Category: Would You Read It

Would You Read It Wedesday #238 -Stalking Seagulls (PB) PLUS The November/December Pitch Pick

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Big news on Blueberry Hill, my friends!

Cable internet is (AT LAST!) coming to our road!

It just goes to show that technology can even (tually) come to the Back Of Beyond 🙂

Look!

It does not get more exciting than this!

Now, I realize that this is a big project.  The cable won’t be laid for weeks…maybe months, and then there’s all manner of high-tech whatnot that will have to be organized no doubt, but it’s coming!  There is a light at the end of the tunnel!  The prehistoric internet I’ve been working with for years, which moves at the speed of hibernating turtles…walking backwards…through the mud…, does not allow for Skype, webinars, uploading photos and files, or even accessing email half the time.  So this upgrade is long-awaited and much-anticipated!

Who knows what amazing opportunities await once our internet moves at the same speed as the rest of the world’s!  (And NO! of course the ability to stream Netflix and binge watch Parks & Rec which my children have informed me I must do has nothing to do with my excitement! 🙂 )

So, if you all would stop talking about your favorite TV series to binge watch, we could get down to work! 🙂

First off today, we have the November/December Pitch Pick!

Here are the pitches:

#1 Carolyn – Celebirdy (NF PB ages 7-11)

This nonfiction story tells the account of a chicken that lived without its head for 18 months. The truth doesn’t get much weirder than that!

#2 Anne – Harry’s Magic (PB ages 4-8)

Eliza wakes up on the wrong side of the bed feeling quite grumpy, almost as if a monster has taken over her body. Her brother Harry says will cast a magical spell to drive out the angry beast and restore Eliza to her sweet, silly self.  This 560 word, rhyming picture book will have children ages 4-8 laughing as they watch Eliza running about gathering up all of the necessary and ridiculous ingredients for Harry’s magic potion, but will Harry be able to save his sister in time?

#3 Nadine – Armadillo Pillow Fight (PB ages 4-8)

It is Willow Armadillo’s birthday and she wants a pillow fight party.  She asks her friend to help spread the word of this nocturnal affair. Her animal friends mess up the message spreading details by accident.  Did Willow say to meet at the peat moss or where the streams cross?  Poor Willow. Hopefully she will have someone show up to her burrow tonight.

#4 Noel – Good Old Gus (PB ages 5-8)

No longer safe working on the boat, Gus, an ice cream loving dog is left to retire on the pier and wait for his captain’s evening return. Torn between obeying his master and engaging in the tempting seaside activities, when someone needs help, Gus’s decision becomes clear.

 

Please vote for the pitch you think is best and most deserves a read by editor Erin Molta in the poll below by Sunday January 22 at 5 PM EST.  Results will be posted next Wednesday!

Golly!

It’s hard work reading and evaluating those pitches and trying to decide which one is best when they’re all so good!  I think we need Something Chocolate, don’t you?  (Though let’s be honest… when do we ever NOT need Something Chocolate?! 🙂 )

Seeing as how Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and we should be taste-testing and recipe-practicing, I’m thinking Strawberry Chocolate Cake!

It’s what’s for breakfast! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Michelle who says, “I am an active member of SCBWI, numerous critique groups, and am on the advisory board for Authors.me. I am also a mother of 2 and married to a great man from Finland!”

Find her on the web at Twitter @Mmvattula

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Stalking Seagulls

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8)

The Pitch: One boy.  One sandwich.  A flock of seagulls.  The dive bomb debacle of last summer will not happen again!  Those sneaky seagulls have one mission, Alec’s sandwich!  It’s Alec’s duty to foil their plans and not let those pesky birds triumph.  Victory is on the horizon until he unwraps his sandwich.

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 Michelle improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in February, so you could have a turn pretty soon to get  helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

One last item on today’s agenda: just a heads up that everybody’s favorite I-Heart-Writing competition, The Valentiny Writing Contest!, is coming soon to a blog near you!  (Er, that would be this one 🙂 )  If someone would just light a fire under the people in charge around here, the guidelines might ever get posted one of these days 🙂  But just so you know, the contest will run from February 10-14, so mark your calendars and get those thinking caps out of mothballs 🙂

Michelle is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to getting high speed internet (although not holding my breath) and to someone posting the guidelines for the Valentiny Writing Contest (and although not holding my breath for that either , it could happen at any moment and is likely to beat the high speed internet into existence 🙂 )

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #237 – No More Turnips! (PB) PLUS Straight From The Editor

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Wowza!

Do you know what today is?

It is National Hot Toddy Day!

I know!

I couldn’t believe it myself!

Even at my ripe old age, I didn’t actually know what a hot toddy was…  Shocking, isn’t it?!  After all those British mystery novels and medieval adventure novels and whatnot where people constantly return damp and bedraggled from harrowing adventures on the rain- and wind-swept moors and require hot toddies to restore them to health!  I had to look hot toddy up last night to discover that it is hot tea mixed with honey, lemon, and/or herbs… and whiskey (or I suppose some other form of alcoholic pizzazz.)

Honestly, I was disappointed.  Hot toddy sounds so good and cozy and delicious, doesn’t it?  But all it turns out to be is a cup of tea with a slosh of alcohol in it which really does nothing for me.

So.  We’re going to have a new kind of hot toddy to celebrate National Hot Toddy Day.  It shall be a Blueberry Hill Hot Toddy.  And this is what it shall be:

Dark Belgian hot chocolate, topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, sprinkled with dark chocolate curls!

Doesn’t that sound SO much better than tea with whiskey in it?! At least for breakfast…?! 🙂

So go make yourself a Blueberry Hill Hot Toddy to celebrate the day! 🙂

Now then.  What with the Halloweensie and Holiday Contests and the holidays themselves, the Would You Read It schedule has been knocked a little off the rails.

But lo and behold, we do in fact have Straight From The Editor today for October!

Can I have a Woo Hoo?

WOO HOO!!!

You will recall (well, actually you may not recall since it was so long ago! 🙂 ) that the October Pitch Pick was won by Michele with her PB pitch for When Sheep Fall Asleep.

The Pitch: All Sam wants to do is stay up late. His parents agree to a deal: If he gets into bed and counts sheep all the way up to ten, then he can stay up all night. But the sheep aren’t cooperating, and once the monkeys, elephants, chickens, and even hyenas start crowding in, it’s all Sam can do to keep his room from turning into a zoo!

Here are editor Erin Molta’s comments:

This seems like it’ll be cute! For the pitch, however, I would end on the falling asleep bit, so instead of his room turning into a zoo, you should go more in the direction of “it was all Sam could do to keep his eyes open…

 Best of luck!

As always I find Erin’s comments so interesting, insightful and helpful!  I hope you do too!

Before we get to today’s pitch, I believe we all need Something Chocolate to sustain and energize us!  How do you feel about Dark Chocolate Cake?

I have to say, I feel pretty good about it.  Possibly good enough for a second…and third… slice!  Really.  We need to keep our blood sugar at an optimal level so we can be productive members of the writing community! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Robin.  Robin leads the children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries providing reference and literacy foundations to the smallest patrons and supporting their parents. Mid life, she was called to ordained ministry as a parish pastor. She continues to read to children as a volunteer in developing countries and writes stories to read and read again! Robin is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency.

Find her on the web at
www.robincurrie.net
https://www.facebook.com/Pastorrobinsnest/

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: No More Turnips!

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

The Pitch: The Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf have grandchildren now. The youngest grandwolf, Frank, is tired of turnips and determined to get a pork chop dinner. His plans are hog tied by the Three Little Grandpigs who have just the cure for ham hock hankering.

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 Robin improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in February, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for a chance for helpful feedback and a possible read by editor Erin Molta!

Robin is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to my visit from the insurance adjuster being over.  Poor Princess Blue Kitty (my trusty Subaru Outback for those of you who don’t know her) had an unfortunate run-in with a stone wall on Friday due to a hidden patch of ice.  She has been injured, and awaits the judgment of the insurance adjuster before she can be patched up.  She has been Very Brave, but I’m sure she would appreciate it if anyone wanted to write a nice poem or song about her 🙂  She might even award a prize or a token of her favor 🙂

It will not be a traditional hot toddy!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #236 – Tooth Fairy In Training (PB)

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Happy New Year, Everyone!

So exciting, isn’t it?

A whole new year, full of possibilities for great writing and illustrating, opportunities to share your stories with the world and read the amazing stories written by your talented fellow writers, conferences and workshops to attend, critique partners to encourage and support, friendships to strengthen and enjoy, wonder and delight, imagination and creativity to share with the picture book crowd, young and old, with whom we all choose to spend our time…

We’re going to do good things in 2017, my friends! 🙂

I had a lot of ambitions for 2016 that didn’t come to fruition for a multitude of personal reasons with which I will not bore/depress you 🙂 , so I’m not going to make any promises at the start of this year.  I will only say that I hope to be in a better position this year to accomplish some of those things which are very important to me and I hope will be helpful to you!

Now then!  Let’s jump right into this new year, shall we?  And what better way to begin than with Something Chocolate: Raspberry-Iced Nutella-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes!  So pretty!… and YUMMY! 🙂

(Also so healthful – there’s fruit (raspberry) and nuts (hazelnut) and whole grains (flour) and protein (eggs) and vegetables (cocoa BEANS) in there – health food, I tell you! So enjoy without guilt! 🙂 )

Now that we’re properly fortified, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Julie who says, “I’m a former teacher/ gifted & talented specialist for grades K-8. 13 years ago, I left the classroom to be a stay-at-home mom and president of our crazy life in dusty west Texas. 2016 found me with 2 teenage daughters who pushed ME out of the nest and encouraged me to finally write the stories I’ve always made up for them. I’m extremely lucky that my husband of 15 years encourages me to finally follow my passion and desire to write the next great picture book. (finger’s crossed!) You can find my blog at https://julielacombeauthor.wordpress.com/ . I’m also on Twitter at @Madkatmom0305 .”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Tooth Fairy In Training

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-7)

The Pitch: Tooth Fairy in training Ember Heartglow has a big problem. She has odontophobia, the fear of teeth. Ember is determined to overcome her fear and be the best tooth fairy in school.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Julie improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in January and February, so you could have a chance to get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Julie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to jumping headfirst into this new year and all it has to offer and hopefully accomplishing something of worth!  Who can tell?  It could happen! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #235 – Good Old Gus (PB) PLUS The October Pitch Winner!

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Would you look at that?

It’s Would You Read It Wednesday again!

I really do not know where the time goes sometimes!

And the fact that today is Wednesday means that tomorrow is the opening day for the 6th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Holiday Writing Contest!  Woo hoo!  I hope you’ve all got your entries ready, or nearly so.  You have 5 days to post, though, so if you’re not done yet, don’t panic 🙂

I, of course, need to panic because I have not given my sample even a second’s thought yet… It will seriously be a miracle if I get one together to post for you guys tomorrow!  But fingers… and toes… and eyes… etc… crossed 🙂  Let’s hope the Muse is around and feeling generous!

Down to today’s business, I’m happy to announce that the winner of the October Pitch Pick was Michele with her pitch for When The Sheep Fall Asleep.  Congratulations, Michele!  Your pitch is winging through cyberspace to editor Erin Molta and I’m sure you’ll hear from her soon!  (Although given that we’re approaching the holidays, it may not be right away!)

And congratulations as well to all our other pitchers who wrote fabulous pitches for interesting stories and bravely put them out there for us to read and comment on and use to help each other learn how to write strong pitches.  You are all winners just for making that effort!  Consider yourselves showered with virtual chocolate treats! 🙂

And speaking of chocolate… how about a little Something Chocolate?  Festive and perfect for winter holiday entertaining – or breakfast 🙂 – there’s nothing like a Hot Chocolate Cake Roll!

Hot Chocolate Cake Roll

Doesn’t that look scrumptious?  Mmmm!  Yum!  Get a cup of coffee and have another slice! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Noel who is a lifelong learner and avid reader trying to become an avid writer for children. Recently moved from the snowy “Great White North”, Noel now has opportunities to acquaint herself with coastal creatures that provide new inspiration for stories.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Good Old Gus

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8)

The Pitch: After years of working with his Captain at sea, an ice cream loving dog is left to wait, alone on the pier for the Captain’s return only to find that there are others on land who need his help more than they realize.

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 Noel improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have a little time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Noel is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to the 6th Annual Holiday Writing Contest which opens at midnight!!!!!  Can’t wait to read all your amazing entries!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #233 – Harry’s Magic (PB)

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Hi Everyone!

It’s Would You Read It Wednesday, and since every day is a good day to improve our vocabulary, and tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I have decided that the word of the day is snood.

Say it with me:

S N O O D

Fun, isn’t it?

S N O O D

Rolls right off the tongue! 🙂

And in case you’re wondering what the heck that has to do with Thanksgiving what a snood is, it’s that hangy thing on a turkey’s nose – kind of at the top of its beak.  (Not to be confused with the wattle which is the hangy thing under its chin 🙂 )

Ah, the majestic turkey!

turkey-1

Because majestic is the word that comes to mind when describing a creature who seems a little too large for its legs and is covered in bizarre hangy things 🙂

But seriously.  We have lots of wild turkeys in our neck of the woods and they’re pretty cool in real life.  Did you know that an adult wild turkey has about 5,500 feathers, including the 18 special ones that make up the male’s beautiful fan?  That a turkey’s field of vision is 270 degrees and they can see in color?  That turkeys can swim (although they don’t do it often!)?  And that a wild turkey can run up to 25 miles per hour when necessity dictates (like when Scout and Jemma are chasing them 🙂 ) and fly up to 55 miles per hour?  (And you thought they couldn’t get off the ground!  They can… but it’s pretty funny to watch 🙂 )

And they have snoods.

What could be better?

Alrighty, then!  Now that we’ve all learned a little something about the wonder that is turkey, I think it’s time for Something Chocolate!  (It probably should be a chocolate turkey, but why go with the predictable? 🙂 )

I invite you all to join me for a delicious breakfast of Peanut Butter Fudge Cake!

Health food, as you can see, since peanut butter is protein and chocolate (from the cocoa bean) is a vegetable, and there are clearly whole grains involved in anything with the word “cake” in it 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Anne who says, “My name is Anne Sawan. I am a writer and a member of SCBWI New England. My picture book, “What Can Your Grandmother Do?” won the International Picture Book Contest held by Inclusive Works in 2014, was recently released in Europe and will be published in the USA by Clavis Publishing this spring. I also have several ebooks on MeeGenius: When Santa Was Small, The Baseball Game, The Great Adventure Brothers and The Halloween Costume. Some of my other writing has been featured on Brain-Child, Adoptive Families, The Mid, Scary Mommy and Blunt Moms.”

Find her on the web at https://agsawan.wordpress.com/

Here is her pitch:

Working Title:  Harry’s Magic

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

The Pitch: Eliza wakes up on the wrong side of the bed feeling quite grumpy, almost as if a monster has taken over her body. Her brother Harry says will cast a magical spell to drive out the angry beast and restore Eliza to her sweet, silly self.  This 560 word, rhyming picture book will have children ages 4-8 laughing as they watch Eliza running about gathering up all of the necessary and ridiculous ingredients for Harry’s magic potion, but will Harry be able to save his sister in time?

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?  (And for those of you whose mouths are stuck with peanut butter from the delicious breakfast above, you may be excused for a glass of milk so you can come back and tell Anne what you think 🙂 )

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 Anne improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have a little time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Anne is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to having a houseful of family – some of whom have already arrived, the rest of whom are coming – the people I love and for whom I am truly thankful!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

And Happy Thanksgiving!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #232 – Celebirdy: The True Story Of Mike The Headless Chicken

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Good Morning, Everyone!

So, it turns out (not that this will come as a surprise to any of you, but it constantly shocks the socks off me!) that I really DO live under a rock!

Actually, I think it’s possible I still live in a cave!

When it comes to modern technology, I am a helpless baby.  Just ask my long-suffering children 🙂

Yesterday, thanks to a conversation at lunch with the lovely Elaine, Queen of Kidlit411, I found out that you can CHOOSE what shows up in your Face Book news feed!

Seriously!  I’m not kidding!

No doubt you guys all already knew this.  Like I said, I’m pretty much the last one to figure anything out!  But in case anyone out there is as technologically challenged as I am, it’s true.  You can go into your preferences and star people and pages you want to be sure to see every post from.

And now, for the height of hilarity, I will instruct those who might be as clueless as I am (talk about the blind leading the blind! 🙂 )  If you go on your FB page, at the top right there’s a little down arrow.

screen-shot-2016-11-15-at-9-24-37-pm

See it?  Next to the padlock with the three lines?

If you click it, one of the options is for “News Feed Preferences”

screen-shot-2016-11-15-at-9-28-14-pm

If you click on News Feed Preferences, you get this:

screen-shot-2016-11-15-at-9-28-41-pm

And if you choose “Prioritize who to see first” it will take you to a screen that shows you every single person you’re friends with and all the pages you like, and you can select which ones you want to be sure not to miss!

Amazing, isn’t it?

I invite you all to practice by going to your FB pages, selecting your News Feed Preferences, Prioritizing who to see first, and clicking on Susanna Leonard Hill – Author! 🙂  That way you will be sure never to miss any of my scintillating Author Page posts (upon which I slave, working my fingers to the bone and burning the midnight oil! 🙂 ) And I assure you that you do not WANT to miss any of them because I may well hold a giveaway of awesome new picture books in the next week or so just to encourage people to like my page and star it in their news feeds so they actually see it!

Let’s not call it bribery.  I think happy incentive sounds much nicer 🙂

And speaking of bribery happy incentive, how about Something Chocolate?  For this morning’s treat, I’m thinking Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies!

You’re going to totally thank me for this one!  I mean seriously – it has oatmeal in the title!  How much more breakfast can you get?  And no-bake?  Ready in 5 minutes?  It doesn’t get much better 🙂

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies!

chocolate-oatmeal-cookies

Recipe HERE at SugarApron

I’m pretty sure this is exactly what your mother had in mind when she told you it was important to start the day with a healthy breakfast! 🙂

We should be having the October Pitch Pick, but due to the Halloweensie Contest and the DIRE problems with my email (which refuses to load no matter how many picture books or chocolate oatmeal cookies I attempt to bribe it with!) I didn’t get the word out to the October pitchers.  So… maybe next week…

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Carolyn whom you will remember from her October pitch for Muggsy And His Go-Go Cart who says, “I am a teacher librarian in the Chicagoland area. Working with children, I have discovered that they love to hear stories about the underdog overcoming obstacles and defeating “the top dog”. They also love weird, but true stories. These observations inspired me to write these two stories.”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title:  Celebirdy: The True Story Of Mike The Headless Chicken

Age/Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book (ages 7-11)

The Pitch:  This nonfiction story tells the account of a chicken that lived without its head for 18 months. The truth doesn’t get much weirder than that!

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 Carolyn improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have a little time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Carolyn is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to all the people who are going to like my FB author page and star it so as to be sure not to miss a single one of my not-to-be-missed spectacularly awesome posts! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #231 – X Marks The Spot (PB)

29 Comments

Happy Wednesday Everybody!

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it a wee bit hard to concentrate today!

I mean, bright and early tomorrow morning is the opening of the 6th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest!

SO EXCITING!

Stories to read, enjoy and share!  Talent to admire!  Fellow writers to cheer on!  Prizes to win!

It’s hard to sit still!

I think Something Chocolate would help!  May I offer you some Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams?  (I mean, that’s basically health food, and definitely a breakfast item, given that it’s made out of graham crackers which are clearly an excellent source of whole grains!)

A little coffee for dunking?  Or milk, if you’re a real health nut who wants to round out your nutritious breakfast with a little protein and calcium as opposed to caffeine?! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Lisa.  Lisa Riddiough is a Bay Area based writer whose projects include essays, picture books and fiction. She is a former sales executive, an avid squirrel watcher and a frequent baker of chocolate pound cake. She lives at home with her husband in their empty nest.

 Find her on the web at:

Twitter – @lisariddiough
FB – Lisa Frenkel Riddiough
Website – www.closeddoorandopenwindow.wordpress.com

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: X Marks The Spot

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

The Pitch: X is tired of his alphabet job. He wants to be a pirate! After getting hired to sail aboard The Zenith, X quickly finds that he doesn’t exactly fit in. For example, all the other pirates have squawking parrots and silver swords, but X only has his pet ox and a clumsy old axe. X is utterly excluded. When a band of scallywags try to steal The Zenith’s most valuable treasure, X discovers he has one expert move that can save the day. It’s an excellent ending!

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 Lisa improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have a little time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Lisa is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to the Halloweensie Contest which, in case you’ve forgotten since the top of the post, opens TOMORROW!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂  See you tomorrow!!!!!!!

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #230 – Muggsy And His Go-Go Cart (PB)

38 Comments

Whoopee!  What do you know?

It’s Would You Read It Wednesday! 🙂

Today’s pitch is in the realm of a “weird but true” story.  I am a huge fan of weird but true facts – they’re so weird… but true! 🙂  So  I thought I should begin this post with a weird but true fact of my own that I’m sure will knock your socks off!  I also think it would be a great idea for a picture book, if anyone wants to take a crack at it, so I’m sharing it with you, my talented PB-writing posse! 🙂

Ready?

This is completely true.  Seriously.  I am not making it up:

A sheep, a duck, and a rooster were the first passengers on a hot air balloon!

I’m pretty sure no one asked them if they wanted to get in that basket.

I’m guessing they had some serious doubts as to the wisdom of the plan.

But being the helpless guinea pigs accommodating creatures they were, they climbed bravely aboard and made history!

Possible picture book?  I think so!  Whoopee!

And speaking of whoopee, how about Something Chocolate – a Whoopie Pie Cake?!

For starters, you really can’t go wrong with a recipe that has both pie AND cake in the title!  And really, I think that gooey chocolatey marshmallowy deliciousness looks like the perfect breakfast, don’t you?  Maybe we should send some along in the balloon with the sheep, the duck, and the rooster – I’m sure a little snack to sustain them would be most welcome and help make up for the fact that they were tossed willy-nilly and without their consent into a basket attached to a giant balloon and sent skyward where no sheep or rooster had any business being… the duck is another matter 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Carolyn who says, “I am a teacher librarian in the Chicagoland area. Working with children, I have discovered that they love to hear stories about the underdog overcoming obstacles and defeating “the top dog”. They also love weird, but true stories. These observations inspired me to write these two stories.”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Muggsy And His Go-Go Cart

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

The Pitch: Muggsy Pawsborne is born without his hind legs. However, he and his family have never seen this as a disability. It has always been his Musggsability, which means he can do anything other dogs can do, just differently. When Muggsy starts at a new school, he encounters the typical group of mean kids. When the mean kids make fun of Muggsy’s wheelchair during recess, he is left feeling embarrassed and lonely. A friendly classmate encourages Muggsy to participate in the school’s Olympic Day in order to show everyone that just because Muggsy has a wheelchair doesn’t mean he is disabled. Will Muggsy persevere and become the top pooch in school?

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 Carolyn improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in November, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Carolyn is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to drafting a picture book about flying animals, aren’t you?  What could be more fun?!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #229 – Pochon’s Monster (PB)

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Happy Wednesday, Folks!

As we are all picture book folk, immersed in the world of That-Which-Matters-To-Kids, I’m sure you all woke up this morning with only one thought on your minds:

Today is Take Your Teddy Bear To Work Day!

A lot of us, being writers, or work-at-home parents, are not going to supply much of an outing for our teddy bears.

(And I’m guessing it’s pretty unlikely that anyone besides a preschool or kindergarten teacher would actually consider leaving the house with a teddy bear :)… but I mention the whole Take Your Teddy Bear To Work idea because I think there’s a picture book in it somewhere… from the teddy bear’s POV!)

Of course, some of us (that would be me) never actually had a teddy bear.  I had a camel I was fond of.  He has no hair now.  And a Snoopy with an engineer hat and overalls.  Alas…he has no clothes or hair now…  But no actual bear.  (There’s probably a whole nother story idea in that…! 🙂 )

So on this Take Your Teddy Bear To Work Day I’m bringing my Brown Bear – not that coming to work is any big deal for her.  She does it every single day 🙂  The chair in my office that I recently had reupholstered has somehow become hers… I could probably have really skipped that reupholstering! 🙂

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As you can see, she is wide awake and on the job – a tremendous aid to my writing efforts 🙂

Did/do you have a teddy bear or stand-in?  Will you take it to work?  If so, what job will you take it to?  I’m serious – there may be a future picture book in this! 🙂

Okay, so now that I’m feeling like I had an underprivileged childhood because I never had an actual teddy bear, I believe it’s time for Something Chocolate!

How do you feel about Cookie Dough Brownies?

I knew you’d be fans!  I mean, it’s a brownie AND a (sort of) cookie with oodles of chocolatey goodness… how can you go wrong?! 🙂

Now.  Onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Greg, whom you will remember from his pitch back in the summer for The Bath Of Least Resistance.  Greg (clearly a kindred spirit!) says, “If I didn’t have to work for a living I’d be writing, eating chocolate and writing about eating chocolate.  For fun I play hockey, geocache, cook, and chase around my son.”

Find him on the web at https://www.facebook.com/gregoryebray/

Here is his pitch:

Working Title: Pochon’s Monster

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-10)

The Pitch:

A sock stealing monster made of socks?” Viola couldn’t believe the story she heard at a slumber about Pochon’s Monster was true.

Viola sets out to find the monster and get her socks back. With an act of kindness, she gets the monster to relinquish what it has taken.

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 Greg 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 Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in November, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for some helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Greg is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch!  I am looking forward to the upcoming 6th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest, which I’m hoping you all saw the announcement for on Monday!  Here’s the LINK in case you missed it.  And there’s already a prize update – one lucky winner will have the opportunity for a read and critique from editor Marilyn Brigham of Two Lions!  And KidLit 411 is contributing a bundle of picture books!  And more stuff is rolling in, so stay tuned!

Have a wonderful start-looking-forward-to-Halloweensie Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #228 – When Sheep Fall Asleep (PB)

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Well, my friends, what a week THIS has been so far!

For starters, although it maybe wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, we did finally get a little much-needed rain.  This may not sound like a big deal, but after what has to have been the driest summer on record for a long, long time, the parched ground and drooping trees were clearly grateful!  And there’s something very pleasant about a cool, gray day with the gentle sound of rain pattering on the roof while you work diligently at sudoku puzzles  sporcle quizes  catching up on the Game of Thrones episodes you never got to watch your writing!

Then on Monday, my own little thrill of excitement when I discovered my new books up on Amazon and GoodReads!  There’s something about seeing them there that makes it all feel more real! 🙂  And although I knew that WHEN YOUR LION NEEDS A BATH and WHEN YOUR ELEPHANT HAS THE SNIFFLES would be out on July 11, 2017, I did NOT know the publication date for THE ROAD THAT TRUCKS BUILT until I saw it up on Amazon – June 6, 2017 – so that was especially fun! 🙂

Coming soon… to a library/bookstore/classroom near you…! 🙂

And now, hopefully a little thrill of excitement for you when I hint that I have writing contest news coming soon… because in case you’ve been too busy to look at the calendar, that Halloweensie time of year is approaching…!  I’m working on prizes, but if anyone has anything to offer or great contacts who might have anything to offer, please feel free to let me know.  With 3 big contests coming up, I can use all the awesome prizes I can get for you guys!!!  Keep it tuned to this station… there will be news SOON! 🙂  And start thinking about those Halloweensie stories….!

Now.  We have all been awake for at least 5 minutes, many of us as many as 7 or even 12 minutes!, so that means it’s time for Something Chocolate.  After all, we can hardly be expected to soldier through a morning of hard writing/parenting/teaching/librarianing without a little pick-me-up!  Hmm… what would be good?  I’m thinking Something Cupcake.  Because cupcakes are yummy, portable, and small enough to eat two…or three… without feeling guilty 🙂

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Recipe HERE at HandleTheHeat best-chocolate-cupcakes-02

YUM!  Chocolate/chocolate – simple, classic, elegant, delicious!

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Michele who says, “I’m an executive editor at the children’s publishing arm of an entertainment company. As an author, I have published leveled readers, books of word games, a board book set, and children’s apps for iOS and Android–but this is my first attempt at a picture book, and it’s nerve-wracking being on the other side of the desk! I’m a member of SCBWI and Children’s Media Association, and you can find me Tweeting about books, children’s entertainment, and whatever else pops into my mind at @michelewells.”

Find her on the web at @michelewells

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: When Sheep Fall Asleep

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-6)

The Pitch: All Sam wants to do is stay up late. His parents agree to a deal: If he gets into bed and counts sheep all the way up to ten, then he can stay up all night. But the sheep aren’t cooperating, and once the monkeys, elephants, chickens, and even hyenas start crowding in, it’s all Sam can do to keep his room from turning into a zoo!

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 Michele improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

 

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in November, so…not so far off at this point!  You could your chance soon to get your pitch up for helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Michele is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to telling all my relatives that my new books are available for preorder (in the hopes that they will honor their familial obligation to support me 🙂 ) and checking Amazon obsessively to see if cover art for the TRUCK book goes up because I can’t wait to see it! 🙂  I am the soul of patience, aren’t I?  Perfectly cut out for a career in the (ahem) fast-paced industry of children’s publishing 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂