Category: Erin Molta

Would You Read It Wednesday #197 – Nicky And The Inchworm PLUS A Plethora Of Pitch Pick Winners

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Mornin’ folks!

Golly, has it gotten cold hereabouts!  It’s like winter!

Oh, wait…

🙂

But guess what?

Today is Brown Scouty’s birthday!  She is 9.  And yes!   Certainly we are having cake!  Although not chocolate because alas, chocolate is not good for dogs and she must have some of her own birthday cake!

Here she is when she was tiny:

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I love this picture. She’s such a little stumper 🙂

And here she is now:

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Apparently not much has changed… she likes to sleep on the furniture 🙂

She is my faithful companion.  She walks and runs with me on our road, she takes her squirrel-chasing duties very seriously, she sleeps by guards my bedside at night, and she is lying on my feet while I write this post so that in case I should decide to get up and do something that is Interesting For Dogs she will not miss out 🙂  She is the Best Dog Ever.  Happy Birthday, dear Scouty ❤

I’d offer you some of Scout’s birthday cake, but since it’s not chocolate it would be all wrong for today.  Besides, I promised Cathy Nutella Croissants, so here they are in all their chocolate-hazelnut-buttery-pastry deliciousness…

3-Ingredient-Nutella-Croissants-5

3 Ingredient Nutella Croissants Recipe HERE at Gimme Some Oven http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/3-ingredient-nutella-croissants-recipe/

3-Ingredient-Nutella-Croissants-2

3 Ingredient Nutella Croissants Recipe HERE at Gimme Some Oven http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/3-ingredient-nutella-croissants-recipe/

Scrumptious!  And if you’re looking for an easy recipe, this one has only 3 ingredients!  (Possibly even within my limited cooking capacity! 🙂 )

Alrighty!

Now that you’re not in danger of a low blood sugar flame-out and have consumed enough calories to help you withstand with extreme cold without perishing :), let’s get down to the fun!

First, the Pitch Pick Winners!

We have so many, I think it calls for some kind of celebration so how about this:

celebration

For September, the winner is Zainab, with her picture book pitch for Dear Cat!

For October, the winner is Kirk, with his MG pitch for My Next Door Neighbor Is A Dragon Princess!

And for November, the winner is Jessica with her picture book pitch for Showdown At The Sippy Cup Saloon!

Congratulations Zainab, Kirk, and Jessica Your pitches are winging through cyberspace to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts!

Congratulations also to ALL our intrepid pitchers who stepped up boldly and put their work out their for all the world to see in an effort to improve their craft!  Everyone did a great job, and I hope you all got valuable feedback that will help these pitches to pique the curiosity of the agent or editor of you dreams!

And thank you to all the wonderful readers who show up to lend their expertise each week and to vote for the monthly winners!  Would You Read It wouldn’t be what it is without you! ❤

Next up we have today’s Would You Read It pitch which comes to us from Cynthia who says, “When I’m not working, or taxi driving my kids to sporting events, I play with words. I have a love for picture books, especially ones in verse.”

You can find her at her website: http://randomthoughts-myblog.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter @Elomaa10.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Nicky And The Inchworm

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch: Nicky loves to splash in puddles, but when Nicky finds a shiny wet inchworm hanging by a thread Nicky knows he has to act fast, but not before being amazed by this tiny little creature.  Nicky soon forgets all about splashing in the puddles and sets out to find a safe home for his tiny new friend.

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 Cynthia improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of 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 HERE or on Would You Read It in the dropdown menu under For Writers in the header bar above.  There are openings in February which isn’t that far off, so polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

 

Cynthia is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to posting the guidelines for the brandy spandy new writing contest that we will be having!  Mark your calendars for the week of February 8-12 and keep a weather eye out for a special post from moi with the low-down!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!!!

 

Would You Read It #105 – The Superhero Rejects (MG) PLUS The August Pitch Pick!

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Good Wednesday, Everyone!

First off, I have to apologize for not posting the winner of Friday’s book giveaway on Monday as I promised.  Monday’s post was all about Erik and his new book, and I didn’t want to steal any of his thunder. (Also, that post was WAY long enough already and I was afraid you might doze off and not fully appreciate the news :))

So, that being explained, I would like to announce the winner NOW.  Are you ready?

The winner (as randomly chosen by random.org) of Iza Trapani’s brand new, hot-off-the-presses, beautiful, fabulous Little Miss Muffet which shall be personally signed by Iza is:

Sue Heavenrich!!!!!

Congratulations, Sue!!!  Please email me so we can organize Iza signing and mailing you the book!  And thanks to everyone for reading about Iza’s wonderful book, bravely sharing your fears, writing some pretty amazing Muffet verses, and just generally joining in the fun!

Now, before we go any further, I realize many of you are fainting from lack of proper nutrition, so let’s get right to Something Chocolate, shall we?  There’s a nip in the air this morning, so I’m in the mood for a lovely mug of hot chocolate.  How does that sound?

Mmmmm!!!  Delish!  In case you were wondering, yes, there are mini marshmallows under the whipped cream 🙂

Now that you’re feeling fortified, let’s give someone a chance to have their pitch read by editor Erin Molta!  It’s time for the August Pitch Pick!

Our 4 wonderful pitches are:

#1 Darshana
Karina The Dancer (PB ages 4-8)

Free-spirited Karina wants to be a dancing star like her older sister. So she signs up for Indian classical dance, but her colorful attire, hip-shaking moves, and improvisations land her in hot water with Guruji, the teacher. Karina learns that to be a star, you just follow your heart, and do what you love.

#2 Lisa
The Golden Egg (PB ages 5-8)

The golden egg that doesn’t hatch creates quite a stir among the feathered friends on the farm. The Eggsperts are called and the Whisperers weigh in. In the end, Mother Hen must decide whether to follow their advice or listen to her heart.

#3 Carrie
The Cartwheel Queen (PB ages 3-6)

Overjoyed with her new-found ability to do a cartwheel, Queen Carina assumes the throne over her backyard kingdom of Cartwheelandia. Cheers and cartwheels explode through the crowd, but stop short with Carina’s heart-broken little brother. Carina makes it her mission to turn her brother’s “I can’t” into the confidence of a Cartwheel King.

#4 Alicia
The Savage Queen (YA)

Roma Whitewood is charged with treason for trying to protect the only family he has ever known as they are murdered before his eyes at the hands of the King’s Royal Army. The country Roma has always called his own, betrays him as his punishment is to be stripped of his citizenship and sent to work in the treacherous labor camps, where he meets Lyra and she opens his eyes to the truths of the world that he had been overlooking his whole life. All of the stories his mother told him as child, that he never even dared to believe, all begin to come true and Roma must face the ultimate decision: be oppressed or join the Uprising with Lyra. There’s more to Lyra than she’s telling him, but Roma can only put his trust in the hands of the girl who had been by his side every moment in the camps. She was going to escape, or die trying, and Roma was going with her, no matter the outcome.

Please choose the one you think is best and most deserving of a read by Erin and cast your vote in the poll below by Sunday September 22 at 5 PM EDT.

Thank you!!!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Wendi.  Wendi Silvano quit teaching in 1994, when her 3rd child was born. She has been writing for children ever since. She writes picture books, emergent and early readers, early chapter books and educational materials. Two of her picture books have won the Children’s Choice Award. She lives in Grand Junction, Colorado. You can visit her website at www.wendisilvano.com. This pitch is for her first MG book.

Working Title: The Superhero Rejects
Age/Genre: Early MG
The Pitch:  Morphus is ashamed that he doesn’t have a normal, exciting superhero skill. All he can do is morph into lame objects like paperclips, rubber bands and light bulbs. And it’s particularly embarrassing when you are the brother of one of the most infamous graduates of ZITS (The Zapdor Institute for the Training of Superheroes). He and the other Superhero Rejects are relegated to practice their pathetic skills in the old gym in the basement when the villainous Scorpius attacks the school and puts everyone into a hypnotic trance… everyone that is, except the Superhero Rejects. Can they save the school and prove they are “real” superheroes too?


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 Wendi improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in November so polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Wendi is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to sharing a very fun book with you on Friday for Perfect Picture Books and also announcing the winner of Erik’s very first published book, The Adventures Of Tomato And Pea, Book 1: A Bad Idea!  If you haven’t had a chance to read his interview and enter to win, there’s still time!  Hop on over HERE.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!  May the muse be with you 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #83 – Giant At The Gym (PB) AND The March Pitch Pick

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Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Let’s start with the really important stuff, shall we?

Cake!  It’s what’s for breakfast 🙂

Because I decided (based on the fact that someone we all know and love is having a birthday within the next few days :)) that we should celebrate by having chocolate birthday cake for our Something Chocolate this morning.  So let’s just throw caution to the wind, forget pretending that chocolate cake is good for you, and just go hog wild! 🙂

Help yourself to multiple slices and feel free to have a cup of coffee or a glass of milk to go with 🙂

Now that we have attended to our blood sugar levels, which I know were dangerously low before I came along with the cake, we can focus on the March Pitch Pick which, due to the In Just Spring Contest has only 3 contenders.  Here are the revised pitches ready for you to choose which one you think is best and deserves a read by editor Erin Molta:

#1 Linda
Twitch (MG)
After his father disappears, Twitch Taylor is forced to live with his uncle, reviving an old-time Cherokee custom where uncles teach nephews the ways of men. Twitch soon learns how important the traditional ways are: an ancient curse is attacking his family, something only he can control; should he fail, the curse will return to life with no one able to stop it. Can Twitch learn fast enough to become a Cherokee warrior? Can a kid save the world?

#2 Denise
Phewie Hughie (Picture Book ages 4-8)
Hughie loves his toots. The louder the better, but because Hughie thought everyone should love his toots, he had a hard time understanding why no one appreciated his wonderful ability until two children come to an important dinner and Hughie’s dad reminds to remember his manners.  Mayhem happens after Hughie realizes he just can’t hold it in.   Will Hughie find a way to control his engine’s noise and find friends along the way?

#3 Erik
The Adventures Of Tomato And Pea (Chapter Book ages 7 and up)
In a plan gone wrong, the evil villain Wintergreen tangles with super crime-stopper Tomato and his sidekick Pea in a runaway rocket ship that crashes on a strange planet called EAR-TH. Now these perennial enemies must learn to work together to survive the dangers on this strange world and find a way home to planet Oarg.

Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by 11:59 PM EDT on Saturday April 13.

Today’s pitch comes to us from Elaine, who is a Mom of two, wife of one, mom to three furry kids and second grade school teacher. 🙂

Working Title: Giant At The Gym
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: When a burly Giant enters the gym for a workout, he discovers that the weights are just too light. Too fix this problem he grabs unsuspecting gym goers, who are animals, to help him. The story gets funnier as the pile grows, finally ending with an unexpected surprise.

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 Elaine improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in June so you have time to polish for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Elaine is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to what may be the last college revisit for #4 (or we may have one more… you never know :)) and to more CAKE! 🙂

Have a wonderful day, everyone! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #72 – The Good For Plenty Bibs (PB) AND The December Pitch Pick

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I just have to say, I love our writing community!

Where else, on a Monday or Tuesday afternoon, can you find mature adults making up rhymes about poets, or writing songs with animal noises in them for other writers’ blogiversaries on Face Book?  (And yes, that certainly IS an excellent and productive use of time!  We’re writing, aren’t we?! :))

So let’s see… what have I accomplished this week?  You mean, aside from the verse about the otter?  Ummm…..

Excuse me while I distract you with Something Chocolate 🙂

Freepik.com

Please, help yourselves!  While your mouths are full, I’ll explain what we’re doing today.

Due to December’s crazy schedule, we only had 2 pitches, and January has 5 Wednesdays which, for those of you who struggle with math (oh wait, that’s me!), means there will be 5 pitches :), so to make the pitch picks more even I put Sidney’s from the first Wednesday in January in with the 2 from December so that December’s pitch pick will have 3 and January’s (when we get there) will have 4.

I hope you were all able to follow my advanced math at this hour of the morning.  More cake?

So here are the revised pitches for the December+ Pitch Pick 🙂

#1 Julie
Differently Together (formerly Eddie Brick Visits The Aunts) – PB – ages 4-8
When their grandnephew Eddie’s visit stirs up their tried-and-true routine, Emmie and Effie Brick find the upset quite upsetting.  Eddie’s creativity might just help his aunts learn to enjoy doing things a little differently, together.

#2 Kim
Oyster And Pearl – PB – ages 4-8

Pearl is a tiny grain of sand that lives in the bottom of the ocean. She feels insignificant in her world and both envious AND enamored of the star that she can see far above her. As she sets her sights on joining the star, she encounters many challenges... until finally, one night, she meets Oyster, who helps her become a star of her own.

#3 Sidney
Astrid Climbs Her Family Tree – PB – ages 4-8

When Astrid discovers family photo albums, she can’t figure out how she is related to all these people. Join Astrid as she learns how to draw a family tree, create a gravestone rubbing, build an Aztec pyramid, march like George Washington and chase her boredom away. 

Which do you feel deserves a trip to editor Erin Molta’s desk for a read and comments?  Please vote for your favorite by Friday January 18 at 11:59 PM EST and I’ll announce the pitch pick winner next week.

Now on to today’s pitch comes to us from Linda, whom you may remember from her pitch for Alpha Bitty in October.  Linda is a former gifted and talented teacher and the author of a number of books including the multi-award winning picture book, The Blue Roses.  Please take a moment to visit her website at www.lindaboyden.com.  Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Good For Plenty Bibs
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4 and up)
The Pitch: A spanking new pair of bib overalls arrives at the Owens’ family cabin for the oldest boy, Jake’s birthday. Pretty soon he sprouts like a beanstalk and dumps them into Granny’s quilt pile saying, “Good for nothing bibs.” Granny argues, “They’re the good for plenty bibs.” She stitches a pocket up and passes them down to the next boy. So the bibs pass from brother to brother, Granny fixing them up each time. They cycle through rips and tears, ups and downs but finally when the last child and only girl, Annabella, outgrows them Granny agrees: they’ve been patched and re-patched; they’ve lost their midnight blue, their October sky blue, and even their milky morning blue. Now they’re finally the good for nothing bibs. This time Annabella disagrees. With a clever plan and her brothers’ help, the kids work out a surprise that leaves Granny speechless.

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 Linda improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in February – like in 3 weeks! so seriously we could really use some new pitches!  It’s your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Linda is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to what kind of tomfoolery will show up on Face Book this afternoon 🙂  It better be good.  My expectations are raised now 🙂

Have a great day, everyone!

Would You Read It Wednesday #68 – Eddie Brick Visits The Aunts (PB) And The November Pitch Pick!

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Woo-hoo!  It’s Wednesday!  Time for everybody’s favorite program:  Would You Read It!

Let’s grab Something Chocolate, shall we?  We haven’t had donuts in a while… 🙂

photo copyright Stacy S. Jensen 2012, used by permission

Now that we’re all happily munching, let me mention The Holiday Contest (for anyone who missed Monday’s post, hop on over, see the rules, and start thinking up your story! :))

And now let’s move on to the November Pitch Pick.  All the pitches have been updated to reflect your helpful advice and comments, and I never tire of seeing how much writers seem to get out of this!  It’s great to look at the before and after versions!

Here they are.  Choose your favorite and vote for it in the poll below by, oh, let’s say Friday Dec. 7 at 11:50PM EST.  The winner’s pitch will be sent to editor Erin Molta for a read and comments!

#1 Heather
Banshee Birthday – PB – ages 4-8
Ailbe the Banshee’s birthday wish is to have the village girls over for an all night celebration full of moonlight, cake and nocturnal animals to visit. She just has to wait and see if any girls will be brave enough to ignore the old myth that Banshee bring bad luck. If they are, Ailbe might be lucky enough to make some new friends.

#2 Kim
How The Bull Lost His Feathers – PB – ages 4-8
Long, long ago in a faraway land, bulls actually had feathers.  And they were big, colorful peacock-like feathers at that!  Discover how one very stubborn yet lovable bull lost every one of his feathers– not only for himself, but for all the bulls born in the world after him. This fable-like tale also reveals why the color red will always make a bull’s temper flare!

#3 Larissa
Dim Sum Dog – PB – ages 4-8
With business dwindling, Chang and his family fear they will have to close their dim sum stand. But with the help of a special dim sum-loving dog who entertains customers, they may save the stand after all.

#4 Katie
A Colorful Surprise – PB – ages 3-7
On the long car ride to Grandma’s, Evan tries to keep himself busy. But after watching a movie, playing some games, and reading three books, Evan is completely bored. His family has run out of fun ideas too when they discover a sky filled with hot air balloons in bright colors and unique shapes. Suddenly, Evan’s mind is full of images that will keep him dreaming long after this trip is over.

Which is your favorite?

Now, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from the amazing and very forgiving Julie.  (Seriously, she was supposed to be on the WYRI list for August, and somehow I screwed up and forgot all about her, and she never made a word of complaint!  Clearly, in addition to her many other talents she is a saint.  Thank you for being so nice about my mistake, Julie!)  Anyway, a scribbler of children’s stories in between chores, Julie Rowan-Zoch has visited three continents, attempted to learn 4 languages, and has a 2-3-3-3-3 phalangeal formula in both of her hands and feet. (Though not yet able to get a good grip with her toes, she has been drawing with her hands since she exchanged a banana for a crayon.)  Please come visit her on her blog and view her beautiful artwork!

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Eddie Brick Visits The Aunts
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Ellie and Effie Brick do everything together, but when their grandnephew Eddie arrives the security of their routine is altered. Eddie helps them see they already enjoy doing things differently, together.

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 Julie improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in February, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Julie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I am looking forward to seconds on those donuts 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #64 – A Banshee Birthday (PB), And Pitch Pick #14 (October)

61 Comments

Well, my goodness!  This has been a busy week so far, hasn’t it?

I apologize for the extra post yesterday, and thank everyone who took the time to read and vote for their favorite Halloweensie Contest entry.  If you haven’t had a chance to vote yet, the running is VERY tight and we need all the votes we can get, so please go HERE!

And speaking of voting, we’ve had so much of it this week!  Voting for the president… voting for the Halloweensie Contest… and now voting for the October Pitch Pick winner.  Truly, I feel a little weak, and I suspect you may too, so I’d like to offer you all a restorative chocolate cake pop 🙂

Photo copyright Stacy Jensen 2012 used by permission

Very festive, don’t you think?  And orange-y and yellow-y for post-Halloween scrumptiousness 🙂  And as we all know, if it’s cake, it’s breakfast (milk, eggs, grains, need I say more?)  Hmm… I like that!  I think it should be my new motto:  “If it’s cake, it’s breakfast!”  (and you have to say it in the voice of a Saturday morning cartoon narrator, you know, like “Not far outside the city, the evil scientist, Simon Barsinister, was up to no good!”!)

Now that we are thusly fortified, here are the revised pitches from October, presented for your voting pleasure.  Enjoy reading the new and improved versions and then please vote for the one you think deserves a read by editor Erin Molta.

#1 Linda
Alpha Bitty (PB ages 4-6)
A special tree stands on Wordy Hill. It doesn’t sprout apples or oranges but letters, from A to Z. All year Wind, Rain and bright Sunshine, have helped the letters grow strong, but how can they pick them? Alpha Bitty comes to the rescue and together the friends share the letters near and far so new stories may blossom.

#2 Sidney
Phantom And The Boneyard (MG)
The Phantom awakens to find himself separated from the other airplanes in his squadron and relocated to a military “boneyard” in the Arizona desert where retired aircraft are used for spare parts. But Phantom isn’t ready to retire. With the help of new friends, he starts plotting his escape before he, too, ends up in permanent storage with his “eyes” wrapped shut.

#3 Brenda
Dishing Up (PB ages 3-8)
What could possibly go wrong when Dan Platter, Kay Gravy Boat and Amy Gravy Boat take over the kitchen!

#4 Carrie
Scooter Annie (PB ages 4-8)
Annie loves swooping and gliding on her new scooter. Nothing can stop her…except the hill at the end of her street. Now, if Annie wants to ride in the neighborhood parade, she must find a way to tackle that big hill – without getting hurt in a big way.

Please vote by Friday November 9 at 11:59 EST!

And now for today’s pitch from the lovely Heather (who you may remember from that gorgeous dragon painting we all enjoyed so much for the Summer Send-Off Contest – helpfully linked in case you want to go look at that picture again!)  Heather is an artist, writer, wife and mom living in the woods of Maine. When she’s not scribbling away at her desk, she’s busy exploring, learning and generally raising a ruckus with her family. You can find her at her blog or her website.

Working Title: A Banshee Birthday
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Ailbe wishes she had some friends to invite to her birthday party, but it’s tough finding girls willing to attend a nocturnal banshee celebration. For those girls brave enough to say “yes” and stay awake past bedtime, Ailbe has many secrets of the night to share. 

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 Heather improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Heather is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I am looking forward to a lovely day in which there will be sunshine and temperate temperatures and certainly NOT what the weather man is calling for which I will not repeat here because this is a kid-friendly blog and the weatherman is tossing about a four-letter word that begins with S!

See you Friday for Perfect Picture Books and the winner of Amy’s giveaway for Marathon Mouse!

Have a fun-filled, snow-free day! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #63 – Scooter Annie Braves The Hill (PB), Straight From The Editor #13, AND The Halloweensie Contest!!!

89 Comments

Holy Jack-O-Lanterns Batman!

Why didn’t anyone remind me that I forgot to post the Halloweensie Contest Rules on Monday???!!!  Now we’ve got a gigantic post for today!  So that’s it.  No chitchat!  We’re getting right down to business!

First things first.  It’s Would You Read It Wednesday, so grab your Something Chocolate!  Care to join me for some chocolate cheesecake?

Chocolate Cheesecake… YUM!!!
Photo copyright Stacy Jensen 2012 used by permission

You know, usually I can rationalize the chocolate into some form of acceptable breakfast, but this one eludes me.  Just enjoy 🙂

Now then.  Straight From The Editor for the September Pitch Pick, which you will recall was won by the lovely Elizabeth with her pitch for Buff The Magic Dragon.

Buff The Magic Dragon
Picture Book, ages 4-8
The Pitch: Buff the Magic Dragon is afraid of EVERYTHING. But when his magic trick-gone-wrong lands the baby Princess Ponypants in the tentacles of Captain Meanie Bones Jones, Buff must swallow his fear to save her. 

Here are editor Erin Molta’s comments:

This is cute. I think it would work better if instead of saying “swallow his fear” you say, “overcome his fear”. Because when swallow is used it’s almost always about swallowing one’s pride and I think you’d rather have the connotation being strong. Then I think you might want to be a tad more specific about what fear he is overcoming. I know he’s afraid of everything but if he is to rescue Princess Ponypants(cute name!) from Captain Meanie Bones Jones, he’ll need to face that fear directly. So perhaps Buff must overcome his fear of  . . . eight-legged purple sea monsters or his fear of water in order to do battle with the Captain . . .

I don’t know about you, but I always find Erin’s thoughts very helpful!

Moving right along, we have today’s pitch from Carrie who blogs over at Story Patch and who, if you’ve spent any time around here at all, you will recognize as the pitch doctor 🙂  She has an uncanny ability to take any pitch, keep what’s best, and fix what needs help.  But it’s always a different matter when it comes to your own work, isn’t it?  So today she’s asking for your help.  Let’s see if she needs any 🙂

Working Title: Scooter Annie Braves The Hill
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: When Annie gets a new scooter, she can’t wait to ride. She loves swooping down her driveway and gliding along the sidewalk. But if Annie wants to ride in the neighborhood parade, she must find a way to conquer her fears and tackle the biggest hill in town.

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 Carrie improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Carrie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I am looking forward to presenting The Halloweensie Contest!!!

Are you ready?

What is that noise in the dark of night?

It’s coming closer…

…and closer…

*dramatic Hollywood scream*  AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

It’s the (2nd Annual!) HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!


courtesy google images

The Contest:  write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words witch, bat, and “trick-or-treat“.   Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!)  Get it?  Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂

Post your story on your blog on Wednesday October 31 and link up here (and I’m really hoping we don’t get 2 feet of snow that knocks out the power and the internet this year!!!)  If you don’t have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of the Wednesday October 31 official contest blog post that will go up here.

The Judge: my lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to three (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we’ll see) top choices which will be posted here and voted on for a winner.

The Prize:  Okay.  Seriously?  I think this is a good prize 🙂  The winner will receive 5 (that’s FIVE!) brand new picture books personalized and signed by the authors!  These 5 awesome books are: PUZZLED BY PINK by Sarah Frances Hardy, THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN by Tiffany Strelitz Haber, THE THREE NINJA PIGS by Corey Rosen Schwartz, MARATHON MOUSE by Amy Dixon, and FLAP! by Alison Hertz.  Great to keep for your own collection or to give to little ones in your life as holiday gifts 🙂

Doesn’t that sound like fun?  Last year this was the very first writing contest I ever had on my blog, and I think we got 8 entries.  I’m really really hoping we get lots more this year – it’s fun, it’s not too long (one might even call it short and sweet :)), it has to do with Halloween, which makes you think of candy, which is pretty much synonymous with chocolate… – so really, what could be better? 🙂

So get those thinking caps on – you’ve got a whole week to come up with a 100 word kids’ Halloween story! (and I’ve already given your three of the words 🙂 witch, bat, and “trick-or-treat“) – and, since I went and distracted you with the contest, everyone please remember to leave your thoughts on Carrie’s pitch!

Have a lovely Wednesday, my friends 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #62 – Dishing Up (!) (PB) And The September Pitch Winner

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It’s another wonderful Wednesday!  And we’ve got tons of Would You Read It fun lined up 🙂

But before we get to that, I just have to interrupt myself for one second and say how lucky I am that the nicest people in the world come over here every day!

You all participate so enthusiastically in whatever high jinx and shenanigans I’ve got going on.  So many of you have helped me with one hair-brained scheme or another out of the kindness of your hearts (remember Phyllis’s World Tour?).

A number of you (and you know who you are :)) have recently gone above and beyond to help me with a couple of projects (more on those when and if they come to fruition!)

Whenever I need a talented illustrator or graphic designer (which is pretty much always because I am so bad at that stuff :)) I have only to holler – just look at all the gorgeous book marks and badges and story prompts that abound in this neck of the woods! 🙂

And then, as if all that weren’t enough, Stacy took pity on me (and all of you) because of the Don’t-Use-Images-Off-Google-Lest-You-Get-Sued debacle that has left my Would You Read It posts depressingly undecorated with chocolate.  She spent heaven knows how many hours baking amazing treats AND PHOTOGRAPHING THEM!!! and then sent me a whole file full of truly delicious pictures – that I am allowed to use! 🙂 – to make your Wednesdays brighter and chocolate-r.  I am not making this up.  Look!!!

Peppermint Patty Brownie Cupcake
Photo copyright Stacy S. Jensen used by permission

Seriously!  Aren’t you just drooling?

So I would like to ask for a big round of applause for Stacy!  Thank you so much for bringing beautiful chocolate back into our Wednesdays.  Really, I’m a little choked up 🙂

And a huge thank you from me to all of you for taking the time to come over here and join in the fun and support me in whatever crazy thing I’ve got going at the moment! 🙂  Please.  Have a cupcake on me!

So, okay, enough of that mushy stuff.  Now that we are suitably armed with Something Chocolate (YUM!), let’s go!

First, I’d like to announce the winner of the September Pitch Pick.  It was a tight race!  Our new system of letting writers rework their pitches based on all your helpful comments is resulting in much-improved pitches across the board, making it very difficult to choose!  (Although it does also make it more exciting! :))  Anyway, the winner for September is

Elizabeth

with her pitch for Buff The Magic Dragon!  Congratulations Elizabeth!  Especially because you now have the honor and distinction of being the first person in Would You Read It history to win more than one pitch pick!  (You all may recall that Elizabeth won the May pitch pick with her pitch for Magnificent about synchronized swimming elephants :))  Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for critique and I’m sure we’ll hear from her soon!

I would also like to congratulate all the other pitchers – Tina, Vivian, and Catherine – for excellent pitches and for being brave enough to put their work out there for critique.  We all know it isn’t easy!  So thank you for stepping up to the plate… or maybe it should be stepping onto the mound :)… although somehow that doesn’t sound very good… like maybe something that should be in Catherine’s story 🙂

Anyway, 2nd grade bathroom humor aside, it is now time for today’s pitch!

Today we have a pitch from Brenda.  Brenda says, “I am a somewhat average gal, not to tall, not too round, not too young or too old.  I am not outgoing, yet I am definitely not an introvert.  My works include:
-Meeting Myself, Snippets from a Binging and Bulging Mind (about bulimia and me)
– Heartfelt-366 devotions for common sense living
– God, Gluttony & You (a Bible study)
– The Big Red Chair ( a story book for grieving children.)
Writing gives me a way to look at my life and recognize how far I’ve come.  If you really want to know what I am thinking, read my Daily Devotionals.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Dishing Up (!)
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-8)
The Pitch: Squabbles and food fights break out when invisible guests show up at a family dinner table.

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 Brenda improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in December, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Brenda is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I would like to sneak in a quick word from our sponsors before you go.  Have I reminded you lately that the Halloweensie Contest is coming up soon?

I haven’t?

Well then, the Halloweensie Contest is coming up soon!!!!!

As you all know, I’m a last-minute kinda gal, so I haven’t yet decided exactly what the contest will be…  but it will be on Wednesday October 31 (Halloween!!!) replacing WYRI that day, and it will be a children’s story of some type (aren’t they always? :)) and it will be tons of fun and there will be good prizes!!!  So put on your halloween thinking caps so you’ll be all ready to start writing when I put up the official contest announcement… hmmm…. maybe Monday!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #61 – Phantom And The Boneyard (ER) and Pitch Pick #13

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Boy do we have all kinds of Would You Read It fun for today!  Grab your Something Chocolate and settle in!

First off, we have the September Pitch Pick, and all 4 participants have revised their pitches with an eye to your wonderful comments, so this should be very interesting!

#1 Tina
Melody Wants A Piano (PB)
When Melody returns from Grandma’s with a song in her heart, she wants a piano.  Perhaps street singing, a baseball game, and a talent show will help her raise the funds to share her song with others.

#2 Elizabeth
Buff The Magic Dragon (PB)
Buff the Magic Dragon is afraid of EVERYTHING.  But when his magic trick-gone-wrong lands the baby Princess Ponypants in the tentacles of Captain Meanie Bones Jones, Buff must swallow his fear to save her.

#3 Catherine
Once Upon A Toilet (PB)
Mr. Eubend, a plumber for King Fartsalot and Queen Piddle, was called away to an emergency in a neighbouring kingdom. En-route he finds he is in great demand.

#4 Vivian
Confessions Of The Tomato Turner (PB)
Peter proudly helps his mom in the family vegetable garden, but when he pulls up a baby tomato plant instead of a weed, Peter is torn between telling his mom and hiding the evidence in the compost pile. 

Please vote below for the pitch you think is best and should get a read by editor Erin Molta!  Voting will be open until Friday October 12 11:59 PM EDT.

Many thanks for your vote!  I can’t wait to see how it turns out! 🙂

Next, we have today’s pitch which is fun because it’s an early reader and we don’t get too many of those.  Our pitcher today is Sidney Levesque, who is a former newspaper reporter and editor.  She now works for a university and writes freelance.  She is a wife and the mother of a toddler, and is enjoying dipping her toe into the great ocean of fiction!

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Phantom And The Boneyard
Age/Genre: Early Reader
The Pitch: The Phantom awakens to find himself separated from his squadron and relocated to a military “boneyard” in the Arizona desert with other retired airplanes used for spare parts. But Phantom isn’t ready to retire and starts plotting his escape with the help of new friends before he, too, ends up in permanent storage with his “eyes” wrapped shut.

Sidney also asked to include the opening of her story, which I thought would be very fun to share 🙂 so here it is:

All around him were endless rows of military airplanes he didn’t recognize, planes that looked very old, as if they hadn’t been flown in years.
Some had noses missing. And doors ajar. Wires hanging out like spaghetti.  Tires deflated. Entire planes dismantled into a thousand pieces.

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 Sidney improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in December, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sidney is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that on Monday we will be having a very special visitor and a giveaway!  So please plan on saving a few Monday moments for an interview with the one and only Natasha Yim and a chance to win her new book, Sacajawea Of The Shosone!!!  (I’m sorry Short & Sweets is getting bumped, but I think you’ll find it’s worth it! :))

Oh Susanna – If It’s Been Posted On My Blog, Can I Still Submit To Publishers? And The August Pitch Pick Winner!

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Happy Monday, my friends!  I hope you all had lovely, restful weekends and you’re rarin’ to go 🙂

Let’s start the high jinx and shenanigans this morning with the August Pitch Pick winner, shall we?

I must say, I’m really enjoying the new system whereby everyone gets a chance to improve their pitch.  Thanks to all the helpful reader comments, and diligent application by our steadfast pitchers, the pitches for the pitch pick are all significantly better, don’t you think?  Of course, it makes it even harder to choose a winner! 🙂

But the voters have spoken, and the winner of the August Pitch Pick is KIMBERLEY and her pitch for Saturdays With Fish!!!  Congratulations, Kimberley!  Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for a read, and you will no doubt hear from her soon 🙂  And congratulations to all who pitched – you all did an excellent job and pitched very interesting and creative stories!  Best of luck with them!

Phew!  That was a lot of excitement for first thing Monday morning!  I think a small sustaining snack is in order 🙂  Perhaps a wee nap 🙂

Alrighty then.  Everyone fortified?  Onward!

We haven’t had the chance for an Oh Susanna question for a while because the person in charge around here keeps bumping them for other things, like Short & Sweets, and contests, and other tomfoolery.  But today, we shall forge ahead with a question that has been waiting patiently since about June.

The question is, “Oh Susanna, I have a couple of poems that people have suggested would make good picture books. I’ve toyed with both of them and think they would indeed be fun PBs, but written in prose, and obviously very (though not completely) different from the poems. Do you think agents and publishers would have a problem with the fact that the manuscript is based on a poem already published on my blog, even if the ms is in prose and clearly fleshed out into a proper story?“

This is a very interesting question…

It’s true that many agents and publishers do not like to accept material that has been previously published on a blog.  Their reasoning is, essentially, that if people have already seen it and read it for free, why would they now want to pay for it?  This is especially true of a work that has been published in its entirety.  (And by published, I don’t mean traditionally published, but any type of posting on the internet, or self-published, where a large number of people have had access to it.)

However, (as always :)), there are exceptions.  In the case of a longer work, like a novel, if only a small teaser or single chapter has been posted, it may give agents and editors a chance to glimpse the quality of your work and become interested without giving away the farm.  If you happen to be Amanda Hocking and self-publish and sell millions of copies, there will also probably be publishers willing to pick up your book 🙂

In a case such as you’re describing, you are probably safe for a couple reasons.

First, unless your blog has a huge readership, it’s very likely that your work has yet to be viewed by the entire English-reading population.  You can pull the posts that contain the material and no one else has to see it.

Second, you have not published them in the format a publisher would be trying to sell.  They were posted as poems but will be submitted to agents and publishers in prose.  The submitted version of the stories may be expanded or changed from the originals, so what you initially posted isn’t really the same.

Finally, if you intend them to be picture books, the stories will eventually be married to someone’s art, which will give it a whole other level and impact than the original unillustrated poem.  The publisher could well end up with something that bears little resemblance to the original post.

I think you could likely submit in this case without a problem. Just be sure to take down any posts that contain the material, or just remove that specific material from the posts if there are other things in them that you want to leave up.

I would very much love for other knowledgable readers out there to chime in on this issue, though.  Do you think this answer is right?  Or have you had specific experiences that lead you to believe otherwise?  Please share!  We may all have something to learn!

Have a wonderful day, everyone! 🙂