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The tension has been just unbearable, hasn't it?

You could just cut it with a knife!

I know you guys have barely managed to go about your daily activities, what with the wondering and anticipation and general angst over WHO WON THAT PITCH PICK!

I mean, seriously!  When have we ever had to do a pitch pick twice?  And even the second time I had to jump on Face Book at the eleventh hour and beg people who hadn't voted to go read and vote quickly in order to break yet another tie!

Talk about closely matched!  I came THIS CLOSE to having to let random.org make the decision.  But luckily it didn't come to that.

So it is with great pleasure (and no small measure of relief) that I announce that the tie was finally broken and we do have a winner!

So who's following March Madness?

Are you all basketball fans?

Everyone's brackets still holding up?

Can you believe Villanova is out?  Where did THAT come from?

Okay, I can't keep this up - I'm just fooling with you.  I don't even watch basketball.  I had to ask my kids for a team name :)

So anyway, yeah.  The winner of the hotly contested February Pitch Pick is. . .

Congratulations, Kirsten!  Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta for her read and opinion!

And congratulations to ALL OF YOU!  My goodness what a close race!  You all did such an amazing job, and I truly am sorry I didn't have the nerve to ask Erin to read and comment on all of them because you all deserved it!  But you are all winners just for working so hard on your pitches and putting them out there for feedback and then polishing them up to the point where literally no one could decide whose was best! :)

Whew!  After all that tension (which no doubt burned off at least a million calories) I think we need a little Something Chocolate, don't you?

I was going to go with just a plain old-fashioned delicious chocolate eclair...

Image and recipe at Tender Crumb HERE

... but then I thought of you nutty chocolate-isn't-for-breakfast types, so I added the healthy version :)

Image and recipe at Tender Crumb HERE

Scrumptious, no?!  We are all geared up for an amazing day with a start like that! :)

Today's pitch comes to us from Carrie who says, "I currently live just north of Cincinnati and am a step-mother to a hilarious and sweet eight-year-old boy. When I am not working as a pediatric social worker, I enjoy photography, running, and taking my best shot at this writing thing."

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Adventures With My Step-Mom: The Magic Rocks
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Days had grown dull until Jude discovers magic rocks, one for him and one for his step-mom.  Only when connected, the rocks send them sailing through the sky together on an adventure full of twists and turns. 

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

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My goodness we have a busy day today!

Good thing I gave you Monday off to rest up :)

First up, we have Straight From The Editor for Kristine, the February Pitch Winner.  You will recall her pitch:

Here are editor Erin Molta's comments:

This is a great premise and goodness knows, we definitely need more books about girls succeeding in science, technology, engineering and math. However, in order for this to catch an editor’s eye, you need to put a little more spark into it. It’s very generic right now. What is her science project? How was it not cooperating? Was she snubbed because she was a girl and had something to prove? It seems to infer that, but the focus in your pitch is on perseverance and teamwork, whereas it should be more specific. Think of the one thing that she did to get everyone to help her OR why her project was failing and base your pitch around that. And if there’s humor—see if you can get that in, too.

As always, I find Erin's comments so helpful and insightful!

Now, after all that education, we should probably have a snack :)  Something Chocolate anyone?  I'm in a cupcake mood. And this one is kind of cheerful and spring-like as well as luscious and chocolate, don't you think? :)

Scrumptious! :)

Now that we're all fortified, let's take a look at the awesome pitches from March and see which lucky writer is going to get her pitch reviewed by Erin.

#1 Karen - Puddles And Rainbows (PB ages 4-6)
Growing up is hard, but learning to rain might just prove harder. Either way, this Little Cloud needs plenty of patience and determination. A colorful discovery makes it all worthwhile.

#2 Ann - Sk8r Boy (PB ages 5-8)
Peter wants to be an ice skater but can’t because he’s homeless, and he doesn’t have the money for a pair of skates. But when there’s a poetry contest at school with a small cash prize, he may be able to make his smooth words glide and spin so that he can buy the skates and win his classmates’ respect.

#3 Beth - Martin's Perfect Web (PB ages 5-7)
In a quest to build a perfect web, a fussy spider confronts his biggest fears through an unlikely friendship with an inquisitive dragon.  Laurent the dragon takes Martin on a wild ride on his tail.  No one is more surprised at the ending than this stubborn intractable spider who finally learns how to relax, and enjoy the simple process of creating.

Please vote for the pitch you feel most deserves a read by editor Erin Molta in the poll below by Sunday April 13 at 5PM EDT.

Many thanks!!!

March 2014 Pitch PickToday's pitch comes to us from Morgan who says. "I am an aspiring children's book writer, a licensed school psychologist, and a mother of two boys (ages 1 1/2 and 3), with another on the way. Reading and writing emotional literacy is my passion. I also enjoy writing social stories and making reward charts for fun!" 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Sammy Dougie Foxtrot: Look, Smile, Roar
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Boogie along with Sammy Dougie Foxtrot and his trusted lion, PJ, on their courageous playground adventure. When PJ gets stuck in a sycamore tree, Sammy is scared: “The kind of scared when brakes on a truck screech, it’s dirt dumps, and it is as stiff as stabilizer legs.”Sammy discovers the true meaning of courage: that one can feel scared and brave at the same time. Even though the children at the playground look different, Sammy looks, smiles, and roars, bravely asking for their help. Find out if Sammy and the playground crew can work together to rescue PJ. “Look, Smile, Roar” enhances 4 to 8 year olds emotional literacy through the use of their imaginations. While entertaining, Sammy and PJ also emphasize tolerance and acceptance to promote early intervention. Oh, and I forgot to mention, they love to have fun! 

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

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