Surprises happen when you take a blogging break!

‘Tis the season! Photo taken by my son last year.

Dear Friends,

Happy December! First of all, on the weekend, I tried to activate the snow effect on my blog, but it wasn’t working. Then this morning, it was snowing! A miracle? I don’t know, but I’ll take it as a good sign. ❄️ Now for those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope yours was beyond wonderful! We had a lovely time seeing our son and daughter, feeling grateful for everything, but not just on that special Thursday – every day is a day of gratitude. Then we decorated the house for Christmas and it looks beautiful and festive. We played Scrabble, watched movies, went for walks, talked about life, and guess what? Yesterday, I wrote book reviews! Yes, I was behind, so I carved out some time yesterday! I’ll share them this month. Anyway, I missed you all, but I hope you’ve had a great week! And I normally don’t like to add too much to a post simply to keep things simple, but on the day I ‘left’ for a break, I received incredible and unexpected news:

Pushcart Nomination Overview

The Pushcart nomination is a process in which literary magazines and small presses select outstanding works—poetry, essays, or fiction—from their publications for inclusion in the annual Pushcart Prize anthology. Editors submit their chosen pieces to the Pushcart Prize editors, who review all nominations and select the winners for publication.Your letters of nomination will go out before December 1, 2025! Congratulations and good luck!

If you have time (smile), please pay a visit to Gabriela and Manuela. They’ll appreciate your presence, and I’ll appreciate your support. I look forward to reading your posts again, and wish you all a dazzling December! ❄️🩵

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Thank you for coming by! I’m grateful for you all! ❤️

All available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Click on sidebar image for more info, and to
purchase for your holiday shopping!
Thank you! 🙏

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first children’s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her family’s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is shared bimonthly on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.

Gobblers by Masticadores Publishes “Lost Their Way”

Good morning!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Hello Monday! What a surprise for this morning to find my poem on Gobblers by Masticadores! Thank you so much to Manuela Timofte for sharing my writing. It’s an honor to be featured on her beautiful site among many talented writers. I hope you pay her a visit…

Lost Their Way

If hope was a color, mine would be blue,
struggling like a bird with a broken wing
tears fill weary eyes that blur
they fall with an unforgiving sting
My heart imitates emotional skies
unseen roadblocks disguise a silver lining
Wishing is what I do well, miles between,
my hell, mindset craves refining

You can read the full poem by clicking on the link below…

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Does this poem resonate? If so, I’d love
to read your thoughts on Gobblers or here.
Happy Monday, thanks for visiting,

and I wish you a wonderful week! ❤️

Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 🧡

Lauren Scott
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

Gobblers by Masticadores Publishes “Cozy Vibes”

I was excited to find in my inbox that my latest poem written about this beautiful season, “Cozy Vibes” is featured today on Gobblers by Masticadores! A huge thank you to Editor, Manuela Timofte, for her continued support of my writing by sharing it on her esteemed literary site. 🩷🙏

Cozy Vibes

Sidewalks no longer sizzle
beneath summer’s intense embrace –
a sign anticipated by the leaves
with an abundance of grace.

Each year around this time,
they’re excited for the change,
like a model walks the runway,
new colors rearrange.

Shades of cranberries and squash
warmly enter stage left…

To read the full poem, please click on the link below. 🙏 I’d love to read your thoughts on Gobblers. 🤗

And if you’re unfamiliar with Gobblers, peruse around a bit. You’ll see many authors you know and their beautiful writing and photography. ❤️

Thanks for stopping by and for your kind support!
Have a wonderful day! ❤️

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com

Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 🧡


Lauren Scott
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

Gobblers by Masticadores publishes “The Old Pink Restaurant”

Photo by Marcus Wu00f6ckel on Pexels.com

What a surprise to find that my poem is published today on Gobblers by Masticadores! I offer my deepest gratitude to Manuela Timofte for sharing my writing. It’s always an honor to be featured among many talented writers, so I hope you’ll visit her beautiful site.

The Old Pink Restaurant

I feel old and withered
like a dying rock rose.
Cracks propagate
down my stucco exterior
like fault lines in the earth.
Does an outburst lie on the horizon?

I remember when vibrant pink,
like a fuchsia feather boa,
would invite strangers in –
strangers who became friends.

My mood has a mind of its own.
When the sky opens,
tears stream down my windows,
tattooing me with streaks of dirt.

I’ve been abandoned for years –
no one seems to want me.
..

To read the full poem, please click on the link below. Your support means the world to me. ❤️

Thanks again to Manuela and to you for visiting! Have a wonderful day! 🧡🍁

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com

Click on the image to order your copy! 🧡

Lauren Scott

Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

Gobblers by Masticadores Publishes “An Avoidable Tizzy”

Can you believe September has arrived already? Time sure mystifies, doesn’t it? On this first day of the month, I woke up to find this wonderful surprise in my inbox. Thanks so much to Editor, Manuela Timofte, for publishing my writing. I’m grateful to be featured on her beautiful literary site, and I hope you’ll peruse around if you’re unfamiliar with Gobblers. This poem is in the form of a haibun, part prose and haiku. Thanks again, Manuela! ❤️

An Avoidable Tizzy

Dr. Google isn’t credible, which leads me to the quote, “Don’t believe what you read on the internet.” I didn’t heed the advice. I mimicked the drowning man in the parable, “Two Boats and a Helicopter.” Do you recall this man who passed up several rescue attempts while facing raging floodwaters because he knew that God would save him? How we miss the signs… Instead, I dove into the words, ignorant of their harm like a fly into a web – each syllable engrained into my psyche, tossing me into a tizzy as Dad would say. I couldn’t get out of my head. It was a night of sheet thrashing. Poor sheets thinking, “What have we done?”

To read the rest, please visit Manuela at Gobblers by clicking on the link below. I hope you’ll leave a ‘like’ or share your thoughts that I always love to read. Thank you!

I appreciate your visit, and Happy Labor Day to those who celebrate!
And I wish you a wonderful week to kick off this new month.
Our summer was thankfully mild, but I do look forward to autumn,
a favorite time of year.
🧡🍁

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Photo: Photo by chivozol on Pexels.com

Click on the image to order your copy! 🧡

Gobblers by Masticadores welcomes King Copper!

A huge Thank You to Editor, Manuela Timofte, for sharing the initial post about my new release, King CopperA poetic account of the joy that arises when a lovable chocolate lab walks into your life and changes it forever. And the eventual heartache you feel when he crosses over the rainbow bridge thirteen years later and still too soon. I’m always honored to be featured on Manuela’s beautiful site along with many talented writers. 🙏

To read the entire post, please visit Gobblers, and if you haven’t subscribed, I hope you will. Manuela shares evocative poetry and stories from a myriad of talented authors. Thanks again, Manuela! ❤️

Image by Jacqui Murray
Photo by alleksana on Pexels.com

Thanks for dropping by, and I wish you a fabulous day! 🤎🧡❤️
Now that the blog tour has ended, I’m going to work on
finishing overdue reviews for some great books.
🙂

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Click on the image to order your copy! 🧡

“Fade the Shadow” is published on Gobblers by Masticadores!

Dear Family and Friends,

I’m excited to share that my poem “Fade the Shadow” is featured on Gobblers by Masticadores! I want to offer a huge thank you, as always, to Editor, Manuela Timofte, for featuring my writing. I am grateful to have my work showcased among so many talented authors. 🙏

Fade the Shadow

The world is beautiful,
proof dances all around…
leaves fluttering in a breeze,
butterflies floating by
with grace, but the world
is more beautiful with him.
Even if the sky unfolds,
and a storm rages,
his presence adds a glow
to fade the shadows
and quiet the fear.
If the universe
has stolen my spirit
and descent
is imminent

To read the full poem, please visit Gobblers by Masticadores by clicking on the link below. If you’re unfamiliar with this site, take some time to peruse. You’ll discover beautiful and profound pieces of writing from some of your friends and authors you’d like to know.

Thank you for popping in! I appreciate you and wish you a fabulous week! ❤️

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Click on the image to order your copy! 🧡

Gobblers by Masticadores invites The Positive Potato for a visit!

I had a hunch this potato with a playful personality did some traveling, but now it’s obvious! He’s spending time with Manuela Timofte over at Gobblers by Masticadores! I’m thrilled because this cute little guy spreads smiles and joy, and we all could use more, wouldn’t you agree? Thank you, Manuela, for continuing to feature my writing, whether my words offer food for thought or entertain. I’m honored, as always. ❤️

Comments are closed because I hope you’ll visit Gobblers and give some love to Manuela! It’s so easy! Simply click on the link below. And I also invite you to leave a comment if you feel joyfully compelled. 🥰

I thank you for popping into this playful potato post (smile),
and I wish you a lovely day, and a great first week of July!

Sending virtual hugs! ❤️

Photo by Marcus Wu00f6ckel on Pexels.com

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Available on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble,
but click on the image to purchase
your copy through Amazon.
💜