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- And the Grand Prize Goes to . . .
And the Grand Prize Goes to . . .
Plus, the happiest country in the world
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
April 24, 2025
“Find the good and praise it.”
Hello again! I hope you’re enjoying your spring thus far!
I didn’t get a chance to make a video for the St. Patrick’s Day drawing, but I do want to announce the winners!! (Also, see the next section below for the correct answer to the March issue’s trivia question, as well as the related excerpt from my novel.)
The Grand Prize Winner is Carol McCoy! Carol will receive a copy of my novel, The View from the Cliffs, a box of Barry’s Tea (which plays a role in the novel!), and a Positive Vibes mug!
Second prize, an autographed copy of either The View from the Cliffs or Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America, goes to Chuck Hall!
And third prize, the full-color e-book version of The View from the Cliffs, goes to Steven Johnson!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the last 2 months’ trivia questions and giveaways!
If you’d like your own autographed copy of either of my books, or a Positive Vibes mug for yourself or a loved one—it’s a great way to start the day!—you can find all of those items at my online bookstore, LastSkyWriting.com :
Thank you again for being a member of the Positive Vibes community! And stay tuned in the coming months for more exciting offerings in the works! ;-)
Cheers,
Yasmine
What I’m Feeling Good About
So, this was last month’s St. Patrick’s Day question: “In The View from the Cliffs, the characters have a discussion about the following. Which of the people below convinced St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men once every 4 years—on Leap Day?”
And this is the correct answer: St. Brigid of Kildare.
Here’s the excerpt from The View from the Cliffs in which that appears (pg. 92 of the print book in the first printing):
“Um, I don’t know if I should bring this up,” Gabriel said, “but you know, in Ireland, there is a tradition—well, a superstition, really—that women should only propose marriage to men on Leap Day.”
Rasheed’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Gabriel cleared his throat and continued, “Yeah, according to an old legend, St. Brigid of Kildare made a deal with St. Patrick to grant permission for women to propose to men once every four years—on Leap Day. And,” Gabriel added, pausing for effect, “any man who refuses a woman’s proposal on that day is supposed to give her a gown made of silk.”
Ranya knit her brows and rendered her judgment. “That’s the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard! And anyway, a woman should be able to propose to a man any day she wants.”
Rasheed nudged Ranya with his elbow and asked, “So what’s stopping you, then?”
And … The View from the Cliffs is now in its second printing! I’m delighted to have some new reviews to include in the second printing, including the one from Positive Vibes reader Dennis Caffrey (quoted in the January issue) as well as this one:
“A lovely, tender, careful and rich novel. Ali has plaited intricately the history of three regions, and of three vivid touching characters, with politics and medical science and human passions, and achieved a powerfully integrated outcome . . . I was engrossed, and filled with admiration, for the structure, dialogue, and rich characterisation. Ali’s creative words embody hope—for patients, for medical science, for human conflict, for human interactions and passions and deep connections. May her words, her hopeful philosophy, be what guides our future.”
-Justice Edwin Cameron, South Africa
You can now order the second printing of The View from the Cliffs via my online bookstore:
What You’re Feeling Good About
Positive Vibes member Jeff Zagoudis has launched a new Substack (blog/newsletter, if you’re not familiar with Substack)! It’s called “In Their Write Mind,” and I was honored to be the first writer interviewed for it. We talked about Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America, my hometown of Waverly, TN, and the Waverly Train Diaster of 1978:
And speaking of Waverly, Patti Damesworth (also affectionately known as the “Buttercup Bandit”) shared the following photos with me—they are of daffodils near the Waverly Train Memorial Museum, flowers that survived the Waverly Flood of 2021:
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Thank you also to Positive Vibes member Brian, who sent the following—so, if you’re up around this time tomorrow, have a look at the eastern sky!
(This section is where I’ll be featuring good news, tips, and bits of wisdom from readers—so please reply to this email and share some with me! It can be anything, big or small. Whatever you’re feeling good about.)
More Good News
The world’s happiest country … because of kindness and a deep sense of community:
To me, every day is Earth Day, and hopefully you had a chance to celebrate this week with some beautiful April weather!
I love this story, about the latest adventure of Ms. Senior Tennessee:
And one more:
Pawsitive Vibes
Bear says, “Happy spring!”
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Got a pet pic you’d like to share? Please feel free to reply to this email!
Riddle Me This
Rearrange the letters in the word below to discover the related phrase.
signature
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
For Your Playlist
Here’s the link if you’re on Spotify.
Last Word
No one is useless in this world, who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.
Tell a Friend!
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Now Open! My Online Bookstore:
Answer to the riddle: A true sign.
