Eye of newt and toe of frog! It’s finally time for
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| courtesy google images |
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words spooky, black cat, and cackle. 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 black cat 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 🙂 [Note: of you choose to use cackle as a verb, any form is acceptable – cackles, cackled, cackling…]
Post your story on your blog between now and Thursday 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 or Perfect Picture Books this week, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. I hope everyone will visit everyone and you’ll all get your friends and relations to visit, read and enjoy too! 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. (If you have trouble, and alas, people sometimes do, just email your entry to susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com and I’ll post it in the comments for you!)
The Judging: my lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we’ll see) top choices which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 4th. The winner will be announced with Would You Read It on Wednesday November 6th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd.
The Prizes:
Second Prize is a PB manuscript and query letter critique from talented author Heather Ayris Burnell, author of Bedtime Monster.
Third Prize is a set of personalized signed picture books just in time for the holidays – Charlotte Gunnufson‘s Halloween Hustle, Tiffany Haber’s The Monster Who Lost His Mean, and Amy Dixon’s Marathon Mouse (perfect timing because NYC Marathon Sunday is next weekend!)
Please join me again in thanking these very generous authors for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books for holiday 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 🙂
I’m actually a little amazed (and worried) because the inaugural Halloweensie Contest, won by Cathy with Untitled was postponed due to 2 feet of snow – which around here is unusual for the end of October. The 2nd Annual Halloweensie Contest, won by Julie with Hallow’s Eve was delayed and interfered with by Hurricane Sandy! So fingers crossed we don’t get any wild weather this year!
Now then. Time for my sample entry which I provide both because I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, and because in case anyone is worried about the quality of their entry they have only to read my abysmal attempts to be filled with confidence that their’s is MUCH better!
So without further ado:
A Witch For Spooky (100 words)
Spooky was a black cat with no witch.
Things just never worked out.
Grimelda’s potions were too stinky for his delicate nose.
“Scram!” said Grimelda when he kept sneezing.
Hauntabelle flew her broomstick like a maniac.
“Scat!” said Hauntabelle when he got broomsick.
Armathystle’s cackle made Spooky run and hide!
Spooky had almost given up when he found Serena. She was very small, but she didn’t smell bad or fly fast or cackle.
“You can be my Pookie,” she crooned (which was close enough!), and she carried him home in a candy-filled plastic pumpkin.
Spooky had a witch at last!
and, to provide one in rhyme (kinda storta :))
Spooked! (100 words)
A pirate, a witch, and a gypsy queen
Went trick-or-treating one Halloween.
Away past the farthest edge of town
To the ramshackle home of Farmer Brown.
Up the dark lane where no one dared.
The gyspsy queen said, “We’re not scared!”
A spooky shadow loomed ahead!
“Relax,” said the pirate. “It’s just a shed.”
“Eeeek!” shrieked the witch as she danced about.
“Something touched my leg! Look out!”
“It’s just a black cat. Come on, let’s go.”
But then came a sound they didn’t know.
Cackle-cackle! “It’s witches on the loose!”
And they ran helter-skelter from the Farmer’s goose!
Everyone feeling better about their stories now? I HOPE so! 🙂
I can’t wait to read all of yours! 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!!! 🙂
Don’t miss 19 entries in the comments section from Megan, Pia, Linda, Michele, Stacy, Laurie, Kathy, Patricia, Eileen, Nancy, Pam, Pat, Kristen, Teresa R., Teresa S., Suzy, Tracy, Heather, and Karen! (Marcie is now on the link list at #15, Jackie is now on the link list at #33 – she has a brand new blog!, Laura S is on the list at #40, and Deirdre is on the link list at #52. I hope I’ve caught all the doubles, but there may be a couple more.)
Susanna Leonard Hill 
I love your stories, Susanna, especially the second one! Reading it made me excited for Halloween!
Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
Thanks, Laura! You're so kind! Maybe your little nieces (and nephews?) will enjoy some of the stories that go up 🙂 I'm waiting for you to enter one of these days! 🙂
Susanna they are both far better than mine. They have everything and I love Pookie from Spookie such a cute idea! Can't waot to read them all and thanks to the prize givers.
Yay! I mean . . . aahhrroooOOOOh!
Loved your story and your poem, Susanna.
Cackle . . . the Spooky Black Cat also finds his witch.
I can't wait to read yours! I'm sure it's fabulous!!!
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Ooh! I'm so excited! Can't wait to read about Cackle 🙂 And I've realized from your sentence that my story (and maybe yours) would have been REALLY short – Cackle the spooky black cat finds his witch 🙂
Oh, I love Pookie! I didn't dare rhyme, but I did try! Can't wait to make my way through the list of entries.
Oh, you and your confounded contests!
I have duly submitted something.
Oh yay! I'm so excited you have an entry! Can't wait to read it 🙂
Oh goody! Can't wait to come read it! 🙂 You poor poor boy. Having to submit to my confounded contests 🙂
Pookie/Spooky hilarious! (just please lets' not have “Pookie” as a required word in any future contests.)
Those prizes are spooktacular!
I loved your stories, Susanna! So, how's the weather looking today? 😉
Yeah, Susanna–your stories are pretty darn good. Um…if you're not using them…:-)
Oh, no! You just sealed your fate! I'm going to make everyone use the word Pookie in the very next contest! 🙂 I hope you're posting an entry, Lauri… yours are always fun! 🙂
Thanks, Cheryl! Can't wait to read yours! And so far so good – cold but sunny!
You're far too kind, Cathy! I'm sure yours will be much better!
What are you talking about Susanna! Your stories are wonderful. I especially loved “A Witch for Spooky” and your use of the word broomsick!
Yours is better than mine. *whine* *whine* Pookie, what a great word! I'm gonna go around saying that all week. I'll enter my 100 word hogwash, but just remember you were forewarned. It's coooold in NC these days. I bet it's really getting coooold in NY. SWAK!
I'm so glad someone enjoyed that! I had a great picture in my head for it 🙂 Thanks, Heather! 🙂
I can't wait to read yours, Robyn! I'm sure it's creative and fun and not hogwash at all! And yes, it is cold up here today! Still, we're about to brave riding anyway! (If SWAK means something, I'm too clueless to know! :))
I really like your story in rhyme. That's a winner!
Sealed with a kiss or as they say in this neck of the woods, a little sugar. Hahaha. Hey, I'm going riding too. Mr. Ed is itching to go.
Okay, Susanna, you talked me into it. Here is my entry:
I don’t want to be spooky
I don’t like to be ghoulish
Black cats, witches, and zombies
All foolish!
I’ve no use for loud shrieking
Keep your cackle at bay
No howl or “boo” needed
Scares stay away!
Halloween can be creepy
Chilling, frightening or eerie
But I’ll be a princess,
So mine will be cheery!
Susanna, I love your poem! I wrote a story, but now I think it's terrible! Hoping I'll be able to write a new one by Thursday :). Looking forward to reading what others come up with. Thanks for arranging this contest.
So cute!
Here is my silly entry. A refreshing break from the revision I've been struggling with the past week. I posted it on my blog (www.marciewessels.com/blog) but I don't think there is a unique address for the entry.
Miss Sadie
A bumbling witch named Miss Sadie
yearned to be wicked and mean.
When she tried to be spooky,
she came off was quite kooky,
the clumsiest witch ever seen.
“Perhaps what I need to be scary
is something eerie and dark!”
So she found a black cat,
and a tall pointy hat,
and hid in a tree in the park.
“Trick or treaters, beware,” cackled Sadie,
“I’m here to give you a fright!”
Sadie laughed with such glee,
she fell out of the tree,
and “boo hoo-ed” on Halloween night.
This was such a refreshing break from the revision I've been struggling with. I posted the entry on my blog (www.marciewessels.com/blog) but there isn't a unique address for that entry so this will have to do.
Miss Sadie
A bumbling witch named Miss Sadie
yearned to be wicked and mean.
When she tried to be spooky,
she came off quite kooky,
the clumsiest witch ever seen.
“Perhaps what I need to be scary
is something eerie and dark!”
So she found a black cat,
and a tall pointy hat,
and hid in a tree in the park.
“Trick or treaters, beware,” cackled Sadie,
“I’m here to give you a fright!”
Sadie laughed with such glee,
she fell out of the tree,
and “boo hoo-ed” on Halloween night.
I'm in, Susanna! What fun…I can't wait to read all of the entries! So much talent…and yours are EXCELLENT! Thanks for hosting this again…and providing such great prizes. 🙂 Happy Halloween to All!
LOVE your example stories, Susanna! I can hardly wait to post mine on Wednesday. Looks like I'll be able to keep busy in the meantime reading all the fantastic entries. Your contests are so much fun! Thank you!
I keep telling you that maybe I'll enter and never do. So I've gone and done it this time. It's all written. Exactly 100 words if “black cat” counts as 1 and the title doesn't count. 🙂
Happy Halloweensie!
Ho-boy! I didn't write mine yet! Oh no! AHHH!!! But I am working on it! 😀
Holy black cats!!! You've done it! I can't wait to come read it Janet! 🙂
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Maricie – Your link is http://marciewessels.com/blog/2013/10/28/miss-sadie. I loved the ending. You should be able to put that in the link list with your email. It would get more of us to visit your site. 🙂
I'm glad you explained that. I thought that was a horse term and was clueless. I'm going to find your entry Robyn!
Very cute!
Why thank you, Joanne! You're very kind! 🙂
Have fun! Ours were full of beans today! 🙂
I love it, Megan! I'm so glad someone went the opposite of scary 🙂 And so glad I talked you into joining the high jinx! 🙂
Oh, Pam! You are your own harshest critic I'm sure! I bet your story is wonderful! But by all means, take your time and write another – you've got days 🙂
ENTRY POSTED FOR JACKIE W.
A DISAPPEARING ACT
The night of Halloween, Ben found a black-cat outside a cemetery.
“Let’s get you home,” Ben said cuddling the cat.
“Spooky! That's not a cat's name!” he mumbled turning its collar. “You belong to Kat Cackle-stein? But she died three months ago.”
Approaching the house, Ben felt the coldest chill. He heard, “Wooooooooooo” and a cackle so loud, it sent chill up his spine.
Ring-ring-ring. The door squeaked. An old lady appeared.
“Either you’re here to hug me or Spooky disappeared on you,” she cackled.
Ben’s arms were empty. Spooky was gone.
Poof! And so was she.
Oh, wow! Jackie that was clever, spooky and fun all in 100 words! Excellent job! 🙂 Thanks so much for joining in the tomfoolery around here! 🙂
Yay!!! I've only gotten up to #6 or 7 on the list and the couple that are posted in the comments. I'm so looking forward to reading all the others, yours included! 🙂
I can't wait to read yours, Beth! And I agree – the contests are so much fun! I really look forward to them! But it's because everyone is such a good sport about writing and posting entries and going around to visit each other! 🙂
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Oh, Marcie! You made me laugh out loud! That was wonderful! Clever and fun and creative! Thank you so much for taking a break from your revision to share your delightful story with us!
Hahaha, Stacy! I'm going to add it in a bit.
Thank you for the helpful tip, Stacy. I think I was able to add it to the link list. All the best, Marcie.
P.S. I added your link to the list above (at the same time you or Stacy did I guess because it showed up twice, but the other link didn't work properly so I removed it.) It should be working now!
You are too kind. Thanks for organizing the contest. So lovely to see so many talented writers and picture book lovers getting into the spirit of things. Sorry about the double post. I seem to be having technical difficulties today. Best, Marcie
Oh gosh, I'm sorry for all of the confusion. Thank you.
It is wonderful how everyone joins in the fun! And no worries about the double post – I have technical difficulties all the time 🙂