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The Summer Send-Off Contest!!!

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September 3rd update: 8 entries on the link list, 4 in the comments, and at least one other that is neither linked nor in the comments – all fantastic!  What talent!  Come read, enjoy, and add your own – there are still 2 days left to enter (today and tomorrow!)

It’s August 31st, and we’re sending summer out in style with a fun and fabulous contest!

Fingers on the keyboard?

Writing gears engaged?

Ideas sparking like mad?

Then let’s get cracking! 🙂

SUMMER SEND-OFF CONTEST!!!
illustration copyright Heather Newman 2012 used by permission

Contest Rules:
The contest is for a children’s story of 250 words or less based on the picture above and in which somebody somewhere in your story says, in dialogue, “Did/do you see that?” (you may substitute any of the other senses – “Did/do you hear/feel/taste/smell that?”) and somebody somewhere in your story says, “Goodbye!” (you are allowed to substitute “Farewell!”, “Au revoir!”, “Sayonara!”, “Ciao!”, or “So long!”)

Entries must be posted on your blog (or, if you don’t have a blog but would still like to enter, in the comment section of this post which will stay up through Tuesday September 4) between today and Tuesday September 4 at 11:59 PM EDT.  (I’m giving you an extra day to post, because I realize it’s Labor Day weekend!)

Once your post is up you must add your post-specific link to the linky list below so everyone can come visit you and read your amazing story (or, if you don’t have a blog, copy and paste your entry into the comment section as mentioned above – everyone please be sure to check the comments for entries so you don’t miss any! :))  Special note:  I know some people have been having trouble commenting on my blog since disqus updated.  If anyone has trouble, please email your entry or your link or whatever you need to me at susanna [at] susannahill [dot] com and I will make sure your link gets linked or your comment gets posted!!!

Finalists – we’ll say 3, but you know me… it may be more like 6 🙂 – will be chosen by me and my assistant judge and posted for you all to vote on on Monday September 10.  I’m guessing we may not get tons of entries, what with it being Labor Day weekend and all (although I’m hoping I’ve given people enough time to plan ahead and pull it off! :)), so we’ll probably only have one winner.  But if perchance we get lots of entries – more than 20 say 🙂 – we’ll expand to 1st , 2nd and 3rd places.
Prize choices will be:
1.  A PB manuscript critique by yours truly 🙂
2.  Your choice of 2 picture books.
3.  Your choice of 2 paperback middle grade books.
4.  Your choice of 1 paperback YA book.
5.  Your choice of 1 writing craft book.
and whoever wins will get their first choice of those options, whoever’s second will get second choice, etc….  Hopefully there’s something in there that will appeal to every writer! 🙂

So here’s my demo:  (And I admit, I had a TERRIBLE time getting down to 250 words.  I have 5 other stories – all better! – that I couldn’t get below 286, 547, 272, 308, etc.  I guess I should have tried this before I published the guidelines… :))  Anyway:

Bathtime For Balkazar

Donovan couldn’t find the dragon soap.
He had the scrub brush, the hot water, and the ladder.
But he couldn’t find the soap.
“Stay, Balkazar,” he told the dragon.  And he gave him some bubblegum to keep him busy.
When he came back with the soap, he gasped.
“What’s wrong?” asked Balkazar (because as everyone knows, dragons can speak English.)
“Do you see that?” asked Donovan.  The dragon looked at his reflection in one of the water buckets.
“I’m pink!” shrieked Balkazar.  “Ack!  Get it off!”
“It must have been the bubblegum!” said Donovan.  “But King Hallvard is due within the hour.  If he sees you like this it’ll be sayonara! kemosabi for us!”
“Try scrubbing!” begged Balkazar.
Donovan scrubbed.
Balkazar became a dazzling, sparkling, glowing pink.
“It’s even worse,” Donovan moaned.  “Try rolling.”
The dragon rolled.  He kicked up great clouds of dust that blotted out the sun and left everyone gasping and choking.
Now he was brownish pink.
“I look like an overgrown scaly earthworm,” he said sadly.  “Not scary at all.”
“You turned pink from the inside,” said Donovan.  “Maybe we can turn you back the same way.”  He dashed into the castle and came back rolling a barrel of pickles.  “Eat these!  And hurry!  The king’ll be here any minute!”
Balkazar scarfed down pickles. When King Hallvard rode across the drawbridge, Balkazar, mostly green again, greeted him with a colossal belch of pickle-scented fire.
“Stupendous!” shouted King Hallvard.
“Phew!” said Donovan.  (Or was it “Pee-ew!”?!)
(249 words)

I hope that gives you the courage to post your entry, should you happen to be feeling doubtful – surely your story is better than that! 🙂  And I would also like to remind you that we really have a lovely community of people here – kind, generous, and supportive – so your entry will be read with friendly eyes by people who want to find the good in what you’ve written and cheer you on!  So go ahead – add your entry post-specific link to the list below, or copy and paste your entry into the comment section.  Remember, if you have any trouble, email me and I’ll do it for you!

I can’t wait to read your stories!!!  Let the contest begin! 🙂

Meet Tiffany Strelitz Haber, Author Of Debut Picture Book The Monster Who Lost His Mean and A Giveway!

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I know.  We haven’t done Oh Susanna in ages!  But awesome things keep coming up that I just have to slide in somewhere, one of which is today’s post about a great new picture book.  So… next week?

Today I am delighted to introduce you to Tiffany, but real quick before I do, let me just announce that the winner of Steven Petruccio’s gorgeous picture book Puffer’s Surprise from last week’s author/illustrator interview is Delores (thefeatherednest)!!!  Congratulations, Delores!  I hope you’ll enjoy this beautiful book!

Now then!  Everyone, please meet Tiffany!  I have to tell you, I found this interview so entertaining that I’m afraid you guys will never want to come back and read my boring old posts after it, so you have to promise not to throw me over 🙂

Tiffany Strelitz Haber & Co. 🙂

SLH:  When did you start writing for children?  

TSH:  When I was in third grade, I wrote my first “rhyming picture book”.  I continued writing for many years.  In fact, all throughout highschool, and a bit in college as well.  So obviously, when I was figuring out what I wanted to do for a living, I headed straight for the financial world!  I was never really one for connect the dots.  🙂   Anyway.  Yadda, yadda, yadda, cut to 24 years later (give or take)…chronically unhappy in the career I had been diligently building for over a decade, and feeling like it was ‘now or never’ to make a change, I realized I was barking up the wrong tree entirely.  I wanted to really love what I did for a living.  So I went back to what I had loved for so many years before, and started writing for kids.


SLH:  Do you have an agent, or did you submit on your own?  

TSH:  Agent.  I learned very quickly (by attending a couple of NJSCBWI conferences), that having agent representation opens doors otherwise closed to most authors.  It also allows you the freedom to really focus on writing (and later promoting) as opposed to spending countless hours researching publishing houses and editors, constructing query letters, physically printing, stuffing, stamping and mailing submissions out, following up and…well…you get the point.  


SLH:  Was The Monster Who Lost His Mean your first submitted PB or did you have others before that haven’t sold yet?

TSH:  I actually got extremely lucky.  My agent subbed two PBs of mine simultaneously to a variety of houses.  Several months later…within the same week, we had offers on both.  It was very exciting!  (SLH: OMG!  I think I speak for most of our readers when I say I could sure use a week like that! 🙂

SLH:  Tell us about the moment when you got THE CALL!!!  How did you feel?  What did you do?  Did you celebrate? Call all your friends and relations? 🙂

TSH:  Ok, so I was on a ski trip with a bunch of friends.  We were sharing a house and had been out super late the night before, so everyone was passed out on various couches and beds.  Anyway…for some reason, I found myself wide awake at 5 in the morning so I checked email on my phone.  And there it was.  We had an offer on MONSTER and as I leaped off the couch and looked around for someone to share the news with (read: tackle with uncontrollable zeal), I realized  I was surrounded by zombies.  There wasn’t a single soul within a half mile radius that wasn’t dead to the world and stickin’ to it.  So I kind of just muttered to myself in the corner for a while with a pre-dawn bloody mary.  Party of one, please!


SLH:  Do you have anything else under contract?  

TSH:  I have another rhyming picture book due out in April 2013.  It’s called, Ollie and Claire (Philomel/Penguin) and was illustrated by the amazing Matthew Cordell.

I also have a couple of stories in that critical, “at an editorial meeting” type phase where it could still go either way…but you know you’re close and you’re just kinda….waiting. (read: pacing, email-refreshing, obsessing)

SLH:  And please share where we can find you…


TSH: 
facebook:  www.facebook.com/tshauthor  (BIG facebook gal.  Let’s be friends!)
Twitter: @tiffrhymes
Blog: for tips and tricks on writing in rhyme, come check out  www.themetermaids.blogspot.com
Just for fun quick questions:

Left or right handed?  right
Traditionally or self-published? traditionally
Hard copy or digital? hard
Apps or not?  not that I know of?
Plotter or pantser? plantser?
Laptop or desktop? lap
Mac or PC? Mac
Day or night worker? DAY
Coffee or tea? Coffee (and then suddenly tea for like…a day)
Snack or not? I want to meet the person who says “not”.  And then never talk to them again.
Salty or sweet? Salty.  Althought salty and sweet in the same bite is actual heaven on earth.  #ChocolateCoveredPretzels
Quiet or music? Quiet
Cat or dog? both
Currently reading? Helter Skelter

And now, my lovelies, Tiffany has generously offered a signed copy of her brand new, hot-off-the-presses, WONDERFUL book.  All you have to do is what the Rafflecoptor widget tells you to.  And may I just say that I hope the Rafflecoptor widget is going to show up somewhere – it probably will not show up where I intend it to, so look around, be ingenious and persistent, and hopefully you’ll find it wherever it chooses to appear 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveawaySo yeah – fill that in.  You get extra points for “liking” and “following” and things of that nature.  And just in case the widget doesn’t work, and I am off in the boonies of PA/VA/NC unable to fix it, please also take part in our fun contest in the comments – it’s supposed to show up as mandatory in the Rafflecoptor thingy, but like I said, my faith has limits…. 🙂 so I’m putting it here too:

Everybody knows the ‘M’ in MONSTER stands for Mean.  When one young MONSTER loses his…and becomes THE ONSTER, everything goes awry.  What does the first letter in *your* name stand for?  How would you feel if you lost it?  Answer below for a chance to win a signed copy of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN!

Have fun!  And if you have any questions or comments for Tiffany, fire away.  I’ll try to talk her into checking in from time to time 🙂

Happy Monday, All!

  

Self-Publishing Mini-Series – Meet Rita Borg

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Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to the lovely and talented Rita Borg!  Thank you so much for joining us, Rita!

First, a little background.  Rita says,

I started writing when I was 9 years old. I loved the Waltons and Little House on the Prarie. John boy and Laura set me off writing. But when my 7 year old sister died of cancer, I could not pick up a pen. I was 23 then. But after my third child was born, my husband told me of a writing competition he found on the local newspaper. I entered but I did not win. But the editor called me up and told me how much she enjoyed my essay about the murder of a toddler in England. She asked if would I like to start writing articles for the paper? I said yes and my writing career started.I have been writing and learning about writing ever since.
I was educated at Blessed Sacrament School and St. Jean Baptiste High School in New York and studied children’s writing with the Institute of Children’s and Teen’s Literature in Connecticut. I also read for a diploma in child psychology at the European Institute of Education. I reside on the Mediterranean island of Malta, where I regularly perform storytelling and creative writing workshops in schools across the country. I am also a freelance writer for local magazines and newspapers, a mother of three, and have published four picture books aimed at early readers, as well as an anthology of short stories for older children. My books have received multiple printings as well as peer-acclaim and recognition at the Malta National Annual Literary Awards. My last book, Don’t Cross the Road, Holly!, was chosen as the best 2009 Children’s Book in English. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Writers & Illustrators of the USA, as well as its chapter in the British Isles.

Now then, onto the interview and all those helpful tidbits you guys are eagerly awaiting 🙂

SLH: Did you try the traditional publishing route?  What was your experience?
RB: I have been studying the craft of writing for the past 12 years. Lately, I got in contact with an editor. She helped me out with several picture book manuscripts. I chose the best one and sent it off to 20 publishers and some agents in England. Most of the publishers I contacted wrote back saying how charming the book was, or it is a great story, or it would be great illustrated. Yet, no one wanted to take a chance of publishing it. Is it because I live so far away in Malta? So I decided to do it myself.

SLH:What made you decide to pursue self-publishing?
RB: I already have two published books but they are in the Maltese language. The publishers here in Malta obviously want to promote their language. However I grew up in New York City, my first language is English. So, I self-published three bilingual Maltese English picture books. But they could only be distributed in Malta which has a population of only half a million people. So I started thinking about self publishing outside the country with a company like CreateSpace.
Rita’s office

SLH: How did you go about self-publishing? (specific details about how you researched and located the company you went with would be great)
RB: I didn’t do that much research to be honest. I heard about CreateSpace; many authors were using it, so I decided for my first book it would be good to go with the experts.

SLH: Did you hire an editor?
RB: Hiring an editor is a must. I had one during the writing of the story and hired another one through the company and was part of the publishing package.

SLH: How did you choose your illustrator?  How did you work out paying the illustrator and did you have a contract?  Did you have a lot of back and forth discussions with your illustrator about the art?
RB: The illustrations are again part of the package if you so wish. CreateSpace sent me four names of illustrators and I chose the one that I saw best fitted the theme of my book. I chose two that I really liked. My first choice was available to work and in six weeks she drew all the illustrations. There was one or two which I changed some aspects of the pictures. But I was lucky, I had little to change and I loved the simple, colourful illustrations at the start.

SLH: Did you hire a cover designer or did your illustrator design the cover?
RB: I hired both. The cover designer was again part of the package which I purchased. The cover designer sent me 3 different types of covers. I especially liked one and then the illustrator drew it. I just added more hay in the nest under the egg for comfort’s sake 🙂

SLH: What formats is your book available in?  Hardcover?  Paperback?  E-book?  Print-on-demand?
RB: So far, my book is only as a Print-On-Demand paperback picture book. I first want to see how well the book sells before I turn it into an e-book. Self-publishing can be quite expensive if you are not careful with your money.

SLH: How have you gone about marketing your book?  What has been most successful?
RB: Along with advertising on Facebook, being interviewed here is my first attempt at marketing. I still have lots of work to do! I need to contact reviewers, give giveaways, and do more interviews. It’s going to be fun. Also, if I had been traditionally published, I still would need to market myself. So I am learning a great deal from all of this.

SLH: Do you do school/library visits or library/bookstore readings/signings?  How did you go about getting them?  How have sales been in relation to those visits?
RB: I visit libraries and schools all the time in Malta. I am a storyteller by trade. This is the best way to sell books. It is the personal touch rather then a book on the shelf. I plan to do a lot of visits to bookshops, libraries and schools for my book Meg the Egg, too.

SLH: What advice would you give other authors who are thinking about self-publishing?
RB: JUST DO IT! Don’t let the people at the gateways of publishing ruin your dreams.

SLH: Any particular pitfalls to avoid?
RB: Check and check everything you do. Don’t be flippant; be diligent. No one cares about your book more than you do.

SLH: Anything else you’d like to say? 🙂
RB: This was an adventure, a scary, intrepid adventure but if my book sells and the children love reading it, it is very worth it when you have given up on traditional publishing.

Thank you so much, Rita!

If you’d like to find Rita online, you can visit her Website and like her on Face Book.

And, as if all that information weren’t enough, Rita has kindly offered to be available to answer any questions you might have so fire away, AND she is giving away a copy of Meg The Egg (which is very cute – I have read it!) to one lucky winner!

All you have to do is leave a comment saying why you’d like the book.  And if you want to be nice and “like” Rita on Face Book while you’re here, that would be lovely but we are not twisting any arms 🙂

And that, my friends, concludes our mini-series on self-publishing.  I know some of the posts were long – our authors were so very generous with their knowledge and expertise!  I hope you all learned a lot, and that those of you who were previously hesitant about self-publishing now feel more confident and prepared to take it on!

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Four Feet, Two Sandals AND The Holiday Contest Winner!

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I know.  Things have gotten just a tad out of hand this week.  Monday’s post barely made it in under the wire, and I skipped Wednesday’s altogether to give everyone more time to vote during this busy week when lots of people are off their normal schedule.  But now it’s Friday and we’re back on track with Perfect Picture Books!

(Oh.  And by the way, in case you’re interested, we’ll get around to the winner of the Holiday Contest too! :))

But no skipping ahead!  Or at least, if you do, please come back, because this is a wonderful book and I don’t want you to miss it!

Four Feet, Two Sandals
Written By:  Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed
Illustrated By:  Doug Chayka
Eerdmans Books For Young Readers, September 2007, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 7-10
Themes/Topics:  Friendship, Sharing, Refugees, Loss, Separation

Opening:  “Lina raced barefoot to the camp entrance where relief workers threw used clothing off the back of a truck.   Everyone pushed and fought for the best clothes.  Lina squatted and reached, grabbing what she could.”

Brief Synopsis:  In a place where people have very little, two girls each get one of a pair of sandals.  They could have fought, but instead they share the sandals.  As they go about their routines, waiting and hoping for their names to appear on the list for a new home, the sandals remind them that friendship is the most important thing.  And when one girl gets the chance to live in a new land, the bond of their friendship remains.

Links To Resources:  Teacher’s Guide, Discussion Guide, author’s note at back of book adds extra information.

Why I Like This Book:  This story gives children a glimpse of a very different kind of life.  For children who are fortunate, this book may help them not to take things for granted so much.  For children who are less fortunate, this book may help them see that they are not alone.  Told gently and with hope so that it is appropriate for children, this book nonetheless opens the way to important discussions about refugees, having and not having, war and peace, loss, and separation.  But the underlying message is one of love and friendship, something all children understand and can relate to.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
(For those of you also posting a Perfect Picture Book today, please remember to put your link on the list below.)
Okay, so I’ll see you all on Monday.
Oh, wait.
Hang on.
I guess a few of you are wondering who won the Holiday Contest 🙂
(You didn’t really think I’d leave you hanging, did you? :))
As you all know, the entries were outstanding.  There were several – I’d go so far as to say at least 6 (since that’s what I put in the finals :)) – that could have won.  I’m glad I didn’t have to make the ultimate decision!  But the voters have spoken clearly.  And the winner is…
DDRRRRUUUUUUMMMMMMMRRRRRRROOOOOOOOLLLLLLL!!!!!!
MIRANDA 
with ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas: Rudolph Goes Green!!!
Congratulations, Miranda!  And congratulations to all who entered!  (And Miranda, please email me and let me know if you’d prefer the gift card or the childrens writer’s market guide!)
Because we had so many amazing entries, I will mention that second place went to Penny for ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas On Mars, and third place went to Joanna for The Plight Before Christmas.
Thanks to everyone who entered.  You are all so talented, and you made the contest so much fun.  I think everyone had a great time hopping from blog to blog reading the stories (I know I did!) and everyone was so supportive of everyone else.  Maybe you made some new friends in the process too!
Happy New Year, Everyone!  I wish you all the very best in 2012 – love, health, happiness, peace, and great writing!  See you next year! 🙂
(PPB posters – don’t forget the link below!)

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated The World

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This is one of my favorite things about the holidays: getting up in the dark and turning on the Christmas tree lights, then sitting with a book (or in this case my computer as I write my blog :)), the dogs, and a cup of coffee, enjoying the beauty and peace while the rest of the house is still asleep.  There’s something lovely about having a tree in the living room 🙂

I’m going to be brief (for me :)) today, because visiting family is here, and I’m way behind on baking and wrapping, and I’m guessing you all have important people and things to get to also.  So first, my Perfect Picture Book and then just one other little thing 🙂

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated The World
Written (Told) By: Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich
Photographs By: Peter Griesbach, Andre Schule, Sean Gallup,  Rainer Jensen and others.
Scholastic Press, November 2007
Suitable For: ages 5 and up
Themes/Topics: animals, endangered animals, caring, environmentalism
Opening:  “One December afternoon, in a cozy, dark enclosure in a zoo in Berlin, Germany, a polar bear cub was born.”
Brief Synopsis:  This is the true story of Knut, a newborn polar bear whose mother was unable to care for him.  Thomas Dorflein, a bear keeper at the zoo, became Knut’s “foster father” – bottle feeding him, bathing him, sleeping beside him and teaching him to play and swim.  Knut was loved the world over, and helped bring recognition to the plight of polar bears, endangered by the potential loss of their habitat.

Links to resources:  Knut Teaching Resources.  This link has subsequent links to activities, video clips, articles, and other animals-against-adversity stories.  The back of the book also has lots of information about polar bears, how they are threatened, and how you can help.

Why I Like This Book:  It’s a true story, and a deeply touching one, that is also educational and informative.  The photographs are gorgeous and very appealing.  It shows that there are people in the world who care enough to sacrifice a great deal to help someone else – even if that someone else happens to be a baby polar bear.  The book brings attention to ecological concerns, the environment, and caring for all species, and lists ways kids can help.

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

(For those of you also posting a Perfect Picture Book today, please remember to put your link on the list below.)

And now, for the one other little thing.

The Holiday Contest is officially closed with a grand total of 29 fabulous entries (28 on the link list and one in the comment section.)  I will post finalists on Monday (and yes, Penny and Cathy, I will probably be needing some of that Red Bull because I was very ambitious thinking I was going to have time for this on top of all the other Christmas activities!!)  Of course, I’ve read them all already, but making decisions about which are best is going to be VERY hard. You guys have cut my work out for me 🙂

And now, Happy Holidays to everyone!  I wish you all love, health, peace and joy 🙂

Halloweensie Delay

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Apparently it’s Octsnowber.  We have 2 feet of snow and no power or iinternet.  I am currently lurking outside Dunki’ Donuts (I know you’re surprised!) poaching 3G to write this on myphoone.  Please post your Halloweensie entries and I’ll get the contest and link list up as soon as I can.  So sorry for the trouble, but we’re told it may be days…Hopefully I’ll be able to sort it all out eventually.  Meanwhile, please fotrgive my temporary absence from the blogosphere!

Who Will It Be? – Pitch Pick #2!

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Good Morning, Everyone 🙂  As I hope you have all figured out by now, Mondays are all kinds of fun around here!  In case you were feeling just a little bit blah at the prospect of a new work week beginning, let me pass you the chocolate donuts (this is technically – technically –  part of the Would You Read It series, so Something Chocolate is called for)
courtesy google images
… and a nice cup of coffee…
courtesy google images
Do you care for milk?
courtesy google images
Sugar?
courtesy google images
Ahhh!  That’s better!  Nothing like a little pick-me-up 🙂
And that’s only the beginning, my friends!  Lest it may have gotten lost in the Monday morning brain fog, let me remind you that it’s time for Pitch Pick #2 for September!
Gosh!  Are you OK?  I didn’t mean to make you fall out of your chair with excitement!  Steady now 🙂
Okay.  Bite of donut.  Sip of coffee.  And let’s review this month’s contenders:
1.  Kimberly
Working Title:  Surfacing In Clouds
Age/Genre:  YA
The Pitch:  Rigo and Esteban struggle to survive in a land without electricity, but when they set out to reach a world consumed by technology their friendship is ripped at the seams. This story chronicles the remarkable resilience of human nature in the face of losing what was once taken for granted: silence, privacy, and a connection with nature.

2.  Saul

Title:  A Lesson My Cat Taught Me
Age/Genre:  Early Reader
The Pitch:  Can your child learn to accept others for who they are and not what they are from a one-eyed cat?  Read the book to find out.
3.  Catherine

Working Title:  The Fairy Wood
Age/Genre:  MG
The Pitch:  Annabel gets distracted by flowers and fairies and cannot find her family in the woods, but the mystery of the disappearing flowers distracts her even more.  Annabel has no idea how close her family really are or who to trust.
4.  Aimee

TITLE: Listen to Me
GENRE: YA Contemporary with a dash of Magical Realism (target age 13-17, but I hope for crossover appeal)
PITCH: Stacy can talk to herself-in-twelve-years - but will the impossible relationship with Older Me help her navigate the high school rites of bullying and unrequited love, or just fuel her destructive self-loathing?

So.  Who do you think it should be?  Which of our 4 awesome pitchers deserves to have her/his pitch sent to editor Erin Molta for her invaluable critique?
On your mark… Get set… VOTE!!!!!

<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/5552977/”>Pitch Pick #2</a>
In the interest of keeping things moving along, the polls will close at 11:59 PM (EST or EDT here we go with that again!) Thursday October 6, so that the winner can be announced Friday October 7.  Please get your votes in ASAP!
This is so exciting!  I love announcing winners!
And don’t forget to come back Wednesday for Carla, our first Would You Read It contender for October!

Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza Etc.

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You read it right!  It’s time for Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza (and a few other things, because apparently I have so much to say that there’s always an Etc. or a Mish Mash or a smorgasbord component to my posts of late :))  So read on, my friends, and prepare for fun!  (And if you’re here for Kimberly’s Hooked On Hooks Event and in a hurry, feel free to scroll down :))

As you’ll recall, this week’s theme is OOPS!

In the grand tradition of young kids who love construction vehicles, here is my entry:

courtesy google images

FFFF (that’s Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza, of course, but that takes too long to type) is for photos friendly to the 0-12 age group and those of us who write for them and for everyone else who thinks it’s fun 🙂  I hope you all have some great photos to share!  As soon as they’re up, please post your link in the comments below so we can all come check it out and be inspired, and pop over to Catherine’s blog and see hers and if you want, post your links over there, too.  This is our second week with FFFF and we’re really hoping for more than 1 entry this week 🙂

Next up on our list of Friday Fun is Kimberly’s Hooked On Hooks Bloghop.  For this, you post the opening hook of any WIP in her linkylist and comment on at least 3 other people’s hooks.  Fun, no?  Here’s my hook for that YA novel I keep thinking I’m actually going to figure out how to write…. :

          “What does one look for in an urn, Mr. Auchmoody?” Grandmother inquired as if she were shopping for a new appliance.
            “Please,” said the funeral director, “call me Gerald.  I want you to think of me as a friend in your time of need.”  His benevolent smile beamed on both of us.  “But,” he continued delicately, “if I might point out this one….”  He picked up a box made of cherry wood, the rich grain smooth and shiny.  It looked more like a jewelry box than a receptacle for cremains.  “This is one of our best sellers.  You can have it laser engraved with a poem or Bible verse or words that have personal meaning, or even with your loved one’s photograph.”
            I pictured the box on our mantel, boasting a smiling photo of the person inside, and thought you cannot be serious!  

Please share any helpful comments you might have – hooks are hard!

Finally, I’d like to let everyone know that the Pitch Pick for September will be posted Monday, so I hope you’ll all come over and vote for what you think was the best pitch this month.  Results will be posted next Friday.  For any of you who haven’t had a chance to read and comment on this week’s pitch yet, please go here.

Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The Eighth Pitch!

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Just when you thought the week couldn’t get any better, it’s time for Would You Read It Wednesday!

I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking maybe Would You Read It needs an official snack.  Of course, that’s probably because I’m always writing it at 6 AM when I haven’t had breakfast yet.  I might do a poll to see what we should have… suggestions welcome in the comments below so we can make up a good poll 🙂 As you know, I am fond of donuts, but given our health kick this week with the potato exercise, I think we should pick something that can at least pretend to be nutritious.  (For example, Froot Loops – which contain the word “fruit” (sort of) and are therefore health food.)

Okay.  Seriously.  I wish you guys would stop talking about breakfast.  We have work to do!

This week’s pitch comes to us from Saul in New York, creator of the LinkedIn group New Author’s Need Marketing Ideas and owner of SAWEB Books, Inc.  You can read his blog here.  This book is currently self-published, so help with the pitch might help Saul with sales.

Here is the pitch:

Title:  A Lesson My Cat Taught Me
Age/Genre:  Early Reader
The Pitch:  Can your child learn to accept others for who they are and not what they are from a one-eyed cat?  Read the book to find out.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Saul improve his pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.
Saul is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch!
And I am looking forward to your thoughts on what the official Would You Read It snack should be 🙂

Poll Test – Take 2

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Okay, so yesterday’s polling attempt was an interesting experiment which turned out to have more shortcomings than usefulness.
So today, even though it’s Tuesday and I don’t usually post, I’m trying a different polling method.  I think I’m about to find out if Poll Daddy works on Blogger or only WordPress…
So let’s try this one.  Short.  Sweet.  To the point.  With pink for Elizabethanne 🙂  And if you vote, I will hopefully be able to figure out how you voted and what the results are… although that may require more technical ability than I am blessed with…

What is your favorite color?

And if you’re having fun and want to continue…
What is your quest?
And what is the air-speed velocity of a sparrow?  (Laden or unladen?)
(Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of my all time favorites :))