 2011 at 7:16 AM
Laura Barnes said...: Great to meet you, Brenda! Thanks for finding my blog. I enjoyed your comment. What a beautiful blog you have! I'm excited to read more from you:); September 10, 2011 at 12:38 PM
Jane Isfeld Still said...: LOVED IT WILL go vote now. Love the Song you mentioned to!! Awesome picture. Very professional :); September 10, 2011 at 3:10 PM
Kerri Cuev said...: Amazing picture! You must be very proud of her. Going to cast my vote now :); September 10, 2011 at 5:28 PM
ali cross said...: How wonderful! I will vote for her! I loved the picture :)

ali's blog; September 10, 2011 at 9:18 PM
Beth said...: Following back and I've tagged you.; September 11, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Unknown said...: Cool artwork! I love to see people following their dreams.; September 11, 2011 at 9:38 PM
Coleen Patrick said...: Your daughter is very talented! I'm off to vote!; September 12, 2011 at 7:40 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi Brenda, so nice to connect with you today!; September 12, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Wow! Tell your daughter I LOVE her drawing! So cool!; September 13, 2011 at 5:47 PM
Ronald L. Smith said...: A very inspirational and uplifting post. She is quite talented!; September 13, 2011 at 7:15 PM
Miranda Hardy said...: Wow, what a wonderful picture. I'll have to go and vote right now. Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's nice to "meet" you, too.; September 13, 2011 at 7:39 PM
Author A.O. Peart said...: Brenda, thank you for visiting my blog.
I love the picture of the merman! And I'm going to cast my vote now :-); September 14, 2011 at 12:37 AM
Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...: Hi, Brenda, I left you an award on my blog -- The Versatile Blogger Award. Stop by and pick it up.; September 14, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Coleen Patrick said...: Hi Brenda! I nominated you for an award over at my blog today:); September 15, 2011 at 10:58 AM
Ruth Schiffmann said...: Hi Brenda, I'm a fellow campaigner and dreamer and I found you through Coleen's blog. Congrats on the award! Love the look of your blog. Your daughter is so very talented.; September 15, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Sandra McLeod Humphrey said...: WOW--what a gifted family! I'm now following you on Twitter and love your blog!
Fellow MG-YA Campaigner; September 16, 2011 at 5:12 PM
David P. King said...: It was good to see you this evening! Looking forward to all the awesome that awaits us rounded-up writers!

*Doing Internet stuff in hotels--so cool!*; September 16, 2011 at 10:06 PM