Surprise Mini Writing Success -- Published by Yahoo! News

Yahoo! News picked up my Illinois sales tax holiday article  Monday. (I came across it the next day.) This article was originally published on Associated Content from Yahoo! (AC). Nifty little confidence booster for the week. The article screen shot will also add more variety to my writing portfolio.

It's a little funny that Yahoo! published this article, though.  I've done a few Yahoo! partner calls via AC. For example: One on the ending of the home-buyer tax credit, which (I assume) was sent back because the credit was extended the day after the article was purchased or it possibly just wasn't a good fit.

Another Yahoo! partner call I completed concerned the unemployment extension. Instead of going to Yahoo!, an offer was made by AC News.

The sales tax holiday piece was not a partner call. The article was an easy regular news assignment I claimed from AC's assignment desk. All it required was to detail my shopping experience and what items I saved on.

So after submitting articles targeted towards Yahoo! I finally make it there--in a round-a-bout way.

Other AC Contributors that have found their way onto Yahoo! sites include Carol Bengle Gilbert, Steven Bryan, Jan Corn and Pam Gaulin.

Graphic from Yahoo! press kit.

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!

All-Around Blazin' Day

It's been a pretty awesome day, considering the sweltering temps outside. It started with a nice mention on Marie Anne St. Jean's writing blog, Write, Wrong or Indifferent. I won her first-ever giveaway and now get to sport the adorable feline Wreggie's pic on this blog as a reminder.

Daring to risk the noon heat to check out my new flower bed (which I had just planted at midnight), I was treated to a preview of a small garden statue a neighbor is painting for me. He then welded my broken flower holder and sandblasted my guy's grill. Just when you think the neighborhood can't get any better, the neighbors on the other side fed everyone delicious smoked barbecue and fried green tomatoes!

Later, clicking over to my Associated Content from Yahoo! (AC) account, I discovered I made the Hot 500 for July 2010. Sweet! I wasn't too sure about making it, hitting a little less than 30,000 page views for the month. Pretty excited about making the cut since the Hot 500 started, but need to write more consistently for AC. In typical overachiever fashion, I'm shooting for the Hot 100 next month.

Other July 2010 Hot 500 Writers Worth Checking Out:

Since I've already brought Marie Anne St. Jean to your attention, it's worth mentioning that her AC profile is also ablaze.  Marie Anne is a featured Crafts and Hobbies Contributor and retired U.S. Marine. She tackles everything from crochet to news to blogging tips.

Jolie du Pre is another AC Hot 500 writer for July 2010. As a featured Arts & Entertainment writer, she dishes up unique angles on celebrity news and gossip. A published author and editor of erotica, Jolie's most recent article "How to Prepare for Your Book Reading" culls from her personal book promoting experiences.