Wow! It seems like forever since we had a Would You Read It! It’s really only been a couple weeks, but Halloweensie kind of takes over the world 😊
Somehow we’re halfway through November! – how did THAT happen?! – and just 8 days away from Thanksgiving. I am cooking and have barely given it a thought and still don’t know exactly how many I’m cooking for. But you know me. I’m a daredevil. Live life on the edge – that’s me! Leave it to the last minute! That’s my motto 😊
Oh, no, wait. My motto is EAT CHOCOLATE CAKE!
Right now!
Let’s have Something Chocolate!
Since today is our pitcher’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Deborah!!! 😊🎈🎁🎉) I feel pretty sure we can’t go wrong with 24 layers of chocolatey goodness! Grab a fork(lift!) and dig in!
YUM! And since we’re celebrating a birthday, help yourselves to seconds and thirds!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from birthday girl Deborah. Deborah Foster is a mother, an architectural drafter, and a fantastic cook. She is a member of 12×12, Inked Voices, and SCBWI. She is always looking for more writing friends on Twitter. Follow her @DeborahClaytonF or check out her blog at www.deborahfosterbooks.com.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Welcome To The Word Factory
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Come along on a tour of The Word Factory and listen as EP (exclamation point) explains how words are discovered, spelled, and defined. Despite the repeated interruptions from Oxford, EP is unaware of the growing problem until the tour arrives at the lunchroom where they find a messed up menu and hangry punctuation marks. Thankfully, EP knows the perfect punctuation needed, “Oh Oxford!”
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Deborah improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in January, so you have a little time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Deborah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to cleaning my house!
No. You’re right. That is a total falsehood!
How about this? I am looking forward to my house being clean!
That is completely true. I just wish Violet would do the cleaning. But she is busy with other things 😊
Someone needs to savagely chew this toy into a billion pieces and leave them all over the rug! Leave it to me! I’m a total pro!
Today’s perfect picture book is called Goosebumps.
Put a piece of pumpkin bread on a plate, pull up a pillow, and let’s peruse this perfect picture book together!
Ready?
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
On Halloween, Gertie McCrackin fluffed up the straw in her broom tail.
“Let’s go, Blinx,” she cackled to her cat. “We’re going to give those kiddies goosebumps tonight!”
Blinx blinked. He didn’t care what they did as long as they went F A S T while they were doing it.
Gertie mounted her broom, adjusted her bulging panniers, and set Blinx up behind her.
“Away we go!” shrieked Gertie. “AH-HAHAHAHAHA!”
Blinx’s yellow eyes glowed in the dark as they took off into the night.
The broomstick zigged and zagged, zipped and zoomed.
The rushing wind blew Blinx’s fur flat, made his eyes squint, and threatened to blow him off the broomstick.
Was there anything better than speed?
They tore across the sky, emptying the panniers onto the kids below – handfuls (and pawfuls) of dust that Gertie’s magic turned to white crystals in the air.
“Ooh, goody!” the kids crowed. “It’s snowing!”
They danced with delight.
Maybe there was one thing better than speed. . . or at least as good as.
“I told you we’d give them goosebumps,” cackled Gertie.
Blinx had goosebumps, too!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Ah, wasn’t that a perfect picture book?
Alrighty, then.
Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy your Friday.
Rest up.
Eat some bonbons.
Have a lovely weekend!
Oh, wait!
You guys have got to keep me in line!
I’m not doing Perfect Picture Book Friday today!
So just forget all that stuff above because today is all about. . .
the 2021 11th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Halloweensie Contest WINNERS!
As you are all aware by now, we had an amazing turnout for Halloweensie 2021 – 294!!! entries!
I was thrilled beyond measure to see so many wonderful stories and meet so many new writers! And I don’t know about you guys, but for me Halloween is all the better for 294 fabulous stories to read by jack -o’ – lantern light! 😊☢️
With large entry numbers come hard choices, though. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another (one reason being that, at a certain point, we just had to stop adding finalists to the list! :))
So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: (all-around well-written stories we loved that just missed the finals for one small reason or another!)
Heather Ferranti Kinser for Mean Halloween
Emily Durant for A Helpful Ghost
Barbara Kimmel for The Perfect Pumpkin
Ellen Seal for Halloween Helpers
Kathleen Lowry for Teal Halloween
Molly Ippolito for Itsy B. Spider
Ann Grilli for Tricky Treat
Melissa-Jane Nguyen for Halloween Bites
Pat Finnegan for Gotcha!
2. For Great Use of Language: (not already in the finals)
Alicia Meyers for How To Steal A Halloween Treat
Amy Leskowski for Warning: May Contain Sugar (great tongue twister!)
Jamie Donahoe for My Word – It’s Halloween! (great alliteration)
3. For Spookiest/Creepy Entry: (not already in the finals)
Denise Seidman for Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Glenda Roberson for The Mansion On Maple
Laura Howard for This Pumpkin’s Not For Picking
4. For Excellent Story Telling From Young Writers!
Ames Jegan (age 11) for Capture The Goodies On Halloween
5. For Great Humor: (not already in the finals)
Krista Harrington for The Greatest Night Of The Year
Barbara DiMarco for Ogre’s Halloween
Nancy Derey Riley for Disguise Surprise
6. For Entries That Were Clever & Fun (not already in the finals)
Susan Summers for A Witchy Potion
Patricia Nozell for Tricky Treat
Bonnie Kelso for All Hallows Eve At The Roller Rink
Alexa Tuttle for You Are What You Eat
Samantha Sinclair for The After Party
7. For Poignant Entries (not already in the finals)
JC Kelly for Can We Please Skip The Costumes?
Corine Timmer for Rainbow Bridge
Melissa Miles for Home For Halloween
8. For Nice Message (not already in the finals)
Amy Reitz for Post Halloween Goals
David McMullin for Enough
9. For Great Read For Younger Readers: (not already in the finals)
Kathy Raggio for Pumpkin Train
10. For Unique Concept
Sharon McCarthy for Thank You, Trick-or-Treaters! For Protecting Your Mother
11. For Multiple Well-Written Entries
Sue Ko for It’s Dark In Here, Eyelashes, & Fall
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com or use the handy contact form in the menu bar above, subject line Prize Winner to collect your prize, which is (and I have to be cryptic here because when I said it right out last year I got a LO-HO-HOT! of spam email!) a gift of a number of dollars that is between 4 and 6, for a large and well-known online store that begins with A, which will be presented to you in an email 😊 You can spend it on one of the many Kindle choices listed in previous contests here, or add it to your account for a gift for yourself or someone else, or whatever else you might choose to do! In addition, you will receive a beautiful badge of achievement that you may display on your blog or print out and frame or turn into a flag to carry with you everywhere and wave out the window of your hybrid pumpkin 😊
A word about the prizes before I announce the winners.
We have 13 fabulous prizes, generously donated by authors and various professionals in the writing field. My policy is to let the first place winner have first pick of all the prizes, the second place winner have second choice, etc. That way hopefully nobody gets something they already have, and hopefully everyone gets something that’s valuable to them. All prizes are listed at the bottom of this post for your convenience in perusing the goodies 😊
Now.
Finally!
Onto the moment you’ve all been waiting for. . .
. . . THE WINNERS OF THE 2021 HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST as chosen by you, our esteemed voters!!!!!
In First Place, winner of the whole entire contest and top of the heap who gets first choice of all the prizes…
Mary Catherine Amadu
for
Trick-or-Treat Night Animals!: A Holloween Story
Congratulations, Mary!
In Second Place,
Jen MacGregor
for
Santa’s Halloween
Congratulations, Jen! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Mary chooses!
In Third Place,
Donna Kurtz for Bunny’s Bored!
Congratulations, Donna! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Mary and Jen choose!
In Fourth Place,
Ingrid Boydston for A Few Of The Scariest Things: A Parody to the tune of My Favorite Things
Congratulations, Ingrid! You get to pick a prize after Mary, Jen, and Donna.
In Fifth Place,
Scott Kinder for Jellyfish George’s Halloween
Congratulations, Scott! You get to pick your prize after Mary, Jen, Donna, and Ingrid.
In Sixth Place,
Colleen Murphy for How Hannah Saved Halloween
Congratulations, Colleen! You get to pick your prize after Mary, Jen, Donna, Ingrid, and Scott!
In Seventh Place,
Kaye Wright for Astronaut Aidan
Congratulations, Kaye! You get to pick your prize after Colleen!
In Eighth Place,
Kristen Littlefield for It’s Halloween In Toothytown
Congratulations, Kristen! You get to pick your prize after Kaye!
In Ninth Place,
Reed Hilton-Eddy for My Last Trick-or-Treat
Congratulations, Reed! You get to pick a prize after Kristen…!
In Tenth Place
Kari Ann Gonzalez for Kit’s Costume
Congratulations, Kari Ann! You get to prize pick after Reed!
In Eleventh Place
Holly Vagley for Pumpkin’s Halloween
Congratulations, Holly! You get to pick a prize after Kari Ann.
In Twelfth Place
Jennifer Kaap for The Witch’s Mistake
Congratulations, Jennifer! You get to pick your prize after Holly!
In Thirteenth Place
Sue Lancaster for The Haunted House High Up On The Hill
Congratulations, Sue! You get to pick your prize after Jennifer!
And, I don’t think I need to remind anyone that in addition to all these fabulous prizes, everyone mentioned on this page has bragging rights as having won or placed in the Pretty Much World Famous Halloweensie Contest! Not just anyone can say that 😊
All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com or use the handy contact form in the menu above with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! If you choose a prize that requires snail mailing, PLEASE include your snail mail address so we don’t have to email back and forth too many times 😊 If you would like a beautiful badge to celebrate your accomplishment, you are most welcome to one! Since everyone’s prize depends on everyone else’s choices, please get in touch as soon as you can.
Congratulations again to all our winners – it was a stiff competition!! – and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest. You all deserve a huge round of applause, a confetti parade, and a truckload of leftover fun-sized chocolate. . . if there is any 😊
Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people’s stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals, or by donating a prize! It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!
And before we go, I will give you all advance warning so you can start planning a little time into your December schedule…
Assuming you guys are up for it – and you’d better let me know in the comments!!! – the 11th Annual Holiday Writing Contest will be coming up sometime in the neighborhood of December 5 so we can all fully enjoy it and still have time for last minute holiday things. I will do my best to post the rules well in advance (maybe a few days before Thanksgiving, good lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise! 😊 although yikes that’s just around the corner!) so you all have time to work on your stories! But please let me know if you feel like it’s too much and you’d rather not do it!
Have a terrific weekend everyone, and thanks again for making the Halloweensie Contest such a wonderful time for all! 😊
The Prizes: SO AMAZING! What a generous community we have to donate so much awesomeness!!! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or any) or First 10 Pages of a longer MS (winner’s choice) by Kenda Henthorn, author of the forthcoming BAA, BAA TAP SHEEP (Sleeping Bear Press, April 15, 2022)
Kenda works in the aviation industry now so it’s no surprise that her writing inspirations and aspirations are sky-high, too. She resides in Oklahoma and when the winds aren’t sweepin’ down the plains, Kenda enjoys acting, flying, kayaking and riding horses or her motorcycle. (Vroom-vroom!)She has served as a Regional Coordinator for the Oklahoma SCBWI and a Best in Rhyme Award committee member and judge.
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or lyrical) by Randi Sonenshine, author of THE NEST THAT WREN BUILT (Candlewick March 2020) and the forthcoming THE LODGE THAT BEAVER BUILT (Candlewick Fall 2022)
⭐️ Winners of the 6 signed picture books above may also receive their choice of any one of the following writing craft books to go along with their picture book:
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! 😊
Right up until the moment when I have to narrow a field of 300 fabulous stories down to a finalist list of 12 or so!
That’s the moment when I say to myself (every single time!), WHAT WAS I THINKING???!!! WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS WHOLE CONTEST THING ANYWAY???!!!
It’s all fun and games when the entries are rolling in, and each one is better than the last, and I’m enjoying the stories and marveling over everyone’s talent and creativity.
But then I have to evaluate all those wonderful entries – dissect and weigh and nitpick (and hem and haw and dither over every single one I have to let go) – because really, everyone steps up and does an amazing job, and there is at least something to like about all of them!
So here I am, along with my fellow judges, doing our best impressions of the Pillsbury Dough Boy after all the chocolate we’ve consumed to get us through this torturous decision-making, having not gotten out of our pajamas for days as we read and re-read. . . really, it’s a very good thing you can’t see us right now! 😊
Please know that we did the best we could to make good choices – entries that met the contest criteria, that were kid-friendly and Halloween-y and had a strong element of story (because those were big reasons why many entries were cut – too adult, not Halloween-y enough, not enough story – which we know is VERY hard in 100 words!)
I just want to say three little things before I post the actual finalists (shocking, I know, because normally I’m so quiet you can hardly get a word out of me 😊😊)
First, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for many!
Second, I’d also like to thank EVERYONE – writer, reader, or both – who took the time to read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! 😊
Third, I want to reiterate how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point – we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn’t make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn’t write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to revise, expand, and polish if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. A lot of people have successfully done that at this point – we have quite a few books in the world that were born in Halloweensie, Holiday, or Valentiny Contests, plus a chapter book series that came out of the Fractured Fairy Tale Contest one spring! So bravo to everyone who entered!
So.
Are you ready for the finalists?
I hope you like them!
Please read through them all, then vote for your favorite in the poll below by Thursday November 11 at 3 PM Eastern (so I can post the winners on Friday!)
And I’d like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do notidentify yourself or ask others to identify you as a finalist on social media, please do not ask people to vote for a specific number or title, and please do not ask people to vote for the story about the broomstick-riding vampire princess or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. I thank you in advance for respecting this.
“Just wait until my friends see how good I look. How creepy. And SOOOOO boney!”
George visited Susie Sponge’s house first. He rang her bell with excitement, full of goosebumps.
The door opened.
George could see envy seeping from Susie’s pores as she gave him candy.
She wanted bones too. And he was FULL of them.
George floated the night away, collecting goodies and passing his jelly buddies with their silly mediocre masks.
He felt like a king.
UNTIL he noticed …
David Dogfish eyeing him.
And DROOLING.
UH-OH.
2. SANTA’S HALLOWEEN
‘Tis Halloween evening, and up at the pole ol’ Santa sneaks into his sleigh, with one goal.
“I know it’s not Christmas but I need a snack! I’ll gather some goodies and—WHOOSH—I’ll be back.”
“Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and—YIKES! I didn’t expect to see skulls stuck on spikes!”
“Monsterly mayhem and ghouls on the streets? Galloping goosebumps! Now where are the treats?”
But glow-in-the-dark decorations galore shock Rudolph so much that he’s shook to his core.
“My poor little reindeer have had such a fright. We’re outta this town—good riddance, good night!”
3.TRICK-OR-TREAT, NIGHT ANIMALS!: A HOLLOWEEN STORY
Coyote was first to spot the stampede. “Trick-or-Treaters! Hide!” he yelped with alarm, hurrying into the big tree’s hollow.
Goose heard Coyote. If Trick-or-Treaters scared fierce Coyote, they must be goosebump worthy. She honked and joined Coyote inside the tree.
Racoon heard Goose. If Goose and Coyote feared Trick-or-Treaters, Racoon couldn’t mask his nerves. He chattered, then crammed into the hollow.
Cat heard Racoon. She didn’t fancy herself a fraidy-cat, but Trick-or-Treaters sounded ferocious. She hissed, then jammed into the tree with the others.
Deep in the hollow, Coyote’s sharp teeth glowed-in-the-dark.
“Goody,” he drooled.
“Trick AND treats.”
4.A FEW OF THE SCARIEST THINGS: A Parody to the tune of My Favorite Things
Witches on broomsticks and vampires flying, Frankenstein monsters and zombies not dying, Ogres and aliens, all ghastly green! I’m getting goosebumps ‘cause it’s Halloween!
Halloween night doesn’t make me feel merry. Walking around in the dark is too scary. Glow in the dark, that’s what I need to be. Trick or treat goodies would all be for me!
Hey I’ve got it! I could light up…. I know what I’ll be! Bright lights and some tinsel, a glittering star! A Halloween Christmas Tree!
5.BUNNY’S BORED!
“Won’t Easter ever come?” sighs Bunny. “I’m bored.” He checks his calendar. “Yay! Tonight’s Halloween—I’ll hide yummy glow-in-the-dark goodies.” Hopping through creepy woods, Bunny hears branches shake. “What’s that?” Goosebumps spike up his back. “ROARR!” Out jumps Monster. “Eee-yoww!” Bunny dashes. “Wait!” Laughing, Monster removes his mask. “Santa?” “I got bored waiting for Christmas.” The ground trembles— Killer-Robot clanks from the dark. “Great costume!” cheer Bunny and Santa. Red beams shoot from Killer-Robot’s eyes— ZAAPPP! Bushes explode into flames. “Eee-yahh—he’s real!” Bunny and Santa skedaddle. Killer-Robot’s head slides off. “Tee-hee-hee!” Ms. Claus grins— “HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!”
6.HOW HANNAH SAVED HALLOWEEN
A wicked storm blows out the lights up and down the street. With costumes set, the children fret, “They’ll cancel trick-or-treat.” Except for hopeful Hannah who, as always, starts to plan, certain she will find a way to shift from can’t to can. She first imagines fireflies, “Too scattered to control.” She next considers candlelight. “Too hard to hold and stroll. Aha!” she says as goosebumps form. “A perfect resolution! We’ll use my sticks that glow-in-the-dark for lighting substitution! I’ll ride throughout the neighborhood, deliver while it’s bright, then everyone can still collect their goodies when it’s night.”
7. MY LAST TRICK-OR-TREAT
It was the biggest house, once showy now spooky and scary with oodles of stairs that led to darkness; but this was my last Halloween.
Leaves crunched and the wind cried.
Alone except for goodies bumping in my bag.
Ahead, a glow-in-the-dark hand on a curtain at the window. A ghost? A ghoul? Goosebumps form.
Shadows surround me.
At the top a door – large and looming.
Knock, Knock.
CRRREEEEEEK.
A hand materializes from the darkness behind the door.
PLUNK.
I look in my bag.
I am filled with horror.
Looking back at me, one small box of … RAISINS!
8. THE HAUNTED HOUSE HIGH UP ON THE HILL
Across a front door where no one dared roam, Spider had woven a web-tastic home. Dead in the middle, she stifled a cry. “What?!” grumbled Goosebump, a ghost floating by. “Halloween’s coming, the ONE night they call! Children won’t notice… my cobweb will fall!” Goosebump replied: “I know what to do…” Then into the derelict mansion he flew; He reappeared holding a luminous potion, Splattered it over the web in one motion. When tricksters arrived for their goodies, they spied A cobweb that glowed-in-the-dark, stretching wide. “Best not approach,” someone sounded unsure, He scurried away…
To try the BACK door!
9.KIT’S COSTUME
“Finally, Halloween!” Kit couldn’t wait to go trick-or-treating. The ooey-gooey goodies, the goosebumps, the KIDS! All he needed was a bit of black paint and he could be part of it! One last glob… “Purrrrfect!” Under the moon’s glow-in-the-dark light Kit crept to the corner and peeked. “Look Mum, a kitty!” Kit beamed, finally walking freely. And with so many people in sight! Kit marched with creative costumes, devoured thrills, chills and too-much candy Until… He felt a wave of wet. “SPRINKLERS!” Kit raced to stay dry but, the paint had… “Run! SKUNK!”
Goosebumps covered Aidan’s arms. This Halloween he was flying into space.
No huge piles of goodies like last year, he thought. No parading through the streets with his brother either.
Nervously he waited to take flight.
“The nurses have a special surprise for you,” Mom encouraged.
Do all astronauts feel this topsy-turvy before take off, he wondered.
“Ready, Astronaut Aidan?” the nurse called.
Slowly the lights dimmed. One by one, glow-in-the-dark stars shone from above.
Reassured, Aidan smiled.
From his seat aboard the radiation machine rocketship he bravely counted. “3, 2, 1 … blastoff!”
11.IT’S HALLOWEEN IN TOOTHYTOWN
It’s Halloween in Toothytown, The ghouls and goblins gather ‘round.
Their trays arranged with cakes and pies, In hopes of grabbing this year’s prize.
Miss Dragon’s Breath, the crusty judge, Turns up her snout at Franky’s fudge.
She sneers at Ogre’s goosebump blintz, And gags on Troll’s toejam with lint.
But Gremlin’s spicy pepper bread, Makes Dragon hold her scaly head.
Her nostrils flare. She starts to wheeze, And lets out a gigantic…
SNEEZE!
The goodies sizzle, snap, and spark, Like pumpkins glowing in the dark. Miss Dragon’s eyes begin to brim, “Now that’s a treat! Let’s all dig in!”
12.THE WITCH’S MISTAKE
OH, GOODY, my first victim! Goosebumps prickle my warty body. “Trick-or-treat!” At last I will turn these horrid children into delightfully frightful black cats!! It was an easy potion: dog tears, firefly butts, swamp mud, and a fingernail of salt. Looks just like king-sized chocolate bars! Yes, they all come running now. Greedy goblins! I stifle a cackle and wait… But instead of feline screeches and yowls, I hear… “Woah! Check us out! We glow-in-the-dark! Best. Halloween. EVERRRRRR!!!” OH, BOO! I can’t believe I mixed up the sugar and salt again. Worst. Halloween. Ever.
13.PUMPKIN’S HALLOWEEN
Alone near the farm truck, Pumpkin sagged and straightened his white tag like a tie.
Ryan zigzagged through the pumpkin patch. “Here’s the last one!”
Grandpa shook his head, “Cracked.”
Ryan touched Pumpkin’s white tag. “What’s it say?”
“Sound it out.”
Ryan traced the letters. “F-R-E-E. We’ll take Free home! Put two happy eyes and a great grin on his goose-bumply face!”
Glowing-in-the-dark on Ryan’s stoop, Pumpkin enjoyed the costumes. The giggles. “Halloween is beautiful…”
Ryan thanked her shining friend with goodies. “Your midnight snacks.”
Soon, Pumpkin’s light faded. His eyes drooped. But his smile didn’t. “I’m Free.”
So there you have them! Your 2021 Halloweensie Finalists!
(And yes, I realize we posted 13 finalists and 12 prizes, so I’ll dream up an extra prize!)
Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by Thursday November 11th at 3PM Eastern!
Tune in Friday November 12th to see THE WINNERS!!! – same bat time, same bat station 😊
Thank you all so much for taking the time to write (if you did), read, and vote! These contests simply wouldn’t be what they are without all of you!
I truly cannot wait to see who you choose as the winner! Good luck!!! 😊
Sorry for the delay in posting finalists, everyone! So many great entries – it’s really hard to narrow the field and it’s taking us longer than expected. I will do my best to post them no later than Monday afternoon, sooner if I can. Thank you all so much for your patience, and have a great weekend!
Witch’s wart and wing of bat! It’s time for. . .
The 11th 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 glow-in-the-dark, goosebumps, and goodies.
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.
Also, being super clear for this year, glow-in-the-dark counts as 1 word (even though it looks like 4 😊)
You may use the words in any form i.e. glowed-in-the-dark, goosebumpley, goody (“Oh, goody!”, goody-two-shoes 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! We got just shy of 300 fantastic entries last year, so I know you can do it!
POST: your story in the comment section below between right now this very second and Sunday October 31st at Midnight – the witching hour! Please include your title, word count, and byline with your entry so that if your posting handle is MomNeedsAVacation I’ll still be able to tell who wrote your entry 😊
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 below so that people can come visit your blog, but all entries must be posted in the comment section of This Post between now and Sunday October 31st at Midnight.
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! Contact button above or [susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com Please place your entry in the body of the email including your title and bylineat the top – NO ATTACHMENTS! They will not be opened.
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 😊
Side Note: WordPress will not properly format entries written in the shape of a pumpkin (or anything else!) or with fancy or colored fonts or unusual spacing. No matter how great it looks in whatever program you compose it in, be forewarned that when you post it in the comment section it is going to be basic and I am not able to change that for you, I’m afraid.
THE JUDGING: in a grueling marathon over the days following the contest close, 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 Friday November 5th (though if the judging takes longer than expected it might be a little later – we will do our best!) The winner will be announced Monday 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!
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or any) or First 10 Pages of a longer MS (winner’s choice) by Kenda Henthorn, author of the forthcoming BAA, BAA TAP SHEEP (Sleeping Bear Press, April 15, 2022)
Kenda works in the aviation industry now so it’s no surprise that her writing inspirations and aspirations are sky-high, too. She resides in Oklahoma and when the winds aren’t sweepin’ down the plains, Kenda enjoys acting, flying, kayaking and riding horses or her motorcycle. (Vroom-vroom!)She has served as a Regional Coordinator for the Oklahoma SCBWI and a Best in Rhyme Award committee member and judge.
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or lyrical) by Randi Sonenshine, author of THE NEST THAT WREN BUILT (Candlewick March 2020) and the forthcoming THE LODGE THAT BEAVER BUILT (Candlewick Fall 2022)
⭐️ Winners of the 6 signed picture books above may also receive their choice of any one of the following writing craft books to go along with their picture book:
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! 😊
Happy Writing! Happy Reading! And Happy Halloween!
Now, let the Halloweensie begin!
The 294 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! 🎃 😊
Revised and edited and polished and proofread and revised and edited and polished and proofread and revised and edited and polished and proofread. . . ? yeah, I know how it is 😊
I did it on this little sample for you and I bet you can’t even tell! It probably looks like I spouted it right off the top of my head. (Okay, maybe I did. But if I’d had time I would have revised and edited and polished and proofread and it might of ended up being worth reading 😊)
Pomeline‘s Halloween (100 words)
Pomeline had a problem. Her glow-in-the-dark grin gave her goosebumps. Jeepers creepers! She scared her pumpkin self! If only she hadn’t eaten all those goodies! Tootsies and toffees and sticky-sticky caramels! What had she been thinking? Now her gappy three-toothed grin was truly terrifying! Pomeline’s teeth needed protection before she ended up with a gappy one-toothed grin. . . or WORSE! She sucked up an orange quarter, swallowed the fruit, and pressed the peel against her smiling lips. Presto! Protected teeth and no more glow-in-the-dark smile! Pomeline would have patted herself on the back, but she was short on arms.
I think we can agree that we all need Something Chocolate after that! 😊🎃🎃🎃
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Melissa who says, “I have spent the last 15 years living in Tanzania as an English teacher, a journalist and then as a wife, mum and storyteller.”
Find her on the web at Twitter: @MelissaKValente
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The Pied Piper Of Grannies
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: THE PIED PIPER OF GRANNIES: Malakai thinks he wants a granny, but when he pied-pipers a crazy conga line of grannies home using his enchanted harmonica he discovers he still feels lonely and now he has to face the town’s grandkids!
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Melissa improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in January, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for/[so you have time to polish your pitch before putting it up] for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Melissa is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to HALLOWEENSIE!!!!!!! (Rules on that link if you haven’t written yours yet and need the guidelines!)
I saw this on FB yesterday, and it sums me up exactly!
I’m happy to report, though, that I DO remember why I’m here this morning! 😊 And that is to introduce you to today’s Tuesday Debut-ess, the lovely and talented Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky who has written a picture book I think so many kids will relate to! As someone who spent many years working with children for whom the written word was a challenge, I know what value this book has.
It’s an interesting one for us to learn from because a) it is written for ages 6-12 – not the usual age range for a PB, and b) it addresses, in a book, children who struggle with learning to read books. While it may seem that using a book to help kids who struggle with books to learn to like reading is a little sideways, it’s done in a way I think they’ll find very engaging. I mean, I was all set to do exactly what James does 😊
So let’s not waste another moment. Allow me to introduce Dianna and her wonderful book, JAMES’ READING RESCUE!
written by Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky illustrated by Sara Casilda published by Clavis Publishing October 5, 2021, fiction ages 6-12
James struggles with reading and misses recess to practice. To cheer himself up, he visits the cat rescue shelter and befriends Ghost, the cat in the box. But Ghost isn’t quite ready to make friends! As his reading improves, James learns that kindness and perseverance can have unexpected rewards and that having a furry friend is the best gift of all.
SUSANNA: Welcome, Dianna! We’re so excited to have you here today to share your journey to publication with this wonderful book which is a learning experience for us both because of the slightly older readership and the important topic. Where did the idea for this book come from?
DIANNA: JRR is based on a true story I read on the internet several years ago. It just seemed to jump off the page as I read it. My son struggled with reading when he was young and I’ve always been involved with animal rescue. My kids were raised with nine rescue cats. I knew this was a story I just had to write!
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
DIANNA: This was my first story, so I didn’t know any of the rules or expectations for picture books. I had a lot to learn and received some invaluable help from generous authors! From the first to final version I would say it took probably two years.
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
DIANNA: As my first story, I had no idea if what I had written was good or terrible. I was afraid it was the latter! Researching author blogs I came across a Cdn. author whose books I had read to my children. I reached out to her and she generously agreed to look at my MS. Her comments were my first window into the world of writing PBs. I re-wrote the story entirely and then continued to revise as best I could. I didn’t yet know about critique groups. Eventually, I submitted it to an author/publisher who does professional critiques. Her wonderful assistance finally helped put the final polish on the manuscript. I have thanked both of these wonderful women in my dedication.
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
DIANNA: After my professional critique, I felt that the story was the best it could be. Everything just seemed to click!
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
DIANNA: As a debut writer, I was really groping in the dark. I researched publishers to see who was accepting unsolicited submissions and reviewed their books. I also resrearched upcoming books. Publishers Weekly Children’s Bookshelf was extremely helpful in providing publishers who were unknown to me. Then I had to learn how to write the dreaded query letter! I submitted to about forty publishers and had a couple of nice refusals, one email showing interest, and one acceptance from Clavis. I had to read their email three times before it sank in that they wanted it!
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”?
DIANNA: I was never notified about JRR going to acquisitions. My experience was simply an email offering to publish my story. Short and oh, so sweet!
SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”? (Best moment ever! 😊)
DIANNA: I wanted to submit to as many publishers as possible and began in fall 2019. The vast majority I never heard back from. I submitted to Clavis in Feb. 2020 and I received their email in late March.
SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
DIANNA: The contract arrived around 4 months after their initial acceptance.
SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?
DIANNA: This was just as covid was ravaging the world, so it was just a quiet celebration at home. Lots of emails to family and friends!
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
DIANNA: I had no idea which to expect re a contact, so I referenced the SCBWI site which was helpful. I also conferred with my son in law who is an attorney in the U.S. for clarification on a couple of things. There was no advance offered. 5% royalties on hard copies and 5 author copies in most languages. I found the information on foreign rights to be very confusing so I can honestly say I’m still not 100% sure on these royalties. So far the book has been published in Dutch (which is usual for Clavis), Indonesian, Slovenian and Korean is pending.
SUSANNA: That is so cool! Anytime I’ve had books published in another language that has always come after English, and many times they haven’t gone onto other languages, so congratulations on that! Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?
DIANNA: Although I have no experience with other publishers, I know enough to attest that working with Clavis was a dream. Everyone was so helpful, in both their Belgium and New York offices. There were almost no revisions to speak of, which amazed me! I was very happy that they were keeping the manuscript as submitted.
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
text copyright Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky 2021, illustration copyright Sara Casilda 2021, Clavis Publishing
DIANNA: Again, I think Clavis is something special in this department. They asked me to submit some names of illustrators whose work I liked, and they sent a few to me, as well. We agreed on one of their suggestions and I’m so glad we did! Sara and I were in touch frequently from the very beginning and she consulted me on how I imagined James to look. I also specifically requested that Ghost be a black cat, as they are the color least usually adopted. I saw proofs and made only a couple of minor comments, because Sara had such a clear vision of the story and her work was just so wonderful.
text copyright Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky 2021, illustration copyright Sara Casilda 2021, Clavis Publishing
I had no art notes, having been advised that they should be avoided at all costs. My main concern was the color of the cat but as I was able to communicate directly with Sara, that didn’t prove a problem.
text copyright Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky 2021, illustration copyright Sara Casilda 2021, Clavis Publishing
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
DIANNA: I haven’t yet seen anything from Kirkus, but we did receive a lovely review from SLJ and also some great ones on Goodreads. It was delightful – made it feel real! Still hoping to see something from Kirkus and hoping readers will leave comments on Amazon, as well.
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
DIANNA: The first copies we received were the Dutch version. Then came Indonesian and Slovenian. I have not yet received my English author copies, so my family and friends have it before me! I know they are on their way.
As for print run, I queried this the other day but as of today I do not yet know how many copies were in the first printing. I do hope to find out!
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
DIANNA: I’m afraid I’m not yet very familiar with this process. Foreign rights been sold in several languages and I’m aware that Clavis sent story ARCs to a number of reviewers. They have also submitted JRR for the Golden Kite contest.
SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
DIANNA: I was planning to have a launch party, but due to covid numbers still high in Montreal, gave up on this idea. I have reached out to all independent bookstores in the city and surrounding suburbs with children’s collections, all the public libraries and English elementary schools, as well. I am continuing to reach out to bloggers for interviews and reviews. I am having a zoom reading with the library in my old hometown, which is like coming full circle for me! And there’s always Facebook and Twitter, of course.
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
DIANNA: It was about two and a half years.
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?)
DIANNA: All the rules of writing picture books (and that dreaded bugaboo that haunts us all – SHOW not tell)! I think the most important thing we can share amongst ourselves is the encouragement not to give up. Sometimes this process seems like climbing Mt. Everest – it can be so daunting and such a struggle. Tell a story you love; don’t follow trends; seek the support of a critique group where you feel at home – they will be a wonderful help and your greatest fans!
SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?
DIANNA: When I first read the real story, I felt an overwhelming compulsion to write a picture book about it. I just felt in my bones that one day it would be a beautiful children’s book, no matter how long it took. I feel extremely fortunate and thankful that children around the world can now read this lovely story. I hope they love it as much as I do.
Author Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky
Twitter: @DiannaWilson99
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and pay forward to other writers, Dianna! We so appreciate you sharing your experience and the expertise you have gained from it. I know I can speak for everyone when I wish you the best with this and future titles!
Readers, if you have questions for Dianna, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
You may purchase Dianna’s book at: (all links below are book-specific)
I’ve shared it before, but this was a hard week – my beloved Scouty crossed the rainbow bridge – and though this book is about cats, not a dog, it’s still the book I feel like sharing today.
Perhaps this lovely book particularly appeals to me because its message of loving, losing, and new beginnings strikes a chord with me right now, but I think anyone and everyone can appreciate what it has to offer. I wish I could show you the whole thing – every page! – but you’ll just have to trot right out to the library after PPBF! 😊
Title: Big Cat, Little Cat
Written & Illustrated By: Elisha Cooper
Roaring Brook Press, March 2017, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-6 years
Themes/Topics: friendship, cycle of life
Opening: “There was a cat who lived alone. Until the day a new cat came…”
copyright Elisha Cooper 2017
Brief Synopsis: Two cats become friends and do everything together until one day the older cat has to go…and he doesn’t come back.
Links To Resources: draw a picture of you and your pet; write a story or poem about your pet; how would you describe your pet to someone who had never met it? talk about what love means – is love for a pet the same as love for a sibling or friend or parent? what are some things that let you know you love someone, or that someone loves you? has a pet you loved ever died? how did it make you feel? what did you do to feel better?
Why I Like This Book: I LOVE this book. It is the most beautiful, perfect, sweet book I’ve read in a long, long time. 186 words of sheer genius. The kind of book every writer (well, at least this one!) dreams of writing. A full, emotionally satisfying, complete story arc in less than 200 words. Simple, yet so evocative. Wonder and delight, learning and play, joy, contentment, friendship, love, grief, endings and beginnings – it’s all here. The art is a perfect complement – simple black and white drawings that convey personality, action, expression, and just enough detail, with one page in gray to show sadness, and a soft glow of pale butternut on just three pages to show warmth and contentment. The text and art are also thoughtfully spaced to give time and distance where needed. A lovely book to gently help children understand life, love, loss, new life and new love. And writers, if you haven’t seen this book, rush out and read it – seriously I am not kidding! – a fabulous example of how to do it right! Definitely in the “wish I wrote that!” category 😊
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific 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!
I’m in the first group this week because I’m still somewhere back around last Friday! 😊
But I know just the cure for that.
I bet you can guess. . . 😊
Something Chocolate!
Since Halloween is practically here, let’s indulge in some Hocus Pocus Cookies – so bright and cheery and, most importantly, so CHOCOLATE! (They also have “slime” in them – meant to be delightfully gross for the youngsters in your life 😊)
DELECTABLE! don’t you think? Let’s have seconds! 😊
Now then, onto today’spitch which comes to us from Jan who says, “I’ve been writing picture books for two years and meeting regularly with three critique groups. I’ve attended Susanna’s class, “Making Picture Book Magic”, as well as several conferences and many webinars. I’m in my second year with Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Challenge, and I read about 10-20 picture books every week and many with my grandsons. They are my motivation for seeking an agent and getting published. I’m on twitter as @jansuhr.”
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Do Your Thing, Peking
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: As the zoo’s only peachick, Peking struggles to discover what makes him unique. He can’t swing like Monkey or waddle like Penguin or trumpet like Elephant. He looks at his reflection in the lily pond and doesn’t see anything spectacular. Peking visits the zoo’s animals, tries to copy their talent and asks their advice. Peking’s specialty does surface with time and patience and he becomes brighter and bolder than anyone could have ever imagined.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Jan improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in January, so you have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Jan is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to more Hocus Pocus cookies! I need a little magic this week.
Today I’m delighted to introduce the lovely Patti Richards and her picture book, MRS. NOAH (someone whom I think we can all agree we ought to hear more about because surely she was instrumental in making sure the ark was properly packed! 😊) For all of you considering entering the upcoming Halloweensie Contest, take note of the fact that Patti’s second book, MILLIE’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE due out from Little Lamb books in 2022, was a direct result of the Holiday Contest entry by that name that she wrote and entered a few years ago! Isn’t that cool?
Let’s turn now to MRS. NOAH and see what Patti has to share!
Title: MRS. NOAH Author: Patti Richards Illustrator: Alice Pieroni Publisher: Little Lamb Books Release Date: October 26, 2021 Genre: Fiction Ages: 4 to 8
Synopsis: Noah can’t wait to show his bride the enormous ark he’s just completed. As amazing as it is, Mrs. Noah knows it can be more. She sees beyond the wood and fasteners to the home it has the potential to be—and so, she gets to work! With care for each animal and its needs, Mrs. Noah hammers, gathers, knits, and schlepps this floating house into a loving home. And while she starts the project on her own, teamwork will see it through.
SUSANNA: Welcome, Patti! Thank you so much for coming to our little corner of the blogosphere today to share your journey to publication! We’re so excited to learn from you! Where did the idea for this book come from?
PATTI: I was packing my family for our first cruise—a 50th anniversary celebration for my parents. With all the stress of getting a family of five ready for a big trip plus taking care of the pets, paying bills, cleaning the house, I was stressed to say the least. In the middle of all of the preparations, I thought, “If getting us ready for a three-day cruise is this crazy, how in the world did Mrs. Noah get an entire ark ready for her family and all the animals?” I laughed out loud at the thought, and the idea for MRS. NOAH was born.
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
PATTI: I wrote the first draft of MRS. NOAH in 2018. But the story actually got its start with the idea, so from idea to first draft took about six years. I know that seems like a long time, but other projects and life kept getting in the way. But I’m a firm believer in God’s perfect timing in life and in writing, and I think MRS. NOAH needed to simmer for that long for me to be ready to write the book.
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
PATTI: I had (still have) 13 versions of MRS. NOAH before I submitted it for the first time. I say “still have,” because I never discard a version/draft! Once the contract was signed, I’ve revised a few more times plus made final edits, so the grand total now is 15 versions. In talking with other writers, I do think the way I save drafts is sort of unique to me in that even one or two small changes…a period or comma here or there, a new word or rearranged sentence…means a new draft. I know not all writers do things this way, but for me, it’s super important to see the entire evolution of a story as well as be able to go back and find passages, sentences or word order that I liked better in earlier version. If I took a look at most of my story files right now, there isn’t one that doesn’t have multiple drafts—I think my most-revised story to date has somewhere around 35 versions. I guess I’m one of those odd birds that actually enjoys revising! LOL!
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
PATTI: Sometimes I decide that a submission is ready because there’s an opportunity to submit it. Does that make sense? MRS. NOAH had been revised and tweaked with my critique group 13 times over the course of a year, so when #FaithPitch was happening, I thought, “Why not?” Because, honestly, with that many versions a writer really should be at the point of submission if for no other reason than to get feedback, even if it’s just a “No,” so you can look at your story with new eyes. That may seem contrary to popular advice or opinions, but I say this to encourage each of you to believe in your work and yourselves enough to take that next big step. Never submit your first draft. NEVER! But if you’re on draft 10 or 13, go ahead and send it out. That first submission is always the hardest, and the rejection, if it comes, will be painful, but it’s all part of the process of learning and growing as a writer.
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
PATTI: I don’t have an agent (still working on that😊). I mentioned #FaithPitch before, and even though I always thought of MRS. NOAH as a mainstream book, I thought it might also be a good fit for a faith-based publisher, so I decided to give it a try. That first go-round I didn’t get any love, so I put it away and waited. By the time #faithpitch came around again, I actually had a second story called MILLIE’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE, ready to go and pitched both of them. But again, no love! So instead of putting my second story away, I decided to go ahead and submit it to Little Lamb Books, the sponsor of #FaithPitch, because I thought it would be a good fit for their house. That was in February of 2019 during their open submissions window. Fast forward to September, and it was time for the second #Faithpitch of the year. I decided to give MRS. NOAH another try and it got a heart from Rachel Pellegrino, publisher at Little Lamb Books. You can imagine my surprise when just a week or so later, I got an email from Rachel letting me know that they had found my submission from February as they were taking one last look at what had come in and they loved MILLIE’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. In the same letter, Rachel mentioned that she had liked MRS. NOAH on #FaithPitch and could I send her that one, because if she loved it they wanted to offer me a two-book contract! I was over-the-moon excited! I sent her MRS. NOAH, and here I am in 2021 getting ready for my first fiction picture book release with a second one with Little Lamb Books coming in 2022.
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”?
PATTI: I had “the call” with Rachel a few weeks after I got the initial email, and by Thanksgiving, I had the contract in my hands!
SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”? (Best moment ever! 😊)
PATTI: I had MRS. NOAH out on submission for one year before it was picked up by Little Lamb Books. Of course, the caveat is that there are very few faith-based publishers that take unsolicited manuscripts, so MRS. NOAH went out to about three other places in total.
SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
PATTI: Just a few weeks!
SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?
PATTI: I honestly can’t remember now, but I’m pretty sure it involved a happy dance or two and copious amounts of chocolate cake!
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
PATTI: The contract was definitely what I expected. There were no surprises, but that was primarily because I’ve been in the submission trenches for a long time and have done my homework about contracts and what to expect. Little Lamb, like many smaller independent publishing houses, does not give an advance but in turn pays higher royalties than other places. Rachel presented me with a well-crafted contract that was easy to read and understand. It also helps to have a husband who is an attorney, and we went over the contract together to make sure everything was as it should be. If you don’t have an attorney in your family and don’t have an agent, I would strongly suggest having someone who is an expert in contract language take a quick look. Contracts are always written from the perspective of the publishing house, so it helps to have someone who has your best interest at heart give it a read through.
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?*
PATTI: Because I had been working on MRS. NOAH consistently for a year and the arc was solid, there were no major changes to the story during the editorial process. However, because MRS. NOAH is a rhyming story, I had some work to do making sure every line matched in terms of syllable count and emphasis. When it comes to rhyming stories, there are different schools of thought about the need for equal number of syllables per line vs. equal number of beats. Poets and rhyming picture book writers with a musical background (like me) tend to listen and write for beats. Others, from a more formulaic background are sticklers for syllable count. So, there was a little back and forth about those changes, but the final product is exactly as it should be and I’m so proud of it!
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?*
PATTI: All picture book writers should have a vision for what their book will ultimately look like. With that being said, all picture book writers need to hold that vision loosely. I could see Mrs. Noah as clear as day in my mind as I was writing this story, and I loved what I saw. But illustrators and editors often see things differently. So, when I got the initial sketches for the book, I was a little surprised. But a beautiful thing happened…as I looked at her and sent back my notes, got new sketches, sent back more notes, and got revised sketches, something lovely started to happen. I started being able to see my main character in a different way. She needed the changes I asked for, but she no longer needed to look like what I had envisioned from the beginning. This MRS. NOAH was just right for this book. I trusted the process, and I couldn’t be happier with the result!
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
PATTI: Things are super slow at Ingram right now because of the pandemic, so we haven’t been able to send review copies out yet. Hoping that happens soon!
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
PATTI: Hoping to have that first copy in my hand soon! If it happens on schedule (which seems to be changing daily because of what I mentioned above) it will be almost two years to the day of when I signed my contract.
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
PATTI: Little Lamb gives writers a lot of help when it comes to marketing, which is why a small house is so nice! They produce all of the swag and the book trailer, and have featured me on their blog several times along the way. They are also responsible for getting review copies where they need to go and will be entering MRS. NOAH in some contests on my behalf. I’m so happy with all the marketing support I’ve received.
I’ve done a few blogs and am planning a Facebook Live release on the day the book comes out and I’ll be planning some events as soon as I have the book in my hands. I’ve held off planning anything live until that first copy arrives just because so much of the when is out of our hands right now.
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
PATTI: Let’s see…I sold my first picture book to a publisher called MeeGenius in 2014. That was 14 years after I’d written my first book for children. I think it’s important to note that during those 14 years, and for many years after that I was also a full-time freelance writer. So, I was constantly balancing my paying work with my children’s work. I don’t want anyone to read this and think, “14 years! But I don’t want to wait that long!” I totally get it😊. But along the way I’ve had other successes that have kept me going, like winning awards in the Writer’s Digest annual competitions, the Katherine Paterson Prize at Hunger Mountain and a few others. I’ve also done work-for-hire writing which resulted in three nonfiction chapter books that released in 2017 and 2018. I’ve had a fiction story in Highlights Magazine and a nonfiction story in Fun for Kidz Magazine and last year I sold a poem to Cricket Media for Ladybug Magazine. The important thing is to keep writing, honing your craft and submitting. Do you need an agent to do those things? No. Do you need a picture book contract to continue working to become the best writer for children you can be? No. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all these years of writing, submitting, revising and submitting again, the joy is in the journey. I wouldn’t trade the people I’ve met that have become life-long friends, the patience I’ve learned and the commitment to craft I’ve developed for anything. Book contracts are the goal, but writing for children is about so much more than that. Be grateful for your calling. Love what you do, and love the children who will read your work someday. Learn all you can, and live your writer life well. Whatever that looks like for you!
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Patti! We’ve so enjoyed and benefited from the opportunity to learn from you! I know I speak for everyone when I say we wish you all the best with this and future titles!
As some of you may have noticed, Halloween is coming! 🎃🧙🏿♀️👻
So what better time for a story about a haunted house?
This one is so cute scary! 😊
Title: Hardly Haunted
Written & Illustrated By: Jessie Sima
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, fiction, July 2021
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: being yourself, self-acceptance, holidays (Halloween)
text and illustration copyright Jessie Sima 2021, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Opening: “There was a house on a hill, and that house was worried.”
Brief Synopsis:House has a problem. The evidence seems to suggest that she might be HAUNTED! How will she ever find a family who wants to make her a haunted home?
text and illustration copyright Jessie Sima 2021, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
text and illustration copyright Jessie Sima 2021, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Why I Like This Book: Some kids like scary books. Mine were not in that category! 😊 So this is the kind of perfect Halloween book that I love. It hints at spookiness, and has a little suspense in the story, without being at all scary. After all, no one wants nightmares! The story is told from the point of view of the house, but there’s a delightful little black cat who appears on every page, adding to the story with her reactions. And while the house is concerned about her potential hauntedness, the art is so appealing that it makes her much more endearing than scary. Although this is a story appropriate for the Halloween season with its nod toward spookiness, it is also a story about being who you are and accepting yourself – always something kids can benefit from. Young readers will delight in this story and fall in love with the friendly little house…even if she is haunted 😊
text and illustration copyright Jessie Sima 2021, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
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!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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