Category: Halloweensie Contest

Oh Susanna – How Do You Decide Which Blogs To Follow?

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Batten down the hatches, all my fellow east-coasters!  In spite of the fact that I bought candles on Friday and filled the bathtubs with water this morning, the Frankenstorm appears to be coming anyway. I hope you are all in a safe place with plenty of batteries and chocolate and possibly your floaties and a rowboat!

To keep your minds off whether or not your basement is likely to approximate Lake Superior by tomorrow, let’s dive in to today’s Oh Susanna question, which is one that strikes a real chord with me, and I’m guessing a lot of you will feel the same way.

Penny asks, How in the world do you decide which blogs to follow regularly??? I would love to follow everyone! I would love to comment on all posts! But, if I do that, I have no time to do what I really love, which is writing! I read lots of blogs that I only comment on randomly, so the writer never knows that I read them often. We have become so connected by the Internet that I sometimes feel rude because I can’t spend time with all my writing friends equally. Does anyone have a “qualifier” list for what blogs they will choose to best suit their goals? Do those who blog rely on comments to “keep them going”…or are you going to blog no matter what? Is anyone else as frustrated about this as I am? (I know you covered time management in one of your Oh Susanna! posts…but I think I need a refresher focusing on blogs.)

Yes, Penny!  I am definitely as frustrated as you are! 🙂

As Penny mentioned, we did discuss this a little in the Oh Susanna post on Time Management.  But I decided to post this more specific question because it’s something I think  lot of people wrestle with every day (including me! :)), and I’m very interested in hearing from everyone out there about how they handle this issue.

I think the answer partly depends on what you hope to get out of blogging.  If you’re trying to hone your craft, then you’ll read a list of blogs that focus on craft and you might not need to comment unless you have a question.  This is a very different picture from that of someone who is trying to build a platform and will have to visit and comment on many blogs regularly in hopes of encouraging them all to follow back.

If you, like me, blog for community – for the connection, the interaction, the discussion, the feeling of being part of a group of like-minded people, the friendship – there’s really no limit to how much time you CAN put in, which is where the problem lies.  And from the way Penny asked the question, I think this is at least partially what she’s talking about.

This is a knotty problem, because we do develop friendships.  There is a large group of people out there who I am very fond of even though technically I’ve never met them in real life :)!  I feel guilty if a day goes by when they post and I don’t have time to read, or I read but don’t have time to comment.  I worry they’ll feel slighted and think bad thoughts about me!

But let’s face it: there are only so many hours in the day.  And most of us here have things to do besides blog 🙂

Just for fun, let’s take a quick survey:

#1

poll by twiigs.com

#2

poll by twiigs.com

#3

poll by twiigs.com

I’m very interested to see how these turn out!  And I have a feeling the results may be a very informational part of this post for all of us.  I hope a lot of people will respond.

If it helps to share concrete information, I’ll tell you what I do: (and I will admit straight out that I DO NOT have the answer!)

The blogs I follow regularly belong, as a general rule, to writers, illustrators, teachers, librarians, and a few agents, editors, book reviewers, and mom bloggers – at least, those are the blogs I read with commitment.  (I confess there are a couple funny ones I read sometimes that don’t fit into any of those categories :))  These are the people I share common ground with, the blogs where many of my interests lie, that also intersect with what I have time for.  (I would love to read blogs about horses and dogs and a few other things, but I simply don’t have time, so for me blogging centers in a more professional area.)

I like having new posts delivered straight to my inbox, even though it fills up, because then I’m sure to see them.  Anyone whose blog does not include an email option is likely to get sporadic reading from me because I read so many that I tend to forget about some without the reminder.

I try to carve out a chunk of time at the approximate beginning, middle, and end of my work day to read and comment on blogs, but it is rarely that neat… reading and commenting on blogs feels deliciously like being productive at moments when the writing isn’t going well which makes it a nearly irresistible distraction 🙂

I read an average of 30-40 blogs per weekday (fewer on weekends – I’m trying to cut back :))  I comment on an average of 20-25 per day, maybe a little more.  Chances are high that if you ever see comments from me (and you have an email option for delivery :)) I’m reading your blog all the time – every post.

As for comments on my own blog, they are very important to me.  They let me know that I’m not just shouting into the abyss – that I hopefully provide something enjoyable maybe sometimes even valuable on some level.  And I genuinely like hearing everyone’s thoughts on everything.

Truthfully I feel like the amount of blogging I do is both insufficient and far too much.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could agree on some sort of system?  So that we could spend a little more time on our actual work without worrying that our friends are feeling neglected and unloved?  Maybe an “I’m-Up-To-My-Eyeballs-But-I-Took-The-Time-To-Come-Over-Here-So-You’d-Know-I-Still-Love-You-Even-Though-I’m-Not-Reading-Or-Commenting-Today” button? 🙂

What works for one may not work for another, but it sure would be helpful to hear from you all about how you manage.  How do you decide who to read?  How much is enough?  Please share!!!

(And remember!  Only 2 days until the Halloweensie Contest!  Rules HERE!)

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Silence

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Remember on Monday when I was feeling all flibbertigibbetty?

Well, I decided I’m not the only one who feels that way.  Life is crazy! 🙂  So for today’s Perfect Picture Book I chose some balm for the flibbertigibbeted soul 🙂

Silence
Written & Illustrated By: Lemniscates
Magination Press, March 2012, Fiction

Suitable For: ages 3-8

Themes/Topics: listening, taking time to notice yourself and your world

Opening: “In the silence I can hear the waves crashing and the wind playing with my kite.“

Brief Synopsis:  A child takes different moments of peace and quiet throughout the day, in different seasons, and in different locations, to see what the world has to say.

Links To Resources:  I think the best activity for this book is to do exactly what it says: listen!  What can you hear in the quiet of your room?  What can you hear if you listen quietly outside?  What do you notice when you take the time to absorb what’s going on around you?  Try just being quiet for a few minutes 🙂

Why I Like This Book:  Let’s face it – life is busy!  Even for kids.  This lovely, peaceful, quiet book reminds children and parents to pause for a few minutes, listen. and reflect.  The book is filled with lovely lines like, “In Spring, I can hear the bees loving flowers” and “When I listen I can hear  my feet when dancing my heart when running…”  This book may be as close as you can get to meditating with the under 6 set 🙂  I find it very peaceful 🙂

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

Since we’re talking Perfect Picture Books today, let me just say that I’m pretty excited that the Perfect Picture Book book marks arrived this week!  They turned out beautifully!  I have the following packaged up and ready to send out to the wonderful people who are taking it upon themselves to help spread the word of our endeavors here:

Beth – 200
Vanessa – 100
Patricia N. – 100
Donna – 100
Darshana – 50
Kirsten – 50
Heather B. – 50
Laura M. – 50
Julie R-Z – 30
Kim Mac. – 30
Clar – 25
Penny – 25
Stacy – 25
Vivian – 25
Jennifer R. – 25
Joanna – 20
Pat – 15
Jarm – 15
Alison – 10

If you asked for book marks and don’t see your name here, please let me know!  Saba and Amy both said they would like some but I need to know how many.  Vanessa, Patricia N,. and Donna – I’m happy to send you more if you need them – please let me know – but I only had 1000 to start.  ONLY!  I can’t believe we used them ALL!

If anyone else would like book marks to pass around to local libraries, schools, teachers, parents, day care providers, preschools, etc., please let me know.  If you email your address and let me know how many, I’m going to order some more and I’ll send them along!

And now, a quick reminder before the weekend, when some people might be able to find a few spare minutes to work on it…  The Halloweensie Contest is next week! – Wednesday October 31 to be exact!! – tons of fun and a great prize (as well as incredible fame should you happen to win :))!!!  So whip up those 100 words!  For complete details, please see HERE.  And can I just say, I don’t know what’s up with the weather, but after saying I hoped we wouldn’t get 2 feet of snow that knocks out the power and the internet like last year, would you believe we have a HUGE storm predicted for Tuesday into Wednesday?  I am going to do my best to get the post written ahead (Stop that!  I hear you rolling around on the floor laughing!  I didn’t promise, I said I’d TRY!) so that everyone will be able to add their links and such even if I can’t get on to read.  By planning ahead, I’m hoping to scare the storm away altogether.  I am that powerful.  But in case the worst happens, we will still have our contest whenever the power comes back on!

PPBF bloggers, please add your post-specific links to the list below.  I can’t wait to see what shows up this week! 🙂

Have a great weekend, everyone! 🙂

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

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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 – The 16th Pitch

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In case you were wondering, there are only 46 shopping days left until Christmas, counting today!

I’m not sure why the radio feels it necessary to tell us this in a panicky voice, as though we might have trouble getting our shopping done in 6 and a half weeks!  But there you have it.  Consider yourself forewarned.

Personally, I couldn’t shop for 6 and a half weeks.  Maybe after I write a New York Times bestselling book, or Punxsutawney Phyllis gets made into a movie 🙂 but at the moment, 6 and half minutes of shopping is more in line with my budget! … and my patience… 🙂

So.  That is my public service announcement for the day.  Chocolate creme donut anyone?

Now onto the fun stuff.  We have a winner in the Halloweensie Contest!!!  I do want to say again, before I tell you who the winner is, that ALL the entries were really wonderful – I was so impressed.  So if you didn’t make the list of finalists, don’t feel bad.  The competition was stiff.

Okay.  Are you ready???  Drum rollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!

The winner of the Halloweensie Contest, the signed copy of Haunted Party by Iza Trapani, and your admiration is #2 – Cathy!!!  Congratulations, Cathy, on a really great piece of work!  Please email me at susanna [at] susannahill [dot] com or use the handy Email Me button in the right-hand side bar to contact me with your address so I can mail your prize!

And never fear!  We will be having another contest in a couple weeks which I will be announcing on Friday!!!

Now.  Buckle up your reading glasses because it’s time for everybody’s favorite show:  Would You Read It!

Today’s contestant is Dee from Down Under who blogs at DeeScribeWriting and is currently participating in NaNoWriMo.  She presents us with the following:

Title:  Hating Ric
Age/Genre:  YA Verse
The Pitch:  On the day of his brother, Jason’s funeral, 17 year-old Ric’s anger explodes, and he races Jason’s car through the streets, crashing and badly injuring jogger, Kate.  Ric is sent to a juvenile justice centre, where survivor guilt and grief set him on a reckless destruction course. Help comes through his music and from an unexpected source in Kate who is struggling to put her own life back 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 Dee 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.
Dee is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I am wondering about your holiday shopping habits… 🙂
And a quick reminder that Friday’s Fun Foto theme is HIBERNATION if you want to post a kid-friendly, story-inspiring, hibernation-related photo on your blog Friday 🙂  Friday will also be the next installment of Straight From The Editor!, so stay tuned.  Friday may or may not include a Warm Fuzzies entry (depending on whether or not I can pull something together :)) but it will include the next contest announcement.  So see ya Friday!!!

Tons Of Fun Monday!

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I hope you’re all feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning (and really, don’t ask me what being “bushy-tailed” means exactly or what it has to do with being awake… :))

Since it’s Monday, I assume some of your bushy tails look like this:

google images

and some like this:

google images

But if you’re feeling like the second one, never fear!  You’ve come to the right place!  We have donuts 🙂

And, as you know, we always have plenty of fun around here!  Today is extra-especially fun because of all the winning!  Ready?

First  off: this week’s Fun Foto theme is HIBERNATION!  So scout around for a child-friendly photo that says hibernation to you and get ready to post it on your blog Friday for everyone to enjoy and use as a story prompt 🙂

Next up: the October Pitch Pick.  The winner, whose pitch will be sent to the awesome editor Erin Molta for evaluation and comment, is none other than KIM!!!!!  Congratulations, Kim!!!  Well done!!!  And congratulations also to Carla, Christie, and Tracy, our other brave contestants, who put their work out there for everyone to see and critique.  As always, all the pitches were wonderful, and I’m sorry that everyone can’t win.  But please, keep those pitches coming.  It’s great practice, and who knows?  You could be a winner next time!  Stay tuned for Straight From The Editor coming up whenever Erin’s comments happen to arrive… 🙂

Next: the winner of which book will go on a journey around the world is Can’t Sleep Without Sheep! If you would be interested in having Can’t Sleep come to your neck of the woods, please sign up in the comments.  I will either choose one person to start with (possibly by a contest of some kind… mwah-ha-hah!) and let them send it on, or if enough people from enough far-flung places sign up, perhaps I’ll just put together an itinerary.  The idea is for the book to travel around and be signed with a first name, location and date (and a tiny message if you like) and then come back to me eventually to share with kids on school visits!

illustration copyright Mike Wohnoutka 2010

Finally: here are the Halloweensie Contest finalists for you to vote on.  Boy did this turn out to be way harder than I expected!  Everyone’s entries were so good!  In the end, though, my assistant judge and I narrowed it down with heaviest emphasis on what a child would most enjoy since the point is, after all, to write for kids, with secondary consideration to how close you came to the 100 word count.  So here are the 3 finalists, identified by number. not name.  Please read them and vote for #1, #2, or #3!

#1

Oh Judy!
A gaggle of boys and girls dressed like soldiers, dancers, animals and one lone devil walked down the street in search of Halloween treats.
Before they reached Judy’s house, a ghost darted out of the bushes.
“Boo!”
A ballerina jumped throwing her candied apple into the air.
A bear cried as the gooey treat fell on his furry head.
The devil stumbled over a jack o’lantern into the bushes.
The group joined together to return the devil to his feet.
“Oh Judy,” they yelled.
“What?” she cried from her front porch, as a shadowy figure slipped into the bushes.

#2

Red candied apple dripping in goo.
Orange carved pumpkins spelling out BOO!
Yellow glowing jack o’lantern’s grin,
Green as the wart on an ugly witch chin!
Blue satin Cinderellas looking for a shoe,
Purple bubbling cauldron of stinky witch brew.
Black is the cat, white ghost in flight,
A rainbow of colors on Halloween night!

#3

Boo smirked and pulled Jack O’Lantern to the spooky looking house.
“Come on. Let’s go here.”
Jack O’Lantern gasped at skeletons and ghosts hanging from trees. The eerie sound of a wind chime, the only noise.
“Maybe we should have come out earlier,” said Boo, shivering in the cold and dark.
Circumnavigating a hanging ghost to reach the door, Boo dared to ring the doorbell.
Just as the door creaked open, a gust of wind blew the hanging ghost into them.
“Aargh!” They screamed as two candied apples were thrust toward them.
The boys ran and called back,
“Thank yoooooooo!”

So please vote for your favorite today or tomorrow!  (Poll will close Wednesday November 9 at 5 AM EST so I can post the winner on Wednesday morning.)


<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/5648197/”>Halloweensie Contest</a>
The winner will receive a signed hard cover copy of Haunted Party by the incomparable Iza Trapani!
And as I said, all of the entries were fantastic – I was so impressed with the quality and with how imaginative people could be within the constraints of the writing requirements!  I’m looking forward to the Thanksgiving Contest I’ve had requests for which I will post as soon as I think up what it is 🙂

Don’t forget to vote for the Halloweensie winner, let me know if you’d like to have Can’t Sleep journey to your house, and pick out a hibernation foto for Friday!

Once Upon A Halloweensie Contest

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Due to our freak snowstorm, this post is interrupting Would You Read It Wednesday, so if you haven’t seen today’s Would You Read It, please scroll down or click here so Christie gets her pitch feedback!  Thank you!

Once upon a Halloweensie, 2 feet of snow fell out of the sky and caused all manner of trouble!

So, the good news?  Those of you who would like to enter the Halloweensie Contest and didn’t get around to writing your stories yet still have a chance to join in the fun!  I’ll give you until the end of tomorrow – Friday November 4.  For those of you who might not remember, the contest is for a 100 word story (in poetry or prose) suitable for children, using the words boo, candied apple, and jack-o-lantern.  The story can be a little under 100 words but must not go over!  If you don’t have a blog and want to enter, just copy and paste your story in the comments.

Here’s my sample, just for fun (because obviously I can’t enter my own contest :))

Mom was out, so Caitlyn was babysitting for Dex and Jax.
“Is it time yet?” asked Dex.
“Not yet,” said Caitlyn.
They put two dozen candied apples on a tray.
“Is it time yet?” asked Jax.
“No,” said Caitlyn.
They poured three jumbo bags of mini chocolate bars into the cauldron.
“Now?” asked Dex.
“Nope,” said Caitlyn.
They hung fake cobwebs around the door.
They turned off all the lights.  Caitlyn lit the jack-o-lantern.
It was dark and spooky.
“Is it time yet?” whispered Dex.
“Yes!” Caitlyn whispered back.  “One.  Two.  Three…”
“BOO!” they all yelled.

Boy was Mom surprised!


I think about 6 or 7 people that I know of wrote their entries and posted them on time.  I’m hoping they’ll all see this (or I’ll try to contact them) and get the addresses of their Halloweensie posts into this linky list so they’re easy for everyone to find in one place.  And I hope you’ll all go read the stories they worked so hard on!  And, while I’m hoping, I also hope a few more of you will be inspired to join – especially all you fellow PiBoIdMo folks whose creative thoughts are flowing right now!  Remember, the prize is a signed copy of Haunted Party by the one and only Iza Trapani 🙂

And just so you know?  I’ve decided to make this an annual contest!  Of course we’ll use different words and have a different prize each year, but you might as well go ahead and mark your calendars now for Halloween 2012 🙂  It will give you something fun to work toward.  While I’m at it, I’ll probably do this for most of the major holidays because it’s fun, good practice in writing, educational for all us writers honing our craft, and a chance for me to give away signed books by authors I know and love 🙂  Better start thinking about Thanksgiving 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 15th Pitch

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(Which this week, due to Mother Nature’s sense of humor, is taking place on Thursday!)

Hello everyone!  I’m so glad to see you all!  I feel like I’ve been out of touch for ages.  I apologize to all the awesome bloggers I usually follow for missing what I’m sure have been brilliant posts this week.  I will do my best to catch up, but there’s nothing like being disconnected from the internet for 4 days to make you realize how fast you can get totally backlogged!  And right at the beginning of PiBoIdMo, too!

I’m so behind I don’t know if there’s any hope of catching up, but if you’ll all indulge me (and the wonderful writers who have taken the time to send in their pitches and write stories for the Halloweensie contest) by reading a couple extra posts too close together, I’m hoping to get Would You Read It up today, as well as the proper Halloweensie post, and the Pitch Pick for October up tomorrow, but I’ll be playing catch up for a while.

Before we start, though, I will share a couple pictures of our Halloween Wonderland.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… except for all the leaves… and the fact that it’s October  🙂
That thing in the trampoline used to be our apple tree which we planted as a mere sprout when we first moved here 18 years ago 😦
Luckily the girls love a good romp in the snow 🙂  This was a shallow spot – I didn’t have the camera out when they were over their backs in the white stuff!

Okay.  That will be quite enough of that!  Truly, all this snow is making me feel a little light-headed.  I think it’s time for a piping hot cup of coffee (which I can once again brew! :)) and some glazed chocolate Dunkin’ Munchkins!  Join me, won’t you?

Now, then.  Onward!

Today’s post comes to us from the prolific Christie, whose MG novel was pitched last month.  This time she’s sharing a picture book pitch:

Working Title:  The Tooth Fairy Star
Age/Genre: Picture Book
The Pitch:  Tiffany Faye loves being the tooth fairy, but when all the other fairies complain about her terrible dancing, she has to find a way to dance without being clumsy or else give up her job as the tooth fairy.

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 Christie 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.
Christie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Please be kind enough to check back and read the Halloweensie Contest post which I will get up ASAP for all the wonderful writers who posted stories!  Thank you all for your patience and good will 🙂

Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza – Halloween! – and Warm Fuzzies!

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Important Update to the Halloweensie Contest!
Want to enter but don’t have a blog?  No problem!  Just copy and paste your entry into the comment section on Monday!  (We may all be doing that if I don’t get the Linky Tool thing figured out :))

To start today’s festivities, I ask you all to witness my awesome fun foto!  I realize, of course, that this is technically another pumpkin, but it’s so unbelievable I have to show you.  Prepare to be amazed!

lolcats

No pumpkin I ever carved came out looking remotely that artistic.  In fact, the ones I carve are generally no longer recognizable as pumpkins…

But if you’re going to get nitpicky and require something Halloween but non-pumpkin, I always go for the cuteness.  How’s this?

lolcats

Catherine and Stacy have fun fotos up, too, so please go check out theirs!  Anyone else who would like to join in the fun, please post a 0-12-year-old friendly photo that says HALLOWEEN to you on your blog, then hop back here or Catherine’s blog and put your link in the comments so everyone can come visit you.

Now, onto item #2: The Warm Fuzzies Blogfest!

Juliana Brandt is running this awesome fest.  Please visit her over at her brand new beautiful website.  This week’s discussion topic is as follows:

This week, be it good or bad, funny or sad, share with us the best response you’ve heard when you’ve told someone you’re a writer. Also, tell us, do you tell other people that you’re a writer?

So here are my thoughts.

For a long time, I didn’t tell anyone I was a writer.  I mentioned it once or twice and was met by the question, “Oh!  What books have you written?” at which point I was forced to confess that I’d written all kinds of things but none of them were published.  So I stopped mentioning it.

Then came the wonderful day when I got an actual offer from an actual, reputable publishing house.  At last I could say I was a writer and when people asked the inevitable I could say, “I wrote The House That Mack Built!”  To which most people would say, “O-oh!” in an uncertain voice with that look that said clearly, I’ve never heard of that so it must not be too good.  (Or they would say, “You mean The House That Jack Built?” as if I might not know the title of my own book…)

A book or two later, when I was starting to feel a little more like a writer, people would say, “What have you written that I would have heard of?”  Well, truthfully, most people aren’t all that well-versed in young children’s literature.  If it’s not on the New York Times Bestseller list, they probably haven’t heard of it, and I have never been on the New York Times Bestseller List… yet!  So I would mention my 2 or 3 titles, they would look at me blankly, and there would be an awkward pause in the conversation.

Another frequent response is, “Oh, I’m going to write a book.  I have tons of ideas.  I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”  Like it’s easy, something to be tossed off in a spare afternoon.

But somewhere along the line I have become comfortable with the fact that I am a writer.  Maybe not famous.  Maybe not the best writer in the world.  But a writer is who I am.  Nowadays when people ask what I do I say I’m a writer, and I say it with assurance.  And I feel a certain sense of pride.  Neither I nor my books are particularly well-known (can you say virtually unheard of :)) but I feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

As to the best moments, I have a couple.  One I wrote about last week – when a woman asked me to sign a copy of Can’t Sleep Without Sheep for her newborn daughter, to be the very first book in her child’s library.  There is no way to beat that.  Really.

And a few others, when people have told me that one of my books is their child’s favorite.  That it is read over and over in their house.  That’s why we write.  To share our stories and hopefully make someone’s day a little better.  To me, there is no higher compliment than to be told something I wrote is treasured by a child.

So that’s my Warm Fuzzy 🙂

I hope you all have a great weekend, and I hope you’re all ready for Halloween – stocked up on candy that of course you are most certainly not going to eat any of yourself… except for a few pieces that are required to fulfill your Something Chocolate quota for Would You Read It… 🙂 and ready to don your costume.  In case anyone is wondering, this year I will be dressing up as a write-at-home mom.  It’s a stretch, I know, but sometimes you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone 🙂

And I hope everyone is ready for the Halloweensie Contest (click the link if you don’t know about it yet) on Monday!  I’ve already heard from one person that her entry is ready to go.  I’m so excited!  I can’t wait to read everyone’s creative 100 words!

See you Monday!  Trick or treat!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 14th Pitch

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Greetings, folks!
Apologies for being absent from the blogosphere yesterday and late in posting Would You Read It today!  Yesterday was a C-RAAZY day!

First, I went to the New York State Readers Association Conference in Rye Brook, NY to mingle, sign books, and give a talk to actual professional grown-ups (and any of you who have been around here long know what terror talking to actual professional grown-ups strikes into my pitter-pattery little heart!)  I would be sharing a photo of me with fellow writers Lesa Cline Ransome and Ann Burg, but I don’t have one yet!  (I’ll add it in when I get it, or post it Friday along with my fun foto :))  The talk, much to my surprise, went well – such lovely people attended! – and I ended up having a really nice time.

When that was done, I high-tailed it home, picked up my daughter, drove her back to college after her long weekend (a 4+ hour drive), turned right around and drove back home.  By my reckoning, close to 550 miles of driving in about 11 hours in one day.  Thank goodness for my 3 month free subscription to satellite radio which allowed me to listen to a comedy station on the long drive home alone!  I felt like a cartoon.  Toward the end, near 11 PM which is WAY past my bedtime, I had to get out and run around the car a few times in the cold night air to wake up 🙂  If only I had video footage – it would be so entertaining!  I could post it on YouTube and go viral… but I digress!

So anyway, fueled up on coffee and imaginary chocolate donuts, I am here at last to post this week’s Would You Read It 🙂  Just first, I want to mention that the theme for this week’s Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza (which I keep thinking I should abbreviate to FFFF but it’s too much fun to say fextravaganza!) is HALLOWEEN!  What a surprise 🙂

I also want to remind everyone about the HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST which will be taking place on Monday, which actually is Halloween – how apropos 🙂  A bunch of people seemed enthusiastic, so lets hope we get some entries – I already have the signed book prize in my hot little hands and I’m looking forward to the fun!

OKAY.  Time to welcome today’s pitcher, Kim, a former journalist and current Communications professor who loves to write creatively.

Working Title:  Henry Hears You
Age/Genre:  YA
The Pitch:  13-year-old boy finds his voice as the new advice columnist for the school newspaper only to discover that some problems don’t have easy solutions when he gets a letter from a kid threatening to kill himself if the gay bashing doesn’t stop.

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 Kim 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.
Kim is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Don’t forget to join us Friday for Fun Foto (Halloween), and get right to work on your Halloweensie Contest entries!!!  I know they’ll be spooktacular 🙂