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I think I have to go with either Cupcake Gingersocks or Candy Sparklepants, though... although Elvis McJingle is very appealing too! Which one do you think I should pick?
And you should go get yours! Right now! And share it in the comments! You know you want to... :) I'm all about the giving over here - I went and researched these helpful links just for you, so that you could waste a little time spend the holidays being called by your official Elf Name :) Think of it as my little holiday gift to you :)
So now, happy holidays! See you in 2016! May the force be with you etc.!
What?
You were expecting to discuss something else?
Something more important than official Elf Names? (as if there could be anything more important...!)
Oh!
Right!
I knew there was something else. . .
:)
The5thAnnualHolidayContest!!!!
WINNERS!!!
As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! Really! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Tuesday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another.
So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: David McMullin for Christmas In Discomfort (also so original and creative) Jaclyn Kruzie for A Rockin' Christmas Wish Sam Steinfels for Unsilent Night Melissa Bulls for Santa's Stain (also a fun-for-kids mystery) Heather ??? for A Real Christmas Tree
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories) Wendy Greenley for Cookin' Up The Holiday Kid-Style Kirsten Bock Mel The Marshmallow's Cocoa Catastrophe (also great ending!) Gabi Snyder Christmas With Kevin The Nanny Bot
3. For Excellence In Evoking Mood And Holiday Spirit And Tradition: Joni Klein-Higger for Happy Festival Of Lights Shelly Bond for Christmas Story Time! Tracey Cox for Zippin' Around On Christmas Eve
4. For Beautiful Rendition Of The Christmas Story: Kristi Veitenheimer for A Christmas Birth Aileen Stewart for Huddled Around The Stable Door
5. For Most Original Setting: Anne Sawan for The Outback Christmas Hop Lorraine Nelson for A Very Spacey Christmas
6. For Favorite Character: Marla LeSage for spunky, resourceful, entertaining Sheila in Holiday Heist
7. For Best-Written Original Point Of View: Julie Bergman for The Little Burnt Latke (POV of a latke!) Joanne Sher for Precious Cargo (POV of the donkey who carried Mary)
8. For Fun Story In Fewest Words: Miranda Ireland for Christmas Party Hop (4 lines, 44 words - the overworked judges love you :))
9. For Best Entry For Parents :) Shari Schwarz for Rocking Beside The Christmas Tree (so sweet :))
10. For Best Entry For Writers :) Debbie Austin for What Happened When I First Sat Down To Write This Story (so clever and entertainingly done! - writers you will not want to miss this one!)
11. For Fun Well-Written Animal Entries: Ashley Franklin for Picture Perfect (dog) Catherine Flynn for Pouncing Around The Christmas Tree (cat) Carol Lescinski for Rockin' Reindeer Jo Hart for Jungle Bell Rock (a whole menagerie :))
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they're about) (and if you request a paperback, please include your snail mail address!)
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2015 HOLIDAY CONTEST as voted on by you!!!
rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat
DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!
In First Place...
Winner of the whole shebang...
who gets first choice of all the prizes...
Jennifer Reinharz
for The Hanukkah Elf!!!
Congratulations, Jennifer, on a fabulous entry that was clearly very popular!!! :)
In Second Place...
Vivian Kirkfield
for The Christmas Seed
Congratulations, Vivian!! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Jennifer makes her choice.
In Third Place...
Suzy Levinson
for City Critter Christmas
Congratulations, Suzy! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Jennifer and Vivian choose theirs.
In Fourth Place...
Cindy Williams Schrauben
for Jugglin' High For Pumpkin Pie
Congratulations, Cindy! You get to pick after Jennifer, Vivian, and Suzy.
In Fifth Place...
Kris Allen
for The Incident
Congratulations, Kris! You get to pick after Jennifer, Vivian, Suzy, and Cindy.
In Sixth Place...
Lisa Connors
for The Gift Of The Magpie (And Friends)
Congratulations, Lisa! I'm sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now :)
In Seventh Place...
Sandy Jones
for Red Berries In The Snow
Congratulations, Sandy! You get to pick next :)
In Eighth Place... a 4-way tie!
Linda Schueler
for Randolph, Not A Reindeer
Nancy Tandon
for No Peeking!
Sheila Lynch-Afryl
for Clucking Christmas
Jen Bagan
for Ned's Christmas Wish
Congratulations, Linda, Nancy, Sheila and Jen! You get to pick after Sandy! And we'll just have to sort it out between us since you tied!
And in Twelfth Place, rounding out the top dozen of these amazing finalists and the 97 Holiday Contest Entries for 2015...
Deborah Boerema
for A New Classic?
All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! And for your convenience, the whole prize list is included at the bottom of this post.
Congratulations again to all our winners - it was a stiff competition!! - and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest. You all deserve a huge round of applause and a Holiday Treat which is not fruitcake! (unless you happen to like it :))
Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people's stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals. It's because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!
As I... hmm... maybe didn't mention...?, I'm taking a little blogging break so I can spend time with my family - I've got children to fetch, cookies to bake, Christmas presents to shop for and wrap, and my sister and her family are arriving form Georgia on Monday! :) - Oh, and we're going to see the new Star Wars movie on Wednesday! So I will see you all in a couple weeks - most probably Wednesday January 6th for Would You Read It :)
So now, I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday filled with love, laughter, joy, and family, and a happy, healthy and successful new year! It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to spend time with you all, and I'm happy and grateful to know each and every one of you!
Looking forward to all the things we'll do in 2016!
Happy Holidays, and all best wishes for a wonderful New Year!!!
Love,
Susanna
The Prizes!!! (items in color are links for more info!):
- A Picture Book Manuscript read and critique (winner's choice of in-person, on the phone, or via email) by Claire Dorsett, Editorial Assistant, Roaring Brook Press!!! A bibliophile and outdoor enthusiast, Claire spent her childhood summers road-tripping across the United States, reading constantly on the long car rides between parks and museums. Her love of literature led her to pursue a BA in English from Cornell University, where she was involved with campus publications The Daily Sun and Rainy Day literary magazine. Claire then completed the six-week intensive Columbia Publishing Course before finding a home at Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, assisting VP and Publisher Simon Boughton. She has worked on a range of projects during her time at Roaring Brook, including Lane Smith's middle-grade debut Return to Augie Hobble, Steve Sheinkin's National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, and picture books The Skunk, There is a Tribe of Kids, and Ned The Knitting Pirate. - a brand new Picture Book Webinar Bundle including one webinar on Concept Books and the other on Rhyme, Verse and Lyricism in Picture Books, generously donated by Emma Walton Hamilton, author, editor, writing coach, and teacher of the fabulous Just Write For Kids courses. - a 2016 Membership to Children's Book Insider, including their Children's Writing Knowledge Base, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes - A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author/illustrator Iza Trapani, author of JINGLE BELLS, OLD KING COLE, ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and many, many more! - A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the fabulous Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! - an e-copy of the fantastic How To Promote Your Children's Book generously donated by Katie Davis!
- Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class - in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) - A 6-Month Membership to the new and fabulous One Stop For Writers Site! - 2016 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. - another 2016 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. - a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill's amazing What's The Story Cards (hitherto un-introduced to the world!) - writing prompts for every occasion :) - another pack of Susanna Leonard Hill's amazing What's The Story Cards
I can't thank these authors and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you've read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
The Contest Winner gets first choice of the prizes. 2nd place gets next choice of what's left and so on. I do it this way in the hopes that no one will get something they already have and also because I think all the prizes are fabulous and I wouldn't want to make anyone feel less valued by giving them as 6th place as opposed to 1st. :)
0 Comments on The 2015 Holiday Contest WINNERS!!! as of 1/1/1900
Nervous tics and twitches popping up at every turn!
And chocolate of all kinds being consumed in an uncontrolled fashion!!!
(Well, okay, I admit that around here the chocolate thing is pretty much par for the course, not confined to anxiety over waiting for contest finalists to be posted... uncontrolled chocolate consumption is a good thing :))
But I do sympathize!
Bad enough that I always make you wait the weekend to find out who the contest finalists are, but this time I made you wait a WHOLE EXTRA DAY! I'm so sorry!
Is that a jam stain on your blouse?
Please.
Go take a shower and put on clean clothes.
We'll wait. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
There now.
Isn't that better?
And now, at long last, the waiting is over!
Almost :)
Because as always, we must begin with a few words from the people in charge around here.
First, I want to thank EVERYONE who found time in their busy holiday season schedule to write an entry for this contest - all 96 of you! The overall quality of the entries was amazing! There were no easy cuts. My assistant judges and I found something to like in every story and hated having to cut anyone!
Second, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time to go around to as many of the 48 different blogs as you could, as well as the 48 entries posted in the comments here, and read and leave supportive comments for the writers who worked so hard on these stories. In this business where rejection is a common and unavoidable part of the process, it means a great deal to writers to know that their work was read and enjoyed, and to receive a few kind words about their writing. It is one of the best things about this community - that people are so generous and kind to each other.
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how really difficult it was to choose. There were so many fabulous entries. The sheer volume meant that many great stories had to be cut. So if yours didn't make the final cut please don't feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point - we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn't make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn't write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to hone and tweak if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Finally, I'd like to be very clear about the voting process. Due to the large number of entries, there are 12 finalists listed below. I have deliberately listed them by title only, so as to help with objectivity. Please read through them and choose the one you feel is best and vote. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about Mrs. Claus dancing the makaraina with Rudolph or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.
Now, without further ado, here are your finalists. There is a mix of poetry and prose, funny, cute, and poignant - quite a spread! Remember that the judging criteria were: 1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness or whose humor or content felt more appropriate for an older or adult audience did not make the cut. 2. It (hopefully) goes without saying that you must follow the contest rules - there were very specific instructions about the opening line which almost all of you followed to the letter... but a couple of strong entries did not. I thought the instructions were clear because of the multiple examples given... but one entry in particular caused serious debate among the judges as to whether the rules had been followed or not - the opening line was clearly modeled on the song but did not follow the pattern spelled out. In the end, we did not add that entry to the finalist list because some people who weren't sure emailed for clarification and this author did not, and about 90 of the 96 entries followed the correct pattern flawlessly. So... executive decision... although we weren't entirely happy about it. 3. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut. We looked for a true story arc, and unfortunately there were quite a few lovely, well-written entries that failed to meet this criteria. 4. Quality of writing - use of language, correctness of tense, spelling and grammar, quality of rhyme and meter for the poetry entries, and overall impression of writing were factored in. 5. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another. We cut 84 entries to leave you with these 12. It was very hard! We did the best we could. There were a number of stories where the judges loved the concept, but the rhyme/meter needed too much work to make the finals. And there were some that modeled the song beautifully with perfect meter and rhyme that failed to tell a story. In any case, I hope you'll all find at least one of your favorites on the list below. #1CITY CRITTER CHRISTMAS
Soaring over skaters at the Rockefeller Rink,
Pigeon spies a Christmas tree and stops to have a think.
Perched upon a frosty branch that twinkles red and blue,
he wishes that the holidays were meant for critters, too.
Dashing through the Christmas tree in front of 30 Rock,
Squirrel bumps into Pigeon and he stops to have a talk.
"Why so sad?" he asks the bird. "It's Christmas Eve, you know."
"Not for critters," Pigeon says. "Hey, look who's right below!"
Trudging home from Macy's (where he worked a double shift)...
it's Santa Claus! He slips, he slides, he winds up in a drift!
Squirrel and Pigeon watch him fall—it's not a jolly sight.
They scurry down the Christmas tree to see if he's all right.
Twisting on the sidewalk while the critters yank his boot,
Santa Claus begins to yell, "Lay off my Santa suit!"
"We'll help you up," the critters say. "We know you're in a rush!
You should be heading to your sleigh, not stuck here in the slush!"
Getting to his feet as shoppers shop and skaters twirl,
Santa grins at Pigeon, then he turns and grins at Squirrel.
"Thanks," he tells the critters, gently wringing out his hat.
"I'll give you both a Christmas gift!" They like the sound of that.
Sharing roasted chestnuts Santa purchased on the street,
Squirrel and Pigeon sit upon their Christmas tree and eat.
They look out at the city, filled with angels, while they chew,
agreeing that the holidays are meant for critters, too.
#2Red Berries in the Snow
Hopping along the twisty trail in the quiet, wintry woods, Rabbit spied red berries poking through the snow. “The Giver will be here soon,” he squealed. Then a heavy branch dropped snow on his head. Rabbit’s whiskers froze into tiny icicles.
He hopped to Mole’s house and thumped his foot on the cold ground near the door. Thump, Thumpity-Thump, Thump. “I saw red berries in the snow!” Rabbit hollered down the hole. “Please tell the Giver that I’d like a warm scarf this year. I’m going home to thaw my whiskers.”
Mole was dizzy from Rabbit’s wild thumping, but he clawed his way through his dark tunnel and popped out next to Mouse’s tidy nest. “Red berries in the snow,” Mole announced. “Kindly tell the Giver that Rabbit would like a scarf to keep his whiskers warm. And I would like a lamp for my tunnel. I’m going to sit in my favorite chair until my aching head feels better.”
“Oh dear, oh dear,” stammered Mouse as she pulled on her boots. “Rabbit and Mole are so impatient. Red Berries in the snow! Scarves and lamps! I’ve no time to waste.” She scurried up an oak tree and teetered on a tiny branch. “Good evening Owl,” she said. “It’s the sharing season and we must send the Giver a message. Tell him that Rabbit would like a warm scarf and Mole would like a bright lamp. Since I never seem to have enough time, I would like a watch.”
Owl listened carefully, then he lifted his strong wings and flew North until he saw the tallest evergreen in the woods. He circled it three times and landed deep within its boughs.
In the warmth of the morning, Rabbit found his scarf. Mole switched on his lamp and Mouse admired her watch. Beside each present lay a note that read: Your greatest gift will be found just outside your door. “Hooray!” said Rabbit, and he threw open his door. Mole and Mouse were staring back at him, and he knew the Giver’s words were true.
#3The Incident
Fleeting through the crowded aisles Of the mall - both hands held tight, 'Cause Mom and Dad are really mad About "the incident" tonight.
It all started with a fun-filled trip To sit on Santa's knee So I could tell him all the things I hoped he'd bring for me.
But when I saw the line of kids Went far past Santa's sleigh, I knew somewhere, someway, somehow, I had to get away.
So I thought up an escape route, 'Cause I think it's so unfair, For kids to wait instead of play When toys are everywhere.
Quick - I bolted up the steps, Down aisles, and through a store. I figured it was better than that long line - what a bore!
But the store was NOT a fun one. It was filled with frilly things, Stuff that grown-up ladies wear, NO TOYS like Santa brings.
And then . . . my parents found me. I knew it wasn't good. So I hid inside a clothes rack Like any smart kid would.
Then without so much as looking, Mom reached in and grabbed my collar While Dad stood with his lips pinched tight, trying not to holler.
They yanked me from that clothes rack, Past holiday displays, Down the escalator, And 'round people like a maze.
And as we fled past Santa, I thought I saw him grin - I guess I'll send a letter About how good I've been.
#4The Hanukkah Elf
Tapping on the window pane at the Klein family home was Max, Santa’s hungriest elf. He was waving a jar and a letter. It read:
Dear Santa,
Potato pancakes, jelly donuts, games and light. Please come to my house on Hanukkah.
Love, Joe
“Santa has to deliver presents tonight,” the elf stepped inside. “So he sent me, Max. And this oil. When do we eat?”
“After we light the menorah,” Joe said. “Bring the jar.”
Max filled each of the eight cups with Santa’s gift. The boy and the elf lit the wicks.
The menorah glowed bright, but Santa’s oil was gone.
Joe frowned. “We need more to make the latkes and sufganiyot.”
Max’s stomach growled. “Time for a little elf magic.”
Twinkle. Wiggle. Clap.
The jar refilled. “Okay, Joe. Let’s get cooking.”
Max flipped the potato pancakes. Joe fried the donuts.
The boy and the elf devoured their feast.
Bellies full, faces sticky with applesauce and jam, Max and Joe settled their stomachs with a game of dreidel.
“I think I’ll save my chocolate winnings for the ride home,” Max said.
Joe read the letters on the top. “Nun. Gimel. He. Shin. In Hebrew that stands for A Great Miracle Happened There. Thank you for the oil.”
“I came for the food and made friend,” Max smiled. “I hope we can celebrate Hanukkah together again. Santa will be flying by soon. I should get to the roof.”
But Max didn’t move.
“What’s wrong?” asked Joe.
“How will Santa know where to find me? This isn’t one of his usual stops.”
“Yes it is.” Joe grinned and pointed to the stockings on the mantle. “We celebrate Christmas too. Merry Christmas, Max!”
“Happy Everything, Joe!”
#5The Christmas Seed
Circling round the planet Mars on their space craft RV-3,
the children begged and pleaded for a real live Christmas tree.
“There is no way,” cried Maw and Paw, “for that to come about.”
So Sue and Lou and Baby Boo would have to do without.
No Christmas tree? That cannot be…they vowed to find a way.
Sue climbed up high and searched the sky, but only saw a sleigh.
And Lou got tangled in the lights while looking in a drawer.
And Baby Boo picked up a seed as he crawled on the floor.
“Take that away,” cried Maw and Paw, “that’s not for Boo to eat”
But Boo skedaddled like a flash to the ejection seat.
Maw screamed! Lou tripped! Sue scrambled down! Paw reached to
save his kid.
They heard a BOOM! It shook the room! The spaceship blew its lid!
They watched as Boo flew through the air; it was a fearful sight.
This wasn’t quite the way they’d planned to spend this Christmas
night.
And Maw, she moaned, and Paw, he groaned, and Sue and Lou,
they cried.
But then they heard a HO! HO! HO! and Santa slid inside.
He opened up his big red sack – plucked out a doll for Sue,
a watch for Paw, a book for Maw, a bat and ball for Lou.
But Maw and Paw, their faces drooped, and Sue and Lou, they
frowned,
until they heard, deep in the sack, a most familiar sound.
Then Santa reached way down inside and pulled out Baby Boo.
“I saved the best for last,” he said. “This one’s for all of you!”
And scrambling up onto his sleigh, he pointed straight at Mars
The seed Boo found had grown into a Christmas tree with stars.
And Santa’s booming voice rang out as he rode out of sight,
“May peace and love and joy be yours on this and every night.”
So if you get a telescope, please aim the lens towards Mars,
and you might see Boo’s Christmas tree, adorned with twinkling
stars.
#6 Randolph, Not A Reindeer
“Packing up the presents at the North Pole workshop.” The elves and reindeer sang the traditional Christmas song. But Randolph couldn’t sing. Tears made the words stick in his throat. Randolph was thinking about when Santa had told him that Randolph had not been chosen to pull the sleigh. “It’s not that you’re not fast enough, Randolph,” Santa had said, his eyes sad. “It’s…” “Yes, I know, Santa,” Randolph had said, blinking back the tears. He had heard the rumours already. How all the children had cried, because Randolph had melted all the snow as he flew by. Because Randolph was not a reindeer, but a raindeer, it rained wherever he went. So instead of singing with the elves and reindeer, Randolph was doing what he did best: cleaning. The elves started to chatter about the snowstorm that had taken place the night before in Canada. “I’ve heard the snow is all the way to the rooftops,” said one elf. “Santa is bringing extra food along,” said another. The Christmas sleigh flew off , and everyone listened to the radio as it gave updates on Santa’s progress. All was well. Then Santa hit Canada. The radio crackled, “Santa here, over. We’ve got an emergency, over. Send over everyone, over.” Santa wanted everyone? Even Randolph? Randolph flew high in the sky. Faster, faster, faster until he reached Santa and his sleigh. Snow was not only up to the rooftops, but it was also covering the chimneys. That meant that Santa could not deliver the presents and food! Elves were digging out the chimneys as fast as they could, but it was not fast enough. Randolph knew what he must do. He flew over a house. The rain from the raindeer’s clouds melted the snow from the roof. Soon the chimney was exposed. “Ho ho ho, well done, Randolph,” laughed Santa. Santa went down the chimney, and then Randolph flew to the next house. And the next one. “Packing up the presents at the North Pole workshop.” The elves and reindeer sang as they worked, and this time Randolph sang along.
#7No Peeking!
Sneakin’ around the present stash
At the bottom of the tree,
In stealth mode, got my ninja on,
Look how black-ops I can be!
I shouldn’t look, but too late now,
Hey, I think this one’s for me!
Later I might regret this choice,
But right now I’ve got to see.
Santa, please forgive me sir, it’s awfully hard to wait.
Voices saying, “It’s not Christmas – put that present down right now, Miss!”
Sneakin’ around the present stash
Is the most fun thing to do.
Parents are at their office bash,
If you were me, you’d peek too!
Here I go, I’m gonna open just one little gift.
Peel the tape slow, careful – don’t tear…
Jokes on me now, I got UNDERWEAR!
Wrap it back up, no time to waste
Hide this sneaky thing I did.
I’ll call St. Nick and plead my case,
“Please remember, I’m a kid!”
#8The Gift Of The Magpie (And Friends)
Flitting around the birdfeeder at the tiny woodland house, birds of all kinds shared the feast that appeared like magic when winter arrived. Chickadee dipped and swooped while spreading his dee dee dee cheer. Goldfinch called po-ta-to-chip. Titmouse tap-tapped his seed. Magpie noticed Sparrow whose feathers slumped as she stared in the window.
“What’s wrong dear friend? In this season of chill, these people feed us from their goodwill. You should chirp, you should sing, you should eat your fill.”
“It’s the boy,” Sparrow cried.
The birds loved the boy. He watched them whenever he was home, and he spent his allowance on birdseed.
“His mom said there isn’t enough money to buy a Christmas tree this year.”
Magpie peered into the house. The boy was drawing birds, but Magpie saw him wipe his eyes.
“We’ll help him smile, I do decree. We’ll get our friend a Christmas tree.”
The closest trees to the house were maples and oaks whose leaves had fallen for the winter. Squirrel nibbled the stem of a young cedar tree so they could take it to the boy. But the whole flock of birds couldn’t lift one tree.
“Plan B is better, this I know. You’ll still need your muscles though,” Magpie enthused.
They practiced making tree-shaped pyramids, but the bottom birds got tired or hungry before the star-bird could settle on top. On their third attempt the neighbor’s cat almost got her own Christmas treat! Feathers flew; Cat missed, but Magpie got an idea!
“Who says we need an evergreen? Come all my friends, it’s time to preen!”
On the dawn-quiet of Christmas morning, the boy donned boots and a coat. He went to the closest maple by his window to hang birdseed ornaments for his friends. He gasped and smiled. From it’s naked branches hung colorful, delicate feathers gleaming with the new day’s light. He sang out loud as he added his ornaments. “Merry Christmas my woodland friends!” The morning air filled with bird song in reply.
#9A New Classic?
Waiting in line for Santa’s knee
At the mall we always shop.
Suddenly, someone nudges me.
It’s an undercover cop!
You will not believe this crazy story when you hear…
He’s dressed like an elf, by golly!
In my shock, I drop my dolly.
The cop asks for my help, you see.
This is what he has to say:
“Three bullies have been on a spree.
For their stunts they now must pay!”
“They must be stopped,” I do agree
“What kind of help can I bring?”
He replies, “Teamwork is the key.
We will organize a sting.
“Those creeps are smashing candy canes swiped from little kids.
Wait ‘til you get to Santa’s chair.
Then get your cane, and I’ll be there.
“They’ll grab your treat and try to flee.
It will really make my day
To catch them in the act—all three—
And propel them on their way.”
Our plan works out just perfectly.
We make an unlikely team:
An elf cop and a little girl.
Sounds just like a wacky dream!
The mall’s now very safe, you’ll find;
So hop up on Santa’s lap.
Watch out if mischief’s on your mind,
For we’ll set another trap!
#10Clucking Christmas
Sneezing around the reindeer pen on the night before Christmas… AAAAACHOOOO! HOOONK! Santa blew his nose for the 50th time that Christmas Eve. “You’re done with your bath, Donner. Now you’re sparkling clean for our big… ACHOOO! HONK! …night.”
Mrs. Claus, with Agnes, her favorite backyard chicken, clucking behind her, said, “Santa dear, you’re allergic to those reindeer. There’s no way they can lead your sleigh tonight.”
A triple sneeze shot out of Santa and onto Donner. “Hogwash,” Santa muttered weakly.
Agnes scurried back to the henhouse. “Santa’s allergic to the reindeer. We have to help him!”
“Poor Santa! He’s a good egg,” Beaker moaned.
“Should we buy him allergy pills?” Lovey asked.
“This is our big chance!” Dixie flapped.
“Everyone in favor say ‘squawk,’ ” said Agnes.
“Squawk!” It was unanimous.
The chickens bustled outside and took a place in front of the sleigh.
Santa sighed. “I guess I have no choice. Reindeer, you get the night off.” He grabbed the reins. “On Agnes! On Bertha!”
The chickens weren’t listening. “Agnes! Why did he call your name first?!” Dixie clucked.
“Jiminy Christmas! You chickens don’t rule the roost,” Santa sputtered. “On Lovey! On Beaker!”
The chickens frantically flapped their wings. The sleigh crept forward, then moved faster and faster. It lifted a foot off the ground and Santa breathed a sigh of relief.
Bu
0 Comments on The 5th Annual Holiday Contest Finalists - Vote For Your Favorite!!! as of 12/15/2015 5:11:00 AM
The Contest: Write a children's story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) beginning with any version of "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop." You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version "[Verb of your choice]ing [any preposition you choose] the [any item you choose] [any preposition you choose] the [venue of your choice]." For example, "Surfing along the wind-whipped waves at the Yuletide barbeque," or "Wandering through the pine-sweet woods at the cut-your-own tree farm," or "Quarreling in the checkout line at the local Toys R Us," or "Waltzing among the candy canes at the Holiday Bazaar".... You get the idea, I'm sure :) But "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop" is completely acceptable too - whatever works for you :) Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest :)) (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful :)), but no more than 350!) The field is wide open! Have fun! The more creative the better! No illustration notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one entry you may, just remember you're competing against yourself!)
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Friday December 11 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Sunday December 13 (no WYRI or PPBF during that week.) If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my December 7th post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you! But please don't send attachments! Just copy and paste your story into the email.) And please be sure to include your byline!! We don't want to have to guess who wrote your entry!
The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 10-12 finalists (depending on the number of entries) which will be posted here on either Monday December 14 or Tuesday December 15 (depending on the number of entries :)) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Thursday December 17 at 5 PM EST and the winners will be announced on Friday December 18. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place. Judging criteria will be kid appeal/kid-friendliness, creativity, quality of story, quality of writing, and originality.
The Prizes!: Wow! We've got some truly great prizes! (items in color are links for more info!):
- A Picture Book Manuscript read and critique (winner's choice of in-person, on the phone, or via email) by Claire Dorsett, Editorial Assistant, Roaring Brook Press!!! A bibliophile and outdoor enthusiast, Claire spent her childhood summers road-tripping across the United States, reading constantly on the long car rides between parks and museums. Her love of literature led her to pursue a BA in English from Cornell University, where she was involved with campus publications The Daily Sun and Rainy Day literary magazine. Claire then completed the six-week intensive Columbia Publishing Course before finding a home at Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, assisting VP and Publisher Simon Boughton. She has worked on a range of projects during her time at Roaring Brook, including Lane Smith's middle-grade debut Return to Augie Hobble, Steve Sheinkin's National Book Award finalist Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, and picture books The Skunk, There is a Tribe of Kids, and Ned The Knitting Pirate. - a brand new Picture Book Webinar Bundle including one webinar on Concept Books and the other on Rhyme, Verse and Lyricism in Picture Books, generously donated by Emma Walton Hamilton, author, editor, writing coach, and teacher of the fabulous Just Write For Kids courses. - a 2016 Membership to Children's Book Insider, including their Children's Writing Knowledge Base, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes - A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented author/illustrator Iza Trapani, author of JINGLE BELLS, OLD KING COLE, ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and many, many more! - A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the fabulous Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! - an e-copy of the fantastic How To Promote Your Children's Book generously donated by Katie Davis!
- Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class - in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) - A 6-Month Membership to the new and fabulous One Stop For Writers Site! - 2016 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. - another 2016 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. - a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill's amazing What's The Story Cards (hitherto un-introduced to the world!) - writing prompts for every occasion :) - another pack of Susanna Leonard Hill's amazing What's The Story Cards
I can't thank these authors and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you've read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
The Contest Winner will have first choice of the prizes. 2nd place will have next choice of what's left and so on. (I'm doing it this way in the hopes that no one will get something they already have and also because I think all the prizes are fabulous and I wouldn't want to make anyone feel less valued by giving them as 6th place as opposed to 1st.)
So let's get this Holiday Party started! :)
I want to warn you in advance that this may actually be the worst story I've ever written - embarrassing for me, but very comforting for anyone who is worried about the quality of their story - I can say with complete confidence that ANYTHING you write will be better than this sample! :) Every time I do this I'm amazed by how fast I use up my 350 words!
Christmas Pie
350 words
Skimming across the sugar snow in a one-horse open sleigh, Rabbit headed for the Holiday Festival with his specialty Christmas Pie, fresh-baked, still warm, and smelling delicious!
He passed Mouse.
“May I have a ride?” asked Mouse.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Mouse climbed up beside Rabbit and off they went.
Soon they passed Squirrel.
“May I have a ride?” asked Squirrel.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Squirrel climbed up beside Rabbit and Mouse and off they went.
Soon they passed Possum.
“May I have a ride?” asked Possum.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Before long they had passed the Turkey Twins, Raccoon, Badger, Fox, Bobcat, and Deer and his eight out-of-town cousins visiting from somewhere up North, and they ALL climbed in. The sleigh was very crowded indeed, but the pie sat safe beside Rabbit, fresh-baked, still warm, and smelling delicious!
“Got room for one more?” asked Bear as they drew up alongside him.
“Sure!” said Rabbit.“Hop in.But careful of the pie!”
Bear hopped in.
But the way had grown steep…
…and the sleigh was VERY full!
Pretty soon the horse stalled out and the sleigh wouldn’t budge another inch.
“We’ll help!” volunteered the passengers, and they all got out to push.
Up, up, up the hill they went until…
…YIKES!
The hill pitched steeply down the other side.
The sleigh took off at high speed and crashed into a snow bank at the bottom.
Animals tumbled helter-skelter.
The Christmas Pie sailed through the air…
…and landed high in the branches of the Holiday Festival Christmas Tree!
“My pie!” wailed Rabbit.“We’ll never get it down!”
“Yes, we will!” said Bear.
Squirrel, Possum, the Turkey Twins, Raccoon, Badger, Fox, Bobcat, and Deer and his eight cousins all climbed up on Bear.All the way to the top of that tippy-tippy tower climbed Mouse, who plucked the pie from the high branches and passed it down to Rabbit, fresh-baked, still warm, and smelling delicious!
“Hurray!” cheered Rabbit.
And they all ate Christmas Pie!
So now! Is everyone filled with confidence about their entries? I certainly hope so after that display! Never let it be said that I'm not willing to make a fool of myself for you guys :) It just proves how much I love you :)
I can't wait to read all of your (much better!) stories! I hope there will be a lot - the more the merrier! And there are still nearly 5 days to write, so you have time if you haven't written yet and want to join the fun. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well. If you just want to enjoy reading, that's great too! We need all the readers we can get, so feel free to spread the word to parents and teachers! And what better way to entertain yourself and your kids while waiting for the holiday goodies to bake? Or get someone to read aloud while everyone else wraps presents :)
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
Rejoice! and let the festivities begin!!! :)
Don't miss the # fabulous entries in the comment section! Click on the names or titles to go to the story. Please note that it takes a minute to load. And please also note that clicking on these links will allow you to read the story and leave your own comment, but not see previous comments left on that story... I don't know why... so if you want to see all the comments left on the story, you'll have to scroll through the whole comment section.
0 Comments on Ho! Ho! Ho! The 5th Annual Holiday Contest Is Here!!! as of 1/1/1900
So nice of you to drop by on Monday and visit me! I missed you so over the weekend :)
And you won't be sorry for coming over!
I have SUCH exciting news!!!
Guess what???
I have invented a new recipe!
Yes! It's true!
I must give credit where credit is due. I was inspired by Shelley Kinder in a blog comment on the Halloweensie Winner's post. During all the talk about nuts vs. no nuts in dessert, she suggested the benefits of peanut butter chips... and an idea was born!
Lo and behold, my new recipe:
Take the brownie recipe of your choice and add 1/2 (or 1/2 +) cup of peanut butter chips! YUM!
And this gave rise to ANOTHER idea... add 1/2 (or 1/2+) cup of toffee chips!
OR add 1/2 (or 1/2+) cup of crushed peppermint!
OR go the s'mores route and add 1/2 cup mini marshmallows and 1/4-1/2 cup graham cracker cereal! (Although that might get mushy... I'll have to experiment...! Maybe crushed graham cracker at the bottom with the brownie batter mixed with marshmallows added on top...?)
I KNOW!
And you're welcome, because I know I have just given you a whole new outlook on your holiday baking plans! :)
At least, I've given MYSELF a whole new outlook on MY holiday baking plans! :)
And the added benefit? An unexpected Monday Something Chocolate Snack:
Please forgive the photos - I'm a baker not a photographer :) - but I promise they taste delicious!!! :)
So, thanks for stopping by. I hope it was worth your time. And I hope you weren't expecting anything else...
What?
You were expecting something else?
Well in that case...
...maybe I should tell you...
...that it's time for...
The5thAnnualHolidayContest!!!!
WA-HOOO!!!! :)
The Contest: Write a children's story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) beginning with any version of "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop." You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version "[Verb of your choice]ing [any preposition you choose] the [any item you choose] [any preposition you choose] the [venue of your choice]." For example, "Surfing along the wind-whipped waves at the Yuletide barbeque," or "Wandering through the pine-sweet woods at the cut-your-own tree farm," or "Quarreling in the checkout line at the local Toys R Us," or "Waltzing among the candy canes at the Holiday Bazaar".... You get the idea, I'm sure :) But "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop" is completely acceptable too - whatever works for you :) Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest :)) (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful :)), but no more than 350!) The field is wide open! Have fun! The more creative the better! No illustration notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one entry you may, just remember you're competing against yourself!)
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between 12:01 AM EST Monday December 7 and Friday December 11 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on the official holiday contest post which will go up on my blog on Monday December 7 and remain up through Sunday December 13 (no WYRI or PPBF during that week.) If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my December 7th post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you! But please don't send attachments! Just copy and paste your story into the email.)
The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 10-12 finalists (depending on the number of entries) which will be posted here on either Monday December 14 or Tuesday December 15 (depending on the number of entries :)) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Thursday December 17 at 5 PM EST and the winners will be announced on Friday December 18. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place. Judging criteria will be kid appeal/kid-friendliness, creativity, quality of story, quality of writing, and originality.
The Prizes!: Ok, so I'm still working on the prize list and will have to update, but here are some of the prizes that will be offered, and I think we're going to have some additional awesomeness to add! (items in color are links for more info!):
- A picture book manuscript critique by talented author/illustrator Iza Trapani, author of JINGLE BELLS, OLD KING COLE, ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and many, many more! - a picture book manuscript critique by the fabulous Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! - Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class - in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) - 2016 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. - a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill's amazing What's The Story Cards (hitherto un-introduced to the world!)
I can't thank these authors enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books to your friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you've read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
And now! Sharpen those pencils! Top off those coffee mugs! Get those derrieres in your chairs! And start writing those prize-winning entries!!!
I can't wait for the festivities to begin! :)
0 Comments on Monday Munchday...An Exciting Announcement! as of 11/16/2015 4:54:00 AM
I'm delirious after an agonizing weekend of trying to choose 10 finalists out of more than 10 times that number of entries, all of them wonderful in one way or another! (And no. We did not choose 10. We chose a baker's dozen - 13 for Halloween!)
The fact that I am flat on the floor is nothing to worry about. Really. I'm fine. And so are the other judges. You just can't see them because they crawled off to bed in the wee hours and have yet to emerge.
Seriously. There is no need to worry about us. But we won't say no to chocolate if you wish to send some our way and help us recover :)
We had the biggest turn out we've ever had in terms of number of entries - 145! - and the overall quality of the entries was fantastic. Really, it is readily apparent that the quality of entries in these contests is improving every time. This means there are fewer obvious standouts, almost none that are easy to cut, and there a LOT of very good ones that we have to get very nit-picky over! It is agony, I tell you!
Before we get to the actual list of finalists, I have a couple things to say. (I know you're shocked :))
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for many!
Second, I'd also like to thank EVERYONE - writer, reader, or both - who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! :)
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn't make the final cut please don't feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point - we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn't make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn't write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 100 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Now. Onto the judging criteria which were as follows: 1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness did not make the cut. 2. Halloweeniness - the rules stated a Halloween story, so entries that failed to mention anything Halloween-y did not make the cut even if they were well-written. 3. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut. We looked for a character and a true story arc. 4. Quality of Writing: we took note of spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. In addition, for the rhymers, we looked at rhyme and meter (for which we are sticklers!) We also looked at overall writing quality and use of language. 5. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another.
A surprising number of this year's entries were amazingly written... but failed to really tell a story! They were more descriptions, lists, or mood pieces. So as awesome as they were, we had to make some very hard calls.
Without further ado, I present to you the 2015 Halloweensie Contest Finalists. A mix of poetry and prose, stories for younger readers and slightly older (but still kid) readers, funny, spooky, and cute. Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite. To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.
And I'd like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about the pumpkin ballerina or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.
#1. Leila's First Halloween
Tears puddle in Leila’s dark eyes. Tomorrow is the Halloween costume parade at her new school.
“Costumes cost money,” Mama sighs. “I can’t buy something you wear once for this strange holiday. Any extra money must be sent to our sisters and brothers in Aleppo.”
Halloween haunts Leila’s thoughts. A stomach ache? Mama never lets her miss school. A costume from Teacher’s bin? Her classmates will laugh.
“I know!” she cries, grabbing a navy pullover and red leggings.
As her classmates don costumes, Leila asks Teacher for 50 stars and white tape. “I’m an American now, an American flag!”
#2 Pirate Prepares For Halloween
Pirate wonders what to wear.
Knitted cap with dreadlocked hair?
Striped pajamas? Bandoleer?
Same old shorts she’s worn all year?
Black bandana? New tattoo?
She can’t dress like pirates do!
But a costume would delight
on this dark and haunted night.
Zombie? Werewolf? Ninja? Cat?
Too cliché, she can’t wear that.
Pirate wants to go disguised,
but her friends should be surprised.
Pirate gathers what she needs:
old bandana, borrowed beads,
Jolly Roger, tattered lace.
Then she snips and sews with grace.
When her tutu is all set.
Sauté, plié, pirouette.
Pirate plans a dance routine
to perform on Halloween.
#3 Spooky Spies
He focused a triangle on the approaching costumed family.
“That Jack-O-Lantern is watching me,” said Franz.
“Don’t be silly,” said his mother, “It’s just a pumpkin.”
“It winked at me!” yelped Tess, “Creepy, haunted pumpkin!”
“Impossible,” scoffed their mother, ”On to next house!”
Hours later, after the last trick-or-treater had gone home,
a lone man waltzed down the dark street.
“Report, Jack-O,” he murmured.
“Evening, sir. I have your list. 100 kids said trick-or-treat. 95 kids said thank you. Five kids took their candy and ran,” reported Jack-O-Lantern.
“Excellent.” said the man, “See you next October.”
“Goodnight, Santa,” replied Jack-O-Lantern.
#4 Nothing To Wear
It was Halloween day,
soon to be night.
Where darkness would lurk,
between Halloween lights.
But Harry and Ava
had nothing to wear.
No colourful costume,
to give folks a scare.
So off they both set,
to "Costumes'R'us".
Hitching a ride, on the
666 bus.
They said to the driver,
"Your costume is cool.
Totally haunting,
just like a ghoul"
He smiled and he nodded
"it's Costumes'R'us"
then he drove them both there,
and they jumped off the bus.
But the shop sign said "closed",
How could that be?
Then the driver and bus,
disappeared from the street.
#5 Grow-A-Ghoul
“Grow-a-Ghoul in 31 days. Guaranteed to be a hit on Halloween. Keep your Ghoul in a dark closet, and feed them a cup of fruit punch every day,” read Meredith.
“Oh goody,” said Ethan, “I can’t wait to scare the pants off Franz Findley.
“My ghoul is going to haunt the whole town,” boasted Sarah.
On October 31st, the ghouls floated out of the closet.
“WOOOOOOO,” wailed Meredith’s ghoul.
“AAAHHHHOOOOO,” moaned Ethan’s ghoul.
“Let’s be best friends! We can hold hands and wear matching princess costumes!” exclaimed Sarah’s ghoul.
“Oh dear,” said Sarah, “My ghoul is broken.”
#6 The Unicorn Ate My Candy Corn: A Halloween Tall Tale
My costume’s crumpled in a heap,
My candy’s in the pail.
Blinking eyes, I’m close to sleep
Until I hear a wail.
And then a snort. And clacking feet.
I think my room is haunted.
A voice neighed out, “I NEED A TREAT!”
I ask what kind it wanted.
“The sweetest treat, shaped like my horn.
With bands of orange and yellow.
I’m craving all your candy corn!”
I hear the creature bellow.
My room is dark, but now I see
Four legs, a mane. . . a horn?
Who ate the treats? It wasn’t me.
I blame the unicorn.
#7 Paisley The Ghostling
Paisley loved Halloween.
What other day could a ghostling wear a costume, trick-or-treat, and play in the
dark?
Paisley wished she could join the fun, but she had scare duty like all the other ghostlings.
Boo-hoo. What's a ghost to do?
An idea came as quick as a spook.
She'd wear a costume and haunt the kids trick-or-treating.
Paisley dressed as broccoli.
Vegetables were sure to bring a fright.
Paisley yelled, “Eat your vegetables!”
All the kids screamed.
Paisley had a spooktacular time.
Next year she will go as parsnip.
#8 A Meaty Trick-or-Treat
Once upon a Trick or Treat,
T. Rex set out to get some meat.
He and friends went door to door,
Until their bags could hold no more.
"T" raced home past ghosts and clowns,
Costumed pets, and haunted frowns.
When safely home, he dumped his treats:
Frog legs, pork, and scrumptious meats,
Gizzards, ribs, roast beef, and turkey,
White meat, dark meat, Jamaican jerky!
Then "T" saw something quite bizarre...
A package labeled, "CHOCOLATE BAR."
He grabbed it, halved it, took a bite,
But something simply wasn't right.
He stuffed some bacon in between,
And CHOMPED his Halloween Supreme
#9 An Alien Goes Trick-or-Treating
Allen the Alien has landed on Earth on a cold, dark October night.
“Cool costume!” shouts a princess.
“Take me to your leader,” quips a vampire.
“Beep. Boop. Bop,” greets a robot.
Allen is confused.
“Where did his mother find that outfit?” remarks a witch dragging along a little ghost.
The Earthlings are playing dress up!
Allen puts on his costume – jeans, t-shirt, cap, sneakers. Aliens love to dress up as Earthlings.
Allen follows four ninja turtles to a haunted house.
“Trick or Treat!”
“Poor kid doesn’t have a costume,” whispers the ogre handing out candy.
Allen smiles.
#10 Spider's Halloween Debut
Spider spun her sticky web
and scrutinized the scene below.
A ghoulish ghost and ghastly witch
were putting on a scary show
to entertain a costumed crew
who bravely watched the chilling sight.
The audience heard gruesome groans
and shivered in the cold, dark night.
Spider itched to join the fun,
to haunt, to scare, to steal the show.
She dropped a line and skittered down,
but no one looked… so she let go
and landed on the witch’s neck.
Spider scampered, spider crawled,
She heard a screech! She heard a howl!
Creepy spider spooked them all.
#11 The Haunting
Tonight when children go to bed,
I’ll be that thing that they all dread.
I’ll creep into their darkened room,
A spirit from the grave exhumed.
For this is Halloween tonight,
When even darkness shakes with fright,
But I’ll be laughing with delight
When frightened children bolt upright!
What’s that in the children’s room?
A gang of youngsters in costume!
They’re waiting for me in the dark,
A clown, a monster,
…is that a shark?
Now it’s me who shakes with fright!
The children laughing with delight,
I bolt back to my burial site,
I won’t be haunting them tonight!
#12 The Teensy-Weensy Witch
On Halloween night: October thirty-one,
A teensy-weensy witch shrieked "Let's have fun!"
She packed her tiny spell book in her pointy purple hat,
Put on her witch's costume, grabbed her broomstick and her cat.
They left the tiny house in the thickening gloom,
And zoomed in the air on her itsy-bitsy broom.
Out of the dark came a haunting "Whoooooo...
Watch out witches we're after you!"
The witch gave a wobble, the broomstick took a crash,
Landing in a puddle with one ginormous splash!!!!!
DAGNABIT YOU GHOSTS OUT IN THE BLACK!!
Next Halloween I'll get you back!!!
#13 Goodnight Halloween
In the dark gray room
Lay a tattered costume
A dim glow-stick
And a bent witch broom
And the smell of
Fresh chocolate’s sugar perfume
And there were three little ghosts
Haunting a house
And a pair of black cats
With a little toy mouse
And a sad saggy pumpkin, flame guttered out
Goodnight room
Goodnight broom
Goodnight sweets I can’t consume
Goodnight mouse
Goodnight cat
Goodnight house and witch’s hat
Goodnight glowstick
Goodnight ghosts
Goodnight pumpkin-love you most
Goodnight socks and tired feet
Goodnight Halloween
Goodnight trick or treat
Now that you've had a chance to read through the finalists, please vote for the entry you feel deserves to win in the poll below by 5PM EST Wednesday November 4. 2015 Halloweensie Contest Tune in Thursday November 5 to see THE WINNERS!!!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to write (if you did), read, and vote! These contests simply wouldn't be what they are without all of you!
I can't wait to see who the winners will be!
Tune in Thursday... same bat time, same bat station :)
(And we will have a regularly scheduled Would You Read It on Wednesday too!)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lie on the couch and eat bonbons all day.
Okay.
Not really.
I'm actually driving to Vermont as we speak and will be in the car all day, so forgive me if I don't reply to your blog comments until later!
But don't worry - I have plenty of miniature Halloween chocolate bars to keep my sustained whilst I drive... and A Clash Of Kings on audible to listen to (yes, I'm officially hooked on the Game of Thrones series! :))
Have a marvelous Monday everyone!!!
0 Comments on The 2015 Halloweensie Contest FINALISTS! - Vote For Your Favorite!!! as of 11/2/2015 4:21:00 AM
Ear of snake and tongue of bat! It's finally time for...
The 5th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie - because it's not very long and it's for little people :) (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that's part of the fun and the challenge! We got over 130 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form - e.g. haunt, haunts, haunted, darkness, darkening, costumed, whathaveyou :) No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Friday October 30th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the link list below. There will be no Would You Read It this week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don't have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it's up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I'll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee - you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we'll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 2nd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 5th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I'll probably end up giving everyone a prize :) But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :)
The Prizes: as always, our generous community has contributed some truly amazing prizes!
Tricia is the "Pacific Northwest branch" of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 19 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from kids books to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist.
As agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won't let go.
Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia's writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here and here.
- a picture book manuscript critique by Diana Murray! website
Diana Murray writes stories and poems for children. She is the author of several forthcoming picture books, including CITY SHAPES illustrated by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown, June 2016), GRIMELDA: THE VERY MESSY WITCH illustrated by Heather Ross (Katherine Tegen Books /HarperCollins, July 2016), NED THE KNITTING PIRATE illustrated by Leslie Lammle (Roaring Brook Press /Macmillan, August 2016), and GROGGLE'S MONSTER VALENTINEillustrated by Bats Langley (Sky Pony Press, Fall 2016).
Diana was awarded the 2010 SCBWI Barbara Karlin Work-in-Progress Grant for a picture book manuscript. She has many poems published and forthcoming in magazines, including Spider, Highlights, High Five, and Hello. Diana won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for poetry in 2013 and 2014, as well as the Honor Award in 2013. Diana is represented by Brianne Johnson at Writers House literary agency. She recently moved from the Bronx to a nearby suburb, where she lives with her husband, two very messy children, and a goldfish named Pickle.
Heather is a mom by day, children's book writer by night, and librarian on the side. Her picture book, Bedtime Monster, is published by Raven Tree Press. She has far too many manuscripts in various stages of development. If only she didn't need sleep! Represented by Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. - a 6 month subscription to One Stop For Writers (value $50)
Please join me again in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N or anywhere else if you like them, or supporting them in any other way you can dream up :)
Now then. Time for my sample entry which I provide because I would never ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself. Also, in case anyone is worried about the quality of their entry they have only to read my truly horrific attempt to be filled with confidence that their's is MUCH better! I have to confess, I was really down to the wire this year (my schedule is a little bit nuts!), so, ahem, yeah.. maybe I'll think up something better during the week and swap it!
So, here goes nothing...!
Halloween Surprise! (100 words)
Halloween.Trick-or-treat.
Spooky shadows.Darkenedstreet.
Suddenly my brother, Jay,
Tugs my arm.“Let’s go this way!”
He pulls me off the beaten track,
Passes Old Man Clancy’s shack.
Creeping fog licks at our heels.
I don’t like the way this feels.
Something glides in silent flight,
Ghostly shapes against the night.
“Witches!Let’s go home!” I say.
“Owls.Let’s go on,” says Jay.
Spidered moonlight through the trees.
Heartbeat pounding.Shaky knees.
Up ahead this haunted night
Monsters dance by bonfire light!
Turning!Running!
Then, “SURPRISE!”
Costumed monsters end disguise.
Cake and presents, friends who say,
“Happy Halloween Birthday!”
Everyone feeling better about their stories now? I should certainly HOPE so! :)
I can't wait to read all of yours! I'm so looking forward to them! I hope there will be a lot - the more the merrier! And there are still 4 days to write, so you have time if you haven't written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
Happy Writing and Happy Halloween!!! :)
0 Comments on The 5th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest - aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!! as of 10/26/2015 4:23:00 AM
I hope you're all enjoying days off from school and work!!!
You know what I always say?
What better way to celebrate Columbus Day then by talking about Halloween?!
And what's more interesting, fun and exciting about Halloween then anything else (except for miniature candy bars that have no calories because of their tiny-ness!)???
The 5th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
Can you believe we're at the 5th???!!!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie - because it's not very long and it's for little people :) (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that's part of the fun and the challenge! We got over 130 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form - e.g. haunt, haunts, haunted, darkness, darkening, costumed, whathaveyou :) No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between 12:00 AM EDT Monday October 26th and Friday October 30th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list that will accompany my October 26th post. There will be no Would You Read It that week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don't have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it's up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I'll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee - you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we'll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 2nd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 5th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I'll probably end up giving everyone a prize :) But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :)
The Prizes: yeah... I'm still working on the prizes :) Feel free to chime in in the comments if there's something you'd particularly like to win! :) But prizes will include:
- a read and comments on a PB ms by fabulous agent Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency!!! - a 6 month subscription to One Stop For Writers (value $50) - an e-pub or PDF copy (winner's choice) of Linda Ashman's Nuts And Bolts GuideTo Writing Picture Books. - hopefully some other critiques and helpful books/resources... like I said, I'm still working on it :)
Plus whatever else I dream up in the meantime :)
I hope those fantabulous prizes fill you with enthusiasm for the contest!
So sharpen your pencils!
Get your butt in that chair!
See what amazing, knock-your-socks-off story you can dream up!
It's a chance to hone your writing skills, practice your craft, write to specifications and a deadline, win amazing prizes, AND get to read and enjoy the wonderful stories written by all your fellows :)
Many thanks to Tricia for her very generous prize offering!
I literally cannot wait to read your stories!!! :)
Have a Marvelous Monday everyone! :)
0 Comments on It's About That Time...! as of 1/1/1900
Normally, I would tease you for a while and pretend I didn't know what brought you to this neck of the woods or what you were after, but not today.
Nope.
Today I'm going to get straight to the point.
No beating around the bush.
Nosirree Bob!
I'm going to give you what you came for . . .
. . . just as soon as we come up with an answer to that eternal burning question: whose idea was tinsel anyway and does anyone actually use it?
Because seriously, that stuff is as bad as Easter grass! It gets everywhere!
In your hair! In the carpet! On the dogs...
And who has the patience to separate it out into single strands to drape artfully over the limbs of your Christmas tree? (And let's face it, it does not have the same effect if you just glob it on in clumps...!)
And we're not even going to TALK about if you have cats! By golly! That's just a disaster waiting to happen!
You're all writers! Let your imagination run amok with the idea of cats, tinsel, Christmas trees...
Yikes! Truly, I shudder to think!
So anyway, where was I?
Oh, yes!
I was not beating around the bush.
I wonder what bush it is that I'm not beating around?
Is it the same as the bush in "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush?"
Or maybe the bush that a bird in the hand is worth two birds in?
I'm guessing if there are two birds they are turtle doves, because that's how the song goes. You know, "On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves..." Yeah. Like that.
Except not a partridge, because he was in a pear tree and we are certainly not beating around the pear tree!
Boy! All this not beating around things is making me a little dizzy!
So maybe I'll stop and just tell you about
The4thAnnualHolidayContest!!!
WINNERS!!!
:)
I was once again thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! Really! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Tuesday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another.
So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: Leslie Tribble for The Perfect Christmas Tree Anne Bromley for Christmas Eve At Gate 25 Lauri Meyers for Jimmy Cantore Steals Christmas
2. For Fabulous Fun Kid-Friendly Stories (That Sadly Fell Short On The Weather Element But Were Too Good Not To Recognize!): Stacy Jensen for How Do I Fix This? Bridget Magee for Dear Santa Margaret Greanias for A Little Christmas Wish Pam Vaughan for My Snowman Is Sick Jim Jones for Snowflake...A Christmas Tail
3. For We-Loved-It-But-Thought-The Humor-Was-A-Little-Too-Grown-Up :) (and seriously, these were terrific entries, well written and funny!) Mike Allegra for Carbon Christmas Heather Preusser for Dreaming Of A White Christmas Kristen Foote for Polar Warming Hilary (Swann?) for No Sweat Santa
4. For Sweet Stories That Exemplified Christmas Spirit: Sharon Wilson for A Little Christmas Miracle Patricia Corcoran for The Christmas Miracle Sally Suehler for Just Ice And Snow
5. For Fantastic Word Play: Amy Ozay for Rain, dear
6. For Best First Line: James Lloyd for Pablo's First Christmas
7. For Best-Written Original Point Of View: Carol Lescinski for The Best Christmas (excellent stuffed dog POV!) Summer Hinderer for The Snow Miracle (POV of gingerbread people in Gingerbreadville!)
and
8. The Keep Up The Great Writing Award goes to: Ms. Leach's First Grade for HopefulChristmas Eve And first graders, your special prize will be Happily Ever Madlibs and Once Upon A Madlibs, which we hope you will enjoy doing as a class on days when you can't go out for recess or something :) as well as 2 StoryWorld Create-A-Story Kits: Quests And Adventures and Fairy Magic which can be used in lots of fun ways to inspire writing and storytelling (and for even more fun you can pull cards from both decks to expand possibilities!) Thank you for writing another wonderful story for all of us to enjoy!
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they're about)
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2014 HOLIDAY CONTEST as voted on by you!!!
rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat
DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!
In First Place...
Winner of the whole shebang...
who gets first choice of all the prizes...
Randy Sonenshine
for The Rumbledy Jumbledy Holiday Feast!!!
Congratulations, Randy, on a fabulous and fun entry that was clearly very popular!!! :)
In Second Place...
Elaine Kiely Kearns
for 'Twas The Stormy Night Before Christmas
Congratulations, Elaine!! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Randy makes her choice.
In Third Place...
Katey Howes
for Snow Swirls
Congratulations, Katey! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Randy and Elaine choose theirs.
In Fourth Place...
Julie Abery
for Santa's Satnav
Congratulations, Julie! You get to pick after Randy, Elaine and Katey.
In Fifth Place...
Anika Denise
for Little Christmas, BIG SNOW
Congratulations, Anika! You get to pick after Randy, Elaine, Katey, and Julie.
In Sixth Place...
Bronwyn Deaver
for Jack Quits
Congratulations, Bronwyn! I'm sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now :)
In Seventh Place...
Sylvia Liu
for Polar Woes
Congratulations, Sylvia! You get to pick next :)
In Eighth Place...
Amelia Shearer
for The Night The Sun Stayed Up
Congratulations, Amelia! You get to pick a prize after Sylvia!
In Ninth Place, we have a tie! between
Johnell DeWitt and Teresa Robeson
for A Djiboutian ChristmasSandstorm Santa
Congratulations, Johnell and Teresa! You get to pick next!
In Eleventh Place...
Kirsten Bock
for Hurricane Coal
And in Twelfth Place, rounding out the top dozen of these amazing finalists and the 100 Holiday Contest Entries for 2014...
Carol Ann Martin
for Wish You'd Been Here
All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! And for your convenience, the whole prize list is included at the bottom of this post.
Congratulations again to all our winners - it was a stiff competition!! - and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest. You all deserve a huge round of applause, a tinsel parade (clumpy or stringy, however you like it :)), and a large amount of Figgy Pudding (which truthfully I don't know what that is, but apparently it's something we all want some of :))
Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people's stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals. It's because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!
As I... hmm... maybe didn't mention...?, I'm taking a little blogging break so I can spend time with my family - I've got cookies to bake, Christmas presents to shop for and wrap, and my sister and her family are arriving form Georgia on Monday! :) - so I will see you all in a couple weeks - most probably Wednesday January 7th for Would You Read It unless I have something really important to impart on Monday the 5th... but I'm not really foreseeing that :)
So now, I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday filled with love, laughter, joy, and family, and a happy, healthy and successful new year! It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to spend time with you all, and I'm happy and grateful to know each and every one of you!
Looking forward to all the things we'll do in 2015!
Happy Holidays, and all best wishes for a wonderful New Year!!!
Love,
Susanna
The Prizes!!!
- A picture book manuscript read and critique by Shari Dash Greenspan, Editor of the multi-award winning Flashlight Press! I encourage you to sign up for their newsletter HERE!
- Enrollment in Renee LaTulippe's highly praised and recommended Lyrical Language Lab Course (in a month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and Renee) ($249 value!)
- A website or blog design or redesign by Arturo Alviar. Arturo will design (or redesign if you already have one that needs updating or a new look) a website or blog for the winner of this prize. The site will be built on Wordpress so that after he is done designing it, the winner can manage it themselves with ease. Arturo will include a Home/Welcome page, an About Me/Bio page, a Works/Books/Gallery section, and a Contact section (4 pages total), as well as a blog section if the winner would like to have that integrated with the new site. Different organizations can also be made, for example if the winner would like a "Services" section with separate "School Visits" and "Critiques" pages, or a "Works" section divided into "Black and White" and "Color" illustration galleries. The winner can choose any of the Wordpress themes (if they choose one that isn't free, the cost of the theme will be covered by them), or have Arturo choose a theme based on their vision, and Arturo will modify it based on their color and layout preferences (some themes will have more constraints than others). Arturo can also design a personalized banner or header image to customize the website. If you already have a website and/or blog and prefer a redesign to update, refresh, or just redecorate, Arturo is willing to work with Blogger, Wix, Drupal, and Wordpress.
- Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class - in March or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me)
- A picture book manuscript critique by fabulous author Amy Dixon, author of MARATHON MOUSE and the forthcoming SOPHIE'S ANIMAL PARADE.
- A picture book manuscript critique from Katy Duffield, author of more than 20 books for children including Farmer McPeepers And His Missing Milk Cows (Cooper Square Publishing 2003) and upcoming titles Loud Lula (Two Lions) illustrated by Mike Boldt and Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too (Candlewick) illustrated by K.G. Campbell.
- A picture book manuscript critique (rhyme or prose) from Penny Parker Klostermann who, after extensive experience critiquing for writing partners, members of various kid lit groups, and clients of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, is opening her own critique service!!!
Penny Parker Klostermann writes picture books and poetry. Her debut book, THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT, is coming from Random House Children’s, August 2015. Penny is represented by Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Click HERE to learn more about her critique service.
WOO HOO!!! Let the joyous news be spread! It's time for. . .
The4thAnnualHolidayContest!!!!
Let It Snow!Let It Snow!Let It Snow!
Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
The Contest: Write a children's story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) in which wild weather impacts the holidays! Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest :)) (It can be as short as you like, but no more than 350!) Any kind of weather will do: sun, rain, sleet, heatwave, blizzard, tsunami, monsoon, hurricane, hail, tornado, etc! Weather may be atypical for your setting (rain in Maine, frost in Florida), it may be extreme (blizzard instead of regular snow, drought instead of lush greenery), or it may be unheard of (spring flowers in Antarctica, snow in the Sahara, bathing suit weather at the North Pole), but whatever you choose, make us feel the impact on the holidays! The wild weather may be a hindrance, a wish-come-true, a threat, a pleasant surprise, etc. The field is wide open! Have fun! The wilder and wackier the better! No illustration notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one entry you may, just remember you're competing against yourself!)
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Friday December 12 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below. This post will remain up through Sunday December 14 (no WYRI or PPBF this week) so there will be plenty of time for everyone to post their entries and visit each other and enjoy all the other entries. If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comment section below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you!)
The Judging: My lovely assistant(s) and I will narrow down the entrants to 10-12 finalists (depending on the number of entries) which will be posted here on either Monday December 15 or Tuesday December 16 (depending on the number of entries :)) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Thursday December 18 at 5 PM EST and the winners will be announced on Friday December 19. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place. Judging criteria will be kid appeal/kid-friendliness, creativity of weather use in plot, quality of story, quality of writing, and originality.
The Prizes!: In the spirit of the holidays, winners will be named for 1st - 10th place. In addition to the incredible fame of being able to say you won (or placed in) the Pretty Much World Famous 4th Annual Holiday Contest, the following AMAZING prizes will be awarded: (items in color are links for more info!)
- A picture book manuscript read and critique by Shari Dash Greenspan, Editor of the multi-award winning Flashlight Press! I encourage you to sign up for their newsletter HERE! - A picture book manuscript read and critique by Jennifer Mattson, Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency! - Enrollment in Renee LaTulippe's highly praised and recommended Lyrical Language Lab Course (in a month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and Renee) ($249 value!) - Enrollment in Jon Bard and Laura Backes's fantastic Kindle Kids Mastery Course ($197 value!) - A website or blog design or redesign by Arturo Alviar. Arturo will design (or redesign if you already have one that needs updating or a new look) a website or blog for the winner of this prize. The site will be built on Wordpress so that after he is done designing it, the winner can manage it themselves with ease. Arturo will include a Home/Welcome page, an About Me/Bio page, a Works/Books/Gallery section, and a Contact section (4 pages total), as well as a blog section if the winner would like to have that integrated with the new site. Different organizations can also be made, for example if the winner would like a "Services" section with separate "School Visits" and "Critiques" pages, or a "Works" section divided into "Black and White" and "Color" illustration galleries. The winner can choose any of the Wordpress themes (if they choose one that isn't free, the cost of the theme will be covered by them), or have Arturo choose a theme based on their vision, and Arturo will modify it based on their color and layout preferences (some themes will have more constraints than others). Arturo can also design a personalized banner or header image to customize the website. If you already have a website and/or blog and prefer a redesign to update, refresh, or just redecorate, Arturo is willing to work with Blogger, Wix, Drupal, and Wordpress. - Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class - in March or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) - A picture book manuscript critique by fabulous author Amy Dixon, author of MARATHON MOUSE and the forthcoming SOPHIE'S ANIMAL PARADE.
- A picture book manuscript critique from Katy Duffield, author of more than 20 books for children including Farmer McPeepers And His Missing Milk Cows (Cooper Square Publishing 2003) and upcoming titles Loud Lula (Two Lions) illustrated by Mike Boldt and Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too (Candlewick) illustrated by K.G. Campbell.
- A picture book manuscript critique (rhyme or prose) from Penny Parker Klostermann who, after extensive experience critiquing for writing partners, members of various kid lit groups, and clients of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, is opening her own critique service!!!
Penny Parker Klostermann writes picture books and poetry. Her debut book, THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT, is coming from Random House Children’s, August 2015. Penny is represented by Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Click HERE to learn more about her critique service.
The Contest Winner will have first choice of the prizes. 2nd place will have next choice of what's left and so on. (I'm doing it this way in the hopes that no one will get something they already have and also because I think all the prizes are fabulous and I wouldn't want to make anyone feel less valued by giving them as 6th place as opposed to 1st.)
So let's get the Holiday Party started! :)
I want to warn you in advance that this may actually be the worst story I've ever written - embarrassing for me, but very comforting for anyone who is worried about the quality of their story - I can say with complete confidence that ANYTHING you write will be better than this sample! :)
Almost Not Christmas
(332 words)
Three days before Christmas a southerly breeze
Heated the earth to one hundred degrees!
“My goodness!” said Santa.“This just isn’t cool!”
And he sent all his reindeer to chill in the pool.
The heat wave refused to let go of its grip
In time for his once-a-year Christmas Eve trip.
So as Santa took off for his round-the-world flight
He clucked to his team and sang into the night:
“Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blitzen!
Let’s hope we can get all our Christmas chores done
Without melting like popsicles left in the sun!”
But HEAT didn’t trouble St. Nick as he drove.
As his journey continued, the temperature dove.
And YOU know what happens when warm and cold meet –
-- Fog tiptoes in on its little cat feet!
At dawn Christmas morning young children stopped short
When they heard this unthinkable Special Report:
“This just in! Here’s the hot-off-the-presses news scoop!
Santa is lost in that murky pea soup!”
Santa lost? When he’d battled that wild weather night
To ensure each child’s Christmas was merry and bright?
From North Pole to South, from New York to Japan
Christmas morn was abandoned to think up a plan.
In pajamas or nightgowns, in socks or bare feet,
Kids spilled from warm houses and met in the street.
“Santa comes through for us year after year.
It’s our turn to give him some Christmastime cheer!”
Puerto Toro* to Nunavuk* in a straight line
They climbed to their roofs with whatever would shine.
They lit up a beacon as bright as could be
With candles and glowsticks and lights from their tree.
An arrow of light that would gleam through the gloam
So Santa could finally find his way home.
“It’s official!” the newsfolk were happy to say.
“St. Nick made it back with his reindeer and sleigh!”
At last, filled with joy, kids began to unwrap And Santa? He took a long afternoon nap!
*In case you're wondering, Puerto Toro, Chile is the nearest settlement to the South Pole, and Alert, Nunavuk is the nearest to the North Pole :)
I have another equally bad half-finished story in prose that I might swap out for this one at some point during the week if I just can't stand it any more :)
So now! Is everyone filled with confidence about their entries? I certainly hope so after that display! Never let it be said that I'm not willing to make a fool of myself for you guys :)
I can't wait to read all of your (much better!) stories! I hope there will be a lot - the more the merrier! And there are still 4+ days to write, so you have time if you haven't written yet and want to join the fun. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
And as stories come into the comment section I will catalogue them here.
0 Comments on Ho! Ho! Ho! The 4th Annual Holiday Contest Is Here! as of 12/8/2014 5:39:00 AM
Remember on Friday I told you I had exciting news to share?
I'm guessing that's why you're here.
Because of the exciting news I promised.
I said, "Come on over as soon as you wake up!"
And look! Here you are!
You're so wonderful :)
Okay!
Exciting news!
Guess what I did?
No, really! Guess!
Never mind. I'll tell you.
I made up a song!
Yep!
It's true!
Want to hear it?
Well, not actually hear it - I didn't have time to make a video or a recording - but hear it in the sense that I can tell you the tune and the words and you can imagine me singing it to you...
Yes? Are you ready?
Okay. The tune is "The Bear Went Over The Mountain" (because I live on a mountain, as you may recall, and I saw a bear a little over a week ago, which you may also recall.)
Ready?
OH. . . !!!!!!! The dog went over the mountain The dog went over the mountain The dog went over the mounTAIN.... Because she saw a bear! WOOF!
There!
What do you think?
Are you amazed?
I'm pretty amazed with myself, I have to tell you. It's not every day someone writes a song like that! (Hey! Did someone say, "Thank goodness!"? I heard that! Keep it nice, people. We can't all be as musically gifted as I am, but that's no reason to unleash the green-eyed monster!)
So I can now add "Songwriter" to my resume!
Happy sigh :)
Alrighty. See you on Wednesday for Would You Read It.
Unless you've got nothing to do right now. . . . . . and you're feeling reluctant to leave because you enjoyed my song so much that you want to hear it again. . . . . . and you're also thinking that maybe... just MAYBE... you'd like to hear about. . . (Oh, golly! That was fun while it lasted! Hehehe!). . .
The4thAnnualHolidayContest!!!!
Let It Snow!Let It Snow!Let It Snow!
Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
The Contest: Write a children's story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) in which wild weather impacts the holidays! Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest :)) (It can be as short as you like, but no more than 350!) Any kind of weather will do: sun, rain, sleet, heatwave, blizzard, tsunami, monsoon, hurricane, hail, tornado, etc! Weather may be atypical for your setting (rain in Maine, frost in Florida), it may be extreme (blizzard instead of regular snow, drought instead of lush greenery), or it may be unheard of (spring flowers in Antarctica, snow in the Sahara, bathing suit weather at the North Pole), but whatever you choose, make us feel the impact on the holidays! The wild weather may be a hindrance, a wish-come-true, a threat, a pleasant surprise, etc. The field is wide open! Have fun! The wilder and wackier the better! No illustration notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one entry you may, just remember you're competing against yourself!)
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between Monday December 8 and Friday December 12 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on the official holiday contest post which will go up on my blog on Monday December 8 and remain up through Sunday December 14 (no WYRI or PPBF during that week.) If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my December 8th post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you!)
The Judging: My lovely assistant(s) and I will narrow down the entrants to 10-12 finalists (depending on the number of entries) which will be posted here on either Monday December 15 or Tuesday December 16 (depending on the number of entries :)) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Thursday December 18 at 5 PM EST and the winners will be announced on Friday December 19. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to tenth place. Judging criteria will be kid appeal/kid-friendliness, creativity of weather use in plot, quality of story, quality of writing, and originality.
The Prizes!: Well, I hope these prizes are going to knock your socks off!!! In the spirit of the holidays, winners will be named for 1st - 10th place. In addition to the incredible fame of being able to say you won (or placed in) the Pretty Much World Famous 4th Annual Holiday Contest, the following AMAZING prizes will be awarded: (items in color are links for more info!)
- A picture book manuscript read and critique by Shari Dash Greenspan, Editor of the multi-award winning Flashlight Press! I encourage you to sign up for their newsletter HERE! - A picture book manuscript read and critique by Jennifer Mattson, Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency! - Enrollment in Renee LaTulippe's highly praised and recommended Lyrical Language Lab Course (in a month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and Renee) ($249 value!) - Enrollment in Jon Bard and Laura Backes's fantastic Kindle Kids Mastery Course ($197 value!) - Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class - in March or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me) - A picture book manuscript critique by fabulous author Amy Dixon, author of MARATHON MOUSE and the forthcoming SOPHIE'S ANIMAL PARADE. - (Hopefully) 2 or 3 PB MS Critiques from other fabulous authors - TBA - 2015 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, a signed copy of Boy And Poi Poi Puppy by Linda Boyden, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
I can't thank these editors, agents, authors, and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, spread the word of their classes, buy and recommend their books to your friends with kids, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
And now! Sharpen those pencils! Top off those coffee mugs! Get those derrieres in your chairs! And start writing those prize-winning entries!!!
I can't wait for the festivities to begin! :)
0 Comments on Whistle A Happy Tune as of 11/17/2014 5:37:00 AM
A pumpkin who has fallen off her creaky broomstick!
Wrung out and harrowed after an entire weekend of trying to decide how to rank the incredible entries y'all submitted for Halloweensie 2014. What a job!!!
It's a miracle I'm even here to tell the tale!
Thank goodness for the sustaining chocolate provided (via Face Book) by Joanna and Kathy :) Thank you both, from the bottom of my chocolate-loving heart! (And no, they did not receive "special consideration" for their entries as a result - they are both just lovely people who didn't want me or my assistant judges to keel over :))
And speaking of the assistant judges, I had to call in a fourth! I'm not kidding!
Because here's the deal: we had the biggest turn out we've ever had in terms of number of entries - 132! - and the overall quality of the entries was fantastic. Really, it is readily apparent that the quality of entries in these contests is improving every time. This means there are fewer standouts, almost none that are easy to cut, and there a LOT of pretty good ones that we have to get very nit-picky over! It is agony, I tell you!
Before we get to the actual list of finalists, I have a couple things to say. (I know you're shocked :))
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for many!
Second, I'd also like to thank EVERYONE - writer, reader, or both - who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! :)
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn't make the final cut please don't feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point - we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn't make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn't write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 100 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Now. Onto the judging criteria which were as follows: 1. Kid-appeal! - These stories are intended for a young audience, so entries that were well-written but lacked child-friendliness did not make the cut. 2. Halloweeniness - the rules stated a Halloween story, so entries that failed to mention anything Halloween-y did not make the cut even if they were well-written. 3. Quality of story - the rules stated that entries were to tell a story, so if they appeared to be more of a description or mood piece, they didn't make the cut. We looked for a true story arc. 4. Quality of Writing: we took note of spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. In addition, for the rhymers, we looked at rhyme and meter (for which we are sticklers!) We also looked at overall writing quality and use of language. 5. Originality and creativity - because that is often what sets one story above another.
This time around, 5 entries sadly had to be cut because of rule problems: one was 3 words over the word limit (I counted 6 times, by hand and with Microsoft Word's word count tool, because it was otherwise a strong entry! but 131 other people managed to stay at 100 or under so I had to be strict!); two used "broom" but not "broomstick"; and 2 did not use "creak" in any form. (And yes, I checked the word count on all 132 entries and made sure the required words were present.)
After that, the going really got tough. Some of the stronger stories were written in rhyme where the meter didn't work as well as it needed to. Some of the most beautiful rhyming entries with great use of language were more mood pieces than stories. So we had to make some very hard calls.
Without further ado, I present to you the 2014 Halloweensie Contest Finalists. A baker's dozen - 13 for Halloween! :) A mix of poetry and prose, stories for younger readers and slightly older (but still kid) readers, funny, spooky, and cute. Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite. To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.
And I'd like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about the pumpkin ballerina or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this. #1 Halloween SMS (Short Messaging Scariness) #2 Creaky Cackle
Ever since Winnie Witch crashed into a creek, her cackle was creaky. Ah ha ha…hack…cough, cough… Hallowe’en hijinks were hindered. Broomstick in hand, she wobbled into the witch doctor’s office. “Whoa,” said the doctor as she peered into Winnie’s mouth. “It looks like you’ve got a frog in your throat.” “Chew this pumpkin lozenge,” the doctor decreed. “Yuck,” Winnie gagged. Splutter, cough, cough… Out bounded a bullfrog. “Ba–ruump,” protested the frog and hopped off. Ahhh ha ha ha ha…Winnie Witch whooped. “Stay out of creeks,” the doctor yelled as Winnie Witch bounded off on her broomstick.
#3 Full Moon Rising
Full moon rising in the sky, Owls are hooting, bats fly by.
Mummies moaning in the night, Goblins groaning give you fright.
Milo walking down the path, Up the steps, he hurries fast.
Floorboards creaking, Milo’s sneaking, Across the moonlit porch.
Past the pumpkin, Past the cat, Past the broomstick, Past the rat.
To the door where spiders lay, Waiting for their cowering prey.
Milo hears a frightening sound. He doesn’t even turn around.
Glowing eyes behind him stare. Ring the doorbell, if you dare!
Door creaks open. Better not run.
Trick or Treat! Now, let’s have some fun!
#4 Home Alone Halloween I came home from school very excited. Halloween, my favorite day of the year.
I almost trip over the sixteen pumpkins on the porch.
With a creak, I swing the door open while calling out, “Mom?” No answer.
The aroma of bat stew fills the house.
She’s not in the dungeon, or napping in her coffin. She must be here somewhere.
I look throughout the house, running from room to room.
Suddenly it hits me.
I fling open the broom closet. Empty. Even her broomstick is gone.
“Of course,” I said, hitting my forehead and smiling. “She is working tonight!”
#5 Sulky Spider's Spooky Webs
Sulky Spider planned a scheme
For making trick or treaters scream.
Spider silk began to spin
A Jack 'o Web with wicked grin.
"Pretty pumpkin," cowgirls said.
"Pretty?" Sulky hung her head.
"A webby ghost will do the trick!"
She spun a spooky ghoul up quick.
Pirates shouted, "Ghosts are neat!"
She gobbled up her web. "Defeat."
Spinnerets began to twitch.
"A warty-broomstick-riding-witch!"
A princess cooed, "That witch is sweet."
She stomped all eight offended feet.
"I need a buggy snack," she frowned.
Sticky thread went round and round.
She didn't hear the stairway creak.
"A spiderweb!" they hollered, "Eek!"
#6 This Year's Halloween Mascot
“Me!”
“No, me!”
Witch School should have been brimming with excitement. But everyone was sick of hearing Broomstick and Pumpkin argue over who should be Halloween mascot.
“No one flies higher,” said Broomstick.
“No Jack-O-Lantern shines brighter,” said Pumpkin.
Black cats cowered, paws over ears. Cauldrons bubbled their disapproval.
C-r-e-e-e-e-a-k-- the courtyard door opened to an assembly of witches.
“The time has come,” Head Mistress said. “The night awaits my decision.”
“This year’s mascot shines the brightest…” (Pumpkin’s head swelled.)
“…and flies the highest.” (Broomstick’s spirits soared.)
“Our Halloween mascot is…”
“… the Moon,” who silently took a bow.
#7 Halloween Chase
The pumpkins were glowing, but I still couldn't see
There was someone or something coming for me
I glanced over my shoulder when I heard the stair creak
My heart leapt from my chest and my legs became weak
I gasped when I saw her, all ghoulish and green
She was staring right at me, eyes angry and mean
Her broomstick was poised to crash down on my head
I wished I could fly, but my feet felt like lead
My fists began swinging, I was ready to fight
My sister took off her mask and just laughed with delight!
#8 Halloween Hide-and-Go-Seek It’s Halloween! It’s dark, it’s spooky, it’s perfect for a game of Halloween Hide-and-Go-Seek! Blurp! Bloop! Blub! Are you in the cauldron? No, just some toadstool stew. Rustle! Swish! Swoosh! Are you in the closet? No, just an old broomstick. Creak! Crack! Bang! Are you behind the curtains? No, it’s just the wind blowing the windows open and closed. Scritch! Scratch! Raow! Are you behind the chair? No, just the cat settling down. Giggle, Giggle Are you upstairs? Sssshhhhhhh! Are you in the bedroom? Hmmmmm. Boo! There are my little pumpkins! You’ve had your trick, now how about your treat? #9 The Shadow
Once upon a pumpkin moon a rocker creaked, the wind sighed, Soon….A Shadow stole across the lawn and stopped upon the stair.
Ghosts and goblins roamed the streets. They rang each bell for tricks or treats. As they approached they didn’t see the Shadow waiting there.
Through the dark the children stepped, not knowing where the Shadow crept. They stumbled over Shadow and their screeches pierced the air.
Broomstick tail puffed wide with fright, poor Shadow fled into the night. On Halloween a small black cat should NOT sit on the stair!
#10 Halloween In A Box
“Skeleton!! It’s here!” Witch cackled. “Halloween in a Box! I ordered it on the Making Potions and Brew Magic website. ‘Fun Guaranteed!’”
Witch looked inside. “Pumpkin centerpiece? Broomstick garland?? Party plates??? That’s it????” She flopped onto the floor and wailed, “My party is ruined!”
Skeleton picked up the box. “I’ll be back.”
Skeleton returned with the box. “Open it.”
Witch lifted the flaps. Out jumped Black Cat, Ghost, Monster from Under-the-Bed, Zombie, his mother Mummy, and Hairy Spider.
“Now THAT’S a Halloween in a Box!” Witch screeched.
“Fun Guaranteed!” Skeleton said, dancing a creaky jig.
#11 Devious Dads And Halloween
DeviousDadsandHalloween
Pumpkin creations
Under the stars,
Mama carves goblins,
Papa carves cars.
Kids from our condo,
Itching for treats,
Navigate hallways
Bound for the streets.
Roger plays Batdude.
Orville’s a ghost.
Omar rocks Elvis,
Milly is toast.
Sam’s owl is skittish,
Tim acts the clown.
Ike rides a broomstick,
Cruising our town.
Kids in cool costumes
Creep through the night,
Rack up the candy,
Eat just a bite.
After, in jammies,
Kids hide the rest,
Eager to keep
Dads far from the best!
#12 Snack-O'-Lantern
“Nibbles,” sighed Chester Cat. “You’re supposed to carve a pumpkin.”
“They’re too big,” the guinea pig replied. “So I am carving a Halloween-o Jalapeño. Scary, huh? Does it make you want to run away?”
“No,” Chester sniffed. “That wouldn’t make anyone run away.”
They heard the creak of floorboards and the clatter of the broomstick Buster used for fetch.
“I bet it’ll make Buster run.”
“No way.”
“Let’s see,” Nibbles challenged. Then he shouted. “BUSTER! SNAAACK!”
Buster galloped in. He gobbled the jalapeño.
His eyes sprang open.
Yelping, he dashed to his water dish.
“Told you he’d run,” Nibbles giggled.
#13 Snip, Snap, Crack
In a deep dark corner, an old lady sits.
She cackles, and snarls, and frantically knits.
Click clack go her needles.
Snip snap go her bones,
As she rocks and she creaks
and her kitty cat moans.
She conjures up spiders, and pumpkins, and ghosts
All spun from her yarn -
“I’m so wicked!” she boasts.
Don’t dare approach her,
She’s all trick and no treat.
What are you doing??
Come hither, my sweet.
Get away from that broomstick! Skedaddle! Shoo!
You’re tiptoeing closer??
Snip
Snap
Crack
BOO!
Now that you've had a chance to read through the finalists, please vote for the entry you feel deserves to win in the poll below by 5PM EST Wednesday November 5.
Tiger eye and mandrake root! It's finally time for
The 4th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words pumpkin, broomstick, and creak. Your story can be poetry or prose, scary, funny or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie - because it's not very long and it's for little people :) (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that's part of the fun and the challenge! We got nearly 80 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form - e.g. creak, creaky, creaks, creaking, creaked. No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Friday October 31st by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list below. There will be no Would You Read It Wednesday or Perfect Picture Book Friday this week, so this post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. (I hope you will all visit each other! :)) If you don't have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section below. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I'll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee - okay, who are we kidding? :)) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 3rd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 6th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I'll probably end up giving everyone a prize :) But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :)
The Prizes: we've got some seriously amazing prizes! (words in color are links to more info)
- Julie Hedlund's fantastic new course How To Make Money As An Author, interesting, educational and suitable for writers at any stage of their career
- a 2015 membership to Children's Book Insider, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds, generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes
- a picture book manuscript critique from the renowned Alayne Christian (prose only, 800 words or less) Alayne Kay Christian is an award winning author of BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA. She is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen&Ink Literary Studio. To read more about Alayne, her critique service, and her books visit her websites and blog. - a picture book manuscript critique (rhyme or prose) from Penny Parker Klostermann who, after extensive experience critiquing for writing partners, members of various kid lit groups, and clients of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, is opening her own critique service!!!
Penny Parker Klostermann writes picture books and poetry. Her debut book, THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT, is coming from Random House Children’s, August 2015. Penny is represented by Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Click HERE to learn more about her critique service.
- a picture book manuscript critique by Tracey M. Cox! Tracey offers a full critique on a fiction PB, 800 words or less, which will include overall impression and line-by-line on a prose only pb ms. She will also include thoughts and marketing ideas that she thinks about and if she can think of references, she'll add them also. Tracey M. Cox has been writing professionally since 2000 and is an author of 6 picture books. She is an active member in the children's literature community and explores how to self-market on little to no budget.
- a personalized signed copy of I WANNA GO HOME by Karen Kaufman Orloff, the latest in the brilliant PB series that began with I WANNA IGUANA. (Reviewed HERE for PPBF)
- a personalized signed copy of I AM COW HEAR ME MOO by Jill Esbaum (reviewed for Perfect Picture Books HEREand HERE - yep, it's so popular it got reviewed for PPBF twice :))
- a personalized signed copy of NINJA RED RIDING HOOD by Corey Rosen Schwartz, the riveting follow-up to THE THREE NINJA PIGS. (Reviewed HERE for PPBF)
- a PDF copy of Ryan Sias's A Spooky-Doodle E-Book, "doodle pages, drawing lessons and writing prompts inspire kids to invent their own stories, characters and artwork."
Please join me again in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N or anywhere else if you like them, or supporting them in any other way you can dream up :)
Now then. Time for my sample entry which I provide because I would never ask you to do anything I wouldn't do myself. Also, in case anyone is worried about the quality of their entry they have only to read my foolish attempts to be filled with confidence that their's is MUCH better! I have to confess, I was really down to the wire this year (my schedule is a little bit nuts!), so, ahem, yeah.. I'll be proofreading after I post since I'm out of time :) (And I usually do one rhyme and one prose, but I don't have a prose one this year... yet... if I have time maybe I'll write one and add it during the week :))
So without further ado:
A Halloween Dare (100 words)
Haggie Witch just had to go
To the Broomstick Rodeo
And prove she had the skill and pluck
To ride a broomstick bronco's buck.
Her sister said she’d fall headlong.
Haggie vowed to prove her wrong!
Haggie’s heart quailed in her chest
But she had to face this test.
The gate sprang open with a creak
Out shot Haggie like a streak.
The broomstick bronco pitched and rolled,
Lunged and plunged quite uncontrolled!
But Haggie rode that fireball
Just like a pro and did not fall.
“I win, Sis, you can’t deny
you owe me a pumpkin pie!” Pirate Ploy (100 words)
Halloween
A pumpkin moon
A ghostly ship
A still lagoon
Tattered sails
Like swirling mist
Ancient rigging
Creaks and twists
Skull and crossbones
Striking fear
Warning sailors
Far and near
Captain Jack
Comes thump-a-peg
Limping on
His broomstickleg
“Steady now,”
breathes Captain Jack,
“Mustn’t blow
our sneak attack!”
Silently
The ghost ship glides
Closer . . .
Closer . . .
On the tides
Guided through
The murky blue
By the ghastly
Skeleton crew
Stealthily
it comes abreast
Lurking
uninvited guest
Nearing windows
warm with light
no idea
of their plight.
Captain Jack
deceit complete
shouts, “Mrs. Johnson! Trick-or-treat!” Everyone feeling better about their stories now? I should certainly HOPE so! :)
I can't wait to read all of yours! I'm so looking forward to them! I hope there will be a lot - the more the merrier! And there are still 4 days to write, so you have time if you haven't written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.
Remember to put your post-specific link (not your general blog link or people will find the wrong page if you post again before the contest is over) in the list below!
Happy Writing and Happy Halloween!!! :)
There are already 4 entries in the comment section below from Barbara, Eric, Lata, and Nomie, so you won't want to miss those!
0 Comments on The 4th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest - aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!! as of 10/27/2014 6:03:00 AM
Last week I told you I had something exciting to tell you today and I do!
Are you ready?
dddddrrrrruuuuummmmmrrrrrooooollllllllll!!!!!
This week . . .
. . .
. . . Stop & Shop bath tissue is on sale for $.75 off!!!
I know! It's not every day you get such incredible news!
So bring the van and load up, alrighty? I knew you'd want to know!
Okey-dokey, then.
Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you all have a Marvelous Monday :)
See you on Wednesday for Would You Read It.
Bye.
Buh-bye now.
Bye! :)
Oh, but wait. I guess there was one more thing. . .
Apparently I'm becoming very nice in my old age, because here it is, only October 6, with a full 3 weeks to go, and I'm announcing. . .
DUHN DUHN DUHN. . . !
The 4th Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
That's right! It's about that time!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words pumpkin, broomstick, and creak. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words (you can count candy corn as one word) and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie - because it's not very long and it's for little people :) (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that's part of the fun and the challenge! We got nearly 80 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form - e.g. creak, creaky, creaks, creaking, creaked.
Post your story on your blog between 12:00 AM EDT Monday October 27th and Friday October 31st by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list that will accompany my October 27th post. There will be no Would You Read It that week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don't have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it's up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I'll post it for you!)
The Judging: in a grueling, marathon weekend, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 top choices (hee hee hee - you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we'll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 3rd. The winner will be announced in a special Thursday post on November 6th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd. If by some chance we get the kind of turn out we did last year, all bets are off. I may post as many as 10 finalists and I'll probably end up giving everyone a prize :) But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :)
The Prizes: yeah... I'm still working on the prizes :) Feel free to chime in in the comments if there's something you'd particularly like to win! :) But prizes will include: - Julie Hedlund's fantastic new course How To Make Money As An Author, interesting, educational and suitable for writers at any stage of their career, - a 2015 membership to Children's Book Insider, an absolutely fabulous resource for kid lit writers of all kinds generously offered by Jon Bard and Laura Backes, - a picture book manuscript critique from the renowned Alayne Christian (prose only, 800 words or less), - an e-pub or PDF copy (winner's choice) of Linda Ashman's Nuts And Bolts GuideTo Writing Picture Books. - a PDF copy of Ryan Sias's A Spooky-Doodle E-Book, "doodle pages, drawing lessons and writing prompts inspire kids to invent their own stories, characters and artwork."
Plus whatever else I dream up in the meantime :)
I hope those fantabulous prizes fill you with enthusiasm for the contest!
So sharpen your pencils!
Get your butt in that chair!
See what amazing, knock-your-socks-off story you can dream up!
It's a chance to hone your writing skills, practice your craft, write to specifications and a deadline, win amazing prizes, AND get to read and enjoy the wonderful stories written by all your fellows :)
Many thanks to Julie, Jon and Laura, Alayne, Linda, and Ryan for their very generous prize offerings!
I literally cannot wait to read your stories!!! :)
Now, for real, have a Marvelous Monday everyone! :)
0 Comments on About That Exciting Announcement I Promised Last Week as of 10/6/2014 5:11:00 AM
And thank you, Kirsten, for your very thoughtful gift! I'd like to say there were some left, but that would just be lying :) I can say in complete truthfulness, however, that they were delicious!!! :)
Now that we are all happily munching on the proverbial bonbons, let's have a round of applause (because it would be impolite to yell "Congratulations!" with a mouth full of Godiva chocolate truffles!) for the winner of the March Pitch Pick which is. . .
Ann!
with her pitch for Sk8r Boy!!!
Congratulations, Ann! Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts. I'm sure you'll hear from her shortly.
And congratulations to our other brave pitchers who also did a terrific job! I hope you all gained from the Would You Read It experience, and I also hope you'll take a few extra congratulatory truffles :) Best of luck with your stories!
Now then. Onward!
Today's pitch comes to us from Charlotte who says, "When I was a little girl, a childless older couple who lived across the street gave me an oversized picture book, written in wonderful rhyming couplets. More than a half century later, I can still recite the entire story of “The Children That Lived in a Shoe” from memory, as I visualize the pictures of the cherub-like little ones going about their daily routines. I still love this book. Twenty-first century children deserve access to their own favorite stories that will endure for them throughout their lifetimes. I keep this in mind when I work on my PB manuscripts."
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Roy G. Biv And The Amazing Castle Moat Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8) The Pitch: Sophie senses there’s magic in the world of nature, while Sam is more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of kid. She likes building fairy houses but agrees to help her brother construct his sand fortress. When a sudden summer rainstorm spares their beach castle, the overflowing moat delivers a surprise visitor, Roy G. Biv. Sam thinks someone is playing a trick on him when he hears the guest’s voice share a rhyming, rhythmic poem about the rainbow’s colors. Sophie is delighted at how Sam finds out that Roy G. Biv is not only rather magical, but is also real.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Charlotte improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in July so you've got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Charlotte is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the upcoming Illustrators Contest which is barely a week away now! It will open on Thursday April 24th! I am really, really hoping that at least a few people will enter, because I would so love to see how they bring the amazing March Madness Writing Contest winners' ideas to life! Please feel free to spread the word to all your illustrator friends and join me in looking forward to visiting some new blogs, getting to know some fabulously talented new people, and seeing some amazing art!!!
In the hope that you CAN actually teach an old dog new tricks, let's try this and see if it works. At all. For anyone! :)
First up, we have Straight From The Editor for Kristine, the February Pitch Winner. You will recall her pitch:
Working Title: THE STEM GIRLS TAKE OFF Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8) The Pitch: Sophia wants to win the school science fair, but when her project won’t cooperate, she uses perseverance and teamwork to bring home the goal, proving that every girl can be a STEM girl.
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 aninquisitive 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 ofcreating. 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?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Morgan improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in July so you've got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Morgan is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the upcoming Illustrators Contest! I really am! Of course, we might not have any entries, but if we DO, think how awesome they will be! I can't wait to see what our talented friends come up with to bring the March Madness Contest Winners' stories to life! I have to learn how to do those convenient "tweet this" thingies - then I could helpfully put one here and make it so easy for all you guys to spread the word. I'll add it to my to-do list. . . which is exceedingly long. . . so don't hold your breath for convenient tweet thingies :)
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! :)
0 Comments on Would You Read It Wednesday #128 - Sammy Dougie Foxtrot: Look, Smile, Roar (PB) PLUS Straight From The Editor PLUS the March Pitch Pick as of 4/9/2014 5:41:00 AM
(It's also National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day - very kid-friendly, but maybe not great to mix with books :))
I'm happy to report that it is officially April here on Blueberry Hill... probably wherever you are too :)
It is a well-known fact that April is the best month of the year, due to April Fool, Phyllis (and also April Fools Day :)), Earth Day, Arbor Day, usually Easter (which I know is not technically about chocolate but still...), Blah Blah Blah Day (which we certainly couldn't do without!), the fact that it is National Welding Month (and you all know what a big part of my life welding is... not :)) and the celebrity birthdays of certain pretty-much-famous people who shall remain nameless :)
Plus, it has such a pretty sound. April. So pleasing to the ear.
Really. What's not to love about April? :)
But let's hearken back to the bygone days of February and March for one second.
Due to the March Madness Writing Contest preempting WYRI last week, I didn't get to announce the winner of the February Pitch Pick, so. . .
prup prup-pr prup-prup pr prup!
(that was a trumpet call in case you didn't quite catch it)
. . . the February Pitch Pick Winner was Kristine with her pitch for The STEM Girls Take Off! Congratulations, Kristine! Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts, and I'm sure you will hear from her shortly :)
Congratulations also to our other brave pitchers, all of whom had wonderful story ideas and well-written pitches! Good luck to all of you with your stories!
Now. How about Something Chocolate? These are festive and spring-like and practically totally healthy since they are mostly strawberry and only part chocolate :)
Help yourselves :)
Today's pitch comes to us from Frances, who says, "I began writing children’s stories many, many years ago, but I got sidetracked by needing to make a living! Now that my son has started college, I feel I have the time to devote myself to my passion for children’s literature once again. I have an MFA in Creative Writing, and I have been writing and editing professionally for about 30 years. I currently work as a freelance editor and am a member of SCBWI, Children’s Books Insider, and Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Forum."
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Dead Trees Don't Need Water Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8) The Pitch: Peter wants to be friends with Asbury the tree, but when he finds out that Asbury will be cut down, he comes up with a plan to save Asbury. In the process Peter discovers a very special gift that he and Asbury can share forever.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Frances improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in July so you've got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Frances is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to all the awesomeness that is April! I expect robins on my lawn and hyacinth blossoms beside the mudroom porch any second now! (Not because it's likely, just because I'm ready :))
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! :)
0 Comments on Would You Read It Wednesday # 127 - Dead Trees Don't Need Water (PB) as of 4/2/2014 4:07:00 AM
That was the closest, most hotly contested race for a winner we've ever had!
I hope that means that my assistant judges and I made good choices for the finalists! :)
TheMarch MadnessWritingContest!
I admit it - I get all the fun. Sitting in the judge's chair, watching the votes come in, seeing first one person and then another in the lead, biting my nails when there are ties, waiting on pins and needles to see who will emerge victorious....
Normally I'd string you along and tease you for a while, but I'm too wiped out by this whole roller-coaster process.
Truly, it is not for the faint of heart.
Up one minute, down the next. Nerves stretched like bow strings.
A person less physically fit than myself (haha snort! - can't say THAT with a straight face after this winter :)) might suffer palpitations!
And speaking of palpitations, I had them aplenty when her royal highness, Miss Scouty Brown, came sauntering back in the house this morning having found something dreadful to roll in! "What is that SMELL???!!!" all the children shrieked!
Fortunately, we are in the midst of a small flood which, aside from making the basement a delightful place for canoeing, means that there is a lot of water outside. Scouty was able to enjoy her first swim of the year... twice... with the fortuitous result that she returned from our walk refreshed and smelling mostly like wet dog instead of Something Yucky.
But wait.
What were we talking about?
Oh yes!
The contest!
So, who won?
Oh! I'm supposed to tell you!
:)
Okay.
Seriously.
I'm really going to tell.
We had 75 fantastic entries, which we winnowed down by hook or by crook, to the best of our ability, to 10 fabulous finalists.
Y'all voted for your favorites.
And the winner of the 2014 March Madness Writing Contest, who gets to send the picture book manuscript of her choice to none other than the renowned children's literary agent, Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary is. . .
Congratulations on a wonderful story, Wendy! I think it's clear that a LOT of people really enjoyed it! :)
Now, I wasn't kidding when I said this contest was hotly contested. I kept asking for votes this weekend, hoping the ties would get broken, but not all of them did.
So, for 2nd place we had a tie between
Mike Allegra
with the fantabulous Goldilockup!
and
Dawn Young
with the hilarious Goldibawks!
Congratulations Mike and Dawn, on two terrific and very different twists on Goldilocks! Lori and Cori have generously agreed to each give a critique instead of just one or the other, so you will each get a picture book critique by a fantastic author!
In 3rd place, guess what? Another tie! This time between
Pen Avey
with her delicious Sweetie Witch
and
Lauri Meyers
with her daring Princess And The Stinky Cheese!
Congratulations, Pen and Lauri! I will prevail upon Corey to tire her signing hand by signing copies of her books for both of you! :) And you may email me about your gift cards.
4th place goes to
Darshana Khiani
with her delightful Mongoose's Holi Party!
Congratulations, Darshana, on a truly original tale! You may choose the two picture books you'd like from the prize list. (I'll tack it on the bottom of the post for easy reference :)) And email me about your gift card.
In 5th place,
Jennifer Caritas (hope I've got that right...!)
with another forthright heroine in The "Princess" And The Pete!
Congratulations on a terrific story, Jennifer! You may also choose the two picture books you'd like from the prize list below and email me about your gift card.
And in 6th place,
Elliah Terry
with her fun southwestern Jackrabbit Who Cried Gila Monster!
Congratulations, Elliah! I bet that gila monster is still running from the coyote :) You will receive a personalized sighed copy of SNORING BEAUTY by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen!
All the winners should email me to work out prize details!
But now, we are not quite done.
Because, like I said, this was a hotly contested contest. My assistant judges and I had quite a few other favorites that we felt couldn't quite make the finalist list for one reason or another, but we all thought they were worthy of recognition. So the following people (in no particular order) receive our heartfelt Honorable Mention!
Gaye Hemsley - Chocolate Muffins Joanne Roberts - Goldi And The Three Squirrels Vivian Kirkfield - Singerella Katie Gast - Little Dead Riding Hood Katie Cullinan - The Three Little Easter Bunnies Jen Doherty - The Mischievous Fire Truck Laura Shovan - The 12 Clumsy Princesses Margaret Greenias - The Big, Bad-Mannered Wolf Angela Turner - The Belle And The Sticker Burrs Cheryl Secomb - Little Red Rider Robert Schechter - Humpty Erik Weibel - The Once Upon A Times Rachel - Handsome And Gretchin
Congratulations to all of you on stories that were original, fun, and very entertaining! You may all choose one of the following as a prize: (titles are links so you can check them out)
Congratulations to everyone who entered a story in this contest. You all did an amazing job! My assistant judges and I loved every story for one reason or another. And I think it's fair to say that you entertained a LARGE number of readers!
Thank you so much to everyone who visited blogs, read, commented, and voted - these contests couldn't happen without you!
And thank you to the generous people who donated prizes - Karen Grencik, Lori Degman, and Cori Doerffeld - you're what everyone tries so hard for and you bring out the best in the writing community!
It's been another fun contest, and I thank you all!
I was going to announce the upcoming first ever * Illustrator Contest * today, but this post is too long already, and I really don't want to distract from the winners' moment in the spotlight, so I will either write a special Tuesday post for tomorrow or tack it onto the Would You Read It post on Wednesday.
So congratulations again to all the winners for all their wonderful stories, and to everyone who wrote a story for this contest. You are all winners just for showing up, writing something new, and practicing your craft!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! :)
List of Prizes:
- 1st Prize is a read and critique by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary!!! (Unless for some reason you don't want a read and critique by an agent, in which case you may swap for any of the other prizes)
- 2nd Prize is a picture book manuscript critique (for rhyming mss only) by Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and the forthcoming COCK-A-DOODLE-OOPS! OR a picture book manuscript critique (for non-rhyming mss only) by Cori Doerrfeld, author/illustrator of LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO and PENNY LOVES PINK as well as illustrator of many others.
- 3rd Prize is personalized signed copies of THE THREE NINJA PIGS and GOLDI ROCKS & THE THREE BEARS by Corey Rosen Schwartz PLUS a $25 Amazon Gift Card
- 4th and 5th Prizes are your choice of any two of the following picture books PLUS a $20 Amazon Gift Card:
- THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG by Eugene Trivizas
- CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA by Susan Lowell
- LITTLE RED WRITING by Joan Holub
- THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE SOMEWHAT BAD WOLF by Mark Teague
- THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAS by Caryl Hart
- THE WOLF'S STORY: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD by Toby Forward
- GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems
- 6th Prize (which just skated in under the wire - thank you Sudipta!) is a personalized signed copy of hot-off-the-presses SNORING BEAUTY by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
0 Comments on The 2014 March Madness Contest Winners!!! as of 3/31/2014 4:47:00 AM
I know you've all been on tenterhooks, waiting with bated breath, counting the minutes until you find out which of the amazing fractured fairy tales entered in the March Madness Writing Contest made the finals!
Well, I'd love to tell you, but we couldn't decide.
TheMarch MadnessWritingContest!
Just kidding :) We decided... in the end... but it was nearly the end of us, and I'm not sure who will be living happily ever after!
We agonized.
Seriously.
We've done nothing but eat, sleep and breathe fairy tales for the last 3 days solid. (Well, not counting a school visit on Tuesday which took me out of the judging room for a large portion of the day.) And we stayed up WAY past our bedtimes last night (which is likely to result in a challenging school visit today!), evaluating and re-evaluating, weighing kid-friendliness, story quality, creativity, and originality, good beginnings, good endings, and clever twists, stories for youngest readers, middle grade readers, and teen readers.
Any of you who had a chance to read through the entries will know how fantastic they were. Across the board you guys should all be so proud of yourselves! Not only did you show up, you delivered! And like I said, the choice was incredibly hard.
So, without further ado...
... let me give you a few statistics that I'm sure you'll find thrilling :)
In case you were wondering (admit it, you were), the fairy tale entries broke down as follows:
Goldilocks: 10
Red Riding Hood: 8
Cinderella: 5
Jack & Bean Stalk: 5
Mash-Up: 5
Princess & Pea: 4
Billy Goats Gruff: 4
Hansel & Gretel: 4
Nursery Rhyme-related: 4
3 Little Pigs: 3
Little Red Hen: 3
Boy Who Cried Wolf: 3
Sleeping Beauty: 2 (one of which was submitted by my husband and was therefore just for fun)
Gingerbread Man: 2 (one of which was mine, so technically not an entry :))
12 Dancing Princesses: 2
Emperor’s New Clothes: 1
Snow White: 1
Rapunzel: 1
Shoemaker & Elves: 1
Frog Prince: 1 Tortoise & Hare: 1
Also, the human eye blinks an everage of 4,200,000 times a year... since we're talking statistics :)
And now, without further ado...
Wait. One more thing.
There were so many great entries we DID after much tearing of hair and rending of garments come up with a finalist list, but in order to do so we had to be incredibly picky about minute details. Many of the stories we cut were fantastic... but for one tiny detail which dropped them out of contention. So on Monday, when we announce the winners, we will also announce a list of 12 Honorable Mentions (a nice even dozen :)) who almost made the list and truly deserve recognition, and they will probably qualify for a little prize of some kind which I will think up over the weekend :)
VOTING: Please read through these 10 amazing stories, choose the one you think most deserves to win, and vote for it in the poll below. Stories are listed by number and title only - author's name deliberately omitted to help with objectivity in voting. If you'd like to share this post on FB, twitter etc. so that the deserving finalists get more reads and votes, you are encouraged to do so, but I ask that you please not attempt to influence the vote by requesting people to vote for specific numbers or titles. That is not in the spirit of the competition, and if I find out you've done it you will be disqualified.
And now, really without further ado...
...here are the 10 Finalists:
#1 The Three Wiggly Worms Bluff
“Melting snow is swamping the soil! Time to head to higher ground,” said Papa Worm.
Papa, Mama and Baby Worm squirmed to the surface and wiggled up the grassy slope to face—
the dreaded sidewalk.
“Ow! It’s rough,” said Baby.
“Go as fast as you can.” Mama gave him a pat. “And keep a lookout for birds.”
Baby wiggled as fast as he could.
But he was only halfway across when a robin swooped down.
“I’m going to gobble you up and take you to my babies!” the robin squawked.
“I’m a baby myself. Barely a bite, and not worth your flight. Mama is coming, she’s more than a morsel. Why don’t you wait for her?” said Baby.
The robin thanked Baby and sent him on his way.
When the coast looked clear, Mama wiggled as fast as she could.
But she was barely halfway across when the robin hopped out from a bush.
“I’m going to gobble you up and take you to my babies!” the robin squawked.
“I’d make an adequate dinner, but if you want to treat your babies to a feast you might want to wait for Papa worm. He’s coming next,” said Mama.
The robin thanked Mama and sent her on her way.
Papa did calisthenics, warming up his wiggle. Between the birds and the pavement heating up, He needed to be fast!
Papa wasn’t halfway across when the robin landed in his path.
“I’m going to gobble you up and take you to my babies!” the robin squawked. “You are plump perfection!”
“Is it true that the early bird gets the worm?” asked Papa.
“That’s true.” The robin opened wide.
“Stop! How do I know you’re the early bird? Maybe someone else is supposed to eat me,” said Papa.
A second bird saw its chance. “I was here first.”
“No, you weren’t!” the robin screeched.
“I’m the early bird!” they both insisted.
The two birds went beak to beak, pecking and pulling feathers.
While the birds quarreled, Papa wiggled,
across the concrete and—Ploop!—down a hole in the grass.
“No worm for the early bird today.” Papa hugged his family.
They wiggled down to enjoy their damp, but not flooded, springtime home. .
until summer heat baked the soil and they had to return across the sidewalk again.
#2 Sweetie Witch
A sweet old witch named Hilda
Lived deep in Toffee Wood,
Weaving magic, casting spells...
Some bad, but mostly good.
One day while dipping in a stream
To catch a moonlight pearl,
She heard a sob, and in a bush
There crouched a tearful girl.
"I beg you Miss, don't eat me!"
Pleaded little Gretel,
"My bones are dry, my flesh is thin,
My blood tastes yuck, like metal."
Hilda laughed and shook her head,
Though Gretel was suspicious.
"Why would I eat you dear
When my house tastes so delicious?"
The witch led Gretel through the trees
Into a fairy glade,
And Gretel's eyes grew round as hoops
At wonders there displayed.
A cottage built from gingerbread
And cake, instead of oak.
Up from the chocolate chimney pot
Rose cotton-candy smoke.
Brightly colored lollipops
In pots beside the door.
Honeycomb for roof tiles,
And sherbet on the floor.
A table made from liquorice,
With soft marshmallow chairs.
A rug of woven apple-whips,
And jelly-beans for stairs.
"The best part's round the back, my dear,"
Hilda trilled with glee,
"My sweetie tree makes anything - look -
I'm growing a muffin settee!"
When Gretel saw she gave a gasp
For on it her brother sat,
His mouth crammed full of muffin crumbs,
Stroking the witch's cat.
"Hello there, my name's Hansel,"
The foolish glutton said,
"Could you get me some milk to wash this down?"
Suddenly... the witch... saw RED!
"Oh, greedy boy!" yelled Hilda,
"You really are a hog!"
With that she waved her candy wand
And turned him to a frog.
Poor Gretel started weeping,
Which softened Hilda's heart,
And she turned her to a frog too
So they'd never be apart.
Now Hansel and Gretel live happily
In Hilda's little stream,
Diving down for moonlight pearls
And eating fly ice-cream.
#3 The Princess And The Stinky Cheese
"If you don't find a princess to marry soon," the Queen said, "I'll be forced to give the crown to the dog."
"Mother, your ridiculous "true princess" tests are the problem," Prince Plumbottom whined."Let's see. Merida didn't feel the grain of rice in her pillow."
"Snored like a bear."
"Fiona couldn't taste donkey snot in her soup."
"Gobbled it down like a dragon."
"Even if a princess passedyour test," Prince Plumbottom said, "Princesses are so boring. I want to marry a daring lass!"
"Very well, son. We will look for a true princess who is also daring. I know just the right test."
"Here comes a girl now, and she has a branch in her hair!" he clapped his hands. "This young woman has had an adventure."
The prince skipped over to the soaking wet maiden.
"Hello, I'm Prince Plumbottom."
"Hello, I'm Princess Peabody," she said. "I was tracking a rattlesnake, but I fell into the river and now I'm quite lost."
"A rattlesnake? How daring!" the prince squealed. "Won't you join us for lunch?"
Princess Peabody wiped her muddy face with a napkin. She was about to blow her nose, but stopped when she heard the Queen whisper "Stinky Cheese Test" to the prince. She had heard of queens like this.
"Cheese, dear?" the Queen asked.
"Oh, it's a lovely green," Princess Peabody said. "But it's not nearly stinky enough."
The prince beamed.
The Queen thumped on the table. "Cook! Bring the stinkier cheese!"
The cook held a handkerchief over her nose and presented the stinkier cheese.
"Yummy. It smells like an ogre's shoe," the princess said. "But my Kingdom has much stinkier cheese."
The Queen's face turned red. "Guards! Find the stinkiest cheese in the land!"
The knights returned with a metal trunk which smelled like a dragon's armpit.
"Open it!" the Queen commanded.
The knights closed their armor masks and reached with a sword to open the chest. The stench was so horrific, so terrible, so... stinky that everyone fainted.
Everyone except Princess Peabody.
She fed the stinky cheese to the royal dog who didn't mind the smell at all. Then she blew her nose, finally clearing it of river mud.
The Queen came to and saw the empty cheese plate. "A true princess!"
Prince Plumbottom declared, "A daring princess!"
Burp! The dog agreed.
And they all lived stinkily ever after.
#4 The Jackrabbit Who Cried Gila Monster
Torito’s brothers were sound asleep,
but Torito . . . was as perky as a cactus.
Naps are no fun, he thought. He twiddled his ears until he got a wonderful idea.
“Help!” he cried. “There’s a Gila monster under our bed!”
Torito’s brothers jumped so high, they bumped the ceiling. Mama burst into the room, broom in hand. Torito giggled.
“Torito,” Mama said, grabbing the stuffed Gila monster he’d hidden, “YOU are supposed
to be asleep.” She handed him the toy and left.
Torito and his brothers snuggled into their bed. Soon his brothers were sound asleep, but
Torito . . . was as restless as a tumbleweed.
Naps are boring, he thought. I know . . .
“Help!” he cried. “There’s a Gila monster under our bed!”
Torito’s brothers cowered in the corner. Mama burst into the room. Torito laughed so hard, his sides ached.
“Torito J. Jackrabbit,” Mama said, grabbing the stuffed Gila monster, “YOU—”
“I tricked you!” Torito teased.
Mama crossed her arms. “It isn't nice to trick. Now go to sleep.” This time she kept the toy.
Torito and his brothers snuggled into their bed. Torito was as tired as a tortoise.
He closed his eyes.
Scritch-scratch!
Torito tore off his covers and peeked under the bed.
He gasped.
Two beady eyes stared back at him. Five sharp claws flexed on each hand. A long, purple tongue flickered out.
“Giiiiii-laaaaa monnnn-sterrrrr!” Torito yelled as he leaped into the closet.
His brothers didn’t move. They covered their ears and rolled over.
“Mama!” Torito screamed.
But Mama called back, “Go to sleep, Torito.”
The Gila monster stretched its jaws. Torito’s heart raced. Suddently, he got a wonderful idea—he knew Mama wouldn’t like it—but he didn’t know what else to do.
“Watch out!” Torito cried, “There’s a coyote in this closet!”
The Gila monster scoffed. “I’m not falling for that.”
Torito pulled the string on his stuffed coyote. Yarooooooooo!the toy howled.
The Gila monster hissed and scurried out the window. When he was far enough away, Torito called out, “I tricked you!”
“Torito . . .” Mama’s voice drifted from the kitchen.
“I know—it isn’t nice to trick.” (Unless it saves your life,) he thought.
Clutching his stuffed coyote, Torito snuggled between his brothers.
Soon, he felt as calm as the desert sand and drifted off into a peaceful jackrabbit slumber.
#5 Little Red Riding Hood And The Tiny Rude Bunny
Once upon a springtime, Little Red Riding Hood encountered a bunny nibbling grass near the forest path. He said, “Good morning, little girl. Where are you going?”
Now, Red knew she should not talk to strangers. She had talked to a wolf once, and had almost been eaten! But this was just a tiny bunny, so she said, “To grandmother’s house.”
“What’s in your basket?”
“Fancy eggs,” Red answered, showing him. The eggs sparkled like beautiful pink, blue, green, and gold gems. “We’re going to share them with the village children.”
“I want them!” The bunny grabbed at the basket. He was not a very polite bunny.
“No!” said Red. And off she went.
The bunny was angry. He wanted those eggs! He would trick her into giving them to him.
Over the river and through the woods, the bunny raced to Grandma’s house. And, because bunnies are very fast when they want to be, he got there well before Red.
Bunny knocked on the door. No one was home. So he ran inside, put on Grandma’s clothes, and jumped into her bed, just as Red got to the cottage.
She was suspicious immediately.
“Grandma, you look so small today.”
“People shrink as they age,” the bunny said. “It’s not nice to point it out.”
“What big ears you have.”
“Ears never stop growing. A polite girl wouldn’t mention it.”
“What big whiskers you have.”
“How rude!”
“What big teeth you have.”
That was the last straw for bunny. “The better to eat your eggs,” he said and jumped from the bed.
Red wasn’t scared. After all, this wasn’t a big, bad wolf, this was a tiny rude bunny. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck. “No,” she said. “In fact, as punishment, you can deliver these eggs to the children for us.”
“Good idea,” said Grandma, coming in and pulling out a wand. (Ever since the incident with the wolf, Grandma had been studying witchcraft as self-defence.) She cast a spell to make the bunny deliver the eggs.
But the bunny was tricky. Instead of giving the eggs to the children, he hid them around their houses. The next day he went back and stole the ones they’d missed. But the kids had so much fun that Grandma let the bunny keep his eggs, so long as he promised to hide more again next year.
#6 Goldibawks And The Three Pairs
Once upon a time there lived a mama duck, a daddy duck and junior duck.
One day after mama fixed seaweed stew they went out for a waddle while it cooled.
Meanwhile nearby, Goldibawks, a young chicken as yellow as the sun, who had just wandered out from the countryside, spotted an ad.
WANTED:
BASKETBALL PLAYER
FOR NCAA MARCH MADNESS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
TODAY AT CHICKERBOCKER ARENA
c/o National Chicken Athletic Association
Wattles wiggling, Golidbawks was eggstatic. Back on the farm, the roosters refused to let her play. This was her chance to show those roosters
0 Comments on March Madness Writing Contest Finalists!!! as of 3/27/2014 3:07:00 AM
The Contest: Write a children's story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words, that is a fractured fairy tale. Feel free to add a theme of spring, or mix in one of the spring holidays if you like - St. Patrick's Day, April Fools Day, Easter or Passover, Arbor Day, Earth Day... Have fun with it! The madder* the better! :) *as in wild and wacky, not angry :)
You do not have to include spring - that is optional.
The story can be a picture book or a short story - whatever you like.
If it's a picture book, you may NOT include art notes, because we get into a weird area of whether that's fair in terms of word count and added description etc. So if you write a picture book that's wonderful, but make sure art notes aren't necessary to understand it. "Fairy Tale" apparently turned out to be a very debatable term, so my fellow judges and I will do our best to handle whatever you've come up with. Title not included in word count.
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Monday March 24 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Wednesday March 26 so we can all take our time reading and enjoying everyone's stories! (No PPBF on Friday March 21, no new post on Monday March 24, no WYRI on March 26). If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you!)
The Judge: My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to 6 finalists (or possibly a couple more depending on the number of entries :)) which will be posted here on Thursday March 27 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 5PM EST on Sunday March 30 and the winner will be announced on Monday March 31. (No PPBF on Friday March 28.)
The Prizes!:
- 1st Prize is a read and critique by Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary!!! (Unless for some reason you don't want a read and critique by an agent, in which case you may swap for any of the other prizes)
- 2nd Prize is a picture book manuscript critique (for rhyming mss only) by Lori Degman, author of 1 ZANY ZOO and the forthcoming COCK-A-DOODLE-OOPS! OR a picture book manuscript critique (for non-rhyming mss only) by Cori Doerrfeld, author/illustrator of LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO and PENNY LOVES PINK as well as illustrator of many others.
- 3rd Prize is personalized signed copies of THE THREE NINJA PIGS and GOLDI ROCKS & THE THREE BEARS by Corey Rosen Schwartz PLUS a $25 Amazon Gift Card
- 4th and 5th Prizes are your choice of any two of the following picture books PLUS a $20 Amazon Gift Card:
- THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG by Eugene Trivizas
- CINDY ELLEN: A WILD WESTERN CINDERELLA by Susan Lowell
- LITTLE RED WRITING by Joan Holub
- THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE SOMEWHAT BAD WOLF by Mark Teague
- THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAS by Caryl Hart
- THE WOLF'S STORY: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD by Toby Forward
- GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems
- 6th Prize (which just skated in under the wire - thank you Sudipta!) is a personalized signed copy of hot-off-the-presses SNORING BEAUTY by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
And don't forget, all you illustrators, that this will be followed by a related Illustrator Contest in April!!! (to be announced and elaborated on as soon as the writing part of the contest is over! :))
And now, so that everyone will feel happy and confident about posting their stories, I will share my sample, a Wild West twist on The Gingerbread Boy at exactly 400 words (phew!):
The Cornpone Cowboy
Once upon a time (because that is the way all good fairy tales begin), Farmer Bubba and his lovely bride ThunderLily had the most beautiful ranch in the Wild West.
The grass was emerald green.
The rivers were pure as morning dew.
The cattle were sleek and fat and gave such rich, creamy milk that all the ice cream makers in the world fought over who would get it.
But even with all this beauty and excellent ice cream, Bubba and ThunderLily were sad. For though they were surrounded every spring by velvet-eyed calves and stilt-legged foals, fluffy chicks, pink piglets, and wooly lambs, they never had a child of their own.
Luckily, ThunderLily was not one to sit around moping. "If I can't have a child, I'll make one," she told her darling Bubba.
She got cornmeal and buttermilk, eggs, salt, and bacon drippings, and quick as you like she whipped up a sturdy little Cornpone Cowboy.
"We'll call him Charlemagne," she said dreamily as she plucked the skillet from the barbeque pit.
"You'll have to catch me first!" snorted the Cornpone Cowboy, and off he rode as fast as his cowpony could carry him.
He passed the pigpen and the piglets grunted, “Oh, Charlemagne! Come be our friend!”
“Don’t call me that!” said the Cornpone Cowboy, and he galloped on his way.
He passed the sheepfold and the lambs baahed, “Oh, Charlemagne! Come be our friend!”
“Don’t call me that!” said the Cornpone Cowboy, and he galloped on his way.
He passed the cow barn and the calves mooed, “Oh, Charlemagne! Come be our friend!”
“Why does everyone insist on calling me that?” said the Cornpone Cowboy, and he galloped on his way.
And so it was at the hen house…
. . . the horse pasture…
. . . and the goat shed.
Along about sundown a voice called, “Hey, Cowboy! Won’t you come set a spell by the campfire?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” said the Cornpone Cowboy, tuckered out from galloping. He hopped down from his pony, spurs a-janglin’, and came face to face with…
. . . COYOTE!
Quick as a wink he twirled his lariat. . .
. . . hog-tied Coyote . . .
. . . and lit out for home!
When Bubba and ThunderLily heard his story, ThunderLily said, “That’s our boy! Lightning fast!”
Which is how he came to be called LightningCharlie instead of Charlemagne (because really, who could live with that?) and they all lived happily ever after!
The End
Wasn't that nice of me? Now you can all feel brave and smug, secure in the knowledge that your story is better than that!!! :)
Anyone besides me feeling an urge to sing? "Like a Cornpone Cowboy riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo Cornpone Cowboy..."
No? Darn! I was hoping the exceptional quality of my singing would distract you from that story even though "cornpone" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "rhinestone" :)
I can't wait to read what you have all come up with! Let the fun begin! :)
And remember to check back here for entries added in the comments. I'll list them as they come in :)
0 Comments on The March Madness Writing Contest Is Here!!! as of 3/20/2014 3:25:00 AM
Only ONE MORE DAY! until the Match Madness Writing Contest opens!
I cannot wait to read the fabulous entries I hope will soon be pouring in to distract us from the fact that it is still 10 degrees even though tomorrow is the official first day of spring!
(The only small fly in the ointment is that I STILL don't have an idea for my sample story... EEK! I am seriously running out of time!!!)
One quick note on the contest: (because people keep asking) it's for a fractured fairy tale (think Cinderella, Snow White, Rumplestiltskin etc. - there are lots) not a fable, myth, or legend. Also, even if your story is intended to be a picture book, no art notes because we get into a weird area with word count. And no, your title doesn't count in the word count.
I think Something Chocolate might fuel the creative muse. Let's have some of Teresa's French Chocolate Silk Pie, shall we?
Teresa's French Chocolate Silk Pie - gorgeous, isn't it?
And here's a tasty view of a delicious slice - YUM!
Ah! I feel more creative already! :)
But now let's get down to brass tacks!
First, the February Pitch Pick. Here are the contestants:
#1 Kristine The STEM Girls Take Off - Picture Book (ages 5-8) Sophia wants to win the school science fair, but when her project won’t cooperate, she uses perseverance and teamwork to bring home the goal, proving that every girl can be a STEM girl.
#2 Pam B Fee Fi Fo Flub - Picture Book (ages 4-8) The giant Mini wants to continue her school’s tradition of putting on the annual production of Klurg and the Beanstalk. But during practice, Mini’s co-star makes jokes and goes off-script, and Mini fears he will ruin the show. It is only when Mini makes her own blunder on opening night that she realizes the value of creativity and flexibility, and works with her co-star to make the show a success.
#3 Julie G Diary Of A Linky Kid - Picture Book (ages 4-7) Herman wishes he was like everyone else, but when all the other kids are gazing at their belly buttons during gym class, Herman is hiding his coil shaped tummy under his t-shirt. When just another day at school turns into a daring rescue mission, Herman becomes an unlikely hero when his flexibility saves the day.
#4 Steve Silly Tilly - Picture Book (ages 4-8) Tilly's dreams of having a baby come true when a hatching egg presents her with a fluffy bundle of … crocodile! Everything is bliss until Charlie starts to grow. AND grow. When her friends start disappearing, Tilly worries that she’s next on the menu. But when Charlie invites her down to his cave, she’s in for a big surprise … party!
Please vote in the poll below by Friday March 21 at 11:59PM ET for the one you feel most deserves a read by editor Erin Molta.
Today's pitch comes to us from Beth H. who says she is a, "Chocaholic, reformed Catholic, (I don't feel guilty anymore about eating chocolate), red wine lover - (no I was not an altar girl) seeking to publish children's books that introduce children to self love, thinking out of the box and just plain silliness."
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Martin's Perfect Web Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-7) The Pitch: In a quest to build the perfect web, an obsessive compulsive spider confronts his biggest fears through an unlikely friendship with an inquisitive dragon. In a wild ride on the dragon's tail, Martin learns how to relax and enjoy the simple process of creating - leaving a beautiful web behind him to his utter disbelief.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Beth improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in July so you've got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Beth is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the contest! The March Madness Writing Contest!! Which starts tomorrow!!! I'm so excited!!!! Oh, wait. I'm having deja vu. Did I already say that??? Never mind. It's still true. Start counting the hours!!!
(And won't I feel silly if my sample - which promises to be quite dreadful since I don't even have an idea yet, and therefore have yet to write a single word with less than 12 hours before I have to post it - is the only entry! So please, save me from myself and enter! :))
See you tomorrow even though it's Thursday...
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! :)
0 Comments on Would You Read It Wednesday # 126 - Martin's Perfect Web (PB) PLUS The February Pitch Pick as of 3/19/2014 3:05:00 AM
Like to doodle, or know someone who does? Designer Julia Mariscal has created a Writing Spoon–a spoon with a tip like a fountain pen–that you can dip into your coffee or soup or hot chocolate to doodle or make designs while you sup.
It looked like it would be a bit frustrating for me, but then I’ve never liked fountain pens. (I like pens that you don’t have to keep dipping into ink.) But I love the playful idea, and the pairing of a pen with food seems fun.
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