Darlings!

Do you know what time it is?

Well, of course you do! That’s why you’re here!

It’s time for our annual Polka Palooza!

Help yourself to some pączki – you know there are always plenty of sweet treats around here to keep you properly fueled for whatever hijinks and shenanigans are going on, and polka-ing requires lots of energy!

I’m pretty excited about my swishy polka dancing dress, aren’t you? And I’m wearing my best clogs for the occasion. With the energetic dancing that’s about to commence we will surely make the floorboards shake!

I admit I haven’t practiced my accordion much lately, but I’m sure it’s like riding a bike – you never forget 😊 The rest of my band is canine – Finny on drums and Vi on bass – and I know I’m better than they are 😊

Are you ready?

Let’s . . . POLKA!!!!

Oh.

I’m sorry.

Did you have something else in mind?

Perhaps you actually came to find out about the winners of the. . .

2024 14th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Halloweensie Contest WINNERS!

A quick note in advance – I will most likely not be in a position to attend to the badge-making and prize-giving until the weekend. I will try, but please forgive me if I need a little extra time. To help streamline, I am going to try something new and have all the prize winners email me their top 5 prize choices in order of preference and see if we can avoid the waiting-for-emails rabbit hole 😊 (And just so there’s no confusion, this does not refer to the HMs – there are no choices for you because everyone gets the same thing.)

Now then!

As you are all well aware, we had another great turnout this year. So many wonderful stories!  For me (and I hope for you!), Halloween is far better with a plethora of creative and well-written entries to read!

With large entry numbers come hard choices, though.  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 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 (one reason being that, at a certain point, we just had to stop adding finalists to the list! 😊)

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: (all-around well-written stories we loved that just missed the finals for one small reason or another!)

P. J. Purtee for Creating Black Cats In A Caldron

Lauri C. Meyers for Party Manners (also funny!)

Leslie Ross-Degnan for Candy Corn Goblin

Ryann Jones for Goblin Goo

Lorraine McCown for Body Talk

Meg Winikates for Baby Goblin At The Halloween Ball

Jessica Jenson for A Post-Halloween Party

Laura N. Clement for A Spectrum of Costumes (quiet and sweet)

Amy Duchene for Beach Trick or Treat (creative and different)

2. For Kid Appeal:

Ashley Sierra for Hallowscream (lots of fun sounds!)

Patti Richards for No Tricks, Just Treats

3. For Great Read For Younger Readers:

Leanne Pankuch for Scary Costume Question

Sarah Hawklyn for Dad’s Nap

Liz Shine for Little Goblin (sweet and some lovely writing)

4. For Great Humor:

Ruthie Nicklaus for The Haunted. . . – Humor

Ashley Sierra for The Real Halloween Heroes (clever and funny!)

5. For Great Ending:

Sara Kruger for The Full-Size Candy Bar Challenge

Jessie Anna Bornemann for Georgie’s Halloween Hijinks

6. For Sweet/Poignant:

Amanda Blaylock for Sister’s Sacrifice (nice sibling relationship)

Dana Dillaman for Hairy Princess (nicely written kindness)

Abigail Mumford for Halloween 365 (poignant)

7. For Spookiest/Creepy Entry:

Marilyn Wolpin for Who’s There (well written)

Maria Piñero Pope for The Skeleton March (nice marching rhythm!)

RJ Clarken for The Goblin King

Kendra Lusty for In The Cave of the Goblin King

Elizabeth Etheridge for Halloweenie, The Goblin and the Tender-Hearted Schoolboy (also Original!)

8. For Fun To Read Aloud!:

Angela Martinelli for The Goblin

9. For Beautiful Writing:

Robin Currie for Tonight’s Performance

Daniella Kaufman for Where The Wind Blows

Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories!  You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com or use the handy contact form in the menu bar above, subject line Prize Winner, to collect your prize, which is (and I have to be cryptic here because when I said it right out last year I got a LO-HO-HOT! of spam email!) a gift of a number of dollars that is between 4 and 6, for a large and well-known online store that begins with A, which will be presented to you in an email 😊 You can spend it on one of the many Kindle choices listed in previous contests here, or add it to your account for a gift for yourself or someone else, or whatever else you might choose to do! In addition, you will receive a beautiful badge of achievement that you may display on your blog or print out and frame or turn into a banner to stream off the back of your broomstick for all the world to marvel at 😊 (But be forewarned they probably won’t be ready until this weekend!)

A word about the prizes before I announce the winners.

We have 12 fabulous prizes, generously donated by authors and various professionals in the writing field.  My policy is to let the first-place winner have first pick of all the prizes, the second-place winner have second choice, etc.  That way hopefully nobody gets something they already have, and hopefully everyone gets something that’s valuable to them.  All prizes are listed at the bottom of this post for your convenience in perusing the goodies 😊 This time, I am asking all winners to EMAIL ME with their top five prize choices in order of preference. I am hoping this will allow me to do all the prizes at once instead of getting stuck in the black hole of email 😊

Now.

Finally!

Onto the moment you’ve all been waiting for. . .

. . . THE WINNERS OF THE 2024 HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST as chosen by you, our esteemed voters!!!!!

In First Place, winner of the whole entire contest and top of the heap who gets first choice of all the prizes…

Shaunessy Sinnett

for

Salesman For The Goblin Show

Congratulations, Shaunessy! What an original, well-written, delighfully Halloween-y tale! We loved it!

In Second Place,

Susan Jakubowski

for

Bubble, Bubble, Good-bye Trouble!

Congratulations, Susan! We loved your well-written, kid-friendly, humorous, story! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Shaunessy chooses!

In Third Place,

Amanda Blaylock
 for
Goblin Cake

Congratulations, Amanda! We are debating whether or not to try your recipe! Thanks for a fun, well-written story with a great ending! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Shaunessy and Susan choose!

In Fourth Place,

Jessica Iwanski
for
Wanted: Cat

Congratulations, Jessica! We loved your crotchety witch character, your kid-friendly story, and your fun ending! You get to pick a prize after Shaunessy, Susan, and Amanda B.!

In Fifth Place,

Paul Kurtz
for
Goblin-Fun!

Congratulations, Paul!  What a fun, little-bit-scary, original Halloween night tale! You get to pick your prize after Shaunessy, Susan, Amanda B., and Jessica!

In Sixth Place,

Jessie Raspbury
for
The Goblin Problem

Congratulations, Jessie! We really enjoyed your goblin troubles – kid-friendly and fun – and will take your advice not to get one as a pet 😊 You get to pick your prize after Shaunessy, Susan, Amanda B., Jessica, and Paul!

In Seventh Place,

Julie Hauswirth
for
Jack-O’-Sorta-Lantern

Congratulations, Julie! How clever and fun to write a story from the POV of the pumpkin being carved! We loved his personality and his long-suffering attempts to teach his young carver 😊 You get to pick your prize after Jessie!

In Eighth Place,

Amanda Fletcher
for
Just Desserts

Congratulations, Amanda! We loved your snarky, arrogant little Snickers bar and the just desserts he so richly deserved! You get to pick your prize after Julie!

In Ninth Place,

Bri Lawyer
for
A Goblin’s Haunted House

Congratulations, Bri! You did a wonderful job of writing a fun, kid-friendly, reverse haunted house story! You get to pick a prize after Amanda F.!

In Tenth Place

Michelle S. Kennedy
for
Goody Goblin

Congratulations, Michelle! Your story set such a wonderful Halloween mood! Just enough chill to be fun without being too scary for kids, and beautifully written! You get to prize pick after Bri!    

In Eleventh Place

Kristen Littlefield
for
The Wallydraigle

Congratulations, Kristen! We were all ready to adopt Wally 😊 What a tragic figure! Fun and beautifully written! You get to pick a prize after Michelle!    

In Twelfth Place

Kelly Clasen
for
The Scarf and the Scarecrow

Congratulations, Kelly! You gave us the chills with this spooky story! How did that scarf get back in the scarecrow’s hand???!!! You get to pick your prize after Kristen!

In lucky Thirteenth Place

Elizabeth Volkmann
for
Drella’s Halloween Treat

Congratulations, Beth! We loved sweet Drella, and thought you did such a lovely job of showing her joy at being included and having such a wonderful Halloween – very kid-friendly and nicely done! You get to pick after Kelly! (And don’t worry – I know there were only 12 prizes listed. I will find something good to add in! 😊)

And, I don’t think I need to remind anyone that in addition to all these fabulous prizes, everyone mentioned on this page has bragging rights as having won or placed in the Pretty Much World Famous Halloweensie Contest!  Not just anyone can say that 😊

All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com or use the handy contact form in the menu above with the subject heading Prize Winner with your top five prize choices in order of preference so I can hopefully work things out smoothly and quickly for you to receive your prizes!  If you choose a prize that requires snail mailing, PLEASE include your snail mail address so we don’t have to email back and forth too many times 😊  If you would like a beautiful badge to celebrate your accomplishment, you are most welcome to one! (I just need a little time to make them so I appreciate your patience.)

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 confetti parade, and a truckload of  leftover fun-sized chocolate. . . if there is any 😊

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, or by donating a prize!  It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!

And now, you can gear up for the 2024 14th Annual Holiday Contest which opens December 9^th!
(And for which guidelines will be posted very soon!)

Woo-hoo!  Time to start dashing through the snow! 😊

THE PRIZES: So amazing! What wonderful, generous people we have in our kidlit community!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ FABULOUS PRIZES FROM GENEROUS PEOPLE!!! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

⭐️ Signed Copy of LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN PLUS A 30 Minute Ask Me Anything with Rebecca Gardyn Levington, author of BRAINSTORM! (Sleeping Bear Press, 2022), WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW (Barefoot Books, Mar 7, 2023), I WILL ALWAYS BE…(HarperCollins, 4/15/25 – Available for Pre-Order Now),  AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? A Passover Hide-And-Seek Adventure (Penguin/Rocky Pond, Spring 2024), LITTLE DREIDEL LEARNS TO SPIN (Scholastic, 9/3/24), WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW! (Capstone, 1/1/25 – Available for Pre-Order Now), FINDING FORGIVENESS (Macmillan/FSG, 8/5/25), SOME DAYS I’M THE WIND (Barefoot Books, Fall 2025), and LOOKING FOR LIGHT: A Shabbat Story (Macmillan/FSG, Fall 2026)

Sign up for Rebecca’s NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/h2sK8X

⭐️ Zoom Ask Me Anything about Indie Publishing or Writing Chapter Books with author Kizzie Hutcheson Roberts, indie author of THE ELVES GO MARCHING (Elemental Ink, December 1, 2022), THE EGGS GO ROLLING (Learning Spark, February 16, 2023), and HARPER AND THE RAPTOR RESCUE (chapter book) (Learning Spark Educational Publishing, June 27, 2023)

⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR First Chapter MG Critique with Beth Stillborn, writer of middle-grade fiction, occasional picture books, fiction for grownups, and poetry, and qualified editor of anything you put in front of her!

⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non-rhyming) OR 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Session (winner’s choice) from Kari Ann Gonzalez, author of HOW TO HATCH A READER (Gnome Road Publishing, August 15, 2023)

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR First Chapter CB, MG, or YA Critique from Candice Marley Conner, author of M IS FOR MOON PIE: ABCs IN THE BIRTHPLACE OF MARDI GRAS (Derby Press, January 6, 2023), SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing, June 8th, 2021), THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL (Owl Hollow Press, June 15th, 2021), and CHOMPSEY CHOMPS BOOKS (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing, October 12th, 2021)

⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Call – winner’s choice – with Ellen Leventhal! Ellen is the author of DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS (Spork, 2017), LOLA CAN’T LEAP (Spork, 2018), HAYFEST: A HOLIDAY QUEST (ABCs Press, 2010), A FLOOD OF KINDNESS (WorthyKids, 2021), and DEBBIE’S SONG (Kar-Ben Publishing, April 4, 2023)

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming) from Gayle C. Krause, author of ZADIE AND THE WITCH’S TEA (Trowbridge Books, LLC, July 1, 2023), ROCK STAR SANTA (Scholastic, January 1, 2008), DADDY, CAN YOU SEE THE MOON? (Spork, April 9, 2019), ONCE UPON A TWISTED TALE (Spork, June 18, 2019), as well as two YAs and a MG!

⭐️ A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or non-rhyming) from Nancy Derey Riley, author/illustrator of CURIOSITY’S DISCOVERY (Rolling Prairie Publishing LLC, November 10, 2020), BUTTERFLY INN (Rolling Prairie Publishing LLC, May 25, 2022), YETI IN THE SERENGETI (Rolling Prairie Publishing LLC, May 30, 2023), and a new book due out next spring that is still hush-hush 😊

⭐️ A 30 Minute Ask Infowoman: A Library Consult Zoom session for an author visit presentation slide deck review from Kathy Halsey! Please visit her website to see her many, many qualifications!

⭐️ A 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat with Carrie Finison, author of DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition, July 21, 2020), DON’T HUG DOUG (He Doesn’t Like It) (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, January 26, 2021), LULU AND ZOEY: A Sister Story (Running Press Kids, June 7, 2022), HURRY LITTLE TORTOISE, TIME FOR SCHOOL (Random House Studio, July 19, 2022), and PIGS DIG A ROAD (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, September 10, 2024)

⭐️ 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat (anything relating to writing/publishing) OR a signed copy of winner’s choice of any of her picture books from Becky Scharnhorst, author of MY SCHOOL STINKS! (Flamingo Books, July 2021),  THIS FIELD TRIP STINKS! (Flamingo Books, August 2022), and HOW TO GET YOUR OCTOPUS TO SCHOOL (Flamingo Books, May 16, 2023)

⭐️ A Signed Copy of THE PIE THAT MOLLY GREW (Sleeping Bear Press, August 2023) OR 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY (Charlesbridge, 2021) – winner’s choice – from Sue Heavenrich, author of THE PIE THAT MOLLY GREW (Sleeping Bear Press, August 2023), 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY (Charlesbridge, 2021), DIET FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE (21st Century Books, August, 2018), FUNKY FUNGI (Chicago Review Press, July, 2022), the Super Science Series, and The Human Machine Series.

Please join me 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 birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, recommending their books for school and library purchases, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊