Fun Facts--HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. He was an only child. His father, also named Hans, introduced him to literature by reading Arabian Nights. 

Andersen moved to Copenhagen at the age of 14, hoping to get work as an actor. He was accepted at the Royal Danish Theatre as a soprano, but when his voice changed, he began writing.

King Frederick VI took a personal interest in 17-year-old Hans and paid for part of his education. He published his first story in 1822. He wrote more than 160 fairy tales, many of which began as folktales told to him as a child.

His birthday is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.

Hans Christian Andersen and The Ugly Duckling. Central Park, New York

Hans traveled extensively. In England, he met Charles Dickens and they became friends. Ten years later, he returned to England to visit again. After overstaying his welcome on a five-week visit to the Dickens home, Andersen's letters to Dickens went unanswered.

Danny Kaye as Andersen in the 1952 Film. This was one of my favorite movies when I was a child.

The Danish Government paid him an annual stipend and considered him a national treasure.

Hans Christian Andersen. City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Andersen often fell in love with unattainable women and in later years was attracted to nonreciprocating men. He never married.

The Little Mermaid. Langelinje Pier in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In 1872, he fell out of his bed and never recovered from his injuries. He died on August 4th, 1875. 

Spreading The News--April 2012

(Source)

April has been busy, busy. 

I just spent two nights at my girlfriend's house, watching her toddler while she and her hubby went to the hospital to have their second child.

Welcome to the world, little Raymond! 
Anyway, I have a ton of things to do...

I am only halfway through Robert Lee Brewer's April Platform Challenge, so my weekend will be quite full playing catch-up. (Stop by and take a look. Even if you can't catch up to be in the running for the prize, every author should do these tasks in order to build a good author platform.)

Calls for Submission

Rattle publishes poetry, translations, reviews, essays, and interviews. Now through August 1st, they are reading for a tribute to Speculative Fiction poetry. This includes Fantasy, Horror, Alternate History, etc. but they accept regular submissions year-round.

Tor accepts submissions for Science Fiction short stories and poetry. They pay .25 per word!

Celebrate Life is looking for holiday-related material and commentaries. No fiction or poetry! They pay .15 to .25 word!

Event, Canada publishes mainly Canadian writers, but are open to anyone writing fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction in English. They pay a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $500. Check out their website as they only read during certain months.

Knowonder! is still accepting submissions even though the magazine is on hold until June 1st. They have increased their pay to $25 for 500-999 word stories and $50 for over 1,000 words.

Contests

WoW! Women On Writing is having their Spring 2012 Flash Fiction Contest. Entry Fee: $10.00 and the guest contest judge is Regina Brooks, founder and President of Serendipity Literary Agency. The Theme is Open, with a word count of 250-750. There's a limit of 300 entries, so act fast!

Family Circle's Fiction Contest ends September 7, 2012. Up to two (2) entries per person, of no more than 2500 words.

On The Premises's Contest #17 is open until May 31, 2012. Make them laugh, or at least smile, in 1,000 to 5,000 words.

Writing Retreat

There are still some spots left at the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop. Join Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest, and poet and author, Jessica Bell, August 2-8, 2012 on the beautiful isle of Ithaca, Greece.
Fee with accomodation and buffet breakfast is only 1,550 Euros!

(Source)

Oh, and by the way, my blog hit 5,000 views today! I'm so excited! Thank you to everyone who visits. :D

*****

Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 
Plus, sign up for free e-mail updates from this blog in the top right-hand corner of the page.


*****

Fun Facts about April

April is the fourth month of the year and is one of four months with a length of 30 days. April starts on the same day of the week as July and ends on the same day of the week as December.

April's birthstone is the diamond the the birth flower is typically the Daisy or the Sweet Pea. Those born before April 21st are born under the zodiac sign, Aries, and those born April 21st and after are considered Taurus.

Holidays and Events

1st--April Fool's Day

2nd--National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day

5th--Rubber Eraser Day

7th--Passover begins

8th--Easter Sunday

11th--Eight Track Tape Day

15th--Tax Day

17th--Cheese Ball Day

22nd--Earth Day

24th--Pigs-In-A-Blanket Day

26th--Pretzel Day

Last Friday in April--Arbor Day

Fourth Thursday in April--Take Our Sons and Daughters To Work Day

National Month for:

Jazz Appreciation

Poetry

Sex

Pets Are Wonderful

Gardens

STDs Education and Awareness (Goes hand in hand with the third one on this list.)



Famous Birthdays:

April 2--Hans Christian Anderson (1805) Danish author of many famous fairy tales.

April 3--Washington Irving (1783) American author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

April 4--Maya Angelou (1928) Poet

April 5--Booker T. Washington (1856) Educator, author and founder of Tuskegee University

April 8--Buddha

April 10--Joseph Pulitzer (1847) Publisher and creator of the journalism prize.

April 12--Tom Clancy (1947) Author of novels about war and intrigue.

April 13--Eudora Welty (1909) Author of short stories and novels about Mississippi life.

April 15--Leonardo daVinci (1452) Brilliant scientist and painter.

April 20--George Takei (1937) Played Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, and has a hilarious Facebook page.

April 21--Charlotte Bronte (1816) Author of "Jane Eyre."

April 22--Vladimir Nabakov (1899) Author of "Lolita."

April 23--William Shakespeare (1564) Writer of comedies, tragedies, and histories.

April 28--Terry Pratchett (1948) UK's best-selling author of the 90s.

                Harper Lee (1926) Author of "To Kill a Mockingbird."