Darlings!
You did it!!
7 weeks of writing awesomeness!!!
This has been SO MUCH FUN!!!!!
I hope you guys all know you are really amazing!
What an incredible treat to get to enjoy all that creativity, heart, humor, cleverness, word play, rhyme, and just all around fun!
We had quite an impressive turn out!
64 people entered at least one week of the challenge.
45 people completed all 7 weeks.
You left upwards of 2000 comments for each other (and that doesn’t count the comments I haven’t had time to leave yet!)
There were at least 6 instances where people did more than one entry in a given week, so we had 361 stories in all!
And what amazing stories they are!
You guys should all give yourselves a big pat on the back and have some cake.
Because truly, I think some cake is called for. I mean, what is a celebration without cake? Normally, as you all well know, I would go for chocolate, but since it’s summer I’ll pick something a little summerier 😊

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake from Recipe Rebel
Now you can have your cake and eat it too while we pass out prizes! 😊
Since 45 people completed the challenge and I had 44 prizes, I threw in an extra so everyone who qualified could get a prize. Of course, you have all already gotten a prize just by writing all these new stories, getting your creativity flowing, getting to read everyone else’s work, and getting to tell people how much you loved their stories while hearing how much they loved yours! I hope a whole pile of new books will come out of this little fun fest 😊
I put all your names in one hat, and all the prizes in another, and randomly drew a name and a prize to go with it until I ran out. The prizes are all listed below. Scroll along and look for your name to see what you won, and then email me using the handy contact form on my website (or my email address) subject line Prize and I’ll get everything sorted out with the mailing and getting in touch with critiquers and etc and whatnot! (And there is one last item at the bottom of the post after the whole list so please scroll to the end even after you find your prize!)
Ooh! Isn’t it fun giving out prizes? All the anticipation of wondering what amazing goody you might get???!!!
Well get out your sparklers, boys and girls, because. . .
WOO HOO! It’s PRIZE TIME!!!
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
For Spacious Skies by Nancy Churnin, award-winning author of so many fabulous books I don’t have space to list them all! Visit her website or Amazon Page!
🌟WINNER: KAY DiVERDE!🌟
Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Kirstine Erekson Call, author of THE RAINDROP WHO COULDN’T FALL (Character Publishing 2013) and the forthcoming MOOTILDA’S BAD MOOD (Little Bee Books, September 2020), COW SAYS MEOW (HMH March 2021), and COLD TURKEY (Little Brown Spring 2021)
🌟WINNER: SUE LANCASTER!🌟
Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Ellen Leventhal, author of DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS (Spork 2017), HAYFEST: A Holiday Quest (ABCs Press 2010), and LOLA CAN’T LEAP (Spork 2018)
🌟WINNER: DI LITWER!🌟
Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Lindsay Hanson Metcalf, author of BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST (September 2020), FARMERS UNITE!: PLANTING A PROTEST FOR FAIR PRICES (Calkins Creek November 2020), and NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY (Charlesbridge September 2020)
🌟WINNER: SUSAN SCHIPPER!🌟
Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non rhyming) from Kaye Baillie, author of BOO LOVES BOOKS (New Frontier Publishing October 2020), and MESSAGE IN A SOCK (Midnight Sun Publishing 2018)
🌟WINNER: CINDY BOYLL!🌟
Your choice of EITHER a Picture Book Manuscript Critique or a Virtual Visit with Keila Dawson, author of THE KING CAKE BABY (Pelican 2015), and NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY (Charlesbridge September 2020)
🌟WINNER: MATTHEW LASLEY!🌟
Winner’s Choice of Webinar from the amazing Alayne Kay Christian, author of picture books Butterfly Kisses, An Old Man And His Penguin, and the forthcoming The Weed That Woke Christmas and the chapter book series of Sienna The Cowgirl Fairy, and editor at Blue Whale Press! Webinar choices include: How A Picture Book Is Made, Perfecting Your Critique, Top Ten Reasons For Rejection, and How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro!
🌟WINNER: REBECCA GARDYN LEVINGTON!🌟
15 Minute Video Chat – ask your questions about writing, research, submissions – whatever’s on your mind! – with Christy Mihaly, author of DIET FOR A CHANGING PLANET: Food for Thought(Twenty-first Century Books/Lerner 2018), HEY, HEY, HAY!
A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them (Holiday House 2018) , and FREE FOR YOU AND ME: What Our First Amendment Means (Albert Whitman March 2020)
🌟WINNER: DEB BUSCHMAN!🌟
Quick Impressions on your Picture Book Manuscript from Rosie Pova, author of IF I WEREN’T WITH YOU (Spork 2017), SARAH’S SONG (Spork 2017), the forthcoming SUNDAY RAIN (Lantana Publishing March 2021) and others.
🌟WINNER: LAURI MEYERS!🌟
RONAN THE LIBRARIAN, (Roaring Brook Press April 2020) brand new from fabulous author Tara Luebbe
🌟WINNER: DEB SULLIVAN!🌟
Your Choice of EITHER A Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction, non-rhyming) or an Ask Anything 15 Minute Video or Phone Chat with Tara Luebbe, author of SHARK NATE-O,(Little Bee Books 2018), I AM FAMOUS ( Albert Whitman 2018), I USED TO BE FAMOUS (Albert Whitman 2019), OPERATION PHOTOBOMB (Albert Whitman 2019), and RONAN THE LIBRARIAN (Roaring Brook Press 2020) (see above)
🌟WINNER: CANDICE MARLEY CONNER!🌟
Sherry Howard, author of Rock And Roll Woods (Spork 2018) and a series of Nonfiction Middle Grade titles for Escape Publishing (2019)
🌟WINNERS:🌟
SEA ANIMALS – GENEVIEVE & CUPCAKE PETRILLO!
LAND ANIMALS – ELIZABETH MEYER ZU HERINGDORF!
PLANES – JESS MURRAY!
BIRDS – LINDA SCHUELER!
CARS – KETAN, RAVI & AIYKA RAM!
BOATS – BRENDA WHITEHEAD!
is offering 6 of her nonfiction middle grade titles which will go to 6 lucky winners!
Ann Whitford Paul, author of Writing Picture Books (being donated by Becky Scharnhorst below), the book we ALL use as our picture book bible 😊, and countless wonderful picture books, is offering signed copies of her IF ANIMALS… Series (Farrar Straus Giroux):
🌟WINNERS:🌟
IF ANIMALS WENT TO SCHOOL – ALICIA MEYERS KELLY!
IF ANIMALS KISSED GOOD NIGHT – MARTY!
IF ANIMALS SAID I LOVE YOU – MICHELLE S. KENNEDY!
IF ANIMALS CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS – COLLEEN MURPHY!
If Animals Went To School (2019) If Animals Kissed Good Night (2008)
S
If Animals Said I Love You (2017) If Animals Celebrated Christmas (2018)
If you would like to benefit from her picture book wisdom, please sign up for her newsletter HERE!
A hand lettered quote of someone’s choice from a picture book, or a quote about reading or writing that could be framed as a gift for a child’s bedroom, a writer you know and love, or an inspiration for writing in your own work space (why shouldn’t you give yourself a present?!) offered by Kristy Roser Nuttall! (Samples below – you can choose your own quote!)
🌟WINNER: DAWN YOUNG!🌟
Making Picture Book Magic – Self Study Class any month (x3)
🌟WINNERS:🌟
KATIE SCHWARTZ!
PENNY ADLER!
LESLIE DENKERS!
Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul, donated by Becky Scharnhorst whose debut picture book P.S. Camp Wildwood Stinks will be released in Summer 2021 from Philomel!
🌟WINNER: SARAH MEADE!🌟
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert donated by Becky Scharnhorst whose debut picture book P.S. Camp Wildwood Stinks will be released in Summer 2021 from Philomel!
🌟WINNER: UGO ANIDI!🌟
The Nuts & Bolts Guide To Writing Picture Books by Linda Ashman (only available for Kindle) (x2)
🌟WINNERS:🌟
JILL LAMBERT!
SUSAN KREVAT!
Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
🌟WINNER: JAMIE BECHTELHEIMER!🌟
MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS personalized and signed 😊
🌟WINNER: KRISTY ROSER NUTTALL!🌟
The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty
🌟WINNER: ROSE CAPPELLI!🌟
This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward
🌟WINNER: AMY FLYNN!🌟
🌟WINNER: SARA ACKERMAN!🌟
Writing Journal (x10)
🌟WINNERS:🌟
MIA GEIGER!
DOT ANSON!
CORINE TIMMER!
LIZ KEHRLI!
SUSAN INEZ!
TRACY (LITTLE CORNISH WRITER)!
ASHLEY CONGDON!
LILY ERLIC!
BARBARA RENNER!
PATRICIA NOZELL!
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
🌟WINNER: MARY VAN BEUREN!🌟
Promised Item At The End! 😊
Please be a little patient – it’s going to take me awhile to sort out 45 prizes but I will do it as quickly as I can! 😊 And if anyone thinks I screwed up (entirely possibly given that I’m so tired I’m cross-eyed right now 😊) please let me know!!!
And although I hope to see you here for occasional Tuesday Debuts, things will quiet down here on the blog for July and August, so have a wonderful, happy, healthy, writing-filled summer everyone!!! 💕