Oh Susanna – Where To Go For Swag?

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Wow!  How did it get to be Monday so fast?  The weekend just FLEW by!

Yesterday seems to have been an unusually quiet day on the internet (by which I mean I was so busy doing laundry that I was barely on my computer and hence missed whatever might have been going on :))  But seriously, I dragged Donna out for an interview and I’m not sure anyone besides Catherine, Alison and Vivian even saw it!  (Ouch for Donna! 😦 )  The extreme quietness has caused me to doubt my new policy of posting interviews on the third Sunday of the month… Perhaps it is a bad plan.  I shall have to re-examine it….  Or maybe Disqus was having issues… or maybe y’all weren’t interested in the topic under discussion…  Feel free to share below.  In any case, if you didn’t get to see Donna’s interview, please go HERE.  I think you might find some useful information, and if you have any questions, please post them to the comments of her interview post and we’ll see what we can do about getting you answers 🙂

In other news, I’m pretty excited because April Fool, Phyllis! will be available in the Scholastic SeeSaw Book Club for March!  It is titled The April Fool Treasure Hunt and has a blue cover instead of pink, but the story inside is the same.  And for real fun, it comes on CD!!!  I haven’t gotten to hear it yet – I hope it’s good 🙂

Since I haven’t gotten my copies yet, I had to swipe this cover picture off the Scholastic site 🙂

Oh, and apropos of nothing, I’m being featured on Kimberly Dana’s blog – The Blog Zone – today if anyone is interested…

Now onto today’s real business: the Oh Susanna question!  This is a good one, and I will be very interested to hear what all of you have to contribute on the topic!

Saba asks, “I’m looking to have some swag made for my blog and website.  Do you know of any companies that make stickers and bookmarks?”

Well, Saba, as a matter of fact I do!  And I’m sure our readers have experience with many more and will hopefully share what has worked well for them!

The main sites I have used are VistaPrint, GotPrint, and Zazzle.  I have made magnets, bookmarks, stickers, mugs, and pencils.  (The pencils were from another site…  Oriental Trading Company.)  What’s really great about all these sites is that you can google coupons for them and usually find a way to get a discount.

I am not artistically inclined and I have no knowledge whatsoever of how to use PhotoShopElements or Adobe Illustrator or any of those design-oriented programs.  For this reason, I have found Zazzle to be the easiest site to work with for anything involving art.  You can upload photos or scans straight out of your iPhoto file or wherever you keep your photos (as long as you have the rights or permission) and plop them right onto whatever you’re making – magnets, stickers, t-shirts, mugs, keychains, etc.  Zazzle has a lot of choices of things to make.

VistaPrint I have used for business cards and magnets.  They are pretty user-friendly too.

GotPrint is what I used for bookmarks, but I had to have help.  My daughter created the bookmark image I wanted on PhotoShopElements and uploaded it to GotPrint.  I could not have done that myself because all I know how to do is open PhotoShop Elements – I have no idea what to do next 🙂  This does not make for interesting bookmarks 🙂  Bookmarks are the thing I’ve struggled most with.  I have not found a really easy-to-work-with site that allows you to design your own without themed templates you don’t want.  Anyone with advice on this topic, please share!!!!!

The pencils are a little tricky because you can only go to 30 characters usually, and usually only one line of print.  So you have to choose your book title or your website or your name – you can’t fit them all.

I am always looking for easy-to-use sites for this kind of thing.  Also for good ideas of what to make.  Like I said, I personally have found Zazzle the easiest to work with, and they have a lot of product choices.  I might try tote bags soon 🙂

Now, all you faithful and helpful readers, what kinds of swag have you made?  What sites do you use?  What do you recommend for Saba?  Please share!

Meet Donna Farrell – Interview With Children’s Author/Illustrator Website And Blog Designer

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It’s time for our monthly interview, and today I’m delighted to introduce Donna Farrell!

As you know, these interviews are usually of authors, illustrators, or author/illustrators, but I’m making an exception today because Donna has some uniquely applicable expertise that I think you’ll find interesting and helpful.

As the world (of publishing and in general) has changed, we as authors and illustrators have been encouraged to have a presence on the web.  We’re supposed to have websites, blogs, Face Book pages, twitter accounts etc, and yet many of us have no real knowledge of how to go about these things.  How do we design a site that will draw readers?  What should it look like?  What should it offer?  And how can we fit design and maintenance into our already busy schedules?

Enter Donna!  (Who, in case you didn’t know, designed my website and blog! :))

Donna Farrell

SLH:  Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Donna!  I’d like to start by asking, what exactly do you do?

DF:  My creative umbrella covers- illustration, web design and graphic design.

Although they may all seem different, it really is all visual story telling. 
As a designer, I take information and present it in a logical way. I understand the need for whitespace and a balanced composition. 

The majority of my web designs have been for children’s authors (20+).  I didn’t start out targeting this niche.  My involvement in the field of children’s publishing and my own pursuit of publication came first. Along the way a business has been born.  I bring a unique perspective to the table.  An understanding of what is needed on an authors site.  What visitors are expecting to find and how to present that information.   I also act as a consultant, giving advice about content.  Visitors often visit the site to get “extras”. Information that isn’t in the book itself or available elsewhere.   I can help make suggestions about those things, design activity sheets that tie in to the authors books etc.

Screen shot of site designed
by Donna

SLH:  Do you think it’s absolutely necessary to hire a designer?

DF:  No.  But when attempting to develop a site on your own, please ask yourself the following:

1. Can I create a professional looking site?
Be sure your site reflects you as a professional.  Publishing is a business, you want to be taken seriously.  
2. Do I know what needs to be on my author site?
Design is important but content is essential.  Have a good understanding of what visitors are looking  for dictates content.  
3. Do I have the technical knowledge needed?
You can purchase a program to develop a website, but if you don’t have the know how, you have just wasted your money. The site will not design itself.
4. Do I know who my site is for?
Knowing your audience is very important. Pre-publication your site might focused on editors, agents and other writers but, publication will mean that your focus will shift to your “fans”.  Those who are investing in you as an author and your books.  You need to be prepared to give them something.
5. Do I have the the time?
Creating and maintaining a site takes time, time that will cut into your writing time.  
Screen shot of site
designed by Donna

If you answered YES to all the above, you are probably a good candidate to try it yourself.  But, just like a manuscript that needs critiquing before submissions, I strongly recommend having a set or several sets of eyes look at the site your going to publish to be sure it is easy to navigate and doesn’t have any major design flaws that send visitors screaming from your site before you launch it into cyberspace for literally all the world to see.  

If you answered NO to some or most of these, it might be a good idea to have someone with experience help you out, that’s where I would come in.

Looking at the same questions above, here is what I can offer:
1. Can I create a professional looking site?
Yes.  I create professional, yet personal sites.  Each site I create is unique to the client.  It is important that it reflects them and their writing.  
2. Do I know what needs to be on an author site?
Yes.  Because of my experience and research I have a good understanding of what is expected.
3. Do I have the technical knowledge needed?
Yes.  I don’t sell myself as a techie.  Foremost, I’m a designer, but I do have the knowledge required to create and publish a site.  At this moment technologies are changing so quickly that I would never say I’m an expert, but I do my best to stay current.
4. Do I know who your site is for?
Yes.  I can look at the site from a visitor perspective and make recommendations.
5. Do I have the time?
Yes.  Let me free up more writing time by taking the worry out of some of this for you!

SLH:  What are some tips for authors to think about as they design their site?

DF:  CONTENT!

Screen shot of site
designed by Donna

My Top 5 Suggestions to authors regarding content:
1. Have at least one good photo of yourself.
2. Have links to purchase your titles.
3. Have a strong “About” page. (Statistics show this is the most visited page on an author site.)
4. Have contact information available.
5. Have exclusive content, freebies, downloads, extras.

SLH:  Thank you again for joining us today, Donna.  We really appreciate you sharing your expertise!  If readers have questions, I’m hoping you won’t mind answering 🙂

For anyone interested in learning more about Donna’s work, please visit her website!   You can also follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Monster Returns

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Oh, boy, do we have fun in store today!

But you know the rules – Perfect Picture Book first, other stuff after 🙂  So let’s start with the book!  Today’s choice is by one of my favorite author/illustrators.  Don’t be surprised if some of his other books show up on PPBFs in the future 🙂

The Monster Returns
Written and Illustrated By: Peter McCarty
Henry Holt & Co., January 2012, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 3-7

Themes/Topics: art, friendship, imagination, surprises

Opening:  “One beautiful day, Jeremy was up in his room.  Jeremy didn’t like to be disturbed when he was drawing.”

Brief Synopsis:  (From the jacket copy) “Jeremy thought he’d seen the last of his monster when he sent him away with a one-way bus ticket.  But suddenly the phone rings… The monster has returned!”

Links To Resources: Mad Monster Activity, Monster Songs and Poems, have kids draw their own monsters or make them out of whatever craft materials you have to hand!

Why I Like This Book:  This is a sequel to Jeremy Draws A Monster (also excellent!)  Jeremy is perhaps a little too inclined to spend time on his own drawing, and this book shows both that it’s okay to spend time alone being creative and that it’s nice to have friends to do things with.  Jeremy is imaginative and resourceful in dealing with the monster.  The end is a fun surprise where the monster’s intent turns out to be different than the reader might have expected, with the message that everyone needs friends – even monsters 🙂  The art is simple and engaging with plenty of white space to draw your eye to the monster 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Before we get to the fun part (announcing the winner of the Valentines Day Writing Contest!) just a little business about Perfect Picture Books.

A few stats:

– This is PPBs 14th week.
– 37 Bloggers are participating, of which 25 have contributed at least 4 books and 5 besides me have contributed every week since the beginning.  (Also 1 has contributed 12, and 2 have done 11, so we have some very dedicated PPB bloggers! :))
– There are 245 books on the list before today’s go up.
– They fall across 145 categories/subjects/themes.
– With possibly one exception, every single one posted has resources!

So thank you all for your fantastic work.  We are building a great resource here for parents, teachers, home schoolers, writers, and gift-givers!  That said, I think we have enough of a list going now that we should all be talking this up to everyone we know who might find the resource useful – it’s only really great if people are actually  benefitting from it.  So I encourage you all to spread the word in whatever capacity you can.  Tracy (known to many of you as A2ZMommy) is writing a review about it for her local news site today!  You can read it HERE.

Since some bloggers are new to PPBFs, and some people may need a refresher, I’d just like to take a second to remind you all of a few key things:
1.  Please check the list on the Perfect Picture Book tab before you choose a book to post.  I try hard to keep it updated.  If I’m behind, it’s usually only by the previous week’s list, so check that too.  We are trying to avoid multiple postings of the same book.

2.  When you add your link to the list, please add the post-specific link (not the general link to your blog.)  It doesn’t matter that much for the actual day of posting, but for anyone who comes along afterwards, your link then links to whatever the next post you did was – not the PPB.  And for me going along updating, I then have to search for the post and get the right link for the archive page.

3.  Please only post favorite books WITH RESOURCES!  The resources are what set our list apart from many others.  The resources can be links online or things you make up, but there must be something that people can use to expand their use of the book.  Books without resources will NOT be added to the master list.

4.  Please follow the PPB format (available at the bottom of the Perfect Picture Book tab) as closely as possible.  This allows for consistency across blogs, making it easy for people using the list to find the information they want.

5.  Please make sure to post themes, age appropriateness, and fiction or non-fiction clearly.  It’s a lot of work updating the list, and if I have not read the book, I can’t guess where it’s supposed to fit or how to archive it.

Thank you so much for your attention to these details.  I’m sure it seems nit-picky, but it’s really about making the list as useful as possible and preserving my sanity in trying to keep it up-to-date 🙂

NOW.  AT LAST.  THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

Who won the Valentine Contest?

Oh, wait.  I think I hear my doorbell.  I’ll be right back….

JK 🙂

Once again, I’d like to thank everyone for their terrific entries.  Many of us readers are writers.  We know how hard it is to put your work out there.  And we appreciate your bravery.  All the entries were worthy and fun to read, and I wish you could all win!

But I don’t have that many prizes…. unless you want raccoon nest material?  I think there’s some of that in the garage…

It was a closely contested race – the most competitive of any of the contests so far.  But eventually, someone pulled ahead and stayed there.  So, without further ado, the voters have spoken, and the winner of our Valentine Contest is:

PENNY!!!!! with Frankenstein Valentine!!!!!

Congratulations, Penny!  This is the second time you have won a contest here.  You may have a future as a writer 🙂  You get your pick of Ann Whitford Paul’s book, or a picture book ms critique from me.  Let me know via email what your choice is!

2nd Place goes to Erik for Love Has No Point.  He gets a copy of Spilling Ink (if he doesn’t already have it :))

3rd Place goes to Vivian for Whom Do I Love?  She gets our admiration for being 3rd out of 30 entries 🙂

Thanks again to everyone for making the contest such a success!

Now have a great weekend, and PPB bloggers, please remember to add you post-specific link to the list below, which I will hopefully remember to attach this week! 🙂  OH!  And remember our awesome interview which will take place on Sunday with Donna Farrell, website and blog designer for children’s authors and illustrators!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 27th Pitch

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Those of you who have been around the blog for a while know that I live in the wilderness.  You may have seen my posts on Mexican stand-offs with deer, and our run-ins with the bear #1 and #2.

So it will come as no surprise to you that I am being stalked by a masked marauder.  Apparently our unseasonably warm winter has confused it into thinking our garage is a raccoon hotel and he is entitled to stay as long as he likes and order room service.  Do I look like I’m offering room service?

google images

Now, I don’t know how much time you guys spend around raccoons, but they are not small.  They have sharp claws and pointy teeth, and they don’t dress like bandits for nothing!  On Disney they look really cute, but in real life they’re a little too much like the R.O.U.S.s in The Princess Bride.

So the raccoon and I are locked in epic battle over the fact that I want my car and he’s not leaving.

My current approach works like this:

Walk out front door of house singing “Love Shack” by the B-52s at the top of my lungs thinking that ought to scare the bejeesus out of anyone, human or raccoon!

It doesn’t.

But I have back-up: a flashlight, in case I need to stun him into submission with blinding light (assuming the batteries aren’t dead, which they probably might be because I haven’t checked them in, oh, a decade), and my daughter’s ice-hockey stick because it makes me feel brave.  (I have no intention of getting close enough to that wily critter to actually poke him or anything!!!)  I would love to have my trusty companions, Dog 1 and Dog 2, but I’m afraid it might hurt them – it shows no signs of compassion!

I dance forward, hockey stick out in front, in much the way a swordsman might approach an opponent (only I’m guessing I look a lot less elegant…)

The raccoon thumps around near the garbage can (which is empty, but he’s an optimist, apparently.)

“I’m coming in there!” I warn.

This fails to induce the element of fear I was hoping for.  I’m pretty sure he’s laughing at me.

The crafty little critter scuttles up into the rafters.  Now I KNOW he’s laughing at me. “I see you up there!” I call to the oversized rodent.  “You think you’re so clever, but your tail is hanging right down in plain sight!”  He doesn’t care apparently.  It’s way too much fun getting a rise out of me every time I need my car.

Fine!  I guess we don’t have to get groceries until tomorrow.  But this battle is not over!

Honestly!  The things I put up with on Blueberry Hill!

So, now that you’re laughing yourselves silly over my raccoon predicament, it’s about that time 🙂

Today’s Would You Read It contestant is Sharron, who loves reading, writing, sharing with friends, and learning new things.  Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Sorrysorrysorry
Age/Genre: Early PB (ages 2-5)
The Pitch:  Three frolicking baby giraffes try to find a place to play on a hot and crowded savannah. They find it isn’t an easy task. They run into a troop of baboons, a dazzle of zebras, and a pride of lions. At last, they turn to the river, only to be confronted by hippopotami. Our giraffes find fun and friendship at the end of a long a grueling day.

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 Sharron 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 It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sharron is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Just a little heads up – this month’s Author/Illustrator Interview will take place on Sunday February 19 (that’s this weekend folks) and our guest will be none other that Donna Farrell.  Donna is an illustrator, but what she will really be talking about is her work as a website and blog designer for authors and illustrators. Yes!  That means you!  She is absolutely terrific (she did my website and blog, need I say more? :))  So I hope you’ll all find a few minutes in your weekends to come see what she has to say!
Also, anyone who hasn’t had a chance to vote for a Valentines Contest winner yet, please go HERE.  We really need everyone’s votes – it’s a tight race! 🙂
Now.
Back to my battle with the raccoon! 🙂

Happy Valentines Day! – The Contest Finalists!

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So I had this brilliant idea.

Have a Valentines Contest, I thought to myself.  It’ll be fun.  People are pretty busy with all their various pursuits.  You’ll probably only get about 3 entries – if you’re lucky to get that many – so say you’ll pick 3 finalists and you’re golden!

(Note to self – have you noticed that your brilliant ideas don’t always work out as planned?)

Yes.

Well.

My plan seems to have gone awry.

Did I mention there were 30 entries???  That’s THIRTY!

And they were SO GOOD!

So I have done the best I can.  I have narrowed it to 6.  And a couple honorable mentions.  And a separate division for under 10.  And now it’s up to you, my dear readers, to read the 6 finalists and vote for your favorite by noon on Thursday.  We will see who comes out on top!

But before I unveil the top 6, I just want to say that I’m thrilled we got so many entries, and I was so impressed by the quality of everyone’s stories and poems!  What a talented bunch you all are!  I had so much fun hopping from blog to blog and reading your wonderful work!  It was dreadful having to pluck you off, one by one!  I had to get very nit-picky and really focus on the contest guidelines – appropriateness/appeal for children being the deciding factor in several cases of brilliant writing that didn’t make the final cut.  So you all deserve a huge pat on the back and many boxes of Valentine chocolates 🙂  Give yourselves a round of applause!

Now.  Here are our finalists, posted by entry only, no names.  Please have a look and then vote for your favorite!

#1 Love Has No Point

Bill P. Porcupine had a  love. Not just any love, mind you, it was the greatest love of all, but it was also a secret love.
“Oh, how I love her!” Bill sighed to himself.
Every day when Bill walked home from school he stopped by the gift shop where she worked. He tried to impress her by making his quills stand on end so he would look bigger, but she never noticed him. He’d then go home and cry.
“Boo hoo,” Bill sobbed.
“What’s the matter Bill?” asked his Mom.
“I’m in love mom, but she doesn’t know I exist,” said Bill.
“There, there,  it’ll be OK,” his mom said gently.
“She is so beautifully round. Her skin is smooth and rosy. When she moves, she floats like her feet never touch the ground,” Bill whimpered.
“I think you should just tell her,” Bill’s mom suggested.
The next day, Bill marched to the gift shop with one thing on his mind. He shoved the shop door open, walked straight up to her, threw his arms open to hug her and said, “I love…”
POP!
She was gone, except for the bits of pink rubber stuck to Bill.

#2  Oops! Excuse Me!

On her way to school, Porcupine was certain nobody would be her Valentine.  She waddled along, head down, when — oomph!
“Yow!”
“Oops, excuse me,” said Porcupine. “Ugh!  What smells?”
“Me. Sorry. Happens when I’m startled.”
“Oh no!  You’re that stinky skunk!  Now you’ve made me stinky.”
“You’re that prickly porcupine!  You gave me an owie.”
Porcupine sighed. “Who would ever be our Valentines?”
As they dillydallied toward school, Skunk stopped to sniff flowers.  Porcupine stuck a puffy one on a quill behind her ear. 
They exchanged looks. 
Porcupine grabbed one for each quill.  Skunk scooted around on them, scenting his bottom. 
Porcupine giggled. “You look funny!”
“So do you.”  They both collapsed in laughter.
 “ACHOO!” said Porcupine.  Quills popped out.  “ACHOO!” said Skunk.  Stink squirted. 
They exchanged glances, and then, started shoving flowers into their noses. 
ACHOO!  ACHOO!  ACHOO!
“No more,” said Skunk, exhausted.
“Enough! “ agreed Porcupine.  “You know, I like you just the way you are.”
Skunk said, “Same here.  Will you be my valentine?”
“Will you be mine?” asked Porcupine.
The new friends scampered off to school.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect.
“Oops, excuse me!”  Giggle.
“Oops, excuse me!”  Giggle, giggle.
But it was close.

#3  Scully And Penny: Love Stinks!

“I’ll never find love,” worried Scully the Skunk.
He was a looker–but this skunk-hunk stunk!
Yet he was determined, that whiff-and-sniff guy
“I might as well ask the next girl who comes by…..”
So when Polly the Poodle wagged by looking fine,
He forced back some fumes and asked, “Will you be mine?!!”
“Oh Scully, my nose…it is sharp as a nail!
It just wouldn’t work with your stinky-stink tail.”
“You’re probably right” – Scully Skunk gave her that.
And as soon as he spoke, he spotted a cat.
It was Kitty LaPretty; she stretched out her spine.
He squeezed back some stench and asked, “Will you be mine?”
“Oh Scully, my nose…it is keen as my ears,
“I just couldn’t stand smelling skunk-funk for years.”
“You’re probably right” – not the first time he’d heard,
Then all of a sudden, down fluttered a bird.
It was Penny the Parrot, bird-beauty divine,
He sucked in his stink and asked, “Will you be mine?”
“Well, of course, handsome Scully—been hoping you’d ask.”
“I’ve searched for so long – finding love’s a real task.
“And please don’t you worry, this will work out well…
My peepers see more than my sniffer can smell.”

#4 Underwater Bliss

A shark saw his mark when he spied a wee fish,
‘I’ll have her for my dinner. She’ll make a tasty dish.’
But as the shark gave chase, the stronger his emotion
Changed from one of hunger, to love and pure devotion.
‘Look at how she swims. She darts with style and grace.’
Each swish of her tail, made his ol’ heart race.
‘Your eyes are round and beautiful, your scales are just divine.
I promise not to eat you, if you promise to be mine.’
The fish, who’d tired of swimming, succumbed to his charm.
And as the shark promised, she never came to harm.
But she’s ever so careful when she gives her love a kiss,
Lest those razor sharp teeth of his accidentally miss.

#5  Frankenstein Valentine

Won’t you be my Valentine?
And say, “I love you, Frankenstein?”
Love my ragged, jagged hair?
Love my bloodshot, frightening stare?
Won’t you be my Valentine?
And say, “I love you, Frankenstein?”
Love my grisly, garish grin?
Love my lumpy, warty skin?
Won’t you be my Valentine?
And say, “I love you, Frankenstein?”
Love my stitched-up, crooked scar?
Love my brain from Victor’s jar?
Won’t you be my Valentine?
And say, “I love you, Frankenstein?”
Love my garbled, boorish talk?
Love my lumbering, stilted walk?
Yes, it’s your chance, my Valentine
to be my Mrs. Frankenstein.
What???
G-r-r-r-r-r-r!!!!!
You say that you will NOT be my mine?
Will NOT love this Frankenstein?
Then…just forget this love-fest scene
I’m heading back to Halloween!

#6  Whom Do I Love?

Whom do I love?
Quizzed the cloud-covered moon.
I love the dish that ran off with the spoon.
Whom do I love?
Posed the run-away dish.
I love the silvery stream-swimming fish.
Whom do I love?
Slurped the shimmering trout.
I love the rock-hopping toad that jumped out.
Whom do I love?
Croaked the hip-hopping toad.
I love the waddling duck on the road.
Whom do I love?
Quacked the web-footed duck.
I love the pig on the rusty farm truck.
Whom do I love?
Oinked the curly-tailed pig.
I love the floppy-eared dog that can dig.
Whom do I love?
Barked the diggity-dog.
I love the bee in the hollowed-out log.
Whom do I love?
Buzzed the bumblely-bee.
I love the mouse that lives under the tree.
Whom do I love?
Squeaked the scurrying mouse.
I love the curly-haired boy in that house.
Whom do I love?
Asked the sweet little lad.
I love my momma and I love my dad.

The poll is below.  Please vote for your choice of winner!


<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/5941172/”>Valentines Contest</a>
The poll closes at noon EST on Thursday February 16 so I can announce the winner Friday!

I’d also like to give Honorable Mention to Heather for Daisy Loves Fred, and Eric for Puffy Pancho and Pretty Paulita: The Perfect Penguin Pair.

And a tie in the (hastily added) junior division (under 10 years old) between Isabella for Puppy & Kitten Love and Gabby for How Miss Mouse Became A Door Mouse will result in a prize each which I have yet to determine 🙂

Congratulations to everyone for excellent entries!  Now go ahead and vote!  We will all be waiting anxiously for your choice of winner!  Thank you all for sharing your wonderful writing!

Valentines Day Contest!!!

107 Comments

Throw pink confetti!  Open the chocolates!  It’s here!  It’s here!

The VALENTINES DAY CONTEST!!!!

And do you know why I’m so excited?

It’s not because I’m about to publicly humiliate myself with my sample entry.  (Although I suppose that does beg for a certain amount of excitement.)

It’s because I’m going to get to read all of your FABULOUS entries!!!

At least I hope I am.  Was anyone able (or willing?) to write one?

We shall see…

For any who may not have heard yet and who might like to join us in our contest, all the info is HERE.  (Please scroll down below the slugs, and please note the word count, slightly raised from the original.)

Meanwhile, for your roll-on-the-floor-and-possibly-die-laughing-at-me pleasure, here is my sample:

Fishing Valentine

So it’s Valentines Day and we’re in the Secret Clubhouse.
We is me, my little brother Ty, and our dog, Leroy.
Not Bronwyn.
I’m boss of the club because I can talk.
Ty and Leroy are perfect sidekicks because they can’t.
Bronwyn wore a dress to school today.  Traitor.
“Here’s the problem,” I tell them.  “Valentines Day is so full of silly it ruins the only decent girls.”
“Lala,” says Ty.
“Exactly,” I say.  “Pink overload.  It’s probably poisonous.”
Ty and Leroy do not disagree.
“Luckily, I have a plan.”
Here it is:
1. Cancel Valentines Day.
I am a master of simplicity.
Someone bangs on the clubhouse roof.
It’s Bronwyn.
“Go away!” I say.
Ty eats some dirt.  Leroy wags his tail.  Traitor.
“I’ve got worms,” says Bronwyn.  “Want to do some Valentine fishing?”
Fishing Valentine?
Maybe her mother made her wear that dress.  “Okay,” I say.
As we head for the fishing hole, I make up a Valentine for her.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Girls are gross
Except for you.

Yikes!  Looks like the pink poisoned me, too!

SO.  After that, I think everyone should feel pret-ty confident they can do better!  I had trouble getting an idea I could squeeze into such a low word count.  This was 22,067 words at the outset.  (Well.  I may be exaggerating a little :))

This time I am remembering the link list on the first try (yay me!) so get your entry-specific links right on there so we can all come applaud your genius!  I can’t wait to read everyone’s stories!!!

Remember, this post will stay up until Monday evening, and you have until 5PM EST Monday to post your link.  Then we’ll have a special post Tuesday with the finalists for you to vote.

Ready?

GO!!!
(Oh, and P.S. I am being featured today, February 11, on Kai Strand’s blog, on the topic of industry love!  Should you care to pop over and have a look, I wrote about my indie :))

Also, please check the comments – there are at least 2 entries posted there, one under jrzoch and one under my name due to posting trouble.

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Slugs In Love

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You know, I just LOVE Perfect Picture Book Friday!  All week I’ve been downright tingly with excitement because I’m going to share arguably one of the best love stories ever.  Are you ready?  It involves slugs.  What’s not to love? 🙂

Slugs In Love
Written By: Susan Pearson
Illustrated By: Kevin O’Malley
Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, November 2006, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8
Themes/Topics: love, friendship, perseverance, humor, Valentines Day
Opening:  “Marylou loved everything about Herbie – how his slime trail glistened in the dark, how he could stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window, how he always found the juiciest tomato.  Though she never spoke a single word to him – she was too shy – she thought about Herbie every morning and every night and most of the hours in between.


On Monday, while she grazed in the strawberry patch, Herbie filled her mind and a love poem filled her heart.  She wrote it in slime on the watering can.”

Brief Synopsis:  (From Publishers Weekly) “Herbie keeps finding Marylou’s poems, etched in slug slime and full of devotion, but Marylou keeps missing the longing letters he writes in return.  While she watches his every move, he can’t find anyone who knows where she is so he can meet her.”  How will the “slime-crossed” lovers ever meet?

Links To Resources:  Cool Facts About Slugs, Doorknob Valentine, Finger Puppet Valentine – (and with a little ingenuity, the last two could incorporate slugs! :))  Kids could make up their own poems like Herbie and Marylou.

Why I Like This Book:  It’s sweet and it’s funny.  It’s maybe not technically a Valentines Day book (as in, it’s not about Valentines Day) it is about love/friendship on a level that I think kids can relate to.  Because Marylou and Herbie can’t seem to connect, there’s the added fun of rooting for the heroes. And the art complements the story perfectly.  It’s so wonderful – really, I think it takes a genius to make slugs look so expressive 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Now then.  I hope you’re all geared up for our Valentines Day Contest which opens tomorrow!  Having spent some time (I’m not saying days, but, seriously, days!) trying to come up with my sample entry, I am deeply regretting setting the 150 word limit.  Kudos to any of you who pull it off!  After extensive MERCILESS cutting mine is only down to 178.  I realize that I tend to the verbose, so maybe no one else is having a problem.  But if you’re struggling, I’ve decided to up the word limit to 200.  Because it’s Valentines Day and all about sharing the love, right? 🙂  So a little recap on the contest guidelines:

A children’s story, poetry or prose, maximum 200 words, about unlikely Valentines, posted on your blog (or in the comment section of mine) between Saturday February 11 and Monday February 13 at 5 PM EST.  Add your entry-specific link to the link list on my blog so we can all come read your entries!  There will be no new post on Monday so the link list will stay up.  Instead, I will have a hitherto unheard of Tuesday post to celebrate Valentines Day, and that post will list 3 finalists (or possibly a couple more – you know how bad I am at choosing :)) for you all to vote on.  The winner will be announced on Friday February 17 and will receive his/her choice of a copy of Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation To Publication or a picture book ms critique from yours truly.

See you tomorrow with Valentines stories.  I can’t wait to read yours and I sincerely hope there will be more than one entry 🙂

And now, since I forgot last night – SO SORRY everyone, please blame the fever 🙂 – here is the link list for this weeks Perfect Picture Books.

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 26th Pitch

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Good morning, everyone!  Time for another episode of Would You Read It!

But first, I would like to thank Mona, Catherine and Kelly for the Liebster Award, and Catherine and Kelly for the KreativBlogger Award – both awards I have not had the pleasure of receiving before, so thank you all so very much!!!

I know I’m supposed to list some stuff about myself and pass the awards on to others, but as you all know I’m terrible at that.  Plus it seems like pretty much everyone I know has received these awards in the last week.  So forgive me if I just say thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Now, it’s on to the Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Sarah in the Ireland!  (I think she may be the first entrant from Ireland!)  Sarah is 19 and a biomedical science student.  She claims she’s only a wannabe writer, but I say hop over and check out her blog – she has a great sense of humor! 🙂

Working Title: Starstruck
Age/Genre: YA
Pitch: Seventeen year old Katie literally stumbles into Matt’s life one icy January morning. Within two months they’re friends, and in three, they’re dating. But there’s a snag. Matt is a movie star and teenage heart-throb. Katie’s living the dream that every other girl her age has, but the dazzle of having a famous boyfriend only lasts so long. How will Katie cope when the line between dream and nightmare becomes blurred? 

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 Sarah 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 It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

P.S.  Remember the Valentines Contest, only a few days away!  Check here for details (please scroll down to the bottom of the post.)

Straight From The Editor! #5 and Oh Susanna – How Do You Know When Your MS Is Ready?

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Happy Monday, Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Mine was full of family, music, super bowl, and birthday cake 🙂  Not too shabby 🙂

I don’t know if you caught the half-time show, but I’ve got to say, Madonna is older than I am but looks way better.  (Also, there are those who say she sings better, but the jury’s still out on that one…:))  It may have something to do with the fact that she does dance workouts etc for about 17 hours a day whilst I sit at my computer exercising only my fingers and my passion for birthday cake 🙂  I think I need some legions of Roman soldiers to march around with… and maybe I should wear those thigh-high boots… wouldn’t they just be perfect for vacuuming and driving the kids to soccer?  I can just see myself hopping out of the car at the Cumby’s down on the corner to fill up on gas in that outfit… Or maybe strolling into Stop & Shop 🙂

google images – doesn’t that look exactly like me?

Anyhoo…

On to today’s news of interest!  First, we have Straight From The Editor.

You will recall Margaret’s pitch:

Working Title: Home Is Where The Bird Is
Age/Genre: PB
The Pitch:  Bird thought he found his perfect birdhouse – until he encountered the mouse living inside.  After a feather-raising experience house hunting on his own, Bird asks Mouse for help.  Mouse leads Bird on a hilarious tour of unconventional housing options.  As winter looms, will Bird accept anything but his perfect birdhouse?

Here are editor Erin Molta’s insightful comments:

It’s a cute premise. I would make it a tad more concise and add in some unconventional housing options. Perhaps something like this:

Bird found the perfect birdhouse, but Mouse lived inside. After a feather-raising house hunting experience, Bird asks Mouse for help. Mouse leads Bird on a tour of unconventional houses, such as XXXX and XXXX. Will Bird ever find a house that’s the perfect home for him?

I hope you all find this helpful and instructive! 🙂

Next, we have today’s Oh Susanna question!

Oh Susanna!


How long does it take for you to write a book?  What’s your process?  How many revisions?  How do you know when it’s right to submit?


Signed, 
I Don’t Know What I’m Doing

Dear I Don’t Know,

You ask excellent questions to which, I’m afraid, there is no specific or right answer 🙂  The long and the short of it is, the process varies from book to book.  (And in the following discussion, I’m sticking to picture books, since that is what I assume you’re referring to.)

But let’s see what I can tell you.  It takes me anywhere from a couple hours to a couple months to write a book, on average.  (This does not take into account the pre-writing time – the time where I’ve got part of the idea and it’s rolling around in my head but isn’t ready to be formulated into words.)

Once I’ve got enough of the idea formulated to start writing, I usually write out picture books in longhand.  I know – so last century – but there’s something about the physical act of writing, the flow of ink on the page, that facilitates my thinking.  So first drafts are most often pen and paper.

Once I’ve got a draft, I type it into the computer, and that is always the first revision.  The story never goes into the computer exactly as it’s written on the page.

The next part depends on the quality of what I’ve got at this point.  Every now and again (rarely!) I get it close to right the first time and the story doesn’t need too much revision.  But most times it needs quite a bit.  I ALWAYS come in at too high a word count, so there is always cutting to be done.   It takes a few tries to see how I can cut without losing my story – and in fact, hopefully, make it stronger.  Usually this part of the process helps me to make sure I’m actually telling the story I mean to be telling (or that I know exactly what my main theme, or the point of my story is.)  The number of revisions can vary from 1 to 20 or more.

When I’ve got it as good as I think I can make it, I PUT IT AWAY for at least a week or two.  This is a VERY important part of the process, because right when I first finish I always think this story is the best thing I’ve ever written and there’s likely to be a huge bidding war over it along with fierce fighting for movie rights 🙂  At this euphoric stage, my judgement is completely unreliable, and sending anything out in that frame of mind is a huge mistake… as I will realize when I take that story back out in a couple weeks… at which point I will wonder how I can have the unmitigated gall to call myself a writer at all and will seriously consider going to get a job at Stop & Shop bagging groceries!

Point being… always give your story a rest and then go back to it fresh.  You will usually see things you can make better.

As to when it’s ready to go out on submission, unfortunately there’s no exact answer.  Generally, you will have a gut feeling that it’s ready and there’s nothing more you can do that’s really going to improve it significantly.  (You can tweak forever, but there comes a point where you’re not really improving anything, you’re just messing around.)  But here are some things to ask yourself to see if you’re ready:  Have you told the story you want to tell?  Have you created a character we can care about, challenged him/her with something important and relevant, and resolved the problem in a satisfying way?  Is every word the best choice you can make for it?  Have you read it out loud to yourself, your toddler, your husband, your dog, and anyone else who will listen?  Have you had someone who has never seen it read it out loud to you?  (Often, especially with rhyme, this is crucial to make sure the story flows well.)  Have you had a couple beta readers or critique partners look it over?  Is the language lyrical, rhythmic, asking to be read over and over?  Does your story have re-readability (i.e. will a child want to hear it many times and will an adult be happy to oblige?)  Have you left half the job for the illustrator and given him/her plenty to work with?

If you have done all these things and feel that the story is the best you can make it, then it’s ready to go.  And sometimes the submission process itself will give you feedback.  20 form rejections in a row for the same story may mean it needs more work (or that you haven’t targeted your ms properly, but that’s a topic for another day!)  Rejections with any kind of personal feedback are a good sign and something you can learn from.  And of course, hopefully!, you will get an acceptance! 🙂

If you write a strong story that feels more like a one-time read (fun once, but unlikely to be asked for over and over) or that doesn’t have a lot of scope for illustration, you may have a magazine piece rather than a picture book.  That is great, too.  Not every story is strong enough for a picture book, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good story.  So make sure you have a children’s magazine market list of some type so you can target those stories too.

I hope that answers your questions at least somewhat!  I hope our esteemed readers will also chime in with their answers to your questions!

Before going off to scrub the bathroom tile grout with a tooth brush whilst wearing my Madonna boots, I just want to remind everyone about the upcoming Valentines Day Contest!!!  If you haven’t heard of it yet, click here and scroll to the bottom!!!

See you Wednesday! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Shark Vs. Train And A Few Extras! (Including A New Contest!)

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WOW do I have lots to share with you today!  I’m going to try very hard to be concise… we’ll see how I do 🙂  Let’s start with the Perfect Picture Book! (But definitely read to the bottom because there’s good stuff down there!!!)

As I mentioned briefly in Wednesday’s post, I’m very interested in adding another category to the Perfect Picture Book List – Best Books For Boys – because of the amount of discussion I’ve been involved with recently over getting boys engaged in reading.  So I bumped another book so I could post this one today:)

Shark Vs. Train
Written By: Chris Barton
Illustrated By: Tom Lichtenheld
Little Brown Books For Young Readers, April 2010, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8
Topics/Themes: Humor, Imagination, Play
Opening: “Who will win?  Well, that depends on if they’re… in the ocean… or on railroad tracks.”
Brief Synopsis: (from SLJ starred review) “When a boy with a toy shark faces a train-wielding companion, it sets off a series of imaginative and very funny contests between fish and machine.  The result of each battle depends on the setting.”

Links To Resources:  Downloadable Shark Vs. Train poster and activity sheets, Shark Vs. Train Activity Guide.  Challenge kids to pull out their own two toys for a competition and see who they think will win at what.

Why I Like This Book:  It’s fun!  The reader sees two boys pulling toys from a toy chest before there are even any words.  One gets a shark, the other, a train.  This leads to the imaginary world of who will win? in a variety of ridiculous situations where sometimes the shark has the upper hand (as in high diving), sometimes the train is favored (as in the burping contest) and sometimes neither one is cut out for the job (as in their scoreless video game where they say, “It sure would help if we had thumbs!”)  The pictures are hilarious, as are the scenarios in which the shark and train compete.  I think any child would enjoy this book, and it may be one that is especially appealing to boys, even those who aren’t big on reading, because the text is very short but the imagination (and potential for play) can run on long after the story is over!

I hope you all enjoy Shark Vs. Train as much as I do!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

OK.  Now onto a couple other important things…

Yesterday, Phyllis and I went on a school visit for Groundhog Day.  (If I get a picture I’ll insert it, but as of this writing I don’t have any yet 😦 )  Anyway, one of the kids asked Phyllis, “What is your middle name?”

Well.

I had never thought about it!

Shocking, I know.

But of course Phyllis must have a middle name.

So I had some ideas…  and so did they…  and so I now present you with Phyllis’ full name.  Are you ready?

Punxsutawney Phyllis Princess Snowy Sunshine Macaroni Hotwheels Groundhog Hill!

How’s that for fancy?

Phyllis and I LOVE it!!!

We are going to say it as many times every day as we can possibly think up excuses for.  As in, “Would you be so kind as to pass the maple syrup, Punxsutawney Phyllis Princess Snowy Sunshine Macaroni Hotwheels Groundhog Hill?”

In other news, we have a winner for the December/January Pitch Pick!  It was a tough choice, as always, and as usual I wish everyone could win, but since it can only be one, the voters have spoken.  This month’s winner, whose pitch will be sent to editor Erin Molta for review and critique, is

Margaret!!!!!

Congratulations, Margaret!  Your pitch is winging it’s way through cyberspace as we speak.  Actually, I hope it’s already there because I sent it last night right after I wrote this 🙂  To everyone else, thank you all so much for submitting your pitches.  I know how hard it is to put your work out for others to see and critique, so you’re very brave.  And we all learn so much from every pitch, so thank you all!

And now, last but not least – definitely not least! – it’s contest time again!!!

Valentines Day Contest
google images

Having skipped January, I really couldn’t pass up February because, as we all know, it has way better holidays than March for contest fodder 🙂  SO. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a children’s story, poetry or prose, 150 words maximum, about unlikely Valentines.

You must post it on your blog, (or in the comment section of this blog if you don’t have a blog), between Saturday February 11 and Monday February 13, and add your entry-specific link to the link list that I will put up on Saturday February 11.  (There will be no new post on Monday February 13 so that the contest post and link list can stay up.)  Entries must be posted by 5 PM EST Monday February 13.  Three finalists (which, judging by my track record probably means anywhere between 3 and 6 :)) will be chosen and posted in a special Valentines Day post on Tuesday February 14 for you all to vote on for a winner.  The winner will receive their choice of either a copy of Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation To Publication, or  a picture book manuscript critique from me.  For all you 12X12ers out there, look on this as a chance to get your February story written along with potential for a prize!!!

OK.  That’s it.  I’m done.  How’d I do on brevity? 🙂

Perfect Picture Book bloggers, please remember to add your links below!  Have a great weekend, everyone, and start dreaming up those unlikely Valentine stories – only 150 words – you can do it! 🙂

(P.S.  I apologize in advance for the fact that I will be late visiting everyone’s blogs today as I have 9 hours of driving to do starting at 7 AM followed by my husband’s birthday party when I get home… but I’ll get there eventually :))