Category: Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge

2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – The End!

20 Comments

We made it, my friends!

7 weeks of writing – check! √√√

And we are going to CELEBRATE!

Dance along with the animal marching band!

Illustration by Dana Atnip 2013, used with permission, all rights reserved

Help yourself to some ice cream. . .

text copyright Susanna Leonard Hill, 2017, illustration copyright Daniel Wiseman 2017, Little Simon

. . . and ask bunny for a balloon – you know you want one! 😊

Now that you are dancing with a balloon while eating ice cream, let’s talk about how amazing you are! 😊 For starters, you are extraordinarily coordinated! 😊

But let’s look at the stats, shall we?

7 weeks of writing!

74 writers who participated in at least one week!

47 writers who completed the whole 7 Week Challenge!

4 writers who wrote 1 or more extra entries – 1 who wrote 5 extras!

some number I didn’t have time to count of writers who participated last year and this year (I’ll have to add that in…!)

394 stories written altogether!

And more than 2200 comments you left for each other to support, encourage, admire, and cheer each other’s efforts!

I mean, that is something to be proud of! You guys all did a fantastic job, writing so many wonderful, entertaining, creative stories filled with humor, heart, cleverness, rhyme, nonfiction elements, and unexpected surprises while simultaneously supporting each other! Way to go!

When any of these stories turn into published picture books, I wish to be informed! 😊

So now it’s time for my favorite thing! Handing out prizes!

Since 47 people completed the challenge and I didn’t have that many prizes, I got creative 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 so you can see them in all their glory and appreciate the talented and generous people who offered them. And then the names of the winners and the prize they won are listed at the bottom. I’m hoping it will be clearer this way then it was last year!

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 if you know it) subject line Prize and I’ll get everything sorted out with the mailing and getting in touch with critiquers and etc and whatnot!

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, Amazone, 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! 😊

⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is penny-parker-klostermann.jpg

⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jennifer-buchet.jpg



⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg
Jen Raudenbush

⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from the lovely and talented Sara Kruger!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sara-kruger.jpeg
Sara Kruger

⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is becky-scharnhorst-collage.jpeg

⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-05-23-at-7.58.46-pm.png

⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is alayne-kay-christian.jpg

⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is writing-irresistible-kidlit.jpg

⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner


This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is squarecover.jpg

⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month) (x 3)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is email-header-final-susanna-hill.png

⭐️WHAT’S THE STORY CARDS created by yours truly 😊 Inspiration for writers to download and print. The ultimate mix ‘n’ match. You’ll never be stuck for an idea again! (x 13)

⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a-flood-of-kindness.jpg

⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is making-their-voices-heard.jpg

⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2c5b9-dragon2bcover.jpg

⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sloth-cover.jpg

⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bindus-bindis.jpg

⭐️A copy of PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA! by Linda Ashman

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is phoebe-dupree.jpg

⭐️A copy of THE LITTLE KITTEN by Nicola Killen

⭐️ A personalized signed copy of MOON’S FIRST FRIENDS by yours truly

⭐️ A personalized signed copy of MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS by yours truly

⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness (x 3)

Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

⭐️Picture Book Writers Rock! Mug for the writing fuel of your choice! 😊 (x 3)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-06-13-at-7.24.55-pm.png

⭐️Writing Journal (with a side of prompts 😊) (x 6)

5358C071-383B-4EF4-ADFD-353F737E23E5_1_201_a
  1. Katie Schwartz – What’s The Story Cards
  2. Bru Benson – Making Picture Book Magic Self Study
  3. Allison Strick – What’s The Story Cards
  4. Jill Lambert – Making Picture Book Magic Self Study
  5. Barbara Farr Renner – What’s The Story Cards
  6. Rose Cappelli – BINDU’S BINDIS
  7. Lauri Meyers – Making Picture Book Magic Self Study
  8. Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf – WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT
  9. Ashley Sierra – Zoom Chat with Becky Scharnhorst
  10. Susan E. Schipper – Writing Journal with Prompts
  11. Dawn Young – What’s The Story Cards
  12. Colleen Owen Murphy – SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (personalized and signed)
  13. Amy Leskowski – Picture Book Writers Rock Mug
  14. Sarah Meade – SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE
  15. Sue Lancaster – Writing Journal with Prompts
  16. Dianne Irving – Writing Journal with Prompts
  17. Deb Buschman – Picture Book Writers Rock Mug
  18. Elenore Byrne – Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Jen Raudenbush
  19. Padgy Soltis – Picture Book Manuscript Critique and Audio Recording from Sarah Meade
  20. Erika Romero – What’s The Story Cards
  21. Robin Currie – MOON’S FIRST FRIENDS (personalized and signed)
  22. Brenna Jeanneret – How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro Webinar
  23. Michelle S. Kennedy – What’s The Story Cards
  24. Nicole Loos Miller – THE LITTLE KITTEN
  25. Marty Bellis – Picture Book Writers Rock Mug
  26. Susan Summers – Writing Journal with Prompts
  27. Sally Yorke-Viney – Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Happiness
  28. Marta Cutler – What’s The Story Cards
  29. JC Kelly – What’s The Story Cards
  30. Sarah Hawklyn – What’s The Story Cards
  31. Ashley B. Pedigo – Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Happiness
  32. Lyn Jekowsky – A FLOOD OF KINDNESS
  33. Jen Subra – Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Happiness
  34. Laura Bower – What’s The Story Cards
  35. Sara Kruger – Writing Journal with Prompts
  36. Bevin Rolfs Spencer – Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR Query Letter Critique from Jenny Buchet
  37. Isabel Cruz Rodriguez – THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT
  38. Lauren Scott – What’s The Story Cards
  39. Linda Schueler – Writing Journal with Prompts
  40. Hannah Roy LaGrone – Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Penny Klostermann
  41. Aly Kenna – PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA!
  42. Marty Findley – Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR Query Letter Critique from Sara Kruger
  43. Mia Geiger – MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS (personalized and signed)
  44. Jeannette Suhr – 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
  45. Joyce Uglow – MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD
  46. Erin Cleary – What’s The Story Cards
  47. Deb Sullivan – What’s The Story Cards

Please be a little patient – it’s going to take me awhile to sort out 47 prizes but I will do it as quickly as I can! 😊 And if anyone thinks I screwed up (entirely possibly given the juggling act life is right now 😊) please let me know!!!

I hope you all had as much fun with the Mix ‘n’ Match as I did!

And although I hope to see you here for Tuesday Debuts through August 3, things will quiet down here on the blog for July and August, so have a wonderful, happy, healthy, writing-filled summer everyone!!! 💕

2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #7!

328 Comments

Can you believe it?

We’ve arrived at Week #7!

The last week of the 2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge!

Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!

You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)

To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)

To read the Week #5 entries or add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)

To read the Week #6 entries of add your Week #6 entry, please go HERE (Week #6)

Before we get to today’s challenge, one little housekeeping detail:

If you want to qualify for the prize drawing, you must have completed an entry for each of the 7 weeks and posted them on the appropriate week’s post by Saturday June 26th at midnight Eastern time in order to qualify, so that I can post the winners on Monday June 28th! So take note of that deadline – all 7 completed and posted by Saturday June 26th at midnight!

Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #7 for Week of June 21:

So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, turning songs into stories with themes, concept stories in particular settings, and relationships and emotions between characters! 😊 This week, since it’s the last week, it seems fitting that we do something with endings.

But not just anything. . . 😊

Endings do not exist in a vacuum. In order for endings to feel satisfying – make readers, laugh, cry, gasp with amazed delight, or sigh with satisfaction – the ending must feel connected to the beginning.

So. This week, choose a beginning from Column A and an ending from Column B and write a 100 word story for kids that fits between them using a tidbit of onomatopoeia from Column C if you want to (just for fun 😊).

Column A – BeginningsColumn B – EndingsColumn C – Onomatopoeia (optional)
Once upon a time…And that is why she/he tucked it very carefully into her/his pocket.splish, splash, sploosh
When [Character Name] woke up, a thunderstorm was brewing.  “OH, NO!” (or, “HURRAY!”)Then he/she snuggled close and whispered with a smile, “I love you more than marshmallows.”kackata-kack-krack-POP!
It all began when the mermaid’s tail got caught on the handle of [Character Name]’s umbrella.Never let an alligator get in the way of your plans!plink-plank-plunk
She/he wasn’t always a bad piggy.So he/she/they rushed back out of the woods shout-singing Ain’t No Bugs On Us until he/she/they was/were really, truly, sure it was true!slurrrp
There was a sloth who lived all alone.[Character Name] knew summer was here at last!buzzz bzzz-bzzz
[Character Name] was all ready for the beach!Aunt Ruby was right.  It had been a better day!splop
We’re finally on our way! We’re having the best time ever! Until…Inch by inch, step by step, they made it all the way to the tippy top.chirp
Holly, Molly, Ollie, Wally, and Little Boo packed a picnic and set out in search of adventure.And so he/she/they did.bee-beep
On the Fourth of July, Max went into hiding.And they lived happily ever after.murmur
[Character Name] had a problem with watermelon.Shushshush, the waves whispered. Shushshush.hissss

  • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you.

  • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is just a guideline.

  • If you’re deeply inspired by a beginning or ending or some onomatopoeia that isn’t here, go for it! – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing! Please just tell us what you’re using at the top of your entry.

  • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which column items you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, title, and word count.

    • I have been so enjoying reading all your amazing stories every week – so many different, creative, delightful, entertaining stories! – that I’m sad this is the last hurrah for this year!

    So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    Check Out The Week #7 Stories:

    Beach Baby – Bru Benson

    The Worm’s Halloween Adventure – Marty Findley

    Perfect Piggy – Robin Currie

    Watermelon Woes – Rose Cappelli

    Beach Bound – Sue Lancaster

    The Unexpected Ride – Dawn Young

    Sloth Finds A Friend – Jen Subra

    The Fairy And The Thunderstorm – Erin Cleary

    Will Summer Begin? – Erika Romero

    Max And The Fireworks – Sara Kruger

    Melodia’s “Mis” Adventure – Susan E. Schipper

    Untitled – Lauren Scott

    Max And The Alligator – Marta Cutler

    Duck’s Creek – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    Sam’s Trouble With Watermelon – Lyn Jekowsky

    Game, Game, Go Away! – Hannah Roy LaGrone

    Watermelon Delight – Jeannette Suhr

    The Fear Of Fireworks – Amy Leskowski

    Merchant Pips – Elenore Byrne

    The Very Slow Sloth – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    Sloth And The sUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) – Laura Bower

    Why Piggies Have Curly Tails – Jill Lambert

    Dorothy’s Umbrella – Brenna Jeanneret

    Beach Adventure – Ashley Sierra

    Sloth And Bee – Linda Schueler

    Maddy Wants More, More, More – Sarah Meade

    Climbing Up – Marty Findley

    This Little Piggy – Marty Bellis

    Sloth And The Bees In The Tree – Barbara Renner

    Munch Goes The Pirate – Aly Kenna

    Marianna And The Mermaid – Sally Yorke-Viney

    Undersea Soiree – Nicole Loos Miller

    Ella’s Wild Ride – Michelle S. Kennedy

    A S’more By The Fire – Allison Strick

    The Ant Raid – Deb Sullivan

    A Wagonful Of Trouble – Susan Summers

    A Nap And A Watermelon Field – Jana Mattern

    Rules For A Pig-Perfect Life – Joyce Uglow

    Wanted: ESPR – Colleen Own Murphy

    Not So Bad After All – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    Watermelon Problem – Mia Geiger

    A. Sloth Or Not A. Sloth – Katie Schwartz

    Saltwater Kisses – JC Kelly

    Where There’s A Skate There’s A Way – Sarah Hawklyn

    The Prince And His Alligator – Deb Buschman

    The Lonely Sloth – Ashley B. Pedigo

    Untitled – Lauri Meyers

    Tilly’s Mermaid – Dianne Irving

    Untitled – Padgy Soltis

    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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, Amazone, 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! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is penny-parker-klostermann.jpg

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jennifer-buchet.jpg

    

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg
    Jen Raudenbush

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from the lovely and talented Sara Kruger!

    Sara Kruger

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is becky-scharnhorst-collage.jpeg

    ⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-05-23-at-7.58.46-pm.png

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is alayne-kay-christian.jpg

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is writing-irresistible-kidlit.jpg

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
    

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is squarecover.jpg

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is email-header-final-susanna-hill.png

    ⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a-flood-of-kindness.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is making-their-voices-heard.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2c5b9-dragon2bcover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sloth-cover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bindus-bindis.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA! by Linda Ashman

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    ⭐️Picture Book Writers Rock! Mug for the writing fuel of your choice! 😊

    ⭐️Writing Journal (with a side of prompts 😊)

    5358C071-383B-4EF4-ADFD-353F737E23E5_1_201_a

    2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #6!

    266 Comments

    Look at us! Half way through June and up to Week #6 in our Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge! Can you believe you’ve written at least 5 brand new stories so far (I know some of you are writing more than one per week!) with two weeks of inspiration still to go? Who knows how many new picture books might be getting their start during this challenge!

    So let’s fire up the old brain cells and show Week #6 who’s boss!

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!

    You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)

    To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

    For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

    To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

    To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

    To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)

    To read the Week #5 entries or add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #6 for Week of June 14:

    So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, turning songs into stories with themes, and concept stories in particular settings! 😊 This week, we’re going to explore the importance of relationships and emotion!

    Picture books are often about relationships – parent/child, sibling, friends/enemies, child/pet, grandparent/child, babysitter/child etc. and those relationships can cause emotions or be affected by emotions.

    Choose a main character from Column A, a second character from Column B, and an emotion from Column C and write a 100-word story for kids where the story centers around the emotion between them.  (For example, 2 friends where one is jealous of the other, or a child who feels angry toward his beloved dog for chewing up his prized baseball glove, or a child who feels nervous about visiting her elderly grandmother who is wrinkly and smells like mothballs but whom she is supposed to love.)  Feel free to make “siblings” a dog and a cat, or “friends” a dinosaur and a goat, etc – you don’t have to stick with all human characters – write monsters, fairies, and aliens if you like 😊

    Column A – Character 1 (MC)Column B – Character 2Column C – Emotion
    RosieGrandma or Grandpa (Gran, Grand Dad, Oma, Poppa, etc)awe (looks up to/hero worship)
    TuckPet (any kind – your choice)jealousy
    MaisieFriendanger
    ChipSibling (older, younger, twin, step)sadness
    BentleyMom or Dad or Stepbetrayal
    EsmeBabysitter (any age or gender)boredom
    EnzoDragonworry, anxiety, nervousness
    XanderDinosaurjoy
    DylanFairy Godmotherlove
    AprilEnemypride
    August/Auggie/Gus  resentment

  • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!

  • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline

  • If you’re deeply inspired by a name, relationship or emotion that isn’t included you’re welcome to use it, just please say what it is at the top of your entry – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!

  • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which relationship and emotion you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.

    • I am ready to be bowled over by your creativity and talent! 

    So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    Check out the Week #6 stories!

    Gus – Robin Currie

    My Sister’s For Sale – Rose Cappelli

    Esme And Enzo, Aquatic Besties – Candice Marley Conner

    Alice And Ollie – Joyce Uglow

    Enzo The Pelican – Lyn Jekowsky

    Tuck And Pops – Marty Findley

    Anna And Granna – Marty Findley

    Mighty Maisy – Jen Subra

    Dance! Dance! – Leslie Degnan

    Gus Gets A Pet Dragon – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    Big Dog – Marty Findley

    Chip Goes Blip – Laura Bower

    My Grandpop Can Fix Anything – Susan Schipper

    The Chosen One – Sue Lancaster

    Fire Circle – Sarah Hawklyn

    The Festival – Erika Romero

    I Have A Poem For You – Padgy Soltis

    A Fork In The Road – Jill Lambert

    Birthday Surprise – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    How A Radio Flyer Brought Two Unlikely Friends Together – Erin Cleary

    Maisie And Dana – Sarah Meade

    Dylan Loves His Friend – Barbara Renner

    The Tooth Fairy And The Dragon – Aly Kenna

    Grammy’s Twinkles – Dawn Young

    Date Night Betrayal – Allison Strick

    Maise Marigold Mariah Munder Would Not Let Her Face Go Under – Sara Kruger

    Maisie Astounds – Jeannette Suhr

    Dear Tooth Fairy – Nicole Loos Miller

    Creating Joy – Jeannette Suhr

    I Don’t Need A Babysitter – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    According To My Grandma – Marta Cutler

    Bentley’s Bad Behavior – Susan Summers

    A New Day – Mia Geiger

    Rosie’s Great Gramma Mary Onion – Sally Yorke-Viney

    Maisie’s Big Brother – Marty Bellis

    The Fairy Godmother Problem – Ashley Sierra

    The Most(ly) Boring Babysitter – Amy Leskowski

    Love – Lauren Scott

    Maisie’s Surprise – Deb Sullivan

    Little Dragon Worries – Hannah Roy LaGrone

    The Green Dragon – Marta Cutler

    Betrayed – Colleen Owen Murphy

    Hearts More Like Me – Elenore Byrne

    Little Gus Giraffe Goes To Tokyo – Dianne Irving

    I Hate Puppies – Deb Buschman

    Not The Enzo But A Beginning – Bru Benson

    The Great Escape – Katie Schwartz

    Monster And Alien – Brenna Jeanneret

    Late For School – Again – Michelle S. Kennedy

    Xander And The Dinosaurs – Linda Schueler

    Esme And Rex – JC Kelly

    Enzo’s Fire – Ashley B. Pedigo

    Untitled – Lauri Meyers

    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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, Amazone, 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! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is penny-parker-klostermann.jpg

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jennifer-buchet.jpg

    

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg
    Jen Raudenbush

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from the lovely and talented Sara Kruger!

    Sara Kruger

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is becky-scharnhorst-collage.jpeg

    ⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-05-23-at-7.58.46-pm.png

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is alayne-kay-christian.jpg

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is writing-irresistible-kidlit.jpg

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
    

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is squarecover.jpg

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is email-header-final-susanna-hill.png

    ⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a-flood-of-kindness.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is making-their-voices-heard.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2c5b9-dragon2bcover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sloth-cover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bindus-bindis.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA! by Linda Ashman

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    ⭐️Picture Book Writers Rock! Mug for the writing fuel of your choice! 😊

    2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #5

    378 Comments

    It’s a hot, hot Monday in June, so what better way to spend the day then on a cool porch, in a shady hammock, or in the air-conditioned library with an iced beverage, your writing implements, and the prompt for Mix ‘n’ Match Week #5?!

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!

    You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)

    To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

    For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

    To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

    To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

    To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #5 for Week of June 7:

    So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, and turning songs into stories with themes! 😊 This week, we’re going to have fun with concepts!

    Kids have a lot to learn about the world, and picture books can be education disguised as entertainment 😊. Think Z IS FOR MOOSE by Kelly Bingham, MOUSE PAINT by Ellen Stoll Walsh, and ROUND IS A TORTILLA by Roseanne Thong.

    For this week’s challenge, choose a concept from Column A and a setting from Column B and write a 100 word concept story for kids in which you utilize the setting to show your concept.

    Column A – ConceptColumn B – Setting
    ShapesHalloween
    ColorsBeach
    Numbers/CountingFarm
    AlphabetSchool
    TimeCar Trip
    Place/Location (in, on, above, under, around, through, etc.)Circus
    EmotionsCity or Country
    SeasonsAmusement Park or County Fair
    WeatherSupermarket
    • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
    • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
    • If you’re deeply inspired by a concept or a setting that isn’t included you’re welcome to use it, just please say what it is at the top of your entry – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
    • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which concept and setting you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.

    Can’t wait to see what amazing, creative things you guys come up with this week! 

    So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    Check out the Week #5 stories!

    F Is For Fish Farm – Candice Marley Conner

    The Reason For Seasons (At The Beach) – Laura Bower

    Go To The Beach And Find. . . – Erika Romero

    Circus Countdown – Sue Lancaster

    ABCs Of Abstract Art – Christine Alemshah

    What Color Is Fall? – Jen Subra

    Toucan Counts His Berries – Marty Findley

    Weather Check – Dawn Young

    The Colors In The Farm – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    One Fine Bluebird – Rose Cappelli

    Road Trip! – Erin Cleary

    Wise Willie Wonders Where – Susan Schipper

    On My First Easter Party – Ashley Sierra

    Senses Dance At The Beach – Lyn Jekowsky

    Roller Coaster – Barbara Renner

    Alphabet Road Trip – Aly Kenna

    A Trolley Full Of Feelings – Elenore Byrne

    It’s Time For The State Fair – Joyce Uglow

    They’re Coming! – Jill Lambert

    The Colorful Car Trip – Deb Sullivan

    Are We There Yet? – Marta Cutler

    The Number Line – Colleen Owen Murphy

    Five At The Fair – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    Are We There Yet? – Leslie Degnan

    A Win At Walmart – Sara Kruger

    Circus Opposites – Lauren Scott

    Runaway Stroller – Allison Strick

    Ghost Crabs At The Beach – Susan Summers

    Ups And Downs – Jeannette Suhr

    Sleepytime ABCs – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    I’ll Grocery Shop For You – Bru Benson

    Weather Or Not – Marta Cutler

    At the Beach – Marty Bellis

    Counting the Colors of Sunset // Contando los colores del atardecer – Hannah Roy LaGrone

    Farm Time – Robin Currie

    Halloween Alphabet – Sally Yorke-Viney

    Alphabet Road Trip – Deb Buschman

    At Grandma’s House – Sarah Meade

    Not The Only One – Amy Leskowski

    Beach Day – Katie Schwartz

    At The Beach – Sarah Hawklyn

    Monday Mornings – Padgy Soltis

    Farm Life – Michelle S. Kennedy

    Seasons Market – Linda Schueler

    Untitled – Lauri Meyers

    Roller Coaster – Nicole Loos Miller

    Ten Little Sea Creatures – Mia Geiger

    Head Down Under And Count To Ten – Dianne Irving

    The Halloween Seasons – Brenna Jeanneret

    “Is It Halloween Yet?” – Ashley B. Pedigo

    I Simply Cannot – JC Kelly

    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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, Amazone, 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! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is penny-parker-klostermann.jpg

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jennifer-buchet.jpg

    

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg
    Jen Raudenbush

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is becky-scharnhorst-collage.jpeg

    ⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-05-23-at-7.58.46-pm.png

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is alayne-kay-christian.jpg

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is writing-irresistible-kidlit.jpg

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
    

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is squarecover.jpg

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is email-header-final-susanna-hill.png

    ⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a-flood-of-kindness.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is making-their-voices-heard.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2c5b9-dragon2bcover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sloth-cover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bindus-bindis.jpg

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week #4

    287 Comments

    Good Monday Morning, Everyone!

    I know it’s Memorial Day and many of you are busy with family celebrations, parades, and honoring those who have done so much for all of us.

    But in case you also have the day off and a little free time. . .

    . . .let’s have some Mix ‘n’ Match fun because it’s time for Week #4!

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!

    You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)

    To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

    For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

    To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

    To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #4 for Week of May 31:

    So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, and a picture prompt with random words and a secret!  This week we’re going to have some musical fun with themes! 😊

    Choose a song from Column A, a theme from Column B, and an important item from Column C (optional.)  Write a 100 word story for kids where your version of the song tells a story that shows your chosen theme (including your important item if you wish!) You may use the original song opening if you like, but you are not required to (just make it obvious in your writing and/or identify which song you’re using along with your title and word count), and if rhyming isn’t your thing you can write in prose as long as it’s still clear which song you’re working with.  You may add or subtract characters (e.g. Bob and Joe rowed their boat gently down the stream), change the destination (e.g. Row, row, row your boat up the mountainside), change the type of action (e.g. Row, row, row your boat wildly down the stream) etc… Anything you like!  Have fun with it! (For examples in kidlit, see Iza Trapani’s extended nursery rhyme songs.)

    Column A – SongColumn B – ThemeColumn C – Important Item (optional)
    Row, Row, Row Your BoatIt’s important to try new thingsNecklace
    The Itsy Bitsy (Eensie Weensie) SpiderEven when you’re bad, you’re still lovedTeddy bear
    Twinkle, Twinkle Little StarIt’s important to stay true to yourselfBlackberries
    Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?Just because it looks good doesn’t mean it isPink Blankie
    The Bear Went Over The MountainIf you work together you can solve a problemStory book
    Here We Go Round The Mulberry BushYou don’t have to be big to stand up for yourselfMap
    It’s Raining, It’s PouringFriends should always stick togetherTractor
    Jack And JillBelieve in yourself and you can achieve your dreamsMoon
    Rock-A-Bye BabyIf you don’t succeed the first time, try againDaisy

    Post your story in the comment section below! (If for some reason you have trouble posting, you may use the contact form to email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you.)

    • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
    • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
    • If you’re deeply inspired by a theme that isn’t included you’re welcome to use it, just please say what it is at the top of your entry – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
    • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which song, theme (and important item if you choose to use one) you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.

    I am SO looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!  You continue to knock my socks off with your creativity every week!!!

    Now come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    Check out the Week #4 stories!

    It’s Raining! It’s Pouring! – Leslie Degnan

    Dreams Inside! – Robin Currie

    Jack And Jill’s New Adventure – Jen Subra

    Untitled – Lauri Meyers

    Charlie’s Search – Rose Cappelli

    Rock A Bye Daisy – Laura Bower

    Arachnid At Your Service – Jill Lambert

    The Itsy Bitsy Spider And The Moon – Erika Romero

    About Our Friends Who Tried To Row A Boat (Perhaps Under A Full Moon?) – Erin Cleary

    Untitled – Lauren Scott

    Believe In All You Imagine – Sally Yorke-Viney

    The Itsy Bitsy Puppy – Marty Findley

    All That Glitters Is Not Gold – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    Spunky Little Teddy – Joyce Uglow

    Flap Flap Flap Those Wings – Marty Bellis

    Dress Dress Dress For Rain – Amy Leskowski

    Mark And Grace – Colleen Murphy

    I Love Shopping With My Mom – Sara Kruger

    Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Pet Spider Gone – Aly Kenna

    Where, Oh Where Has My Story Book Gone – Ashley Sierra

    Ninja, Ninja, Little Sneak – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    Jack And Jill Revisit Their Hill – Ashley B. Pedigo

    Jo And Flo – Christine Alemshah

    Little Lilly’s Blunder – Elenore Byrne

    Ride, Ride, Ride My Bike – Sue Lancaster

    Friends For Life – Deb Sullivan

    Fireflies – Lyn Jekowsky

    The Rescue – Marta Cutler

    Bear’s Fresh Start – Allison Strick

    Rock A Bye Zombie – Susan Summers

    Rainy Day Problem…Solvers – Susan Schipper

    To Grandmother’s House We Go – Jeannette Suhr

    It’s Raining, It’s Pouring – Dianne Irving

    Tinkle, Tinkle, Potty Stress! – Michelle S. Kennedy

    Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    Use Your Map – Padgy Soltis

    The Daisy – Barbara Renner

    Oopsy Daisy! – Marta Cutler

    Yummy, Yummy, Little Pie – Nicole Loos Miller

    The Bat Flew Over The Pumpkins – Sarah Meade

    Read A Book – Dawn Young

    Sun And Moon – Dawn Young

    The Itsy Bitsy Scratchy Spider – Bru Benson

    Wait For Me – Candace Kubinec

    Untitled – Sarah Marhevsky

    It’s Raining, It’s Pouring – Sarah Hawklyn

    Don’t Row The Boat Please – Linda Schueler

    How Much Is That Bicycle In The Window – Mia Geiger

    The Itsy Bitsy Tadpoles– Hannah Roy LaGrone

    Rock Star Baby Brother – Katie Schwartz

    Albert Went Over The Mountain – Deb Buschman

    The Itsy Bitsy Spider Is Bored – Brenna Jeanneret

    The Just Right Story Book – JC Kelly

    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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, Amazone, 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! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is penny-parker-klostermann.jpg

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jennifer-buchet.jpg

    

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg
    Jen Raudenbush

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is becky-scharnhorst-collage.jpeg

    ⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-05-23-at-7.58.46-pm.png

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is alayne-kay-christian.jpg

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is writing-irresistible-kidlit.jpg

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
    

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is squarecover.jpg

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is email-header-final-susanna-hill.png

    ⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a-flood-of-kindness.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is making-their-voices-heard.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2c5b9-dragon2bcover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sloth-cover.jpg

    ⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bindus-bindis.jpg

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #3

    295 Comments

    Ok, writers, are you ready?

    Forget the dishes in the sink, the pile of work in your inbox, and the fact that it’s your mother-in-law’s birthday on Thursday and you still haven’t thought of a good present!

    It’s time to Mix ‘n’ Match your way to a new story! 😊

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!

    You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)

    To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

    For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

    To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #3 for Week of May 24:

    So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, and with writing a cumulative story.  This week we’re going to play with a picture prompt, 3 random words. . . and a secret!

    Here’s the picture, drawn by the incredibly talented Julie Rowan-Zoch (author/illustrator of I’M A HARE, SO THERE! HMH Books For Young Readers 2021, and illustrator of LOUIS by Tom Lichtenheld HMH October 2020!) and used with her permission for your writing fun 😊 (Thank you, Julie!!! 💕)

    illustration copyright Julie Rowan-Zoch 2021 used by permission, all rights reserved

    And here are random words! Choose one from Column A, one from Column B, and one from Column C.

    Column AColumn BColumn C
    raindropspicnicstrawberry tart
    nestrope swingpond
    cherry treemistakebucket/pail
    unicornlosttantrum
    bridgespringadmire

    But wait! There’s a twist! One of the characters has a secret! Which character? What secret? And how does it impact the story? You will probably want to think up your own secret, but in case anyone needs an idea, here are a few suggestions:

    -took something that didn’t belong to them
    -hid something on purpose
    -told someone something that wasn’t true
    -doesn’t want to play hide ‘n’ seek (or duck, duck, goose, or musical chairs, or tag, or. . .)
    -only wants to play hide ‘n’ seek (or duck, duck, goose, or musical chairs, or tag, or. . .)
    -is allergic to acorns
    -wants to invite someone to their birthday party (or for a sleepover, or. . .)
    -is afraid of dogs (or cats, or bicycles, or bees, or swimming, or. . .) and doesn’t want anyone else to know
    -plans to bake a surprise cake for someone
    -has a special present for someone
    -isn’t telling someone something they should
    -secretly really likes someone
    -secretly doesn’t like someone
    -is getting something they know everyone will love

    Write a 100 word story for kids about the pictured characters, using three random words and giving one of the characters a secret which you incorporate into the story, and post your in the comment section below! (If for some reason you have trouble posting, you may use the contact form to email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you.)

    • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
    • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
    • If you’re deeply inspired by random words that are not on the list you can use them instead – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
    • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which random words you’re using you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.

    I am SO looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!  There have been so many amazingly creative, clever, fun, and entertaining stories written so far!!!

    Now come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    Check out the Week #3 stories!


    Ruth’s Birthday Surprise – Sue Lancaster

    The Perfect Gift – Erika Romero

    Getting There – Rose Cappelli

    A Hare Raising Mistake – Bru Benson

    Acorn Day – Jen Subra

    The Secret – Marty Findley

    The Secret Spot – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    The Smashed Bash – Laura Bower

    The Secrets of Beryl The Bunny – Elenore Byrne

    Hare…Or Not – Susan E. Schipper

    Better Than Acorns – Erin Cleary

    Acorns And, Er, What?! – Marty Bellis

    Bunny’s Problem – Deb Sullivan

    Floppy And The Rope Swing – Dawn Young

    Untitled – Elizabeth Volkmann

    The Cherry Pie Problem – Ashley B. Pedigo

    Chip, Drip, And Skip – Meg King-Sloan

    A Small Mistake – Leslie Degnan

    Turtle’s Strawberry Hill Surprise – Joyce Uglow

    Disappearing Dewberries – Candice Marley Conner

    Rabbit Won’t Have To Wait – Sara Kruger

    Hare Today And Gone Tomorrow: From Brey To Form, A Secret That Saved! – Sally Yorke-Viney

    Miss Bun’s Secret – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    A Happy Tail – Marta Cutler

    Safe Cracking Squirrels – Susan Summers

    Clueless Squirrels – Lyn Jekowsky

    Scratch And Scritch’s Show Stopper – Ashley Sierra

    Fireworks – Aly Kenna

    Late Lunch – Hannah Roy LeGrone

    Bunny’s Magic – Dianne Irving

    Thoughtful Harry – Padgy Soltis

    A Secret Entrance – Lauri Meyers

    The Scavenger Hunt – Barbara Renner

    Vanishing Act – Marta Cutler

    Rabbith’th Thee-cret (Rabbit’s Secret) – Allison Strick

    Harah Helps Look – Sarah Meade

    Momo’s Cherry Tree – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    In The Mood To Play? – Amy Leskowski

    A Couple Of Nuts – Jill Lambert

    Mr. Bunny’s Secret Skill – Mia Geiger

    B-U-N-N-Y Spells Trouble – Jeannette Suhr

    Rainy Picnic – Nicole Loos Miller

    The Secret of Sassafras – Linda Schueler

    A Friend In Need – Candace Kubinec

    Untitled – Lauren Scott

    The Unicorn – Lynn Katz

    Unicorn’s Secret – Michelle S. Kennedy

    The Happiest Habit – Christine Alemshah

    The Bunny’s Secret – Marla Yablon

    Watch Out For Bear? Watch Out For Hare! – Katie Schwartz

    The Will To Win – Colleen Owen Murphy

    Magic Unicorn – Robin Currie

    Happy Spwing – Deb Buschman

    The Unicorn’s Mistake – Brenna Jeanneret

    Tantrum Blues – Sarah Hawklyn

    That Hare – JC Kelly


    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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, Amazone, 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! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is penny-parker-klostermann.jpg

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jennifer-buchet.jpg

    

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg
    Jen Raudenbush

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is becky-scharnhorst-collage.jpeg

    ⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is alayne-kay-christian.jpg

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is writing-irresistible-kidlit.jpg

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
    

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is squarecover.jpg

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is email-header-final-susanna-hill.png

    ⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

    ⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

    ⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

    ⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

    ⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week 2!

    377 Comments

    Writers, start your computers!

    It’s time for Week #2 of the 2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge!

    WOOHOO!

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost or a little encouragement to get writing….or maybe just a little fun!

    You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies…which keeps getting added to!)

    For a full description of the challenge or to enter your Week #1 entry, please go HERE.

    Let’s jump into Week #2!

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #2 for Week of May 17:

    Last week we played with character needs, an important thing to keep in mind when you’re writing because characters should always need or want something desperately – a goal, an object or possession, a role, a quality, to prove something (to herself or someone else), to overcome something. . . You all did splendidly!

    This week we’re going to play with a specific story type: the cumulative tale!

    Cumulative stories build and build, growing sillier, or more chaotic, or more outrageous, or more complicated with each new addition, as in There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.

    She swallowed the goat to catch the dog …
    She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
    She swallowed the cat to catch the bird …
    She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
    That wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
    She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.    …


    Some published examples of clever re-tellings are:

    There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed A Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann
    There Was An Old Monster (Who Swallowed A Tick) by Adrian, Rebecca & Ed Emberly
    There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth by B.J. Lee

    Your mission, should you choose to accept it 😊 is to choose an adjective from Column A, a character from Column B, a verb from Column C, and a noun from Column D. Mix ‘n’ Match and write your own version!

    e.g. There Was An Old Cowboy Who Lassoed A Bear
    There Was A Huge Baby Who Lived On A Boat
    There Was A Shy T-Rex Who Wished For A Friend

    Column A – Adj.Column B – CharacterColumn C – VerbColumn D – Noun
    OldMonsterTurned IntoGhost
    SmartGrandmaFollowedToad
    BraveWarthogFought With/BulliedFriend
    ShyT-RexRan From/Ran To/Ran UpSword
    HugeKittenPlayed Tricks OnBear
    SmallPythonWished For/Wished OnMoon/Star
    MeanCowboyLassoedBee
    StrangeBabySwallowedWitch
    WildZookeepTauntedTree
    CuteLionLived With/Lived In/Lived OnBoat

    If choosing from all 4 columns is more than you want, or if you don’t like any of the words but the list inspires you to think up your own words, feel free to use as many or as few from the columns as you like and supply the other words yourself, but you must follow the format:

    There Was A(n) ___ADJ___ ___CHARACTER___ Who ___VERB___ A(HIS, HER, THE) ___NOUN___

    and it must be a cumulative story!

    • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
    • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is just a guideline
    • If you’re deeply inspired by another set of words, go for it! – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
    • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which column items you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, title, and word count.
      For example:
      There Was A Cute Kitten Who Followed His Nose
      by Marcia Writer
      107 words
      cute, kitten, followed

    So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Post your Week #2 story in the comment section below, or, if you have trouble for any reason and can’t post yourself you may email it to me using the Contact Form and I will post it for you.

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    Check out the Week #2 stories!

    There Was A Small Baby Who Wished For A Star – Sue Lancaster

    There Was A Wild Warthog Who Wanted To Dance – Sally Yorke-Viney

    There Was A Shy Monster Who Followed A Toad – Jen Subra

    There Was A Young Cowboy Who Lassoed A Bee – Rose Cappelli

    There Was A Strange Witch Who Turned Into A Bee – Candice Marley Conner

    Who Might She Be? – Dawn Young

    There Was A Brave Grandma Who Followed A Star – Erin Cleary

    There Was An Old Grandma – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    Where Is Baby’s Bear? – Hannah Roy LaGrone

    There Was A Smart Grandma Who Bullied A Bee – Kimiko Wadriski Lumsden

    Traffic Jam Baby – Elenore Byrne

    There Was A Huge Monster That Lived In A Tree – Erika Romero

    There Was A Huge Baby Who Followed A Bear – Leslie Degman

    I Know A Small Baby Who Swallowed Some Milk – Lauri Meyers

    There Was A Mean Cowboy Who Lassoed A Bee – Aly Kenna

    There Was A Huge Heron Who Followed A Toad – Jill Lambert

    There Was An Old Cowboy Who Wished For A Boat – Candace Kubinec

    There Was A Shy Kitten – Nicole Loos Miller

    There Was A Shy Monster Who Lived On A Star – Susan E. Schipper

    There Was A Small Kitten Who Followed A Toad – Barbara Farr Renner

    There Was A Weird Warthog Who Lassoed A Bear – Lyn Jekowsky

    There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Bee – Deb Sullivan

    There Was A Wild Warthog Who Wished For A Witch – Susan Summer

    There Was A Young Writer Who Wrote A Great Word – Sarah Meade

    Wishing Kitten – Julie Kurtz

    There Was An Old Monster Who Wished For A Boat – Brenda Whitehead

    The Nose Of A Kitten – Elizabeth Volkmann

    There Was A Mean Monster Who Swallowed A Toad – Laura Bower

    Come To My Party – Ashley B. Pedigo

    There Was A Brown Cow Who Lived In A Tree – Marty Bellis

    There Was A Strange Cowboy Who Wished For A Friend – Sophia Zafra

    There Was A Shy Lion Who Wished For A Friend – Marta Cutler

    There Was A Brave Woman Who Wrote Down A Note – Ashley Sierra

    The Hungriest Python Turned Into A Boat – Allison Strick

    There Was An Author Who Got Stymied By The Prompt – Joyce Uglow

    There Was A Small Kitten Who Followed A Bee – Diane Irving

    Are you New? – Marla Yablon

    There Was A Shy Lion Who Wished For A Friend – Lauren Scott

    There Was A Strange Kitten Who Lassoed The Moon – Linda Schueler

    There Was A Smart Baby Who Followed A Star – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

    There Was An Old Grandma Who Followed A Ghost – Marta Cutler

    There Was A Brave Grandma Who Lassoed A Witch – Jeannette Suhr

    There Was A Brave Zookeeper That Taunted A Bear – Sarah Hawklyn

    There Was A Wild Zookeeper Who Ran From A Bear – Jana Mattern

    There Was A Smart T-Rex Who Played Tricks On A Witch – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    A Huge Baby Swallowed A Witch – Bru Benson

    There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Bee – Jamie Bills

    The Old Cowboy – Katie Schwartz

    There Was A Cute Baby Who Charmed A Mommy – Christine Alemshah

    There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Bee – Sara Kruger

    There Was A Strange Cowboy Who Lived On A Boat – Michelle S. Kennedy

    The Grandma Who Bullied A Bear – Lynn Katz

    There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Witch – Padgy Soltis

    There Was A Shy Monster Who Taunted A Tree – Amy Leskowski

    A New Friend – Mia Geiger

    There Was A Smart Grandma – Marty Findley

    There Was An Old Cowboy Who Lassoed A Star – Melissa Wrex

    There Was An Old Cowboy Who Wanted A Friend – Robin Currie

    Not Guilty – Colleen Owen Murphy

    There Was A Wild Warthog Who Ran Up A Tree – Deb Buschman

    There Was A Wild Grandma Who Turned Into The Moon – Brenna Jeanneret

    There Was An Old Cowboy Who Lassoed A Friend – JC Kelly



    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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, Amazone, 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! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    Jen Raudenbush

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    ⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade (details coming)

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    ⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal

    ⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield

    ⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann

    ⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    Here We Go Again! Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Take 2!

    360 Comments

    Good morning, my little chickens!

    Are things feeling a wee bit humdrum?

    Is daily routine getting you down?

    Does this look familiar?

    Just as I suspected!

    It seems we’ve all got a case of the I Haven’t Gone Anywhere Done Anything Seen Anyone For A Year So What The Heck Can I Write About Blues!

    But don’t worry.

    I can fix that! 😊

    All that’s required is a little tomfoolery! A few high jinx and shenanigans to knock the K off of FUNK and get us back to good old F-U-N!

    Who’s with me?

    Give me a woo!

    WOO!

    Give me a hoo!

    HOO!

    What does that spell?

    Well. . . technically it doesn’t actually spell anything, since neither woo nor hoo is a letter, but one way or another it comes out

    WOOHOO!

    Now! Let’s have some fun!

    And fun in this instance is. . .

    another round of the ever-popular, practically world famous

    (Not a contest exactly… no room in the blog calendar, no time for judging, no gigantic prizes on offer…but still (hopefully!) tons of fun!)

    Here’s how it works:

    Starting today, each Monday until June 21st (which makes 7 Mondays total and will get us to the end of the school term) I will post a Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt for a 100 word story.  Post your story in the comment section for that week’s challenge (or if you have trouble posting it, email it to me and I’ll post it for you.)  At the end of the 7 weeks, everyone who has posted one story for each week’s prompt will

    A) have 7 brand new stories to play with!  (Who knows? Your next picture book or even chapter book or longer might be sparked by something you write for the Challenge!)

    B) be able to take credit for entertaining lots of fellow writers and their kids (not to mention you’ll entertain yourself and your own kids!)

    and

    C) qualify to win a prize from the Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Mystery Bag of Marvelous Prizes for Writers! (Last year we managed to scare up enough prizes that all of the approximately 40 people who completed the challenge got something, but we’ll have to see how the available prizes stack up this year – if there aren’t enough for everyone who completes the challenge we’ll have to randomly draw winners until we run out of prizes, but you will still win A and B above!)

    You can compete with yourself to see if you can write all 7 stories!  You can compete with your writing friends to see if you can write more than they do! And if you want to get really competitive, you can all read the stories that are posted and “like” the ones you think are best and see who gets the most “likes” 😊 (If you do that there might be some special prizes…who can tell??? 😊)

    When the going get’s humdrum, children’s writers beat the blues by playing writing games and creating new stories to keep themselves and everyone around them entertained!

    So here we go!

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #1 for Week of May 10:

    Choose a character from Column A and something the character needs from Column B and write a 100 word story for children entitled _____Column A_____ Needs A _____Column B_____ If you wish, you may also select a random item from Column C to include in your story.

    For example: Hermit Crab Needs A Home. (And perhaps you’d include a harmonica somewhere in the story.)

    Or, if something in Column C strikes your fancy you can use that as the thing your character needs, e.g. Hummingbird Needs Help.

    Get the idea?

    Here are the options:

    Column A – CharacterColumn B – Something NeededColumn C – random item
    HedgehogHomeHockey Stick (or Hockey Puck)
    HammerheadHugHorse (or Sea Horse)
    Hermit CrabHintHarmonica
    HummingbirdHobbyHero
    HareHolidayHelp
    Henry or HilaryHatHelicopter

    If a central idea would be helpful to you in your writing, you can focus your story on Mother’s Day, since that is fresh in all our minds this morning 😊, but that is NOT required.

    In an attempt to answer possible questions I will say:

    • you can write as many stories as you want each week
    • you can post them at any time during the week (just make sure they’re on the Monday Mix ‘n’ Match Mini post for the week you’re entering – e.g. below for Week #1))
    • you can play catch up (so if you miss a week you can go back and add to an earlier week if you’re trying to complete the challenge and qualify for prizes as long as all entries are posted on the correct week and are posted no later than Saturday June 26th at midnight Eastern time.)
    • no illustration notes
    • You may go over the word count if you’re on a roll and you wish to (because there is no judging 😊)
    • You may write in poetry or prose

    (This is where the sample I intended to write belongs, but since I haven’t had time to write it yet I’ll have to add it in!)

    And here’s a little sampling of the prizes up for grabs to whet your competitive spirit 😊 MORE TO COME!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who completed the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    ⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

    ⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

    ⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

    ⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

    ⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian

    ⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller

    ⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner

    ⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)

    ⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

    Check out the Week 1 Stories!

    Henry Needs A Holiday – Joyce Uglow

    Hank Needs A Hug – Jen Subra

    Hare Needs (To Take) A Hint – Candice Marley Conner

    Hummingbird Needs A Holiday – Laura Bower

    Hummingbird Needs A Hug – Ann Gray

    Humphrey Hummingbird Needs A (New) Hobby – Clearywriter

    Hedgehog Needs A Hobby – Erika

    Hare Needs A Hug – Brenda Whitehead

    Henry Hare Needs A Hat – Marty Bellis

    Henry Needs A Hug – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

    Hermit Crab Needs A Home – Sarah Hawklyn

    Henry Hedgehog – Michelle S. Kennedy

    Henrietta’s New Home – Rose Cappelli

    Hilary Needs A Hug – Sarah Meade

    Hermy The Hermit Crab’s New Home – Susan E. Schipper

    Helicopter Hummingbird – Linda Schueler

    Untitled – Marta Magellan

    Hilary The Hummingbird – Julie Kurtz

    A Holiday For Mrs. Hare – Judy Sobanski

    Alphonso’s Real Estate: Fashionable Homes For Hermit Crabs – Nicole Loos Miller

    Hyena’s Hiccups – Marla Yablon

    Hermit Crab Needs A Holiday – Carrines Clifton

    Henry Hummingbird Needs A Home – Jennifer Reichow

    Henry’s Discovery – Dawn Young

    Henry Needs Some Luck – Allison Strick

    Henry Needs A Holiday Hero – Ashley Sierra

    Hoglet Hurry Home – Sally Yorke-Viney

    A Hat For Hammerhead – Ashley B. Pedigo

    Hallie Hummingbird Needs A Holiday – Christine Alemshah

    Hudson Hammerhead Needs A Hug – Jeannette Suhr

    Henry Needs A Hobby – Sue Lancaster

    Hare And His Harmonica – Lyn Jekowsky

    Horst Needs A Hug – Elizabeth Meyer Zu Heringdorf

    Hummingbird Needs A Holiday – Sara Kruger

    Hammerhead Needs A Hockey Stick – Les Degnan

    Henry Needs A Hint – Deb Sullivan

    Hare Needs A Hobby – Marta Cutler

    Hare Needs A Holiday – Aly Kenna

    Hilary Needs A Hint – Mia Geiger

    Henry Needs A Hint – Elenore Byrne

    Hare Style – Hannah Roy LaGrone

    Hillary Hare Needs A Holiday – Barbara Farr Renner

    Hammerhead Needs A Holiday – Dianne Irving

    Hilary Needs A Harmonica – MWREX

    Henry Needs A Hug – Val McCammon

    Harry Hammerhead Has A Hard Day – Susan Summers

    A Horse For Hermit Crab – Jill Lambert

    A Home For Hedgehog – Elizabeth Volkmann

    Hare Needs A Home – Jessica Murray

    Hammerhead Needs Help – Katie Schwartz

    Untitled – Lauri Meyers

    Hedgehog Needs A Hat – Candace

    Hedgehog Needs A Home – Summer Hinderer

    Spiny The Hedgehog – Eva Kaman

    Hopping Lonely – Jamie Bills

    Henry Needs A Hint – Lauren Scott

    Hare Needs A Hat – Jana Mattern

    Hilary’s Holiday – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

    Henry Hare’s New Hobby – Bru Benson

    Hedgehog Hugs – Marty Findley

    Hermit Crab Needs A Hat – Lynn Katz

    Henry Hammerhead Needed A Hug – Padgy Soltis

    Hedgehog Hates Hugs – TL Fales

    Hammerhead Needs A Hat – Amy Leskowski

    Mama Hedgehog’s Mother’s Day Holiday – Robin Currie

    Henry Needs A Hero – Colleen Owen Murphy

    Hugo Hammerhead Needs A Hat – Deb Buschman

    Henry Hedgehog Needs A Home – Elizabeth Muster

    Hedgehog Needs A Hint – Brenna Jeanneret

    Hummingbird Needs A Holiday – JC Kelly

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – The End!

    29 Comments

    Darlings!

    You did it!!

    7 weeks of writing awesomeness!!!

    This has been SO MUCH FUN!!!!!

    Mix 'n' Match Mini Writing Challenge

    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-www.thereciperebel.com-600-4-of-35

    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!🌟

    For Spacious Skies

     

     

    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!🌟

    Kirsti Call Mootilda

     

     

    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!🌟

    Ellen Leventhal Lola Can't Leap

     

     

    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!🌟

    Lindsay+H.+Metcalf+(CREDIT+ANNA+JACKSON)+copy Beatric Potter

     

     

    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!🌟

    kaye-baillie-author-headshot Boo Loves Books message-in-a-sock-cover-1_2

     

     

    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!🌟

    Screen Shot 2020-05-11 at 1.51.59 PM King Cake baby Keila No Voice Too Small

     

     

    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!🌟

    Alayne butterfly kisses An Old Man and His Penguin

     

     

    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!🌟

    Chris closeup Free For You And Me HEY, HEY, HAY! Cover

     

     

    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!🌟

    Rosie Pova Sunday Rain

     

     

    RONAN THE LIBRARIAN, (Roaring Brook Press April 2020) brand new from fabulous author Tara Luebbe

    🌟WINNER: DEB SULLIVAN!🌟

    Ronan

     

     

    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!🌟

    Tara Luebbe Shark Nate-O

     

     

    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!

    Sherry Howard (4) Cover Rock and Roll Woods

    Sherry Howard MG NF Books

    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!

    Ann Whitford Paul

    If Animals Went To School                     If Animals Kissed Good Night

    If Animals Went To School (2019)         If Animals Kissed Good Night (2008)

    SIf Animals Said I Love You                     If Animals Celebrated Christmas

    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!🌟

    Kristy Nuttall 20200512_092224 20200512_091604

     

     

    Making Picture Book Magic – Self Study Class any month (x3)

    🌟WINNERS:🌟

    KATIE SCHWARTZ!

    PENNY ADLER!

    LESLIE DENKERS!

    MPBM

     

     

    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!🌟

    Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication by [Ann Whitford Paul]

     

    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!🌟

    Big Magic

     

    The Nuts & Bolts Guide To Writing Picture Books by Linda Ashman (only available for Kindle) (x2)

    🌟WINNERS:🌟

    JILL LAMBERT!

    SUSAN KREVAT!

     

    The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books by [Linda Ashman]

     

    Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    🌟WINNER: JAMIE BECHTELHEIMER!🌟

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

     

    MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS personalized and signed 😊

    🌟WINNER: KRISTY ROSER NUTTALL!🌟

    mars-first-friends-wide-cover

     

     

    The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty

    🌟WINNER: ROSE CAPPELLI!🌟

    storybook knight

     

    This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward

    🌟WINNER: AMY FLYNN!🌟

    This Book Is Gray

     

    Story Cubes

    🌟WINNER: SARA ACKERMAN!🌟

    Screen Shot 2020-05-10 at 11.23.08 PM

     

    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!

    5358C071-383B-4EF4-ADFD-353F737E23E5_1_201_a

     

    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!!! 💕

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week 7!

    299 Comments

    My goodness!

    How time flies!

    Can you believe we’re on the last week of our little challenge already?  I’ve been having so much fun and enjoying all your creativity so much that it seems like we just started!

    I want to apologize for getting a little behind with the updating and commenting.  A family situation came up and I’m not having much time to work.  But I promise I’ll sort it all out eventually, and I appreciate your patience in the meantime! 😊

    This is the last week, so if you want to be eligible for the prize drawing (so many AMAZING prizes!!!) be sure to have all 7 of your entries posted in the comment section of the correct post (links to each week below) by Saturday June 27th at midnight!  I’ll announce the randomly drawn prize winners next Monday – June 29th.

    Now! Let’s jump into Week 7!

    Mix 'n' Match Mini Writing Challenge

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun during this bizarre stay-at-home spring!

    You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies!)

    To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

    For a full description of the challenge or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

    To add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

    To add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

    To add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)

    To add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)

    To add your Week #6 entry, please fo HERE (Week #6)

     

    Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #7 for Week of June 22:

    So far we’ve played with characters, setting, and emotion (or a combination, depending on where your random choosing landed you), with nursery rhymes and point of view, with a picture prompt, fun names, and a plot point, with fairy tales taking place in a new setting, with “How To”, and with getting into the young child mindset with only/always/never statements!  This week, for our final challenge, we’re going to do Summer Superheroes! 😊

    Choose a superpower from Column A and an object/item from Column B and write a 100 word story for kids about a character of your choosing – boy scout, unicorn princess, sweet potato. . .  – anything goes 😊 that has, or meets someone with, the super power and includes the object.

    Column A – Super Powers Column B – Objects/Items
    Time travel Sand pail
    Invisibility S’mores
    Mind reading Picnic or barbecue
    Xray vision Popsicle
    Breathe underwater Pool float
    Supersonic speed Goggles
    Superhuman strength Shark or mermaid
    Elasticty The Sun
    Flight Camp Songs

    You can write about Lily and Ben going on a picnic and meeting up with an invisible squirrel who is making off with their peanut butter sandwiches, or a time-traveling cave cricket who resolves an inter-cabin dispute at Camp Uggahmuggah by gathering all the kids around a fire and teaching them fun camp songs, or a Super Kid with xray vision whose powers are compromised at a crucial moment by ultraviolet swim goggles. . .  or anything else that inspires you!

    • Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
    • You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
    • If you’re deeply inspired by a super power or object/item that is not on the list you can use that instead – as long as you write a story as outlined above – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
    • For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please be sure to put the super power and object/item you chose at the top of your entry along with your name and word count.

     

    I’m not sure I’m going to have time for my little just for fun sample this week,  but if I can, I’ll add it in here! 😊

     

     

    Now come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

    Remember, this is the last week, so if you want to be eligible for the prize drawing be sure to have all 7 of your entries posted in the comment section of the correct post (links to each week above) by Saturday June 27th at midnight.  I’ll announce the randomly drawn prize winners next Monday – June 29th.

    Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

    (And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

    (And if you need to motivate yourself scroll down to see all the amazing prizes you could win!!! 😊)

     

    Check out the Week #7 stories!

    Time Travel Freezing Power – Dawn Young (time travel, freezing power, popsicle)

    Marty The Fly – Sue Lancaster (time travel, the sun)

    Princess Supersonic Speed – Sara Ackerman (supersonic speed, popsicle)

    Popsicles At Sunset – Matthew Lasley (popsicle)

    Endless Freeze – Brenda Whitehead (time travel, popsicle)

    Mia Flying Heart Girl – Lily Erlic (flight, hearts)

    Supersonic Speed S’Mores – Jamie Bechtelheimer

    Elasticity And Goggles – Ugo Anidi

    When The Baby’s Allowed To Wish – Colleen Murphy (super size)

    Untitled – Dot Anson (invisibility, popsicle)

    Ed’s New Pair Of Sneakers – Jess Murray (superhuman speed, popsicle)

    Marlene And The Fish – Patricia Nozell (breathe underwater, goggles)

    The Crab And The Sun – Candice Conner (flight, the sun)

    Soother – Mary Van Beuren (elasticity, electric guitar)

    Limerick For Week 7 – Marty (superhuman strength, picnic)

    Blaze – Rose Cappelli (invisibility, s’mores)

    Untitled – Kay DiVerde (invisibility, popsicle)

    The Sweet Smell Of Friendship – Jill Lambert (invisibility, s’mores)

    Mind Reader – Rebecca Gardyn Levington (mind reading, goggles)

    Lunch Lady – Susan Inez (elasticity, picnic)

    Shark Breath – Deb Buschman (breathe underwater, shark)

    Dr. Whooo – Susan Schipper (time travel, goggles)

    A Melodious Picnic – Deb Sullivan (mind reading, camp songs)

    X-Ray Birthday – Genevieve Petrillo (X-Ray vision, popsicle, goggles)

    Saving Mermaid Arie – Cindy Boyll (breathe underwater, mermaid, goggles)

    Rocks Rule – Amy Flynn (superhuman strength, pail)

    Singing For His Supper – Penny Adler (elasticity, campfire songs)

    Rocco Raccoon – Ashley Congdon (x-ray vision, goggles)

    Fire Focus – Leslie Denkers (lights fires, a surprise, s’mores, bbq grill, popsicles)

    Limerick #2 for Week 7 – Marty (supersonic speed, s’mores)

    Lindy’s Flight Fright – Sarah Meade (flight)

    Fish Camp Rocks – Katie Schwartz (breathe underwater, camp songs)

    Dig It Up Jay – Michelle S. Kennedy (superhuman strength, sand pail, mermaid)

    Untitled – Alicia Meyers Kelly (invisibility, goggles)

    Untitled – Linda Schueler (time travel, popsicle)

    Goggles The Supercow – Tracy(goggles)

    True Blue – Corine Timmer

    Week 7 Limerick – Liz Kehrli (flight, the moon)

    Week 7 – Ketan Ram (X-ray vision, goggles)

    The Super Babysitter – Mia Geiger (elastic, super)

    Pudgy The Hero – Barbara Renner (superhuman strength, the sun)

    Untitled – Heather Hatch (mind reading, picnic)

    Sneaky Drake – Kristy Roser Nuttall (invisibility, s’mores)

    All Bread Is Created Equal – Susan Krevat (time travel, s’mores)

     

     

    PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

    When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who completed the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

    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!

    For Spacious Skies

    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)

    Kirsti Call Mootilda

    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)

    Ellen Leventhal Lola Can't Leap

    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)

    Lindsay+H.+Metcalf+(CREDIT+ANNA+JACKSON)+copy Beatric Potter

    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)

    kaye-baillie-author-headshot Boo Loves Books message-in-a-sock-cover-1_2

    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)

    Screen Shot 2020-05-11 at 1.51.59 PM King Cake baby Keila No Voice Too Small

     

    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!

    Alayne butterfly kisses An Old Man and His Penguin

     

    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)

    Chris closeup Free For You And Me HEY, HEY, HAY! Cover

    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.

    Rosie Pova Sunday Rain

    RONAN THE LIBRARIAN, (Roaring Brook Press April 2020) brand new fromfabulous author Tara Luebbe

    Ronan

    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)

    Tara Luebbe Shark Nate-O

    Sherry Howard, author of Rock And Roll Woods (Spork 2018) and a series of Nonfiction Middle Grade titles for Escape Publishing (2019)

    Sherry Howard (4) Cover Rock and Roll Woods

    Sherry Howard MG NF Books

    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):

    Ann Whitford Paul

    If Animals Went To School                     If Animals Kissed Good Night

    If Animals Went To School (2019)         If Animals Kissed Good Night (2008)

    If Animals Said I Love You                     If Animals Celebrated Christmas

    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!)

    Kristy Nuttall 20200512_092224 20200512_091604

    Making Picture Book Magic – Self Study Class any month (x3)

    MPBM

    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!

    Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication by [Ann Whitford Paul]

    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!

    Big Magic

    The Nuts & Bolts Guide To Writing Picture Books by Linda Ashman (only available for Kindle) (x2)

    The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books by [Linda Ashman]

    Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness

    Magnetic Poetry - Little Box of Happiness Kit - Words for Refrigerator - Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge - Made in The USA

     

    The Story Book Knight by Helen Docherty

    storybook knight

    This Book Is Gray by Lindsay Ward

    This Book Is Gray

    Story Cubes

    Screen Shot 2020-05-10 at 11.23.08 PM

    Writing Journal (x10)

    5358C071-383B-4EF4-ADFD-353F737E23E5_1_201_a

    Scythe by Neal Shusterman