Gather ‘round, my friends.
Plump up your pillows.
Burrow into your blankets.
Wrap your hands around a gently steaming mug of sweet hot chocolate.
All comfy and cozy?
Lovely! It’s time for a heartwarming story.
Continue reading
Tuesday Debut – Presenting Phyllis Harris! PLUS A Giveaway!
Hello, my friends!
It’s Tuesday Debut Day once again!
If you haven’t voted for your favorite HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST FINALIST yet, you still have until 7 PM Eastern this evening! Please hop over HERE and vote – we need all the votes we can get to break ties!
Thanksgiving is behind us and the holidays are coming which is just perfect for today’s debut picture book, THE GIFT SHOP BEAR, and debut author/illustrator Phyllis Harris, who has graciously come by to share her journey to publication with us (including a glimpse of her lovely work space which will have you all goggle-eyed with envy 😊)
So let’s meet Phyllis and have a look at this sweet holiday book! She is kindly offering a giveaway copy (US residents only) so if you leave a comment on this post, you could be a winner!!!
GIVEAWAY WINNER DRAWN DECEMBER 6 – ELEANOR ANN PETERSON!
THE GIFT SHOP BEAR
Author/Illustrator, Phyllis Harris
WorthyKids/Hachette Book Group
Published 10/26/22
Fiction for ages 4-7
All year long, Bear watches from his spot in the attic as the seasons change, waiting for the first snowflakes that signify Christmas is coming. You see, at Christmastime, Bear gets to join his special friend, Annie, in the festivities in her grandma’s gift shop. But this year is different–the gift shop is closing and Bear’s future seems uncertain. Will Bear see Annie and Nana again?
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for joining us today, Phyllis! We are thrilled to have you and your beautiful debut picture book which is so perfect for this time of year! Where did the idea for this book come from?
PHYLLIS: I was babysitting my granddaughter when she was 3 or 4 years old and we were looking through her mother’s old toybox and came across her old teddy bear. She immediately felt so sad for this bear because her had been left alone in this dark box for all these years with no one to love and care for him. At that moment, I knew I had a new story idea!
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
PHYLLIS: The story idea came about when my granddaughter was 4 and it was just published last October when she was 8 years old so it took about 4 years to publication. However, that also included finding and signing with my agent, Adria Goetz and then us working through edits to prepare it for submission. Once it went out on submission it took 10 or 11 months before we got the offer.
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
PHYLLIS: The actual writing process included many rounds of revisions with the help of my critique partners. Also, it didn’t start out as a Christmas book. The original setting was a book store but when I realized the store would be closing, it was too depressing to have a book store go out of business so I changed it to Nana’s Gift Shop closing because of her retiring which made for a much kinder plot and that’s when I realized it had to be a Christmas book!
Phyllis’s gorgeous work space and her work buddy, Brinkley. (Named after the dog in her favorite movie, YOU’VE GOT MAIL. 😊
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
PHYLLIS: I knew it was close to being ready when I got the interest of my agent on a Twitter contest. That gave me the boost of confidence I needed and then after I signed with her, we tweaked it a bit more before it went out on submission.
Phyllis working in her art studio
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
PHYLLIS: My goal was to be an author/illustrator of picture books, so when I had a few stories ready in book dummy form, I decided to try some of the Twitter contests. I entered #PBPitch and #FaithPitch since one of my books was faith based. Fortunately, I had some interest from a few agents and an editor and that’s when my agent first showed interest in my faith-based book and wanted to see what other books I had to offer so I sent her the book dummy for THE GIFT SHOP BEAR and she loved it. She didn’t offer representation right then but gave me the invitation to send her more once I had more to offer. Eventually a year or so later, I did have more to offer and after getting interest from 3 agents, I decided Adria Goetz was the perfect fit for me.
SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?
PHYLLIS: We got an email from Peggy Schaefer, Associate Publisher of WorthyKids, asking if it was still available on June 10th and then were told it was being submitted to the next acquisitions meeting and we got an offer July 22.
SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”? (Best moment ever! 😊)
PHYLLIS: It truly was the best moment ever! My agent called with the news of the offer and I remember seeing her name come up on the caller ID and trying not to lose it when I answered. She had previously shared with me via email that it had gone to acquisitions but I also knew that lots of books go to acquisitions and don’t end up getting acquired so I was trying to prepare myself for whatever the outcome would be.
Peggy Schaefer, Associate Publisher at WorthyKids had shown interest the previous year but couldn’t make an offer then because they weren’t ready to start acquiring for their new list yet and she didn’t want to hold me up in case I had other interest. I had illustrated several books for WorthyKids over the years, including ON CHRISTMAS DAY by Margaret Wise Brown and MAVERICK AND ME by Katherine Schwarzenegger so I already had a wonderful relationship with them as an illustrator.
I also had a request for a revise and resubmit from Little Brown during the submission process and even though I didn’t get an offer from them, I feel like the book became even better because of the revision request.
SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
PHYLLIS: We got the offer in July and signed the contract 5 months later in December.
SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?
PHYLLIS: My husband had purchased “good” champagne previously and was saving it to celebrate my debut offer as author. He thankfully had confidence in the story, too. We shared that bottle with our daughter and son-in-law and of course our granddaughter had the non-alcohol version. 😊
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
PHYLLIS: This is when it is so helpful having an agent who has your best interests in mind to handle all of the negotiations. Adria is so wonderful at getting the best possible terms for her clients and is so knowledgeable about all involved in the contract.
WorthyKids offered very fair terms and I was pleased with their final offer.
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
PHYLLIS: Since this was my debut as author- illustrator, this was unique experience for me.
I had submitted a book dummy with all of the illustrations roughed out so I already had the overall vision for the book in place. I eventually added a few new illustrations and a new cover design to fit in with any new edits but overall, the art ideas did not change too much. I then went on to create each piece in final art form where I used traditional materials such as watercolor and some charcoal pencil and then scanned them in and added digital touches. Normally, art directors want to do the scans in house but since I had worked with this publisher before, they were aware that I provided quality scans and so they trusted the final files regarding the resolution, etc. Many artists don’t have good enough scanners to be able to do this so it may vary for others.
text and illustration copyright Phyllis Harris 2021, Worthy Kids
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
PHYLLIS: This was one of the only disappointments besides having my book launch during a pandemic. I didn’t get any book reviews from Kirkus, SLJ or Horn. Possibly because it was a Christmas book from a smaller publisher.
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
PHYLLIS: My book was actually published a lot quicker than most in traditional publishing these days. Since I was both author and illustrator and it was a Christmas book, once we worked out the schedule, I started working on final art during the peak of the pandemic which was so wonderful to have something to work on while in lock down. If possible, the publisher wanted to fast-track it if I were comfortable with the schedule and I was. I didn’t want to wait another entire year for its release so I buckled down and got it accomplished.
Even with the pandemic shipping problems, which delayed my release date by 3 weeks, I had my first author copy about one year after I got the offer. The initial print run was 11,000 which I thought was great for a first-time author.
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
PHYLLIS: I was assigned a marketing team for my book and we had several zoom meetings talking about their strategies and plans for the marketing. They did a virtual booth at Picture Book Palooza, hosted by School Library Journal where I answered questions via live chat.
They reached out to bloggers and influencers from lists that I provided and posted on social media.
They also provided these fun activity sheets! https: //www.hachettebookgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gift-Shop-Bear-Activity-Sheets-2.pdf
SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
PHYLLIS: I was planning on doing a book tour but because of the pandemic most book stores were not allowing in-person book signings. I have to admit, that was pretty disappointing.
I created a book trailer and posted it on youtube and shared it on social media. You can see it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AaRKWlsPik I also reached out to local newspapers and TV stations and was so excited that the KC STAR did a feature article.
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
PHYLLIS: Probably about 3 or 4 years. I dabbled with the writing for over 25 years but because I was so busy and invested with the illustration side of books, I never took the time needed to work specifically on my craft of writing. That is my one regret, that I didn’t take the time to really work on my writing craft, earlier.
The first time Phyllis saw her book on the shelves at a Barnes & Noble! 😊
SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up and coming writers?)
PHYLLIS: If you want something bad enough, you have to put in the time. Take the writing workshops. Go to conferences. Find critique partners. Read, read and read more. Especially the kind of books you want to write. And most importantly, start writing, even if you feel it isn’t very good. We all have terrible first drafts and book ideas that remain in the drawer but the more we write, the more likely one of them will be the ONE that gets us going in the right direction. And you are never too old to dream a new dream! I am sixty, and I am just getting started!
Website: https://www.phyllisharris.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phyllisharrisdesigns
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phyllis.harris2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhyllisHarris
SUSANNA: Phyllis, thank you so much for stopping by today to share your journey to publication! We are all so grateful and wish you the best of luck with this and future titles! Readers, if you have questions for Phyllis, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
You may purchase Phyllis’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)
We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:
– purchasing their books
– recommending their books to friends and family
– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians
– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores
– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries
– sharing their books on social media
– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.
Thank you all for stopping by to read today! Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday! Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊
Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts? Check them out!
Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them
Jessie Oliveros – The Remember Balloons
Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution
Hannah Holt – The Diamond And The Boy
Laura Renauld – Porcupine’s Pie
Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude
Melissa Stoller – Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush
Sherry Howard – Rock And Roll Woods
Kate Narita – 100 Bugs! A Counting Book
Vivian Kirkfield – Pippa’s Passover Plate
Laura Roettiger – Aliana Reaches For The Moon
Matthew Lasley – Pedro’s Pan: A Gold Rush Story
Natalee Creech – When Day Is Done
Margaret Chiu Greanias – Maximillian Villainous
Wendy Greenley – Lola Shapes The Sky
Danielle Dufayet – You Are Your Strong
B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth
Cathy Ballou Mealey – When A Tree Grows
Pippa Chorley – Counting Sheep
Sandra Sutter – The Real Farmer In The Dell
Jill Mangel Weisfeld – Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job (self pub)
Kathleen Cornell Berman – The Birth Of Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound
Eleanor Ann Peterson – Jurassic Rat
Sarah Hoppe – Who Will? Will You?
Marla LeSage – Pirate Year Round
Stacey Corrigan – The Pencil Eater
Shannon Stocker – Can U Save The Day?
Nadine Poper – Randall And Randall
Christine Evans – Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist
Karen Kiefer – Drawing God (religious market)
Dawn Young – The Night Baafore Christmas
Heather Gale – Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
Ciara O’Neal – Flamingo Hugs Aren’t For Everyone (self pub)
Theresa Kiser – A Little Catholic’s Book Of Liturgical Colors (religious market)
Lindsey Hobson – Blossom’s Wish (self pub)
Kirsten Larson – Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents An Airplane
Valerie Bolling – Let’s Dance!
Janet Johnson – Help Wanted: Must Love Books
Heather Kinser – Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen
Kelly Carey – How Long Is Forever?
Mary Wagley Copp – Wherever I Go
Nell Cross Beckerman – Down Under The Pier
Claire Noland – Evie’s Field Day: More Than One Way To Win
Sharon Giltrow – Bedtime, Daddy!
Gabi Snyder – Two Dogs On A Trike
Lisa Katzenberger – National Regular Average Ordinary Day
Teresa Krager – Before Your Birth Day
Lindsay H. Metcalf – Beatrix Potter, Scientist
Nancy Roe Pimm – Fly, Girl, Fly! Shaesta Waiz Soars Around The World
Jolene Gutiérrez – Mac And Cheese And The Personal Space Invader
Julie Rowan-Zoch – Louis (picture book illustration debut!)
Janie Emaus – Latkes For Santa
Amy Mucha – A Girl’s Bill Of Rights
Melanie Ellsworth – Hip,Hip…Beret!
Rebecca Kraft Rector – Squish Squash Squished
Gnome Road Publishing (publishing house debut)
Sue Heavenrich – 13 Ways To Eat A Fly
Julie Rowan-Zoch – I’m A Hare So There (author/illustrator debut)
Nancy Derey Riley – Curiosity’s Discovery (author/illustrator self-published debut)
Moni Ritchie Hadley – The Star Festival
Sita Singh – Birds Of A Feather
Ann Magee – Branches Of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree
Amanda Davis – 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag (nonfiction)
Jennifer Buchet – Little Medusa’s Hair Do-lemma
Michelle Vattula – The Stalking Seagulls
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History Of Underpants (nonfiction)
Candice Marley Conner – Sassafras And Her Teeny Tiny Tail
Becky Scharnhorst – My School Stinks!
Darshana Khiani – How To Wear A Sari
Ana Siqueira – Bella’s Recipe For Success
Kate Allen Fox – Pando: A Living Wonder Of Trees (nonfiction)
Jenna Waldman – Sharkbot Shalom
Karen A. Wyle – You Can’t Kiss A Bubble
Rebecca Mullin – One Tomato (board book)
Cynthia Argentine – Night Becomes Day: Changes In Nature (illustrated with photographs)
Karen Greenwald – Vote For Susanna: The First Woman Mayor (nonfiction)
Anne Appert – Blob (author/illustrator)
Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky – James’ Reading Rescue
Karen Condit – Turtle On The Track (hybrid publishing)
Renee LaTulippe – The Crab Ballet (picture book poem)
Amy Duchene – Pool Party (collaboration/co-writing)
Kimberly Wilson – A Penny’s Worth
Candace Spizzirri – Fishing With Grandpa And Skye
Carrie Tillotson – Counting To Bananas
Patrice Gopo – All The Places We Call Home
Rebecca Gardyn Levington – Brainstorm!
Jocelyn Watkinson – The Three Canadian Pigs: A Hockey Story
Shachi Kaushik – Diwali In My New Home
Carrie Sharkey Asner – Blueberry Blue Bubble (self published)
Gela Kalaitzidis – Ozzie & Prince Zebedee (author/illustrator)
Caroline Perry – The Corgi And The Queen (nonfiction)
The 12th Annual Halloweensie Contest Finalists Are HERE! Vote For Your Favorite!!!
There are witches in the air,
Evil spirits everywhere.
Creepy monsters walking by.
Pumpkin moon up in the sky. . .
Halloween is so spooky, isn’t it?
WHAT???!!!
Are you suggesting it’s not Halloween anymore?
Are you asserting that this is nonsense, and that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and it’s snowing where you are, and you’re putting up your holiday decorations and wondering what the twinkle twinkle little bat is going on around here?
Ok.
It’s possible that this post is a teensy bit late in coming.
But better late than never, I always say!
And I hope you agree because, at long last, it’s time for you to see who the 2022 Halloweensie Contest Finalists are and vote for your favorite!
The 12th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest!!!
~ FINALISTS! ~
We’ve got an interesting mix this year. There were a LOT of entries about snakes and slugs (not surprising, given the “slither” requirement), quite a few “First Halloween” stories, lots of “costume decision” stories, an unfortunate number that were really mood pieces or lists that, while nicely written, were not stories, a few that didn’t use all the required words, one that didn’t use any!, several (sad face) with proofreading errors that prevented them from being finalists because it didn’t seem right to choose one with mistakes when there were other good stories without mistakes, more spooky/creepy/icky ones than usual, and more for the 9-12 age group than usual, and quite a few with a nice non-fiction-y element. . . In short, so many wonderful stories, as always! You are all so talented! We love the ones we chose, but we also loved a lot of the ones we didn’t or couldn’t choose.
If you didn’t make the finalist list, I don’t want you to feel bad! It doesn’t mean you didn’t write a good story! It’s VERY hard to tell a great story in 100 words. There is a LOT of competition. Out of 240 entries, 226 did not make the finals, so you are in excellent company. And don’t lose heart. A lot of you will be on the Honorable Mention Lists in a few days. The judging is always the part I hate 😊 There are always so many more I want to choose… But a contest is a contest, and so we have to try, to the best of our ability, to select the cream of the crop. I’m sure, despite our best efforts, there may be some we didn’t choose that you think we should have, and some we did choose you think we shouldn’t have. But we really tried to make good choices. We looked for originality and that little extra something that makes a story stand out.
And for those who didn’t make the cut, you still practiced your craft, wrote good stories, met writing requirements, wrote to a deadline, and increased your writing experience. You produced good work that you were brave enough to share in public. And you hopefully have a strong basis to build on that may allow you to expand and polish your story into a magazine piece or a picture book when you’re not constrained by the contest parameters. So bravo, and congratulations to everyone!
The 14 finalists are listed below. We have a mix of stories for younger and older children, some in rhyme and some in prose, some funny, some lovely, some downright creepy – all fabulous!
Please read them all, choose your favorite, and vote for it in the poll below by Tuesday November 29th at 7PM Eastern. (I do have a Tuesday Debut scheduled that day, so this post will drop from the top of my blog page, but I will be sure to include a link to this finalist/voting page so it’s still easy to find!)
Please feel free to share the link to this post on social media – the more readers and voters the better! Every one of these entries deserves to be read by as many people as possible. But I ask that you please not troll for votes! The contest is supposed to be based on merit, not a popularity contest based on who has the most followers or can talk more people into voting for their story. If you are a finalist, please do not say you’re a finalist or mention your entry by name or number. Encourage people to come read and vote, and let them make their own decisions. As judges, we make our selections blind. The names are all removed so we make our choices based solely on the story so we can remain unbiased. In fact, as of this writing, I still don’t know who wrote the stories on this list. You can bet I’m going to go look right after I post!
So read, enjoy, vote! 😊
1. RAINFOREST HALLOWEEN
The weeds were thick. The branches, slick.
But Howard vowed to play a trick
by sneaking up behind Doreen
to frighten her on Halloween.
He’d slither near, unseen, unheard—
a streak of color, faintly blurred—
using stealthy camouflage,
then shock her with a “BOO!” barrage.
He scurried, on his tree-top chore,
high above the valley floor
and spied her on a banyan trunk.
A terrify-your-friend slam dunk!
What a treat! That very night
he gave Doreen a spooky fright.
AHHhhh!
Yes, Howard the chameleon scared sweet Doreen the gecko.
But after Howard hollered “BOO!!!”—he fainted, from the echo.
BOOooo-ooo-ooo!
2. THE FRIGHTFUL FUGITIVE
Beneath a full and pumpkin moon,
I flew to trick-or-treat,
when, from the corner of my eye,
I spied a heap of meat.
I shivered as it stared at me,
wide eyes without a face,
a creature with no place on Earth.
It came from outer space!
With body like a comet’s tail,
legs like a centipede’s,
it slithered through the unkempt field
to jump me from the weeds.
A skeleton creaked up just then,
gave me a bony hug.
“You’ve found my brain and spine!” he said
and took that scary slug.
3. A SHADY HALLOWEEN
It was Halloween, and Sun was fuming.
“Moon has all the fun!” huffed Sun. “I can be spooky. Come play, ghosts, goblins, and ghouls!”
But all Sun got on this bone-chilling holiday…
was festive foliage and boisterous birdsong.
BORING.
“Sun,” whispered Moon, spying the sulky star. “How about a daytime treat?”
Sun beamed as Moon’s shadow masked her rays, until…
all was dark!
Witches flew—
WHOOSH!
Skeletons danced the monster-mash—
RAP TAP!
Black cats pranced on tip-toe—
MEOW!
Ghosts haunted the Halloween Bash—
WooooOOOOOOooooo!
Then…
Sun slithered out.
“BOO!”
Spooky creatures everywhere agreed—
Sun’s scare eclipsed all other Halloweens!
4. SSSSSSCARY!
I didn’t mean to SCARE her,
but I guess that’s what ghosts do.
As ghosts go, I’m not scary.
I simply whisssspered,
“Boo!”
I mean, it’s Halloween night,
so, I SLITHERED up the walk.
I wriggled up the steps and
adjusted my ghost-sock.
My tongue flicked out and rang the bell.
I gave a fangy grin.
My scaly tail held out my bag–
“Let trick or TREAT begin!”
She gasped.
She squealed.
She dropped the bowl.
She fainted dead away.
Who knew a sock with two eyeholes
could scare someone this way?
5. HALLOWEEN NIGHT LIGHT
A candle in a pumpkin sees
the sun set out of sight.
Then tilts its flame near windows cut
to free the candle’s light.
Its glow will guide the ghouls and ghosts—
some scary, others sweet—
by casting beams upon a path
for all to trick-or-treat.
“Stay bright tonight!” The candle chants
behind its pumpkin’s face,
while waxy droplets slither down
and puddle at its base.
It droops. It stoops. But still, it shines
‘til night has come and gone.
Then sighs triumphant threads of smoke
into the light of dawn.
6. TRICK-OR-TREAT, SHOES TO EAT
It’s a Halloween party!
Ruff, ruff. Roo!
No shoes on the carpet means . . .
Front-door treats for me!
I must have one. Or two. Or ten!
Nobody’s looking. I gotta go fast.
Crawl. Slither. Roll over.
Dash!
Princess slippers.
Baseball cleats.
Gopher loafers.
Pirate boots.
How to choose?
Sniff. Lift. Wag.
Drool!
Ruff, ruff. Roo!
Surfer sandals,
Ballet flats.
Scary sneakers.
Fairy clogs.
I want them ALL!
“Puppy, no!”
Uh-oh.
I need treats to-go.
Aha!
Gotcha, kitten heels.
The purrfect pair.
Jump. Gallop. Zigzag.
Scoot!
Under the bed.
Trick-or-treat, shoes to eat.
Ruff, ruff. ROO!
7. HALLOWEEN IS MAGIC
“It’s Halloween!” Witch Wanda screeched.
“And I can’t scare up tricks or treats!”
“The cauldron’s cracked.”
“My potion burned.”
“I’m out of bats and three-eyed worms.”
So Wanda flew into the night,
And gathered things to give a fright.
Ten slithery snakes,
Two warty toads,
A shrew that had a runny nose.
“Yippee!” she cried, “What spooky fun!”
“Can’t wait to see those kiddies run!”
But when they spied Witch Wanda’s “treats”,
Excited children filled the streets.
They hugged the snakes.
They cuddled the shrew.
Now Wanda runs a petting zoo.
8. SCARY GOAT SCAM
Billy and Maribelle thought it unfair
that the Halloween treats were not evenly shared.
Bored with their thistle and grass-loaded diet,
“Oh Candy” sighed Billy, “I’m eager to try it.”
They made themselves costumes to scare the town silly,
smeared mud on their beards and tossed hay willy-nilly.
They covered their horns, pinned their beards tightly down
and with eyes glaring brightly they clomped into town.
The villagers fled as their fear slithered out,
scattering treat bags and candy about.
The goats quickly gobbled the treats left behind,
“Not bad” Billie said, “But these bags taste divine!”
9. SAPLING’S HALLOWEEN
Sapling was scared.
October was nearly over,
and still she had no costume.
On October 1st,
Maple proudly primped in his pumpkin colors.
By mid month,
Oak fetchingly flaunted her firefighter red.
Sapling grew green with envy.
“Don’t worry,” Hickory whispered
through his fur-brown mask of foliage.
“Mother Nature will make sure you’re ready for trick or treat.”
Hickory and his brothers were the three bears.
On Halloween Eve, Sapling swayed slightly.
A cool breeze slithered through her leaves.
She held onto hope.
When the sun rose on Halloween,
Sapling’s costume was complete.
Sapling, the young Ginkgo, was Goldilocks.
10. MIDNIGHT SNACK
Slither, Slither.
Tiptoe, CREEEEAK.
shh.
The moon is bright.
It’s time to sneak.
Down the hallway.
Stop to see.
zzzz.
The coast is clear.
I smirk with glee.
‘Twas a night of
costumed fun.
oooOO.
With bags of treats
the night was done.
Now I creep and
Tiptoe light.
grrrr.
A shadow’s there!
I freeze with fright!
Stepping slowly,
Then a whirl!
phew.
It’s just the dog…
“You scared me, girl!”
In the kitchen
hidden high.
mmm.
I reach the snacks
“Success!” I sigh.
Then I heard a
great big SNAP!
AHH.
“I caught you Dad!
You like my trap?”
11. A MARTIAN’S HALLOWEEN
A tiny spaceship landed with a rumble and a roar
So Timothy, a Martian boy decided to explore
Zombies, witches, scary creatures slithered down the street
Traveling from door to door, they shouted “TRICK OR TREAT!”
Suddenly, poor Timothy felt frightened and alone
“This Earthly kind of holiday just isn’t in my zone!”
An alien, dressed up in green, peculiarly appeared
“You’re looking lost. I’ll get you home,” she gladly volunteered.
She found his spaceship just in time. He knew she saved the day.
Then she reached inside her sack. “Have a Milky Way.”
12. PUMPKIN PRIDE
One tiny pumpkin sat on the vine.
“Grow, Pumpkin, grow,” chanted Witch.
When scary bugs slithered close, Ghost shouted “Boo!”
“Grow, Pumpkin, grow,” chanted Ghost.
Mummy watered during four months of sunshine.
“Grow, Pumpkin, grow,” chanted Mummy.
Cool weather came; Pumpkin stopped growing.
“Pumpkin’s perfect!” said Witch, Ghost, and Mummy.
“Let’s bring him to the contest at the Trick-or-Treat Fair!”
Carved pumpkins… Warty pumpkins… Tasty pumpkins…
But no pumpkin beat Pumpkin.
Witch, Ghost, and Mummy beamed with pumpkin pride
Their precious Pumpkin won grand prize —
WORLD’S HEAVIEST PUMPKIN
FUN FACT: The Guinness World Record for heaviest pumpkin is 2,702 pounds.
13. THE SWEETEST TREAT
It’s Halloween! Come one and all!
Slither, scurry, climb and crawl –
gather round the bright full moon.
Children will be coming soon.
As they swarm the darkened streets,
calling out their “Trick or Treats!”
we’ll lurk nearby, our eyes aglow,
making sure our tails don’t show.
Once they’re candy-full and sleepy –
numbed to all that’s scary, creepy –
leap out from our hiding place
and lick the children – just a taste.
The sweetest tasting child will be
the one we eat on Halloween!
14. CANDY NIGHT
Costumes on,
grab your gear,
Candy Night is almost here.
Sun is set,
route is mapped,
we won’t leave one house untapped.
Trick or treat,
check the haul.
Chocolate! Gummies! Eat them all.
Wrapper pile,
empty tote,
taffy slithers down my throat.
Not enough.
We need more!
I know somewhere we can score.
Candy out,
down the road,
now we’ve hit the motherlode.
“Just take one?”
I think not.
Ditch the sign and grab the lot!
Lights come on,
time to run!
If my mom finds out, I’m DONE.
Just a scare,
so we think?…
Doorbell footage has us linked.
PHEW! So there you have it! Good luck choosing just one of those amazing stories!
Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by 7PM Eastern Tuesday November 29!
The Winners and Honorable Mentions will be posted on Wednesday November 30 (because running into December would just be a bridge too far! 🤣)
I can’t wait to see who you all choose as your winners!
Tune in Wednesday!!! 🎃🧙♀️👻🎃
Guidelines for the 12th Annual Holiday Writing Contest!
Guess what time it is?
I realize, of course, that I have yet to post the Halloweensie Finalists. They are coming! I promise! Hopefully in a few days. What a perfect storm of downright insanity the last few weeks have been!
BUT
Time waits for no one, so I have to get the Holiday Contest Guidelines up so you have a couple weeks to write your entries!
Which brings me to the fact that someone (besides me) is in BIG Trouble!
This Dastardly Duo is charged with:
- Identity Theft (Jingle and Dingle were found like icicles, dressed in garbage bags, doing jumping jacks to keep warm!)
- Knowingly Impersonating an Elf (not very well, I might add!)
- Breaking and Entering (emphasis on breaking)
- Burglary (No. There is no turkey left. None. So don’t keep asking!)
- Breaking and Leaving (not a usual charge but when the dog collar fits…)
- Fleeing the Scene of a Crime (and in the process…)
- Assault with a Greasy Weapon (one of the perpetrators whacked an innocent bystander in the thigh with a large turkey haunch which left a significant bruise on her leg and a stubborn grease stain (which may be permanent!) on her favorite holiday skirt)
- Willful Destruction of Private Property (knocking over a Christmas Tree, smashing ornaments, tangling Christmas lights, and causing a not-that-small fire due to sparks from the mistreated electrical outlet igniting the dry conifer)
- Necessitating a Bath (seemingly unrelated unless it was some part of the Elf Impersonation gone awry, but they’re GREEN! Seriously! In the manner of the Witch of the West and the Grinch! What is WITH that?!)
In short, they have been Very Bad Dogs!
Why, you ask, am I bringing this Wickedness to your attention?
Well, I’ll tell you!
As we enter the Holiday Season, there is always an emphasis on Holiday Parties, giving gifts, being kind to others, doing good deeds, sweetness and light., but . .
DUHN! DUHN! DUHN!
. . .what about the Bad Guys?
Because you know they’re out there, wreaking havoc whenever, wherever, and however they can! One look at that WANTED poster will tell you that!
It’s an outright example of Mischief and Mayhem! Tomfoolery! Skulduggery!
Exactly the kind of misbehavior you should be keeping in mind when you sit down to write your entry for the . . .
12th Annual Holiday Writing Contest
~ for children’s writers ~
The Contest: Write a children’s holiday story (children here defined as age 12 and under) about a Holiday Bad Guy – think along the lines of The Abominable Snow Monster (aka The Bumble), Heat Miser/Snow Miser, Burgermeister Meisterburger, the Winter Warlock, The Grinch, Scrooge, etc…, but make up your own – someone you can have some fun with! An elf who laces Mrs. Claus’s cookies with Argu-mint so that everyone who eats them starts fighting! A Candle Kidnapper who holds all the candles for ransom just before Hanukkah! A pair of zebra gangsters who dress up as reindeer, planning to sneak onto Santa’s team and then steal the sleigh and keep all the toys for themselves! A taciturn girl who is found responsible for removing lights and ornaments from all the village displays…but turns out to have brought them to the Nursing Home to cheer the residents. Anything and everything you can think up – the badder the better 😊
- Your bad guy can be human, animal, or any made-up creature you like.
- They can wind up punished, or redeemed, or they can escape to attempt their mischief and mayhem another day.
- They can be the main character or the antagonist, but they should play a significant role in the story.
- Their badness can be due to extenuating circumstances that make them sympathetic, or they can be just plain naughty! 😊
- We are aiming for lighthearted and entertaining so we don’t go down too dark a path – these are holiday stories for children, after all! – but you can be serious if you like as long as it’s not too grim!
Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s or whatever you celebrate during the Holiday Season, but is not to exceed 250 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest 😊 ) (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful 😊 , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 250! Title not included in word count.) The field is wide open! Have fun! The more creative the better! No illustration notes please. (And yes, if you feel compelled to submit more than one entry you may, just remember you’re competing against yourself!)
Post: Your entry should be posted between 12:01 AM EST Friday December 9th and Sunday December 11th at 11:59 PM EST, and must be posted in the comment section of the Official Contest Post which will go up here on my blog on Friday December 9th. That post will remain up for your reading pleasure until I post the finalists. There will be no regular posts (Tuesday Debut or Perfect Picture Book) for the duration of the contest so everyone will have plenty of time to visit and enjoy. If you have trouble commenting, you can email me (we’ll go over this part in more detail on the December 9th post! 😊 ) but do not email me any entries before the opening of the contest on December 9th! They will not be accepted or read!
The Judging: My lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to approximately 12 finalists. Due to the nature of life at the moment I am not going to hazard a guess as to when the finalists will be posted – they’ll be up as soon as I can get them up.
Judging criteria will be as follows:
- 1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.
- 2. Holiday Bad Guy! – the rules state a Holiday Bad Guy story, so it must be crystal clear that the story, including your holiday bad guy, in some way relates to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Year’s, or whatever seasonal winter holiday you choose. Your bad guy must be central to the story – not just an offhand mention/reference in a story about something else. Have fun creating your bad guy! Make him or her a real character whose wickedness we can enjoy 😊
- 3. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc even if it’s tiny 😊 Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.
- 4. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊 Overall writing quality and use of language are also important. Please proofread! A typo may be the difference between being considered and being set aside.
- 5. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another.
- 6. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Large numbers of entries make it easy to cut entries that haven’t been entered as we asked.
The Prizes!: Oh WOW!!!
⭐️ Rhyme & Meter Self Study Course – Renee LaTulippe Renée M. LaTulippe is the author of The Crab Ballet (Cameron Kids/Abrams, 2022) and Limelight: Theater Poems to Perform (Charlesbridge, 2024) and has poems published in many anthologies including No World Too Big, Night Wishes, School People, National Geographic’s The Poetry of US, One Minute Till Bedtime, Poems Are Teachers, ThankU: Poems of Gratitude, and A World Full of Poems.
⭐️ Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat with Sandra Sutter, author of THE REAL FARMER IN THE DELL (Spork, March 2019) and STAN’S FRIGHTFUL HALLOWEEN (Spork, September 2020) and the Owner/Publisher/Editor of Gnome Road Publishing)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (author, illustrator, or both) from author/illustrator Julie Rowan-Zoch author/illustrator or I’M A HARE, SO THERE! (Clarion Books 2021), illustrator of LOUIS (written by Tom Lichtenheld, Clarion Books, 2020) and illustrator of NOT ALL SHEEP ARE BORING (written by Bobby Moynihan, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, September 2022)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (written/Zoom) OR Ask Me Anything 1 hour session about author websites from author and website creator Stacy Jensen (stacyjensen.com – currently undergoing revision), author of BEFORE I LIVED HERE (coming Fall 2024 from Neal Porter Books)
Author and website creator Stacy Jensen
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction) from Melissa Stoller, author of SCARLET’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH (Spork 2018), READY, SET, GORILLA! (Spork 2018), THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION (chapter books) (Spork 2017), SADIE’S SHABAT STORIES (Spork, 2020) and PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: PEACE, SALAAM, SHALOM
⭐️ 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat AND Signed PB from Janet Johnson, author of HELP WANTED, MUST LOVE BOOKS (Capstone 2020), BRAVER THAN BRAVE (Capstone, July 2022), and A BAD CASE OF THE ALMOSTS (Capstone, December 29, 2022)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique and Zoom Chat (especially STEAM) from Sue Heavenrich, author of 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY (Charlesbridge 2021) and many nonfiction books for older kids.
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017) as well as the forthcoming SPIDER LADY: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army (Astra/Calkins Creek 2025) and another as yet unannounced 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Roxanne Troup, author of MY GRANDPA, MY TREE, AND ME (Yeehoo Press, March 6, 2023)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Rosanne Kurstedt, author of KARATE KID (Running Kids Press, September 2019) and AND I THINK ABOUT YOU (Kids Can Press, September 20, 2022)
⭐️ 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, Spring 2024), and AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? (Penguin/Rocky Pond, Spring 2024)
⭐️ Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat and signed book from Cindy Schrauben, author of THIS COULD BE YOU (Cardinal Rule Press, April 2022) and the just announced HANK’S CHANGE OF HEART (scheduled for February 2025 from The Little Press)
⭐️ Signed copies of LISTEN (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books July, 2021), COUNT ON US (Barefoot Books, September 20, 2022), and the new TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE board book (Harry N. Abrams, October 18, 2022) – 1 prize 3 books from author Gabi Snyder
⭐️ 15 minute AMA with Teresa Robeson, award-winning author of QUEEN OF PHYSICS: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom (Union Square Kids 2019), TWO BICYCLES IN BEIJING (Albert Whitman 2020), and the forthcoming CLOUDS IN SPACE: THE NEBULA STORY (scheduled for Spring 2024 from Candlewick/MIT Kids Press)
⭐️ A signed copy of SLEEPY HAPPY CAPY CUDDLES (Page Street Kids, October 18, 2022) by Mike Allegra AND a signed copy of DIWALI IN MY NEW HOME (Beaming Books, September 27, 2022) by Shachi Kaushik
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, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
So! Butt in chair! Snack and beverage near to hand! Writing implement ready! Mischief-making, Mayhem-creating Thinking Caps on!
One. . .
Two. . .
Three. . .
WRITE!!!!!!!
Tuesday Debut – Presenting Caroline Perry!
Welcome to Tuesday Debut, Everyone!
Today I’m thrilled to introduce Caroline Perry whose debut picture book is exceptionally timely. THE CORGI AND THE QUEEN, releasing today, was written and in production long before the sad event of September 8, 2022, but with the Queen’s passing this lovely book is an uplifting tribute to her and her beloved dogs.
The Corgi and the Queen
written by Caroline Perry
illustrated by Lydia Corry
Godwin Books/Macmillan
publication date 11/22/22
Even a monarch needs a best friend and Queen Elizabeth II found one in a corgi pup she named Susan. From princesshood to queendom the pair forged an unbreakable bond, with Susan even participating in Elizabeth’s wedding day and joining her on honeymoon with Prince Philip. Over the course of her remarkable seventy-year reign the Queen had more than thirty corgi companions, and almost all were direct descendants of her cherished Susan.
SUSANNA: Welcome, Caroline! Thank you so much for joining us today. We’re really looking forward to hearing about this book! Where did the idea for it come from?
CAROLINE: Everyone knows that the Queen adored corgis, and that she had many corgi companions throughout the course of her life. I’ve been a journalist for many years so I always look for the ‘why’—what was it that made Elizabeth love these dogs so much? What was the defining moment or relationship that formed this incredible attachment? When I started my research it wasn’t long before the ‘aha’ moment struck. The story of the young Princess Elizabeth and Susan was utterly enchanting, and it answered the ‘why’ quite succinctly!
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
CAROLINE: Many months! I really immersed myself in the story, researching Queen Elizabeth’s young life in particular. Susan was by Elizabeth’s side for so many of the defining moments in her life—during World War II, when the princess served in a women’s regiment; when Elizabeth married Prince Philip; when her beloved ‘Papa’, King George VI, died, and when she was crowned Queen at the age of 25. Susan was also there when Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, who is now King Charles III. I really sought out the ‘heart’ of the story, and for me, this was Susan being hidden in one of the carriages Elizabeth and Philip rode in on their wedding day, and Susan joining the newlyweds on honeymoon. From here, the rest of the story flowed very naturally as the ‘heart’ is like the book’s North Star.
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
CAROLINE: I always thought that the concept of a story ‘finding you’ was a myth but in this case, it grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let me go. Of course I had several critiques on the manuscript, and I made many edits along the way, but the version in the book is not hugely different from my original draft. This story really let me know how it wanted to be written!
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
CAROLINE: When I knew that it was a story that I would love to read to my children! As it’s a longer picture book, I had also asked for ‘beta reads’ from a librarian, and from some older elementary-aged kids (not friends, who will always tell you that your work is great, even when it isn’t). The feedback I received was, overwhelmingly, “we want this to be a book, so please make sure that it becomes one!” At this point I knew that it was ready to be sent out into the world.
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
CAROLINE: I submitted the manuscript to a handful of agents. Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Studio replied very shortly after she received it, and she asked if we could set up a chat. She was so enthusiastic about the book, and I loved her personality and the way that her vision for the book was exactly aligned with mine. I knew that she would be the perfect partner so even though I had interest from another agent, I was absolutely delighted to accept Allison’s offer of representation!
SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?
CAROLINE: We got an expression of interest from my editor, Laura Godwin, a day or two after the manuscript had been subbed. This was in December, when publishing pretty much shuts down, so I knew that nothing would happen over the holidays. In early January we were told that the manuscript was going to acquisitions, and on Friday of that same week, the offer came in!
SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”? (Best moment ever! 😊)
CAROLINE: I will never forget “the call” as it happened on what had been an incredibly difficult day. My husband works as a travel agent, and his business was decimated by the pandemic. On this particular day we’d had some really bad news and I was trying very hard to hold it together for my three young kids, who were all being homeschooled at the time. A local playground had just re-opened after many months of closure so I took the children there, hiding my sadness behind oversized sunglasses (and a mask, of course). When my phone rang and I saw my agent’s name on the screen, I think the world stopped spinning on its axis for a moment or two. Allison told me that we had an offer, and this time my tears were happy ones!
SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
CAROLINE: It was six months between accepting the offer and signing the contract.
SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?
CAROLINE: Takeout pizza with my kids, and a glass of something fizzy when they went to bed!
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
CAROLINE: I’d spoken to a few published authors before my contract arrived so I knew roughly what to expect from a Big 5 house. My agent is brilliant at negotiating and this is an area where good agents are worth their weight in gold. Book contracts are long, complex and wordy and I was very grateful to have her deal with that side of things!
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?
CAROLINE: My editor didn’t request any specific changes. We made some tweaks but there were no significant revisions. Laura had a wonderful vision for the book and she loved the story as it was, which was incredible!
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
CAROLINE: Before Lydia was brought on board I was shown some of her sample sketches. Within seconds of laying eyes on her work I said, ‘yes!’ I absolutely loved her illustration style and I felt so lucky to have an opportunity to work with her. A few months after signing the contract I got to see some of Lydia’s rough sketches, which really blew my mind! I only had a couple of very minor suggestions for changes, which the editor agreed with, but I honestly couldn’t have been happier with the work that I saw. About six months before publication I received a printed ARC in the mail, and seeing mine and Lydia’s book laid out, with the text and stunning color illustrations, was an experience I will never forget.
I don’t think I included a single art note in this manuscript! As it’s a biography, I knew that the illustrator would want to do her own research into the aesthetics of the people and places in the book.
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
CAROLINE: I actually stumbled across my Kirk-us review by accident! I was very happy to see that it was positive. And I just found out that I got a lovely Booklist review, too!
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
CAROLINE: My publication date was brought forward twice so I was lucky to get it earlier than I had anticipated! It was only 23 months between offer and ‘on sale’ which is a pretty short timeline in picture book publication.
I don’t actually know how many copies are in the first run printing!
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
CAROLINE: They’ve sent digital ARCs to book bloggers and reviewers, and liaised with various trade publications. They sent out a press release and set up an interview with People.com that was picked up by Vanity Fair and a host of other news websites!
SUSANNA: Wow! That is amazing! Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
CAROLINE: I’ve really thrown myself into the book promo! Lydia Corry and I worked together to make a book trailer. We shared some very emotional moments in the aftermath of the Queen’s death, when we had to change the trailer text to past tense. I have also printed bookmarks and stickers (designed by the amazing Lydia!) and I learned how to design and print posters, vinyl signs, headers for bags of dog treats, and an array of materials for an event called ‘SoCal Corgi Beach Day’. I hired a booth, set up some really fun photo props, and offered a ‘Wheel of Paw-tune’ spin for people who pre-ordered the book. It was a LOT of work but so much fun, too. I got to cuddle dozens of corgis, and speak to some wonderful people who love the breed as much as the Queen did. I have also designed a website, set up author accounts on Instagram and TikTok, and become something of a whiz on Canva! I’ve organized interviews and podcast chats, and arranged a few book signing events in Los Angeles. I’m really excited about those!
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
CAROLINE: I’ve been writing professionally for the entirety of my adult life—I had my first piece published in a national British newspaper during my second year at college. I submitted an article (via fax!) to an editor and it was published, but with someone else’s byline. When I contacted the editor to gently point out the mistake I was offered an unpaid internship by way of an apology, and I grabbed that opportunity with both hands. I started at the very bottom of the chain, cleaning out filing cabinets, picking up editors’ dry-cleaning and delivering mail to senior journalists. It was very high-stress environment with long hours with no time for mentorship but I always made myself useful, staying later than I needed to, and I let all the editors know that I would be more than happy to cover any event that nobody else wanted to go to. An arts editor finally agreed, and allowed me to review a very obscure play in a tiny theater above a pub in North London. I haven’t stopped writing since!
In terms of picture book writing, I started in earnest way back in 2014, when my eldest child was four. I was reading so many picture books to him, and I just fell in love with the genre. I was curious to see if I could translate my writing skills to the picture book format so I devoured the contents of my local library’s picture book shelves and wrote, wrote, wrote… I had a couple of ideas which became manuscripts and I sent one out to half a dozen agents. I got a champagne rejection from one of these agents, but the rest were bog-standard form passes. Once the initial stings had subsided I realized that I had made that classic ‘new writer’ mistake: I’d just gone out too soon. I hadn’t found critique partners yet, and the story I’d queried was cute, but it wasn’t new or fresh enough to make it stand out. I took all of this on board and stepped back for a while to deal with some life ‘stuff’, and to have my younger two children! All the while, I continued reading picture books as if it was my job to do so. I returned to PB writing seriously in 2018, when my youngest kiddo was two. I signed up for Susanna’s (brilliant!) course, joined the 12×12 community, and found some fantastic critique partners. It took me around 18 months to write and develop three manuscripts that I believed were query-ready. If you include my ‘gap’, it’s been an eight year journey.
SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up and coming writers?)
CAROLINE: Gosh, so many things. I’ve learned that you need rhino hide skin to cope with all the rejections. You need the patience of a dozen saints, as publishing moves very slowly (even more so since the pandemic). And even if you think you’ve written the best manuscript of all time, you need to KEEP WRITING! I also think that all up and coming writers should console themselves with the fact that there is a ‘sliding doors’ element to this business. Talent and great ideas are, of course, paramount, but sometimes it’s also about landing in the right inbox at the exact right time. It’s really hard to know what a particular agent or editor is looking for at any given moment, or to second-guess what they need to fill a hole in their lists. They might just have signed someone who wrote a book with a similar theme yours, or perhaps they’ll pass on your manuscript as they’re allergic to dogs, or don’t like lyrical books, or they’ve got too many titles with animal protagonists? Rejections aren’t always personal, or a judgement of the quality of your work, sometimes it really is just the market at that precise time. Also, I would caution authors against writing to trends, as by the time your manuscript has landed you an agent, and then been considered by an editor, and gone through the (often lengthy) acquisitions process, it’s likely that that trend will have passed, or that the market will be saturated with books written by people who had a head start on that zeitgeisty idea. Write what you know, and write with your 4-8-year-old audience in mind. Will they find your manuscript interesting? Informative? Moving? Hilarious? What is it about your book that will make it stand out on a crowded display, and compel a customer to spend $18.99 (plus sales tax!) on it? It’s a very competitive market, so read hundreds of recent picture books (yes, hundreds, or however many your library has in stock!) Make use of the ‘book request’ feature, most libraries are very accommodating when it comes to acquiring titles that users suggest, and see what has caught editors’ eyes in the past three years or so. ‘Classic’ books are wonderful, but many of them would never be published today. Bear this in mind when you’re reading for research.
SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?
CAROLINE: It’s been a long journey and I have definitely allowed imposter syndrome and feelings of ‘compare/despair’ to take up residence in my head sometimes. The best way to banish these thoughts is to keep writing, keep improving, and keep going! I have dreamed of seeing my name on the front of a book since I was a new reader myself, and I still can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to be a published author.
SUSANNA: Well, published you are! And by the looks of it, you’re off to a great start! Thank you so much for sharing your journey to publication with us, Caroline. I know we all learned a lot. And I speak for all of us when I say best of luck with this and future titles!
Author Caroline Perry
Website: www.carolineperryauthor.com
Twitter: caro_perry
Instagram: @carolinelperry
TikTok: @carolinelperry
SUSANNA: Readers, if you have questions for Caroline, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
You may purchase Caroline’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)
We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:
– purchasing their books
– recommending their books to friends and family
– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians
– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores
– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries
– sharing their books on social media
– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.
Thank you all for stopping by to read today! Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday! Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊
Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts? Check them out!
Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them
Jessie Oliveros – The Remember Balloons
Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution
Hannah Holt – The Diamond And The Boy
Laura Renauld – Porcupine’s Pie
Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude
Melissa Stoller – Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush
Sherry Howard – Rock And Roll Woods
Kate Narita – 100 Bugs! A Counting Book
Vivian Kirkfield – Pippa’s Passover Plate
Laura Roettiger – Aliana Reaches For The Moon
Matthew Lasley – Pedro’s Pan: A Gold Rush Story
Natalee Creech – When Day Is Done
Margaret Chiu Greanias – Maximillian Villainous
Wendy Greenley – Lola Shapes The Sky
Danielle Dufayet – You Are Your Strong
B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth
Cathy Ballou Mealey – When A Tree Grows
Pippa Chorley – Counting Sheep
Sandra Sutter – The Real Farmer In The Dell
Jill Mangel Weisfeld – Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job (self pub)
Kathleen Cornell Berman – The Birth Of Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound
Eleanor Ann Peterson – Jurassic Rat
Sarah Hoppe – Who Will? Will You?
Marla LeSage – Pirate Year Round
Stacey Corrigan – The Pencil Eater
Shannon Stocker – Can U Save The Day?
Nadine Poper – Randall And Randall
Christine Evans – Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist
Karen Kiefer – Drawing God (religious market)
Dawn Young – The Night Baafore Christmas
Heather Gale – Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
Ciara O’Neal – Flamingo Hugs Aren’t For Everyone (self pub)
Theresa Kiser – A Little Catholic’s Book Of Liturgical Colors (religious market)
Lindsey Hobson – Blossom’s Wish (self pub)
Kirsten Larson – Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents An Airplane
Valerie Bolling – Let’s Dance!
Janet Johnson – Help Wanted: Must Love Books
Heather Kinser – Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen
Kelly Carey – How Long Is Forever?
Mary Wagley Copp – Wherever I Go
Nell Cross Beckerman – Down Under The Pier
Claire Noland – Evie’s Field Day: More Than One Way To Win
Sharon Giltrow – Bedtime, Daddy!
Gabi Snyder – Two Dogs On A Trike
Lisa Katzenberger – National Regular Average Ordinary Day
Teresa Krager – Before Your Birth Day
Lindsay H. Metcalf – Beatrix Potter, Scientist
Nancy Roe Pimm – Fly, Girl, Fly! Shaesta Waiz Soars Around The World
Jolene Gutiérrez – Mac And Cheese And The Personal Space Invader
Julie Rowan-Zoch – Louis (picture book illustration debut!)
Janie Emaus – Latkes For Santa
Amy Mucha – A Girl’s Bill Of Rights
Melanie Ellsworth – Hip,Hip…Beret!
Rebecca Kraft Rector – Squish Squash Squished
Gnome Road Publishing (publishing house debut)
Sue Heavenrich – 13 Ways To Eat A Fly
Julie Rowan-Zoch – I’m A Hare So There (author/illustrator debut)
Nancy Derey Riley – Curiosity’s Discovery (author/illustrator self-published debut)
Moni Ritchie Hadley – The Star Festival
Sita Singh – Birds Of A Feather
Ann Magee – Branches Of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree
Amanda Davis – 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag (nonfiction)
Jennifer Buchet – Little Medusa’s Hair Do-lemma
Michelle Vattula – The Stalking Seagulls
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History Of Underpants (nonfiction)
Candice Marley Conner – Sassafras And Her Teeny Tiny Tail
Becky Scharnhorst – My School Stinks!
Darshana Khiani – How To Wear A Sari
Ana Siqueira – Bella’s Recipe For Success
Kate Allen Fox – Pando: A Living Wonder Of Trees (nonfiction)
Jenna Waldman – Sharkbot Shalom
Karen A. Wyle – You Can’t Kiss A Bubble
Rebecca Mullin – One Tomato (board book)
Cynthia Argentine – Night Becomes Day: Changes In Nature (illustrated with photographs)
Karen Greenwald – Vote For Susanna: The First Woman Mayor (nonfiction)
Anne Appert – Blob (author/illustrator)
Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky – James’ Reading Rescue
Karen Condit – Turtle On The Track (hybrid publishing)
Renee LaTulippe – The Crab Ballet (picture book poem)
Amy Duchene – Pool Party (collaboration/co-writing)
Kimberly Wilson – A Penny’s Worth
Candace Spizzirri – Fishing With Grandpa And Skye
Carrie Tillotson – Counting To Bananas
Patrice Gopo – All The Places We Call Home
Rebecca Gardyn Levington – Brainstorm!
Jocelyn Watkinson – The Three Canadian Pigs: A Hockey Story
Shachi Kaushik – Diwali In My New Home
Carrie Sharkey Asner – Blueberry Blue Bubble (self published)
Gela Kalaitzidis – Ozzie & Prince Zebedee (author/illustrator)
Perfect Picture Book Friday – Happy Birthday, Christmas Child! – PLUS A Giveaway!
Wow! We haven’t had a Perfect Picture Book Friday in a while, due to Halloweensie.
(In case you’re wondering, all evidence to the contrary, the Halloweensie judging is well underway and we are close to posting the finalists. With a little luck, I’ll get them up before it’s time to post the guidelines for the Holiday Contest, but the way things have been going in my world lately, it’s anyone’s bet! 😊)
Anyway, anyone who has been posting Perfect Picture Books regularly and has books to add, please feel free to put them on today’s list!
I have a lovely book to share with you today, just in time for you all to run out and purchase one as a holiday (or pre-holiday) gift for any wee folks you know 😊
OR, leave a comment on today’s post between now and Thursday, November 24 (hey! that’s Thanksgiving – easy to remember! 😊) and you could be the lucky winner of a copy of this sweet book! (US residents only)
GIVEAWAY WINNER DRAWN NOVEMBER 25 – PAT TILTON!!!
Title: Happy Birthday, Christmas Child!: A Counting Nativity Book (Board Book)
Written By: Laura Sassi
Illustrated By: Gabi Murphy
Publisher: Paraclete Press, October 2022
Suitable For Ages: 1-4
Themes/Topics: Christmas Story, counting
Opening:
“One stable on a busy hill
with only ox and donkey ’til…
Tap, tap. “Hello?” Two heads appear.
“The inn is full. Can we stay here?”
“Yes, of course!” squeak three small mice.
“It’s rustic, but the view is nice.”
Brief Synopsis: This is the Christmas Story, told simply in lovely rhyme, with plenty of things for youngest readers to count.
Links To Resources: Today we have a wonderful activity straight from the creative author herself!
Play a HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTMAS CHILD Matching Sticker Game
by Laura Sassi
After enjoying the book, little ones might be ready for this book-themed matching game from the free downloadable “Happy Birthday, Christmas Child” activity kit. The sticker templates for the game are found on page six. NOTE: You might also enjoy the other resources there, including cupcake toppers, coloring pages, number sheets and a complete party plan!
Directions: (photos above and below)
Why I Like This Book: You have probably guessed (since this is at least the 3rd or 4th… or maybe 5th? book of Laura’s that I’ve reviewed for PPBF 😊) that I am a devoted Laura Sassi fan. This newest book is no exception! It tells the Christmas Story in a way that is accessible and appealing to youngest readers. The story takes us to the stable where Mary and Joseph are welcomed by the animals and eat a simple meal of bread and figs. The baby kicks and moves, reminding everyone that it will soon be born. The joyous angels proclaim the birth and send the shepherds hurrying to greet the newborn babe. Simply told in lovely rhyme, the whole story is presented in a way that is true to the bible’s telling but written for youngest readers to enjoy, with things to count on every page along the way – from 1 stable to 10 tiny toes. 😊
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
Author Laura Sassi
Visit her website!
Laura Sassi has a passion for telling stories in prose and rhyme. She is the author of multiple books for young children including the best-selling Goodnight, Ark (Zonderkidz), which was a 2015 Christian Book Award Finalist; Goodnight, Manger (Zonderkidz); Diva Delores and the Opera House Mouse (Union Square Publishing), which was a 2021-2022 Iowa Goldfinch Award Nominee; Love Is Kind (Zonderkidz), which was a 2020 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award Honor Book; Little Ewe: The Story of One Lost Sheep (Beaming Books), Bunny Finds Easter (Zonderkidz), Happy Birthday, Christmas Child (Paraclete Press), her new counting board book, and coming in 2023, from Paraclete Press, My Tender Heart Bible and My Tender Heart Prayer Book.
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Tuesday Debut – Presenting Gela Kalaitzidis!
Hello, my friends!
I realize that we’re still kind of in the middle of Halloweensie, since, due to unforeseen circumstances I have not been able to devote myself to the judging as I should (though I PROMISE I am working on it – do not blame my fellow judges, it is all me holding up the works!) But meanwhile, Tuesday has rolled around and so I have to bump Halloweensie from the top of my blog to make room for today’s wonderful Tuesday Debut. I put links on all the mentions of Halloweensie so you can hop yourself back to it easily if you still want to read entries!
But for the moment, let’s take a little Halloweensie break. I am thrilled to introduce today’s debut-ess, Gela Kalaitzidis, and her gorgeous debut picture book, OZZIE & PRINCE ZEBEDEE!
Title: OZZIE & PRINCE ZEBEDEE
Publishing House: Flamingo Books
Release date: Oct. 11, 2022
Genre: Fiction.
Age Range: 3-7
Ozzie & Prince Zebedee is a tale about the burpy repercussions that arise when you accidentally swallow your best friend in anger and a story of love, forgiveness, and empathy.
SUSANNA: Welcome, Gela! Thank you so much for joining us today. I got one small peek at your art on Instagram one day and was instantly smitten, so I’m delighted to have you here to show your work to everyone! Where did the idea for this book come from? / How long did it take you to write/illustrate this book?
GELA: In one way, I would say it took me 33 years to write this book. When I was around 16 years old, I wrote a similar story. It was about a boy suffering from insomnia and while he was walking around at night, he ran into different creatures. Among them were a dragon and a prince. Many years later I remembered that story and rewrote it. My critique group helped me see that the heart of the story was with the bickering side characters, and slowly the manuscript evolved into what it is today.
(An illustration sample from 1989 and the final spread in 2022)
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
GELA: This book has been through hundreds of revisions. I’ve taken the manuscripts to endless amounts of writing classes, retreats, critique groups, and conferences. I also paid for a six-month mentorship with Giuseppe Castellano through the Illustration Department. I believe it was money well spent having a professional Art Director guiding me through my first picture book. When I finally sold the dummy to Flamingo Books (Penguin Random House) there were almost no changes. My editor (Margaret Anastas) had a few brilliant ideas for some text changes and my art director (Kate Renner) added one spread, but that was about it.
text and illustration copyright Gela Kalaitzidis 2022, Flamingo Books
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
GELA: My agent Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency found my art portfolio at the SCBWI summer conference 2019. A week after the conference she contacted me and asked to represent me as an illustrator. It took me a while to show my dummy to her, I wanted it to be perfect before sharing it. Nowadays I submit more unfinished work and we brainstorm together around the manuscript and illustrations.
SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”?
GELA: Deborah Warren sent the dummy to maybe eight/nine publishers before I got the final YES! I don’t recall ever giving up hope on the book. A lot of the rejections were very thoughtful and inspiring. I was already working on other projects so Ozzie & Zeb’s submission process almost felt like their own journey, not mine. That’s why I was so surprised when Flamingo Books and Margaret Anastas finally gave me an offer.
SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and signing your contract? And how did you celebrate signing?
GELA: I got the offer in October 2020 and signed the contract on March 2021. If I remember right, I think there was a bottle of something bubbly shared with my husband to celebrate. It was a big party for the whole family!
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author/illustrator copies etc.?
GELA: I had worked so hard on the creation of the book so I had never really given a future contract a thought. I’m very glad that I’m represented by such an experienced and talented agent as Deborah Warren. I know that she fought for the best deal a debut author could expect. The original delivery date happened to coincide with an important family event so I asked Deborah to renegotiate the deadline. She also did some changes in the contract to royalties, foreign world rights, etc. I was included in all the negotiations but had very little input. I was just happy to get my book out in the world.
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
GELA: My agent and editor shared the Kirkus review slightly before it was published and I was beyond happy. Getting positive feedback from the picture book industry felt like a major accomplishment.
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
GELA: I got the offer in October 2020 and held the first copy in my hand exactly two years later. The print run was announced at 50,000 copies. Since it’s my first book I have nothing to compare these numbers with. It sounds like a lot of Ozzies and Zebedees to me.
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book? / Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
GELA: The marketing and promotion were a complete mystery to me. I never had a meeting with a publicity team so I created my own little animated book teaser, I made a batch of small online banners that I used through different platforms. I also posted behind-the-scenes photos and tried to be seen and heard online as much as I could in the months leading up to the book’s birthday. I had the most fun with two cut-outs of Ozzie and Prince Zebedee that I kept with me on my summer vacation. I posted small social media updates with my main characters “on tour”, it was very well received. But the biggest marketing efforts probably happened on PRH’s side I just never really knew what they were doing. Somehow, my book reached the Barnes & Noble best picture book of the 2022 list. That was huge!
SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up-and-coming artists?)
GELA: I’m pretty sure that Ozzie & Prince Zebedee would never have reached the bookshelves if it wasn’t for my amazing critique group. I believe sharing your work with friends and family who can give you honest and supportive advice is one of the most valuable things in this career. Another lesson has been to focus on what I can do, and not to stress about the things that are out of my control.
Author/Illustrator Gela Kalaitzidis
www.gelakalaitzidis.com
IG & Twitter Handles: @gelakalaitzidis
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for spending some time with us today and sharing your journey to publication, Gela! Such a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn! Here’s wishing you all the best with this and future titles!
Readers, if you have questions for Gela, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
You may purchase Gela’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)
We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:
– purchasing their books
– recommending their books to friends and family
– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians
– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores
– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries
– sharing their books on social media
– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.
Thank you all for stopping by to read today! Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday! Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊
Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts? Check them out!
Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them
Jessie Oliveros – The Remember Balloons
Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution
Hannah Holt – The Diamond And The Boy
Laura Renauld – Porcupine’s Pie
Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude
Melissa Stoller – Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush
Sherry Howard – Rock And Roll Woods
Kate Narita – 100 Bugs! A Counting Book
Vivian Kirkfield – Pippa’s Passover Plate
Laura Roettiger – Aliana Reaches For The Moon
Matthew Lasley – Pedro’s Pan: A Gold Rush Story
Natalee Creech – When Day Is Done
Margaret Chiu Greanias – Maximillian Villainous
Wendy Greenley – Lola Shapes The Sky
Danielle Dufayet – You Are Your Strong
B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth
Cathy Ballou Mealey – When A Tree Grows
Pippa Chorley – Counting Sheep
Sandra Sutter – The Real Farmer In The Dell
Jill Mangel Weisfeld – Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job (self pub)
Kathleen Cornell Berman – The Birth Of Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound
Eleanor Ann Peterson – Jurassic Rat
Sarah Hoppe – Who Will? Will You?
Marla LeSage – Pirate Year Round
Stacey Corrigan – The Pencil Eater
Shannon Stocker – Can U Save The Day?
Nadine Poper – Randall And Randall
Christine Evans – Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist
Karen Kiefer – Drawing God (religious market)
Dawn Young – The Night Baafore Christmas
Heather Gale – Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
Ciara O’Neal – Flamingo Hugs Aren’t For Everyone (self pub)
Theresa Kiser – A Little Catholic’s Book Of Liturgical Colors (religious market)
Lindsey Hobson – Blossom’s Wish (self pub)
Kirsten Larson – Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents An Airplane
Valerie Bolling – Let’s Dance!
Janet Johnson – Help Wanted: Must Love Books
Heather Kinser – Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen
Kelly Carey – How Long Is Forever?
Mary Wagley Copp – Wherever I Go
Nell Cross Beckerman – Down Under The Pier
Claire Noland – Evie’s Field Day: More Than One Way To Win
Sharon Giltrow – Bedtime, Daddy!
Gabi Snyder – Two Dogs On A Trike
Lisa Katzenberger – National Regular Average Ordinary Day
Teresa Krager – Before Your Birth Day
Lindsay H. Metcalf – Beatrix Potter, Scientist
Nancy Roe Pimm – Fly, Girl, Fly! Shaesta Waiz Soars Around The World
Jolene Gutiérrez – Mac And Cheese And The Personal Space Invader
Julie Rowan-Zoch – Louis (picture book illustration debut!)
Janie Emaus – Latkes For Santa
Amy Mucha – A Girl’s Bill Of Rights
Melanie Ellsworth – Hip,Hip…Beret!
Rebecca Kraft Rector – Squish Squash Squished
Gnome Road Publishing (publishing house debut)
Sue Heavenrich – 13 Ways To Eat A Fly
Julie Rowan-Zoch – I’m A Hare So There (author/illustrator debut)
Nancy Derey Riley – Curiosity’s Discovery (author/illustrator self-published debut)
Moni Ritchie Hadley – The Star Festival
Sita Singh – Birds Of A Feather
Ann Magee – Branches Of Hope: The 9/11 Survivor Tree
Amanda Davis – 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag (nonfiction)
Jennifer Buchet – Little Medusa’s Hair Do-lemma
Michelle Vattula – The Stalking Seagulls
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History Of Underpants (nonfiction)
Candice Marley Conner – Sassafras And Her Teeny Tiny Tail
Becky Scharnhorst – My School Stinks!
Darshana Khiani – How To Wear A Sari
Ana Siqueira – Bella’s Recipe For Success
Kate Allen Fox – Pando: A Living Wonder Of Trees (nonfiction)
Jenna Waldman – Sharkbot Shalom
Karen A. Wyle – You Can’t Kiss A Bubble
Rebecca Mullin – One Tomato (board book)
Cynthia Argentine – Night Becomes Day: Changes In Nature (illustrated with photographs)
Karen Greenwald – Vote For Susanna: The First Woman Mayor (nonfiction)
Anne Appert – Blob (author/illustrator)
Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky – James’ Reading Rescue
Karen Condit – Turtle On The Track (hybrid publishing)
Renee LaTulippe – The Crab Ballet (picture book poem)
Amy Duchene – Pool Party (collaboration/co-writing)
Kimberly Wilson – A Penny’s Worth
Candace Spizzirri – Fishing With Grandpa And Skye
Carrie Tillotson – Counting To Bananas
Patrice Gopo – All The Places We Call Home
Rebecca Gardyn Levington – Brainstorm!
Jocelyn Watkinson – The Three Canadian Pigs: A Hockey Story
Shachi Kaushik – Diwali In My New Home
Carrie Sharkey Asner – Blueberry Blue Bubble (self published)
The 12th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest aahhhrrrooooOOOOO!!!
Hi Everyone. Posting of finalists is delayed. I’m not exactly sure when they’ll be up, but it will be as soon as possible. Likely another week.
Eye of newt and dragon fang! It’s time for . . .
The 12th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest!!!
~ for children’s writers ~
THE CONTEST: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) (title not included in word count) using the words slither, treat, and scare.
- Your story can be poetry or prose, scary, funny, sweet, or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words. Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 😊
- You can go under the word count but not over!
- Title is not included in the word count.
- You may use the words in any form i.e. slithery (yes, it’s a word, we looked it up 😊), treated, scary, etc, etc, whathaveyou 😊
- You are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself 😊
- No illustration notes please!
And yes, I know 100 words is short, but that’s part of the fun and the challenge!
POST: your story in the comment section of the Official Contest Post (that’s this one!)( between Right NOW this very second! and 11:59PM Eastern Monday October 31st (So you have 3 full days to post – today, tomorrow, and Monday.)
- For those of you who would also like to post on your blogs, please feel free to do so! You are welcome to include the link to your blog with your entry in the comment section of the Official Contest Post so that people can come visit your blog, but all entries must be posted in the comment section of THIS Post between right now and Monday October 31st at 11:59PM Eastern.
- If you have difficulty posting your entry to the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you! [susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com Please place your entry in the body of the email including your title, byline (that means who the story is by – you! – so for example, By Jane Doe) and word count at the top – NO ATTACHMENTS! and please do not submit any entries before the official opening of the contest at 12:01 AM Saturday October 29th. They will not be accepted.
- I know how hard you all work on your entries, and how anxious you are to get them posted, but please try to be a little patient if your entry doesn’t show up immediately. Many comments have to be manually approved, and it sometimes takes me a little while to post entries that come in by email. I promise I will get to everything as soon as I can. I try never to leave my desk during contests, but sometimes it’s unavoidable 😊
THE JUDGING: over the following days, my devoted assistants and I will read and re-read and narrow down the entries to a finalist field of about 12 which will be posted here for you to vote on I hope by Saturday November 5th (though if the judging takes longer than expected it might be a little later – we will do our best! But fair warning I have two school visits that week and a long drive Friday.) The winners will be announced Tuesday November 8th (good lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise 😊)
Judging criteria will be as follows:
- 1. Kid-appeal! – These stories are intended for a young audience (ages 12 and under), so we’re looking for stories that children will enjoy and relate to.
- 2. Halloweeniness – the rules state a Halloween story, so it must be crystal clear that the story is about Halloween, not just some random spooky night.
- 3. Use of all 3 required words and whether you came it at 100 words or less.
- 4. Quality of story – entries must tell a story, including a main character of some kind and a true story arc even if it’s tiny 😊 Entries must not be merely descriptions or mood pieces.
- 5. Quality of Writing: check your spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. If you’re going to rhyme, give us your best 😊 Use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it, PROOFREADING!
- 6. Originality and creativity – because that is often what sets one story above another.
- 7. How well you followed the Submission Guidelines – agents and editors expect professionalism. This is a chance to practice making sure you read and follow specified guidelines. If you don’t follow agent and editor submission guidelines, they won’t even read your submission.
THE PRIZES: So amazing! What wonderful, generous people we have in our kidlit community! Just wait til you see what you can win!
⭐️ Rhyme & Meter Self Study Course – Renee LaTulippe Renée M. LaTulippe is the author of The Crab Ballet (Cameron Kids/Abrams, 2022) and Limelight: Theater Poems to Perform (Charlesbridge, 2024) and has poems published in many anthologies including No World Too Big, Night Wishes, School People, National Geographic’s The Poetry of US, One Minute Till Bedtime, Poems Are Teachers, ThankU: Poems of Gratitude, and A World Full of Poems.
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Rhyming or Non-rhyming, Fiction or Nonfiction) with written feedback AND a 30-minute Zoom Chat with children’s author Vivian Kirkfield, author of PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House, 2019), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books, 2019), FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN (Pomegranate, 2019), MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books, 2020), FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Clarion Books, 2021), and SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING (MoneyPenny Press Ltd, 2010)
⭐️ 30 Minute Zoom Ask Me Anything with Rosie Pova author of IF I WEREN’T WITH YOU (Spork, April 2017), SARAH’S SONG (Spork, September 2017), SUNDAY RAIN (Lantana Publishing, March 2021), THE SCHOOL OF FAILURE: A STORY ABOUT SUCCESS (Yehoo Press, May 2022), and for Middle Grade readers, HAILEY QUEEN PRANKING MAKES PERFECT: THE ALIEN ENCOUNTER (Spork, April 2017) Rosie does a lot of school visits and presentations, should that happen to be of interest for your Ask Me Anything.
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming preferred) with Andrea Denish, author of EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE (Astra Young Readers, March 2020), and THE WAY WE SAY HELLO forthcoming from Starry Forest Books February 7, 2023
⭐️ Picture Book Critique (non-rhyming) with Becky Scharnhorst, author of MY SCHOOL STINKS! (Flamingo Books, July 2021) and THIS FIELD TRIP STINKS! (Flamingo Books, August 2022)
⭐️ Connecting With School Librarians! Fabulous Opportunity for published or soon to be published authors! Winner’s Choice of either a Zoom or phone chat about how to connect with school librarians and get their ear or an Ask Me Anything Zoom or phone chat about K-8th grade author visits from a librarian’s POV from Kathy Halsey. Kathy Halsey is Storyteller Academy’s Community Manager and Ambassador. She enjoys writing picture books, humor, and nonfiction. Kathy’s active in SCBWI and blogs with other kid lit writers on the GROG. She serves on the Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council and speaks at educational and literary conferences. Kathy’s a former K-12 school librarian and children’s bookseller. She writes monthly author studies for the Reading for Research Month along with Keila Dawson.
⭐️ 30 Minute Ask Me Anything Zoom Chat (anything relating to writing/publishing) with Penny Parker Klostermann, talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017) as well as the forthcoming SPIDER LADY: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army (Astra/Calkins Creek 2025) and another as yet unannounced 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Rhyming) PLUS Zoom Chat from developmental editor Lou Piccolo! Lou studied English Literature, creative writing and teaching at university in South Africa. After working as an EFL teacher in France for twenty years, she studied proofreading and editing before becoming a developmental editor of children’s and young adult’s literature for independent authors. She is a graduate of Renee LaTulippe’s Lyrical Language Lab – Punching Up Prose With Poetry course and Making Picture Book Magic, the in-house writer for Editions Entrefilet’s language-learning magazine ‘Go English Kids’ for children of 8-12 in France, and a traditionally published author of MG and YA fiction with Burlington Books.
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique PLUS Zoom Chat 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), and A FLOOD OF KINDNESS (WorthyKids, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or non-rhyming) with Kelly Conroy whose poems have been published in 5 anthologies (10.10, wee words for wee ones, October 2021; BETTER THAN STARBUCKS, January 2022; THINGS WE EAT, Pomelo Books, March 2022; THINGS WE FEEL, Pomelo Books, July 2022; WHAT IS A FRIEND, Pomelo Books, October 2022) and also the author of a rhyming board book due out in 2025.
⭐️ 30 Minute Picture Book Zoom Critique Session with Lynne Marie
Lynne Marie is the accomplished author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten – art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog’s 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play — art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares — art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019), Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World — art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019) and The Three Little Pigs And The Rocket Project — art by Wendy Fedan (Mac and Cheese Press 2022) and American Pie — art by Dea Lenihan (Dancing Flamingo Press, April 12, 2022)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (Rhyming or Non-rhyming, Fiction or Nonfiction) with a recording of first read-through by children’s author and poet Sarah Meade, contributor to HOP TO IT: POEMS TO GET YOU MOVING (Pomelo Books, 2020!)
⭐️ 20 Minute Zoom Ask Me Anything with Darshana Khiani, author of HOW TO WEAR A SARI (Versify, June 2021), I’M AN AMERICAN (Viking Books for Young Readers, May 2023), and THE BOYS OF KOH PANYEE (coming Fall 2023)
⭐️ Rate Your Story Speed Pass from Lynne Marie
And maybe I’ll have some extra picture books to add in here and there to sweeten the pie. . . 😊
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! 😊
Happy Writing! Happy Reading! And Happy Halloween!
For those of you having trouble commenting, I apologize for the fact that my site is apparently very temperamental! I can suggest the following: if you’re trying to post comments from a phone or tablet, try a computer – sometimes it works better than way. Chrome seems to work better with this site than some of the other browsers, although one dedicated individual, determined to be able to comment, has reported that she finally managed with Microsoft Edge. Thank you for trying – it’s so important for all of you to get to hear from each other!
Now, let the Halloweensie begin!
The 239 entries listed below are linked to where they appear in the comments so you can click on the titles and get right to them! (Assuming WordPress cooperates . . . fingers crossed!) Anyone who feels kind can start at the bottom of the list so those entries get some comments too! 🎃 😊
- Apparition Preparation For A Scary Halloween – Royal Baysinger
- Attack Of The Zornaks – Royal Baysinger
- Down In the Halloween Cave – Royal Baysinger
- Sisters – Sara Kruger
- Halloween Nightmare – Helen Lai
- The Follower – Marla Yablon
- A Frightfully Fun Time – Susan E. Schipper
- The Halloween Dream Team – Jenna Elyse Johnson
- Skeleton Sam Settles The Score – Jennifer Cowan
- Slug Slime – Vashti Verbowski
- Ghost Recipes – Julia Pierre Hammond
- Rainforest Halloween – Heather Kinser
- On Snail-O-Ween – Heather Kinser
- The Frightful Fugitive – Anne Lipton
- Little Witchy – Elizabeth Myer zu Heringdorf
- Get Your Glow On – Corine Timmer
- Sally The Slug Has A Sweet Tooth – Eleanor Ann Peterson
- In The Middle Of A Snack – Bridget Magee
- Coming Around – Emily Durant
- Piper’s Pickle – Colleen Murphy
- Safe From Scares – Sarah Meade
- Claudia Maude Clickerticker’s Costume Shop – Sarah Meade
- What Do Witches Eat? – Kelly Clasen
- Ghouldilocks And The Three Shares – Claire Blumenfeld
- Closer – Reed Hilton-Eddy
- SSSSSScary – Jen Subra
- A Shady Halloween – Jennifer Lowe
- Help! – Elizabeth James
- Arabella’s Halloween Treat – Colleen Fogarty
- Trick Or Treat? – Corine Timmer
- The Coolest Halloween Costume – Carmen Castillo Gilbert
- Green Goulash Stew – Claudine Pullen
- The House With The Good Candy – Vanessa Konoval
- The House Creatures’ Halloween – Lauri Meyers
- When Good Luck Struck – Molly Ippolito
- The Haunted House Halloween Challenge – Marty Bellis
- Demon On The Line – Laura Polasek
- The Spooky Halloween Parade – Janet Krauthamer
- Mrs. Cleary’s Cats – Susan Eyerman
- A Halloween Twist – Cheryl Simon
- Wilhelmina The Witch – Ashlee MacCallum
- Halloween Hater – Blaire Moore
- The Halloween Bake-Off – Rose Cappelli
- Trick-Or-Treat, Shoes To Eat – Ashley Sierra
- Tricks Before Treats – Danielle S. Hammelef
- Happy Halloween – Stephanie R. Mena
- A Batty Halloween – Melissa Chupp
- Who Whispers In The Dark? – Erika Romero
- Interview With The Vampire – Helen Lai
- Slug Life – Kim Wagner Nolan
- Sapling’s Halloween – Lori Sheroan
- Nothing Scared Alicia Bones – Christine Evans
- The Mask – Su Ko
- DON’T FLUSH YOUR GOLDFISH DOWN THE TOILET OR HE WILL COME BACK TO GET YOU ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT – Sue Ko
- Going As Myself – Marianna Sacra
- Halloween Snack – Debra Daugherty
- Halloween-ing – Lori Himmel
- Something Wriggling This Way Comes – Amy Chini
- Edgar Allen Crow – Kathleen Jacobs
- Queen Slug’s Halloween – Kelsey E. Gross
- Pull Of The Moon – Darla Christie
- There’s One In Every Class – Linda Staszak
- Snollooween – Katie McEnaney
- A (little) STEM Halloween – Jilanne Hoffman
- Trick For Treat – Linda Starszak
- Mattie, The Scaredy Tabby Cat – Janet Parkinson Bryce
- Nothing Scares Me – Karen Condit
- ‘Twas Halloween Night – Sharon Coffey
- A Hotdog Halloween Hullabaloo – Sharon Coffey
- Their Trick, My Treat – Carol Van Gorp
- Interview With The Vampire – Helen Lai
- Halloween Night Light – Daniella Kaufman
- Do Goblins Gobble? – Sally Yorke-Viney
- Witchy-licious Stew – Charlotte Dixon
- The Ghouliest Ghouls – Marta Cutler
- The Scariest Bear – Marta Cutler
- Halloween Is Different This Year – S.S. Lee
- The Rattlesloth – Russell Wolff
- The Eyes Have It – Marta Cutler
- A Scare Affair – Lori C. Evans
- Halloween Haul – Stephanie Maksymiw
- Halloween Is Magic – Kristen Littlefield
- Command Performance – Jamie Donahoe
- Zombie In The House – Isabel Rodriguez
- A Wise Disguise – Jill Purtee
- Truck-Or-Treat – Mia Geiger
- The Halloween Dare – Marty Findley
- Witch’s Brew – Marty Findley
- A Halloween Tail – Katie Lee Reinert
- Creepy People – Sharon McCarthy
- Happy Halloween – Elaine D’Alessandro
- Scared Sssssilly – Julie Lerczak
- A Spooky House – Gail Hartman
- A Halloween Smile – Tonnye Fletcher
- A Scary Dare – Mona Pease
- Stop Your Bellyaching Soup, A Jump Rope Song – Debbie Meneses
- A Spell Of Transformation – Meagan T. Gentry
- First Flight – Paul Kurtz
- I Scare You, You Scare Me – Paul Kurtz
- Spiders vs. Snakes – Linda Schueler
- Pot Of The Witch – Reed Ambrose
- Snake In The Grass – Judy Sobanski
- Beware Or Be Scared – Norah Colvin
- Bat’s First Halloween – no author listed
- Children Of The Bog – Melissa Miles
- In Through My Window – Eric Sondergeld
- A Squishy Scare – Stephanie Henson
- The Last House – Janet Smart
- Jack-O-Lantern – Darcee A. Freier
- Beak-A-Boo! – Jill Lambert
- Jackie Saves Halloween – Brittany Richman
- The Treat – S. E. Cottrill
- Little Vampire’s First Halloween – Sharon Dalgleish
- Franny Fruit Bat’s Friendly Halloween – Amy LaMae Brewer
- Chicken’s First Halloween – Emma Hay
- Moldy Mayhem – Sue Lancaster
- Sea Monster – Patricia Nozell
- A Halloween Lullaby – Brigid Finucane
- Tricky Treats – Lisa Lowe Stauffer
- KA-RUNCH! – Donna Kurtz
- Scary-Fairy – Donna Kurtz
- Halloween Hop – Carole Gerber
- Halloween Treat – Krista Legge
- Sara’s Hairy Halloween – Jesse Anna Bornemann
- Scary Goat Scam – Elenore Byrne
- Goulentine – Michelle S. Kennedy
- My Teacher Is A Creature – Mary Ann Cortez
- The Haunted House – Karen Morgan
- Trick or Treat: A Forest Halloween – Sarah Marhevsky
- Shadows Come Crawling – Marlee Fuller-Morris
- Slithering Snake – Deborah Hunt
- Jack-oh-no! – Pollu Mendoza
- Jack’s Lament – Steve Jankousky
- Sense The Way – Sarah Hetu
- Slither and Hiss: Trick or Treat? – Cathrene Youngquist
- Pumpkin Jack – Jennifer Weingardt
- The Peanut Butter Cup Song – Hannah Roy LaGrone
- Gregory’s First Halloween – Morgan Lau
- Scary Treats – Ken Major
- Super Scary Sausages – Chris James
- Midnight Snack – Deborah Foster
- How To Trick-or-Treat If You’re A Snake – Abigail Mumford
- Scarecrows Of Halloween – Helen Ishmurzin
- Sneaky Snake – Jan Suhr
- Who’s There? – Dawn Renee Young
- Space Rangers And Skeletons – Cynthia Mackey
- A Halloween For Willard – Krista Harrington
- On Halloween Night – Amanda Flinn
- Early Worm’s Halloween Birthday Wish – Curtis King
- Sweetie The Parrot – Barbara DiMarco
- The Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest – Laura Straut
- Boo – Jean Martin
- Pete The Smallest Pumpkin – Tiffany Hanson
- Candy Corn’s Revenge – Tiffany Hanson
- A Martian’s Halloween – Angela Calabrese
- Candy Monster – Patricia MacMillan
- Igor’s First Halloween – Danna Zeiger
- You Can’t Scare Me – Danna Zeiger
- Pumpkin, Skeleton, Wolverine – Brenna Jeanneret
- Tricky Treats – Ashley Sutphen Delaney
- Little Sister Saves The Night – Laurie Kaiser
- The Sweetest Treat – Christina Shawn
- All Hallows’ Eve – Sasha Sirisena-Green
- Pumpkin Cat’s Turn – Bru Benson
- Frankenslug – Ryann Jones
- The Costume – Nina Nolan
- The Best Halloween Ever – Dianne Borowski
- Tricked – Geraldine V. Oades-Sese
- Trista’s Treat Or Trick? – Krissy Massey
- The Scariest Costume Of All – Abby N. Wooldridge
- Halloween is the BEST, but. . . – Andi Chitty
- It’s A Tricky Afterlife – Katie Schwartz
- Spider’s Halloween – Cassy Clarcq
- Slimon’s Halloween – Imelda Taylor
- The Zombie Flop – Liz Kehrli
- Melanie Monster – Lindsey LeBlanc
- Switch Witch Swap – Julie Fruitticher Schroeder
- S-S-Selma – Nancy Forbis-Stokes
- A Halloween Adventure – Gregory E. Bray
- Enter If You Dare – Trista Herring Baughman
- Snake’s Sweet Treats – Nadia Ali
- Costume Crisis – Keatley Eastman
- Tricked By The Treats – Elizabeth Muster
- Halloween Friend – Thelia Hutchinson
- My Dreadfully Dangerous Walk – Susan Twiggs
- Slither, Treat, Scare: A Halloween Story – Lynn Greenway
- I’m Not That Scared – Allison Gray
- The Halloween Prize – Mary Rudzinski
- Portia Pumpkin Proclaims – Judy Caldwell Hughes
- Pookie The Pomeranian’s Halloween Wish – Stephanie Jackson
- Boo The Ghost Gets Beaten – Stephanie Jackson
- Costume Drama – David Cobb
- Slither Spook – Jessica Milo
- Samira’s Potion – Jessica Milo
- Sabrina Squirrel Does Not Scare Easily – Liz Gill
- Snake’s Stealthy Solution – Kira Barrett
- What Did You See? – Kathleen Mazurowski
- Father Knows Best – Janice Kay
- The Costume – Amy Duchene
- Trick Or Treat – Laura Seely-Pollack
- Many Happy Resquirms – Diana Webb
- Theodore Turkey’s Halloween Hunt – Mary-Catherine Amadu
- Ghost Finds His Groove – Cindy Greene
- Weird Halloween Treats – Una Belle Townsend
- The Jabberwocks Of Halloween – Jenny Bowman
- Sooner And Sooner Every Year! – Stephanie Henson
- A Slimy Halloween: Halloweenie Competition – Erin Buhr
- Candy Night – Anne Weaver
- Growing Candy Apples – Hannah Roy LaGrone
- Sister’s First Halloween Night – Linda Hofke
- Calling All Campers to the Camp Spooky Halloween Campfire – Jamie Rodarte
- A Pumpkin Named Rattlesnake Pete – Pat Finnegan
- Pumpkin Pride – Pat Finnegan
- Gardenia Ghost – Katie Walsh
- I Am Always a Cat – Amanda Littlefield
- Scaredy Snake – Kathy Hill Crable
- Classroom Costume Conundrum – Cynthia Reeg
- A Beckoning Spell – Les Degnan
- Halloween Eve – Tarsia Rhyne
- Which Witch Will Win? – Lucretia Schafroth
- The Spider Web House – CJ Penko
- The Monster of Barlow’s Bakery – Jill Burns
- A Candy Break For Mongoose And Snake – Katie Schwartz
- Kid Cobra’s Halloween – Denise Seidman
- Costume Not Required – JC Kelly
- Lucinda Blackletter – Karen Pickrell
- Candi Corn – Liz Kehrli
- Glass Lizard Halloween – Maria Marshall
- Scaredy Cat And The Haunted Hunt – Samantha Cora Christian Haas
- Graduation Night – Naz Alibhai
- New Friends – Sarah Hawklyn
- Sam Wasn’t Afraid – T. May LeGrys
- Black Cats Get A Bad Rap – Colleen Dougherty
- Dad’s First Trick or Treat – Annette Bethers
- Skeletons Need Teddy Bears Too – Sharon Jackson
- Sam And Dusty Trick Or Treat – Julianna Helt
- Lost – Brenda Covert
- The Snakertons – Emily Holewczynski
Perfect Picture Book Friday – I Want To Be In A Scary Story
Happy last Perfect Picture Book Friday before Halloween, everyone!
I apologize for the late post – family situation hopefully now under control!
Before I share my Perfect Picture Book for today, I just want to mention (apologies in advance for shouting out my own book) that I am honored that Beth Stillborn has very kindly showcased ALPHABEDTIME for her PPBF today, and there’s a little Mystery Interview to go along with it, which I may or may not have had something to do with 😊 I hope you’ll hop over and visit her because she did this specially!
Now, that that dreadful commercial interruption is over 😊, I have a delightful story to share with you today – deliciously scary for Halloween! 😊🎃🧙♀️👻 If you have a sensitive or easily frightened little one, have a look at the illustrations below so you can judge if it’s a good choice for your little pumpkin.
Title: I Want To Be In A Scary Story
Written By: Sean Taylor
Illustrated By: Jean Jullien
Publisher: Candlewick, July 2017, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-5
Themes/Topics: humor, scary vs. funny, interactive story (between main character and narrator)
text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick
Opening: “Hello, Little Monster.
What do you want to do today?
Can I be in a story?”
text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick
Brief Synopsis: Little Monster wants to be the star of an utterly terrifying scary story. But scary stories . . . well, they can be very scary — especially for their characters! Especially if they involve dark forests and creepy witches and spooky houses . . . Oh boy! Maybe a funny story would be better after all!
text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick
Links To Resources: how about a “scary” game of hide ‘n’ seek? Hide, and when the seeker gets close, pop out and say, “BOO!”; make up a scary story of your own and tell it to your family or friends in a spooky voice; talk about what makes something scary – different things scare different people – and whether you like to be scared (some people do!) or not (some people don’t!)
text copyright Sean Taylor 2017, illustration copyright Jean Jullien 2017, Candlewick
Why I Like This Book: This book is just the right amount of scary for young readers who like a little scare. Little Monster is adorable (definitely not scary 😊), and like all youngsters, sometimes what he thinks he wants turns out not to be exactly what he wants. He asks the author to put him in a scary story. The author cautions him that perhaps a funny story would be better, but Little Monster is sure! He wants a SCARY story! So the author puts him in a dark and terrifying forest. And, um, that’s a little too scary! As the story continues, the author keeps complying with Little Monster’s wishes and the story gradually becomes less and less scary until it ends up funny, a complete turn-around of what Little Monster originally asked for. But he also turns the tables on the author, which is where much of the humor comes from. The story is a little scary (maybe not for kids who are easily frightened, and maybe not the best choice for bedtime 😊 depending on your child) but it is also a story that explores setting boundaries and feeling safe within them – Little Monster is always in control and can change the rules so he knows he’s never really in danger, and it is a story after all! For writers, this is a fun title to examine. It is written completely in dialogue, and is interactive in that it is a conversation between the author and the main character.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
It’s ALPHABLOGTIME!
Get out your party hats, everyone!
We’re having a birthday party!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, ALPHABEDTIME!
Happy Birthday to you!!! 🎉🎁🧁🎈⭐️
Of COURSE we will have cake!!!
And of COURSE it will be chocolate, even for a welcome baby cake because really, what other kind is there? 😊
Since today is the Alphababies’ birthday, Betsy and I are kicking off our ALPHABLOGTIME Tour because we want to celebrate with you and make sure you get plenty of chances to take our book baby home with you!
Today we will be featured on Simply 7 with Jena Benton, and also on Critter Lit with Lindsay Ward! (Both with Giveaways!)
Absolutely Bounce over and Celebrate, Dance, Eat cake, and Feel Free to enter the Giveaways!
Also learn all kinds of interesting stuff about how this book came to be.
For those who would like to follow along, here is the graphic to look for:
The link will take you to a list of all kinds of news, in-person events, blog stops, and giveaway opportunities, plus we’ll have some fun crafts and activities for you to share with your little ones.
We hope to see you and chat with you along the way!
Thank you all so much for helping us welcome our new little book! 😊😊😊
October 16 – Writing and Illustrating – Kathy Temean (plus Giveaway)
October 25 – Simply 7 with Jena Benton (plus Giveaway)
October 25 – Critter Lit with Lindsay Ward (plus Giveaway)
October 27 – YABC Author/Illustrator Chat (plus Giveaway)
October 28 – KidLit411 Giveaway (please scroll down)
October 28 – Perfect Picture Book Friday and Mystery Interview with Beth Stillborn
October 29 – Will Write For Cookies Interview with Vivian Kirkfield (plus Giveaway)
November 1 – Review and Interview with Maria Marshall (plus Giveaway)
November 5 – Alphabet Cookies with Julie Abery (plus Giveaway)
November 7 – Review and Activities – Laura Sassi (plus Giveaway)
November 8 – Interview with Laura Roettiger (plus Giveaway)
November 8 – Picture Book Look Podcast
November 8 – Stefanie Hohl Blogpost and Giveaway
November 13 Lauri Fortino Author/Illustrator Chat and Fun Craft! (plus Giveaway)
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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