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As some of you know, one of my goals for the new year was to finish (Okay, okay, in reality write the whole darn thing, since one or two paragraphs wasn't exactly an auspiscious start.) my Halloween novella and submit it to my editor at Wild Rose.

The deadline for Halloween submissions is January 28. Yep that's tomorrow. And having only really gotten going on the entire project after Christmas, it left me a very short time span to write, edit, and submit the story. Now granted, it's just a short 10,000 word (about 50 pages) Miniature Rose, but still, an entire story in less than a month?! That's just insane.

Last week (or was it the week before?) I blogged about the fabulous progress I was making. Saturday had been a good writing day, and I was extremely pleased with my output. If I had just half as productive of a day on Sunday, I'd be home free. At least with the writing part. But alas, as those things tend to do...Sunday was not productive at all.

However, bottom line. I got it done! I finished that story last weekend. I even wrote the synopsis. I figured I'd have a decent week to edit, and I'd be able to submit by the deadline.

Well, I got a little antsy. I did a readthrough last Monday morning and decided the story was in pretty good shape. I tweaked a few things here and there, but overall, I felt it didn't need any major reworking. So, I typed up a query letter, added the synopsis, and sent it off to my editor Monday afternoon. About an hour later she e-mailed back and asked me to send her the full mss. We were off to a good start. So I figured I'd be writing here today asking you to keep your fingers crossed for me.

But wait...the story gets better. Thursday I got an e-mail from her saying she loved the story and had put in a request for a contract! (At TWRP all contracts need to be approved by the senior editor of the line.) Needless to say I was floored and extremely excited! The actual submission deadline hadn't even arrived yet and I was this close (thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart) to a contract!

Talk about a fast turnaround!

So, I'll still ask you to keep your fingers crossed for the senior editor to approve the contract. If all goes well, The Vampire and the Vixen (a contemporary tongue-in-cheek is-he-or-isn't-he Halloween story) will be available come fall.

Now how exciting is that?!

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

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Last week I visited Country Parkway Elementary School in Williamsville, NY. Mrs. Gayle Kerman made me feel very welcome by sharing my books with her students a head of time. We started the morning dancing the Snow Dance with the Kindergarteners and First Graders. Then we talked about how many people it takes to create a book. Third and Fourth Grade classes were in to nonfiction, so we discussed research, and brainstormed more than a dozen different ways we could write about a boring subject like sneakers. But since this is Halloween, I thought I would share with you the Halloween story the Second Graders wrote with me after we read Joshua the Giant Frog.

The Queen of Hearts ran up to the giant Ipod and said, "That's a great costume." The jack-o-lanterns glowed on the porch as the kids rang the doorbell. "Trick or treat."

From behind them they heard, "AAHHHHHH! Help me!" Sofia, dressed as a giant butterfly, raced down the street.

Then the earth shook. "Thump... THUMP.... THUMP!" Joshua the Giant Frog hopped into view. His tongue flicked as fast as a bullet at Sofia's wings.

"Oh no. Joshua thinks Sofia is a real butterfly."

"Quick, get all of your candy in a pile," said Ipod.
All the kids dumped their candy in the middle of the street. The pile grew taller than a sky scraper. "Joshua!" they called.

Joshua turned to see the mountain of chocolate and sugar, and his tongue lapped it up.

Poor Sofia dragged her broken wings back to town.



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by Sharon Blumberg

Spooky Story Starters can foster creative writing by children and young adults. Children can also draw illustrations to accompany their stories. Most children grow up with many unforgettable spooky Halloween experiences. Help your child, or your students if you’re a classroom teacher, create some fun spooky stories for Halloween.

Before you have your children start writing, remind them that effective stories for children need to contain essential elements. Aside from a beginning, middle, and end, those elements are as follows:

1. A point of view character. Write the story from the point of view of the main character.

2. A problem or conflict for the main character. The story must have a problem that needs to be solved. Try to present this as early in the story as possible in your story, or your reader will move on to something more enticing.

3. Rising action. Once your problem is established, create some rising action, where the conflict begins to build in intensity.

It is acceptable to have parents involved in the story, but the main character should try and solve the problem himself/herself.

4. Dialogue and Action. Try to tell much of the story through dialogue. In other words, “show,” don’t just “tell.” Be sure you have plenty of action, though. You story needs to be MORE than just people talking.

5. A Twist. Have your story end with an unexpected “twist.” This could be something the reader never saw coming, but would wonder why he didn’t.

Now for some Spooky Story Starters to help your children start writing:

1. You just moved into an old, large home with your family, in a new town. Everyone at school tells you the house is haunted. You are alone on Halloween evening, giving out candy, when you hear footsteps coming from the stairway.

2. Nobody ever Trick or Treats at the dark house on the corner of your block. Children have seen a shadowy silhouette of a women peering out of a second story window, and viscious dog-barking rattles the front windows. Your companions have dared you to ring the bell for Trick or Treat.

3. Every Halloween night, your neighbor down the street tries to scare children by growling, and jumping out of his door while wearing a costume. In addition, creepy-sounding Halloween songs blast from a boom box on his lawn. However, this year you notice something a little different. You don’t see your neighbor jumping out with a costume, nor do you hear the scary Halloween music. What you do see is a tall, dark hooded figure standing behind a clump of tall, evergreen trees near your neighbor’s house. Your friends still want to go Trick or Treating at this house. You don’t want to go, but you don’t want to seem like a wimpy baby by backing out.

4. You are interviewing a well-known vampire about his best Halloween memory. He is known for terrorizing bullies in the neighborhood on Halloween night. He tells you one time he…..

5. You have gone Trick or Treating ever since you were a young child because this particular house gives out the best treats. You are now 12 years old, but you are not quite ready to give up Trick or Treating while you still have younger friends. The lady at the door insults you by saying you are much too old to still be Trick or Treating. In fact, she says you should be ashamed of yourself. But she eventually gives you a big candy bar anyway.

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