I love my dogs.
I really do.
They keep me company while I work. They are warm and cuddly and sweet and lovable. They’re always up for an outing if the writing is not going well.
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| Really, how can you not love these two? (Even though they are blurry because it’s next to impossible to get them both in the same picture :)) |
But yesterday?
Yes, well, yesterday, I can’t say I was terribly happy with either one of them.
First, on a perfectly lovely morning run, during which I don’t recall losing sight of Scout (although Jemma disappeared for a while to investigate the neighbor’s compost heap), Scout somehow managed to get skunked.
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| we run here – no cars, so no leashes |
Those of you who have dogs know that anything to do with skunks IS NOT FUN!
How could I have not seen it happen? I was right there!
Nevertheless, skunked she was. And I didn’t have time to wash her – I had to get my daughter to school! So I had to gate her in the kitchen, open all the windows, and pray that her extreme odor wouldn’t asphyxiate either dog while I was gone and that I would somehow be able to get the smell out of the house when I returned.
Then came the bathing.
Although she will get in any scummy, algae covered, filth-laden mud puddle, pond or stream as long as it isn’t actually iced over, Scout does NOT like to be bathed!
And when I am alone, with no one to hold on to her, bathing Scout is an Olympic sport, let me tell you!
Afterwards, she sulked.
See? She wouldn’t even look at me.
Then, while she was still QUITE wet (it’s hard to comprehend how much water that coat holds if you haven’t experienced it firsthand), the guy showed up out of nowhere to service the furnace.
“But you said October 3rd!” I sputtered, when he insisted the dogs be shut up before he got out of the truck.
So I had to shut them in my office… which now smells like wet skunk dog with a trace of lemon dish soap. Quite the scent. I think Febreze will be introducing it this fall.
So then, when he finally left, I put them out in hopes of airing out the house…
… and they conveniently found something dead to roll in….
…so we had another round of baths….
…and now my house smells like wet skunk dog mixed with barely concealed dead animal and a trace of lemon dish soap.
Truthfully it’s a miracle I was even able to write this 🙂
I think that calls for Something Chocolate if anything ever did!
Let’s go hog wild!!! (with many thanks to Kathy P. for the photo!! :))
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| It’s called Candy Shop Truffle! (but it kind of looks like cereal so let’s pretend it’s good for us :)) |
So, after all that!, we have the August Straight From The Editor. You will recall that Lisa won the August Pitch Pick with her pitch for The Golden Egg, a PB for ages 5-8.
Here is her pitch:
The golden egg that doesn’t hatch creates quite a stir among the feathered friends on the farm. The Eggsperts are called and the Whisperers weigh in. In the end, Mother Hen must decide whether to follow their advice or listen to her heart.
And here is what Erin had to say:
As always, I find Erin’s comments interesting and enlightening! Thank you, Erin, and thank you Lisa!
Now, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Kari who says, “I live in upstate NY and resurrected this children’s series I started way back in elementary school. My stories are based in part on things that happened to me and my friends when we were younger. Living in a very small town in the middle of nowhere, you had to make your own fun, just like Mekayla and her friends do.”
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The Great UFO Hunt
Age/Genre: Early Reader
The Pitch: Aspiring space explorer Mekayla is convinced she sees a UFO crash land in the woods behind her house. But despite finding evidence of something from another world, no one but her friends believe her! With weird things happening in their small, sleepy town, Mekayla and her friends are out to save their town and prove life from outerspace does exist.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
Kari is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to when my house no longer smells like wet skunk dog with barely concealed dead animal and a trace of lemon dish soap!
See you all on Friday for PPBF!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
I feel for you, Susanna! I think my husband would say to get rid of the dogs. How can you write in a skunk-smelling office? I hope it has cleared by now.
Yes, I'd read Kari's pitch. The only thing I'd delete is the first “but” on the 2nd sentence.
Yeah… my husband says that a lot because of the hair. They are both German Shepherd mixes and boy do they shed! But yes, thanks to vigorous application of baking soda and lemon dish soap, and a wonderful product called Citrus Magic (an organic non-aerosol air freshener) my house smells fine and as long as the dogs don't get too close all is well 🙂 Thanks so much for your comments for Kari! 🙂
The dog story is hilarious… and stinky 🙂
I would read the story! This is the kind of book that I would love. I like it when early readers do a fun topic like UFOs. It sounds fun! 😀
It is way funnier in hindsight than it was at the time 🙂 Miss Brown has forgiven me for the bath and is now lying at my feet gently wafting skunk odor at me 🙂 Thanks so much for your comments for Ms. Withey – I'm sure she will be thrilled! 🙂
I'm sure it wasn't funny for you Susanna, but your descriptions totally cracked me up!
I would read The Great UFO Hunt. For some reason, it reminded me of the movie Chicken Little.
I'm sure it wasn't funny for you, but your descriptions totally cracked me up!
I would read The Great UFO Hunt. For some reason, it reminded me of the movie Chicken Little.
Sounds like you had a stinky comedy of errors day, Susanna!
Sure, I'd read it! Reminded me of Stand By Me, only instead of a dead body, it's something from outer space. I stumbled a bit, and thought to switch some words around. I'm new it this myself so feel free to keep or toss, Kari ;0) :
When Mekayla, an aspiring space explorer, sees a UFO crash land in her woods and finds evidence of something from another world, no one but her friends believe her! Soon weird things start to happen, awakening Mekayla's sleepy town, and she and her friends must fight to prove life from outer space exists to save it.
I would read it! I enjoy twilight zone type things. One thing that stopped me was the phrase “is convinced.” That suggested the MC is mistaken and I want a better feeling for whether this is truly about an alien experience or not. If there are aliens, then “MC sees” if there aren't, then keep is convinced but maybe tailor the ending so we know it's about mistaken identity?
Susanna, I feel your pain. I keep “Skunk-off ” in my cupboard for those moments. But truly nothing but time takes away the final funk. They are adorable despite this.
I'm glad you found amusement in my Olympic skunk bathing and horrible house odor, Katie! 🙂 Thanks for your comments for Kari. I haven't seen Chicken Little, so I can't say if I see a resemblance or not…!
I'm not even taking a bite of that dessert . . . because YOU deserve it ALL after the day you endured yesterday.
Hope today is FRESHER smelling.
It was quite a day, Donna. Scout has forgiven me for the bath and is once again lying at my feet… the delightful odor of skunk-that-won't-wash-off drifting up to me every time she moves 🙂 Thanks for your very helpful suggestions for Kari! And please let me know about your pitch revision – maybe I have the wrong email for you???
I have never heard of Skunk Off, Wendy! Apparently it's something I should keep in stock! I used hefty amounts of aking soda on the oily part – it soaks out the skunk oil – and then wash with lemon dish soap. There's a cocktail you can make with certain parts baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and a few drops of lemon dish soap, but I can never remember the ratios in the heat of the moment, and I didn't have enough hydrogen peroxide on hand anyway! And yes… I'll be smelling skunk every time she gets wet (which is pretty much every day :)) for a year! 🙂 Thanks so much for your helpful comments for Kari!
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So far it is, as long as I don't get to close to the Terrible Two 🙂 And there's plenty of Candy Shop Truffle – please help yourself 🙂
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Yep, I'd read it. I'm a sucker for UFO's. 🙂 But I think you could spice up the pitch if you added something specific…maybe like the initial bit of “evidence” to further hook your readers.
And P.S. Have you ever considered writing a Chicken Soup for the Soul Story, Susanna? They're looking for stories for a title called, “The Dog did WHAT?”
It smells like you're a shoo-in for that! 🙂
What a crazy dog adventure! You may eat the entire cake. I'll definitely paint you all one day. Love that pitch. I would just hint at what they did to find out.
Thanks for your helpful comments for Kari, Cathy! And OMG – I had not heard of that Chicken Soup – maybe I should check it out!!! 🙂
Thanks for chiming in for Kari, Catherine! And ooh – that would be an honor to be painted by you! For that offer, you may certainly have some of the Candy Shop Truffle! 🙂
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Akkk, it slipped by me! Thanks for the heads up, Susanna.
🙂
Oh my gosh!!! One of my fav phrases is that it never rains by pours. I hope the smell will be gone soon. My dog loved to roll in dead stuff too but was never skunked thankfully!
Oh you know me and space aliens! I would absolutely read this. I think it sounds like tons of fun. The only thing that threw me was the the “aspiring space explorer” part. I think it might sound better as something else, like “space enthusiast” or “aspiring astronaut.” But that's minor. Good luck with it, Kari!
The house is okay… the dogs not so much… but they'll get there 🙂 Mine are addicted to skunks, apparently – but I think I'd rather that than porcupines! Thanks so much for your comments for Kari! 🙂
Sorry to hear about your skunking/dead animal incident, Susanna! At least it gave you something special to write about 🙂
I would read the story. The only thing I would change is “weird things.” Can you be more specific and state some of these? Good luck!
Well, we're letting bygones be bygones here on Blueberry Hill today 🙂 I'm trying to look past the lingering odor of skunk and Scout has forgiven me for the bathing incident 🙂 Thanks so much for your comments for Kari, Pam! 🙂
EGAD, I'm late and I'll probably just repeat what these fine folks have already said. (Got a call from doctor I never heard of wanting to see Christopher.) *deep sigh* *tears flowing*
Boy. A skunk. Sorry Sus. I have been there done that! Man yesterday was a comedy of errors for you. (I have a road like that too. SO SCHWEET!)
I GOTTA HAVE THAT RECIPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Set that bowl on the table and enjoy the peace. Yeah man!
I would read it. Sounds great! But it says she was convinced. If she saw it, she doesn't have to be convinced of it, does she?
Better late than never, Rob… but it's never too late around here 🙂 Thanks for your comments for Kari. Sorry about Christopher – that's way worse than a little bit of skunk 😦
Here is the recipe to cheer you up:
Candy Shop Truffle! -Stephanie
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 boxes of low fat chocolate jello instant pudding
4 cups of milk (as per the pudding directions)
1/4 cup peanut butter (plus 2 tbsp for drizzling)
1 large container of low fat cool whip
1 bag of mini Reese peanut butter cups (chopped into pieces)
1 large bag of Reese's pieces
Bake the cake as per the directions on the box. Let cool completely.
Let cool whip thaw out until it's easier to spread.
Make the pudding as per the directions on the box, at the very end before you let it set stir in the 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Let set.
Crumble the cake into a trifle dish (or bowl), top with 1/2 of the pudding mixture, then add a layer of cool whip (1/2 the container), and then sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped Reese peanut butter cups and 1/2 the bag of Reese's pieces.
Do another layer exactly the same: cake, pudding, cool whip, candy.
Thank you, thank you. It's gonna be a gloriously quiet day in this house. They can have seconds too. *wink*
Sorry you had such a rough day! But on the bright side, your dogs are really cute, and I guess they're clean now. 🙂
So sorry for your skunky event! I've been there.
Yes, I would read it. It sounds like an intriguing story. I think the pitch is very good. I do think it would help to add some clue about why the town needs saving. Also I agree that the word “weird” might be too common. Perhaps “peculiar” or “curious”?
Yukky skunk! That is the worst smell. And then the baths for reluctant dogs…I can so relate. I hope things calm down on Blueberry Hill!
The story sounds great. I confer with some of the other commenters to change the word “weird” and to give a hint of the trouble the aliens are causing. Nice job on keeping the pitch short and precise!
Yes, I would definitely read this and my early reader would love a series like this. I think what I'd love to see in the pitch is a little more excitement…maybe examples of things around the town–give us some action. Also “no one but her friends” to me implied a lot of people believed her. Maybe “no one but her best friend? or no one by Andy and Belinda?” etc. And a picky note: the word “town is repeated a lot in a row. I would look at that. Good luck! I hope I get the chance to read this someday!
Yukky skunk! That is the worst smell. And then the baths for reluctant dogs… I can so relate. I hope things have slowed down and the air is sweeter on Blueberry Hill!
I concur with some of the other readers to change the word “weird” and to give a hint to the trouble the aliens are causing. Great job on keeping the pitch short and precise!
Susanna, I don't know what's going on, but there are three of me me me today 🙂 The comments are showing up in 3's. I tried to delete the two others, but it didn't work. Now you'll probably have three of this one too..
Oh good! I quit and came back and it looks like just one of each comment showed up. You must have thought I lost my mind!
Thank you for saying they're cute, Robin – I think so 🙂 And yes… they're clean… but the odor of skunk doth linger… 🙂
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Thanks for the skunk-sympathy, Wendi 🙂 We could be like the Sisterhood Of The Skunk-Sprayed Dogs 🙂 And thanks so much for your helpful thoughts for Kari!
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I don't know what's going on either! My comments are showing up in doubles, but then one of them usually goes away… by magic… I can try deleting your extras, but they don't bother me 🙂
I know. It's awful. It literally makes your eyes water! I'm sure Jambo doesn't get himself in this kind of trouble! Thanks for your comments for Kari! 🙂
I would never think that 🙂
Thanks so much for your encouraging and helpful thoughts for Kari, Wendy! 🙂
Thank you everyone for the comments so far! I'm glad everyone likes the idea of my story. I'm going into writing my third draft of this story and I'm still struggling a bit with the opening, so all suggestions are appreciated! Because it's early reader, I was iffy on some of my word choices and whether it went beyond the age range I was aiming for. I'm still learning that process. Hopefully one day you'll get to find out what Kayla really discovered.
Sorry the comment I made below didn't come up with my name attached to it.
I would definitely read this. I'm late here, as usual, but I read a few of the comments. I don't hate the word weird, but I would like to have an example or two of what happens in town. The book sounds like a blast!
Scout and Jemma are very naughty. Did you just use the dish soap to un-skunk Scout? The recommended treatment is 4 cups of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, and 2 tsp of liquid soap. I hope I never ever need this recipe!!! I hope you never need it again either!
I'm a twin! There's two of me, too! Weirdness by Disqus! Soooo sorry about the skunk and the something dead! What a day!Your deserve the whole Candy Shop Truffle.
I would read, but I feel like you can tighten:
Mekayla, aspiring space explorer, sees a UFO crash in the woods behind her house. Despite finding other-worldly evidence, only her friends believe her! With their help, Mekayla is out to save the town and prove that life from outerspace does exist.
And the last line does bother me some, but I didn't come up with a resolution. Does she really want to prove that life from outerspace does exist or that aliens landed in the woods? I think it would be better to clarify that, because what I think you're wanting to get across is that she wants to prove they've landed and are a threat. Anyway, hope that made sense. Good luck with it!
I think it's the UFO pitch, Penny. We're all in the twilight zone here 🙂 Thanks for the skunk sympathy and for your very helpful comments and suggestions for Kari! 🙂
Thanks for your comments for Kari, Genevieve! And thank you for the mixture ingredients! I did an inventive version of the skunk mix because in the heat of the moment I couldn't remember how much of what and I didn't have nearly enough hydrogen peroxide. But I think it's the baking soda that works best – I rubbed it right into her skunk-oily hair and left it for a few minute before I washed her… several times… and it seems to have done pretty well. Of course, if you put your face near her she smells like a skunk. But if you're not too close… like, say, Kansas… she smells fine 🙂
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When I put this story through my critique group (my first draft anyway), they also made a remark that the goal didn't seem clear. They enjoyed the premise, just weren't sure what exactly the end result was that Kayla and her friends wanted. Kayla just has big dreams, no patience to wait and accomplish those dreams, and wants to make some big scientific discovery so she doesn't have to wait until she's grown up to accomplish anything. Obviously discovering another life form, which she believes exists, is the best discovery she can think of.
I guess I should have pitched my holiday themed story 😉
I chose to use weird only because it sounded more like someone in that age bracket would use-there is luckily a lot of variety of the word I can use. Basically the “weird” happenings are disappearing neighbors, lights going on and off, and, of course, large pieces of scrap that she believes came from a real UFO scattered in the woods behind her house. Of course she tells her parents this and they start acting strange themselves, making her really believe something is going on in her town.
Once again, thank you to everyone for the feedback! And since it didn't seem to post earlier, I'm so sorry about your skunky smelling dogs-it's the absolute worst! I grew up in the country (more or less), and that happened to a friends dog once. I didn't visit her house for a good month after it.
I did an amazing job on both dog and house! I dare you to smell skunk! (Unless you get within 5 feet of Scout… I'm afraid she's going to smell for a while… especially when she's wet… which is every day :))
Susanna, your day sounds like a movie — just when you think it can't get any worse… dun-dun-DUN! 🙂
On to Kari's pitch…I always like a girl-oriented story that involves exploration and typically 'boy' topics like space. So yes, I would read it.
I thought the pitch could be tightened a little. In the second sentence, I'd change the last part to “but her friends are the only ones who believe her” or maybe “but no one believes her, except her friends XX and XX (might consider naming her friends here – these early readers often have a friendship focus and if they are going to be regular characters then they should be named, I think).
The ending gave me pause, too, where she said “prove life from outer space does exist” – to me this is setting your character up for failure because we all know life from outer space has not come to Earth. Is this really her goal, or is it something slightly different? Also, I'd like some hint at how the emotional conflict is resolved. If she's upset that no one believes her at the beginning, does she now need to prove that she's trustworthy?
Overall, it seems like a fun early reader topic. Good luck with it!