Category: Would You Read It

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 31st Pitch, More Awards… And A Surprise!!!

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Golly!  I’m so excited my fingers are literally tripping over the key board, so please forgive me if I make a lot of typos!  And no, it is not because I am over caffeinated.  Or over chocolated.  Yet.  (Although I do have a cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant near to hand lest I become faint whilst typing :))

First, I have been honored with more awards!  The lovely Clar has give me The Sunshine Award and The Kreativ Blogger Award.  Thank you so much Clar!  As I responded to awards just a week ago, I will refrain from boring you all again, but I did place the awards in my left sidebar with thanks to everyone who gave them to me.  And you know my policy with passing awards on – I think you all deserve them, so help yourselves! 🙂 (You can lift them from the sidebar.)

And, this just in, the wonderful Christie at Write Wild has awarded me the Pot ‘O Gold Blogger Award – such a prestigious honor!  There are rules about accepting which I’m not going to manage just now because this post is already long and I added this in after I wrote it, but I wanted to acknowledge and thank her for the award and all her kind words!  Thank you, Christie!  (I’m going to pop the award in the sidebar for now because I’m not posting on it properly but do take a look! – so pretty!)

Next, I want to update you on Phyllis’s World Tour.

WOW is she having a blast!  She has already been to The Golden State With Kirsten, The Sunshine State With Kelly, and The Lone Star State With Natalie, and has arrived at Pam Courtney’s young literacy programs in The Peach Tree State!  Last I heard she was headed for The Show Me State as well as back to The Golden State.  (Bonus points to anyone who can identify the states by their nicknames.  There will be a quiz on April 1st :))

You can follow all her travels with photos and weather reports on her new special tab above:  Phyllis’s World Tour.  But for your extra convenience here’s a little sneak peek:

Here she is, lounging in what the locals refer to as “some sort of palm tree”
– I believe that is a botanical term 🙂
And here she is modeling her sombrero, which I have a
sneaking suspicion she plans never to take off!  Ever!

Thanks to everyone who has hosted her so far.  I hope she has been behaving herself!

Now, before we get to Would You Read It, I have a surprise for you!  Actually, it was a surprise for me, too!  Yesterday afternoon, I opened an email from the lovely Donna Farrell (you all remember her from her interview, right?  My multi-talented web designer?)  Well!

LOOK WHAT SHE MADE US!!!

illustrations copyright Jeff Ebbeler
badge designed by Donna Farrell

Is this a thing of complete beauty and awesomeness or what???!!!  And I didn’t even ask her (although I had been thinking about making a badge and who I should ask to design it.)  Apparently, in addition to her creative talents, she is also a mind reader 🙂  I love this so much I want to make stickers… and bookmarks… and car magnets… maybe a billboard in Times Square 🙂

Anyway, I will be plastering it anywhere I can possibly get away with it, including but not limited to my blog sidebar and the Phyllis World Tour page and FB and maybe a huge one for my living room and perhaps a flag on Blueberry Hill, and you are all welcome to share it too!  But would you kindly do me a favor if you use it and mention that the illustrations copyright is to Jeff Ebbeler and the badge was designed by Donna Farrell?  Because they deserve the credit!

You have NO IDEA how hard it was for me not to post this on FB the second I got it.  I hope you’re all admiring my self-restraint 🙂  I think it’s so incredibly perfect!  (The badge, I mean, not my self-restraint!) (You probably couldn’t tell that from the amount of gushing :))

Okay.  Now we have to get down to business.  Sorry, Miranda for keeping you waiting!  It’s time for Would You Read It, and this week’s post is from the wonderful Miranda who has just returned from The Gambia!  Miranda Paul is an author who began her career studying aquatic biology and other oddities.  Now a mother, picture book writer, and editor, she splits her time between getting splashed by her kids, wading through revision, and drowning in submissions at Rate Your Story.  Read more at: Miranda’s Website and Miranda’s Blog.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title:  Reef Stew
Age/Genre:  Rhyming Picture Book ages 4-8
The Pitch:  When a shipwreck destroys their reef, the shellfish grow selfish and every creature’s a crab.  Can Whale stir up happiness with a single piece of stony coral?  Filled with slurps, burps, and spicy sargassum, this quirky version of a classic tale will send ripples of laughter through any school of young guppies.

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 Miranda improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Miranda is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

And please stay tuned for more exciting updates from Phyllis! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 30th Pitch… And Some Awards… And A Journey!

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Well, boys and girls, I am just chock full of news today!  I hope you’ve got your chocolate-covered Wheaties close by!

First off, I’d like to thank the lovely Rachel from Writing On The Wall for bestowing upon me not one, but TWO awesome awards which I have never received before:

The Sunshine Award – so pretty 🙂

AND

The Dream Launcher Award – so inspiring!
Of course there are a few questions that go along with the awards…
1. Favorite Color?  Blue
2. Favorite Animal? A tie between horses and dogs
3. Favorite Number? 9
4. Favorite (non-alcoholic) drink? I pretty much only drink water or seltzer… well, not counting coffee 🙂  But if we’re talking favorite, maybe iced tea (definitely sweetened) or orange peach mango juice!
5. Face Book or Twitter? Face Book!  I haven’t even tried Twitter – I find it very intimidating for some reason.
6. My Passion? Writing and my family (not necessarily in that order :))
7. Getting or Giving Presents?  Definitely giving!
8. Favorite Pattern?  Hmm… I don’t really do patterns… maybe something very simple and floral?
9. Favorite Day of the Week? I don’t know why, but I think maybe Tuesday.  How random is that? 🙂
10. Favorite Flower? Carnations – I love the smell!
And of course I’m supposed to pass these awards along… and I can NEVER choose who to pass them to because you are all so wonderful… so as usual I will sidestep by saying that if you like these awards and you follow my blog, you may have them because you’re all awesome 🙂  Consider them given 🙂
Moving right along, item 2 on today’s jam-packed agenda is Phyllis’s World Tour!
Yes, you heard me right.  There are those who have called her PHYLLIS THE INCREDIBLE INTERNATIONAL ROCK STAR (though I’m not naming any names :))
As we speak, 2 copies of April Fool, Phyllis are winging their way out – one to Florida, the other to California – to begin whirlwind tours of the USA.  Each person who receives the book will read it (sometimes to their kids or classrooms), blog about it, sign it, and pass it on to the next person.  In addition to the two copies making the rounds, lovely supporters in Canada, France, Italy and possibly even New Zealand will also be blogging about our April jester.  One special copy is going to Texas to begin a tour of US schools, and another special copy is going to Georgia to make the rounds of 2 fabulous literacy programs!  How much awesomeness can one month hold???
I will be adding a special tab up top on my blog so you can all follow Phyllis’s adventures with ease, and virtually visit all the fantastic places she’s going!  There will be blog links and, I’m really hoping, photos!!!  I’d also really like to have a map involved, but that is most probably beyond my technological skill, and my number one tech advisor has abandoned me to go to college…  so we’ll just have to see about that 🙂
And now, when you’re already so excited by receiving awards and hearing about Phyllis’s World Tour, I present you with today’s Would You Read It from the awesome Renee who can spout incredible poetry even whilst laid up sick in bed!
Renee is a full-time editor/writer for All About Learning Press for whom she co-authors early readers and blogs on grammar as her alter ego, the Chipmunk of Doom. A wife and mom to twin toddler boys, she lives in Italy where she runs around the countryside filming silly poetry videos for her blog No Water River. This is her first foray out of her poetic comfort zone and into the psychedelic world of prose PBs. Be gentle with her.

And here’s her pitch:
Working Title: Doris And The Scaredy Cats
Age/Genre: Fiction PB ages 4+
The Pitch:  Intrigued by the herd of petrified cats that show up at her door with their little suitcases, Doris is determined to un-petrify her furry new housemates — despite her family’s pleas to send them away before she ends up a scaredy cat, too. Doris will either calm the cats’ jitters or make her family’s fear come true — or neither.     
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 Renee improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Renee is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
If you haven’t had a chance to vote on the February Pitch Pick, there’s still almost a day to go.  Click HERE and vote.
And that’s it.  I’m finally done.  And you probably all noticed that I way made up for last week’s succinctness 🙂

P.S.  One last thing I just realized, for any of you who were interested in Monday’s Oh Susanna question about leaving room for the illustrator.  Serendipitously, Janice Hardy blogged about this very topic yesterday and you can see her terrific post HERE.

Pitch Pick # 6 and Oh, Susanna – How Does A PB author Know How Much "Space" To Leave The Illustrator?

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Oh, Happy Monday!

It’s March!  So even if we’re at the in-like-a-lion stage, spring is beginning to feel like a possibility 🙂  Here’s a little something to get you thinking spring 🙂

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Today, fun of fun, we have the February Pitch Pick to determine which of our talented writers will get to have her pitch sent to editor Erin Molta for critique!

A little refresher:

#1  Dede

Working Title: Summer of ’71
Age/Genre: MG
The Pitch:  When eleven-year old Fiona peered through the broken slat of the caretaker’s shed at the back corner of the West End Cemetery, the last thing she expected to see was a girl about her own age, asleep on the dirt floor. Thus begins an unlikely friendship that carries them through a summer of bullies, a best friend’s betrayal, and a life-changing tragedy. 

#2  Sarah

Working Title: Starstruck
Age/Genre: YA
Pitch: Seventeen year old Katie literally stumbles into Matt’s life one icy January morning. Within two months they’re friends, and in three, they’re dating. But there’s a snag. Matt is a movie star and teenage heart-throb. Katie’s living the dream that every other girl her age has, but the dazzle of having a famous boyfriend only lasts so long. How will Katie cope when the line between dream and nightmare becomes blurred? 

#3  Sharron

Working Title: Sorrysorrysorry
Age/Genre: Early PB (ages 2-5)
The Pitch:  Three frolicking baby giraffes try to find a place to play on a hot and crowded savannah. They find it isn’t an easy task. They run into a troop of baboons, a dazzle of zebras, and a pride of lions. At last, they turn to the river, only to be confronted by hippopotami. Our giraffes find fun and friendship at the end of a long a grueling day.

#4  Jennifer R

Working Title:  The Birthday Bash
Age/Genre: PB (ages 6-8)
The Pitch:  It’s Sylvia’s birthday tomorrow and Stan and Louie have a big surprise party planned. With hilarity and hi-jinks the two raccoons search for Sylvia’s favorite foods in the forest, garages and backyard patios. Will they find what they’re looking for or will the birthday party be a bust?

#5  Jennifer Y

Working Title:  Planet Vacation
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch:  Rose takes a vacation to visit the planets.  Will she get a chance to rollerblade on the rings of Saturn and scuba dive for starfish on Jupiter or will her trip be nothing like she dreamed?
A tough choice as always, made tougher by the fact that February, although a short month, managed to have 5 Wednesdays!
Please cast your vote for the best pitch in the poll below by Wednesday March 7 at 11:59 PM EST.  That way I can announce the winner on Friday after Perfect Picture Books 🙂

<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/5999890/”>Pitch Pick #6</a>
Moving right along, we also have an Oh, Susanna question today.
Darshana asks,
I am a pre-published PB author still learning her craft.
I keep hearing to leave enough “space” for the illustrator to do their job.
In other words, don’t overwrite.
How do you make that call when you are writing your MS.

For example:

“Jay .. ” sighed Mr. Martin. “You could have entered the Academy. You’ll have to wait until next year to try out again.”

Jay’s head dropped and his feathers dropped.   <<< is this needed in text or do I leave it for the illustrator to show?

Teary-eyed, Jay flew away to the coast.
Another excellent question!
A picture book is supposed to be a marriage of words and art.  The author should tell half the story, and the illustrator should tell the other half.  This means that, unless it is absolutely crucial to the plot for some reason (as in Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse) you do not need to say that the MC is wearing a red coat, or that her hair is blond, or his dad drives a Chevy.  Leave those details to the illustrator’s imagination.
That said, there are some things which are crucial on first reading (for the editor and illustrator to imagine) that can later be cut from the text once they’ve done their job – i.e. once the illustrator has shown it.  An example, from Can’t Sleep Without Sheep, was that in the original ms it said “The hippos waddled forward.  ‘We’re going to need a crane,’ said the sheep.  “This could take a while.'”  Once Mike had drawn the crane, we didn’t need that sentence anymore and were able to go to the funnier, “The hippos waddled forward.  ‘This could take a while,’ said the sheep.”
Another option, to be used sparingly because most editors and illustrators don’t like it, is to include art specs.  This should only be done when something specific HAS to be drawn to make the story work, or when the text is so spare that the reader won’t know what you intend without the art notes.  For example, the text of No Dogs Allowed.  If you scroll down that link on Linda Ashman’s page, you can click on the actual manuscript and see how she did it.
But ultimately, it is your job as author to use the strongest nouns and verbs you can, so that your intent is crystal clear without having to explain.
In your example above, I don’t think you need the part you asked about.  If you go straight from “try again” to “Teary-eyed, Jay flew away…”, you have clearly indicated his sadness with “teary-eyed”and an illustrator is likely to pick up on that and paint his dejection.
But this is where picture books are different from every other genre.  The illustrator might paint something else.  And it might be just as good as what you intended, or even better!
So your job is to tell the story and let the illustrator draw it.
And be forewarned that when your book arrives in proof form, it may not be quite what you expected, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great!
Anyone else who has submitted mss, please chime in with your thoughts.  And illustrators too – what do you like to see?

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 29th Pitch

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OK.  How Twilight Zone is it that the 29th pitch is occurring on that rarest of days, February 29th?  *hums Twilight Zone music* Do you have chills?

If you don’t have chills from that, you’ll get them from marveling over the extreme succinctness of my post today – hitherto unheard of brevity 🙂  Grab your Something Chocolate and let’s get right down to Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Jennifer.  No, not the same Jennifer as last week.  That was Jennifer R.  This is Jennifer Y 🙂

Jennifer was born and raised in southern Connecticut and settled down in south Jersey.  She loves quotes.  One of her favorites is from The Edge – “What one man can do, another can do.”  You can visit her blog and like her on Face Book 🙂

Working Title:  Planet Vacation
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch:  Rose takes a vacation to visit the planets.  Will she get a chance to rollerblade on the rings of Saturn and scuba dive for starfish on Jupiter or will her trip be nothing like she dreamed?

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 Jennifer improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Jennifer is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

And I hope you are all suitably impressed by my succinctness 🙂  See you Friday – boy do I have a fantastic book to share with you!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 28th Pitch

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Well, folks, today’s the day I head out for the Reach Out And Read Event!  Pretty exciting!  To those of you who donated books, thank you so very much – the kids will be thrilled.  I’m hoping to get a picture or two today, but you never know…  If I get any, I’ll be sure to post them 🙂

Since I’m off and running today, we’ll cut right to the chase!

Today’s Would You Read It pitch comes to us from Jennifer.  Jennifer loves to read, write, and spend time with her husband and two boys.  She also writes a terrific blog and participates frequently in Perfect Picture Book Fridays 🙂

So without further ado…

Working Title:  The Birthday Bash
Age/Genre: PB (ages 6-8)
The Pitch:  It’s Sylvia’s birthday tomorrow and Stan and Louie have a big surprise party planned. With hilarity and hi-jinks the two raccoons search for Sylvia’s favorite foods in the forest, garages and backyard patios. Will they find what they’re looking for or will the birthday party be a bust?


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 Jennifer improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Jennifer is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I’m looking forward to seeing you all Friday for Perfect Picture Books! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 27th Pitch

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Those of you who have been around the blog for a while know that I live in the wilderness.  You may have seen my posts on Mexican stand-offs with deer, and our run-ins with the bear #1 and #2.

So it will come as no surprise to you that I am being stalked by a masked marauder.  Apparently our unseasonably warm winter has confused it into thinking our garage is a raccoon hotel and he is entitled to stay as long as he likes and order room service.  Do I look like I’m offering room service?

google images

Now, I don’t know how much time you guys spend around raccoons, but they are not small.  They have sharp claws and pointy teeth, and they don’t dress like bandits for nothing!  On Disney they look really cute, but in real life they’re a little too much like the R.O.U.S.s in The Princess Bride.

So the raccoon and I are locked in epic battle over the fact that I want my car and he’s not leaving.

My current approach works like this:

Walk out front door of house singing “Love Shack” by the B-52s at the top of my lungs thinking that ought to scare the bejeesus out of anyone, human or raccoon!

It doesn’t.

But I have back-up: a flashlight, in case I need to stun him into submission with blinding light (assuming the batteries aren’t dead, which they probably might be because I haven’t checked them in, oh, a decade), and my daughter’s ice-hockey stick because it makes me feel brave.  (I have no intention of getting close enough to that wily critter to actually poke him or anything!!!)  I would love to have my trusty companions, Dog 1 and Dog 2, but I’m afraid it might hurt them – it shows no signs of compassion!

I dance forward, hockey stick out in front, in much the way a swordsman might approach an opponent (only I’m guessing I look a lot less elegant…)

The raccoon thumps around near the garbage can (which is empty, but he’s an optimist, apparently.)

“I’m coming in there!” I warn.

This fails to induce the element of fear I was hoping for.  I’m pretty sure he’s laughing at me.

The crafty little critter scuttles up into the rafters.  Now I KNOW he’s laughing at me. “I see you up there!” I call to the oversized rodent.  “You think you’re so clever, but your tail is hanging right down in plain sight!”  He doesn’t care apparently.  It’s way too much fun getting a rise out of me every time I need my car.

Fine!  I guess we don’t have to get groceries until tomorrow.  But this battle is not over!

Honestly!  The things I put up with on Blueberry Hill!

So, now that you’re laughing yourselves silly over my raccoon predicament, it’s about that time 🙂

Today’s Would You Read It contestant is Sharron, who loves reading, writing, sharing with friends, and learning new things.  Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Sorrysorrysorry
Age/Genre: Early PB (ages 2-5)
The Pitch:  Three frolicking baby giraffes try to find a place to play on a hot and crowded savannah. They find it isn’t an easy task. They run into a troop of baboons, a dazzle of zebras, and a pride of lions. At last, they turn to the river, only to be confronted by hippopotami. Our giraffes find fun and friendship at the end of a long a grueling day.

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 Sharron improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sharron is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Just a little heads up – this month’s Author/Illustrator Interview will take place on Sunday February 19 (that’s this weekend folks) and our guest will be none other that Donna Farrell.  Donna is an illustrator, but what she will really be talking about is her work as a website and blog designer for authors and illustrators. Yes!  That means you!  She is absolutely terrific (she did my website and blog, need I say more? :))  So I hope you’ll all find a few minutes in your weekends to come see what she has to say!
Also, anyone who hasn’t had a chance to vote for a Valentines Contest winner yet, please go HERE.  We really need everyone’s votes – it’s a tight race! 🙂
Now.
Back to my battle with the raccoon! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 26th Pitch

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Good morning, everyone!  Time for another episode of Would You Read It!

But first, I would like to thank Mona, Catherine and Kelly for the Liebster Award, and Catherine and Kelly for the KreativBlogger Award – both awards I have not had the pleasure of receiving before, so thank you all so very much!!!

I know I’m supposed to list some stuff about myself and pass the awards on to others, but as you all know I’m terrible at that.  Plus it seems like pretty much everyone I know has received these awards in the last week.  So forgive me if I just say thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Now, it’s on to the Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Sarah in the Ireland!  (I think she may be the first entrant from Ireland!)  Sarah is 19 and a biomedical science student.  She claims she’s only a wannabe writer, but I say hop over and check out her blog – she has a great sense of humor! 🙂

Working Title: Starstruck
Age/Genre: YA
Pitch: Seventeen year old Katie literally stumbles into Matt’s life one icy January morning. Within two months they’re friends, and in three, they’re dating. But there’s a snag. Matt is a movie star and teenage heart-throb. Katie’s living the dream that every other girl her age has, but the dazzle of having a famous boyfriend only lasts so long. How will Katie cope when the line between dream and nightmare becomes blurred? 

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 Sarah improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

P.S.  Remember the Valentines Contest, only a few days away!  Check here for details (please scroll down to the bottom of the post.)

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 25th Pitch

51 Comments

Oh, joy!  It’s Wednesday!  That means grab Something Chocolate and settle in for Would You Read It 🙂

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(Mmmm!  Excellent choice!  (And yes, that is too a perfectly healthy breakfast!  Look!  There’s fruit!  Also something green!))

First, though, I’d like to remind anyone who hasn’t voted for the December/January Pitch Pick to please go here and vote.  The winner will be announced Friday!!!

Second, as you know, I like to sweeten the pie a little (tee hee) by offering a random prize each month to one of our dedicated Perfect Picture Book bloggers.  You get one chance for every book you posted in the month.  (There were 96 books posted in January – not counting mine which makes an even 100!!! – not too shabby, eh?)  I enter them all (except mine) into random.org and voila! we get a winner.  November’s was Stacy, December’s was Clar, and January’s duhn duhn-duhn duhn-duhn duhn DUHN! is Miranda!!

Miranda, come on down!  This month’s bag o’ goodies (which changes every month depending what I’ve got kicking around :)) contains hardcover copies of Red Sings From Treetops, The Busy Life Of Ernestine Buckmeister, and April Fool, Phyllis! and a paperback copy of Jean Auel’s The Land Of Painted Caves (which is not for kids, but I just happen to have a brand new spare copy!)  Please select one and Email Me (see that handy button over there?) with your choice and it shall be yours 🙂  All you other PPB bloggers, thank you SO MUCH for the wonderful job you do every week!  We are growing such a great resource!  The next thing I want to add to it is Best Books for Boys (since it seems many people have a harder time engaging boys with reading) so please let me know if you have found any of the titles already on the list especially engaging for boys, and if you add a title that fits that category, please be sure to bring it to my attention!  And who knows?  Next month YOU could be the lucky winner!

And now – got your Something Chocolate? – it’s time for Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Dede who says she quit writing more times than she can remember. She stashed her drafts and turned her attention to more practical pursuits – her day job, the ever-present laundry pile, the bills. Despite her lack of attention, characters kept nudging until she gave in and finished writing their stories. Here’s one of them. The others can be found on her website.


Ready?

Working Title: Summer of ’71
Age/Genre: MG
The Pitch:  When eleven-year old Fiona peered through the broken slat of the caretaker’s shed at the back corner of the West End Cemetery, the last thing she expected to see was a girl about her own age, asleep on the dirt floor. Thus begins an unlikely friendship that carries them through a summer of bullies, a best friend’s betrayal, and a life-changing tragedy. 

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 Dede improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Pitches are currently queued through April 4, but there are lots of openings after that, so send your pitch for a chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Dede is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 24th Pitch

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I think it’s a two-cups-of-hot-chocolate morning, my friends!

With whipped cream.

And a little cocoa sprinkled on top to look pretty.

Because look at all the happiness we have to share this morning!

First, through some unknown cosmic whirlijig (I just made that up because it sounds good and it looks good :)) I am being featured on 5 different blogs in the space of a week!  Normally I am not that popular.  I think this has to do with Phyllis 🙂  Who wants you to remember what’s coming next week and how exceptional she looks in her tiara, so here:

This is me, Phyllis, wearing the tiara that the Grace Church preschoolers made me last year, and the scarf Aunt Leslie made me to match my first book.  Kind of takes your breath away, don’t it? 🙂

Because most of the bloggers are my very good friends, I do hope you will go visit them.  (Also, there could be a book in it for you :))

Here’s the run-down in case you’re interested:

Yesterday (Tuesday Jan. 24):  Clarbojahn’s Blog: Part 2 of our interview and a giveaway of a hard cover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis.
Today (Wed. Jan. 25):  Sylvia Ramsey’s Blog, Thoughtful Reflections.  This one I’m not too familiar with. I wrote the interview for her at the beginning of September so it will be all new to me too! 🙂
Tomorrow (Thurs. Jan. 26): Corey Schwartz’s Blog, Thing 1 and Thing 2.  This one is all about where the idea for Phyllis came from and will be in two parts.  I’m not sure yet when part 2 will be.
Friday Jan. 27:  Leigh Covington’s Blog.  This one is a (brief!) interview with Phyllis herself!  She emerged from her burrow just because she likes Leigh.  There will be a giveaway of a hard cover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis here too!
Sat. Jan. 28: Iza Trapani’s Blog, In And Out Of My Studio.  A chat with one of my favorite author/illustrators who may or may not be appearing on this blog soon (I could tell you, but then it wouldn’t be a secret :))  There will be a giveaway of a hardcover copy of Punxsutawney Phyllis on this one, too!

I don’t know Sylvia, but all the others are wonderful writers with great blogs.  I hope you will do them the favor of a visit!

Next, you still have today to comment on Monday’s Author/Illustrator Interview with Michael Garland for a chance at one of his books!  If you haven’t read the interview and commented yet, hop on over after you finish Would You Read It and leave your thoughts for today’s participant.

Which brings me to today’s participant, the lovely Christie whom you’ve already met thrice before – she’s that prolific!

Here we go!

Working Title:  Solomon’s Raisin Farm
Age/Genre:  PB
The Pitch:  Last year, Solomon was finally old enough to help with the harvesting of the raisins, but it rained. This year, he prays for no rain so the crops won’t get ruined and the family can make money at the festival. Will the rain hold off this year so Solomon can finally prove to his family that he really is old enough to help 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 Christie improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Pitches are currently queued through March 14, but there are lots of openings after that, so send your pitch for a chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Christie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Please join us Friday for Perfect Picture Books!  And the winner of the Michael Garland book giveaway!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 23rd Pitch

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Wow!  There is so much fun stuff going on it’s hard to keep track!
First off, thank you all for your enthusiastic response to Oh Susanna!  I’ve already got a couple questions, so I’ll probably post the first episode of that feature on Monday.  Lest the first also be the last, though, please send more questions 🙂
Second, guess what I get to do today?  Interview the talented author/illustrator Michael Garland – in person! – so that I can share the interview with you on Sunday!!!  I know.  I said the author interviews this year were going to be the 3rd Sunday of the month.  But January started on a Sunday so that one doesn’t count!  I hope you’ll all tune in this Sunday January 22.  I’m sure Michael will have lots of wonderful things to share, and I will do a book giveaway in conjunction with the interview.  I think something along the lines of comment on which Michael Garland book you love most or would most like to own and why…  But maybe I’ll think up something to make it more challenging… 🙂  I am open to suggestions… what do you think would be fun?
Third, (see, I TOLD you there was all kinds of fun stuff going on!) I am going to be hosting an event for the Ossining Open Door facility of Reach Out And Read on February 22.  Look at this totally cool poster:
And for our Spanish-speaking audience (which alas is not me!)…
sorry the bottoms got cut off – I had a terrible time uploading these!
How cool is that?!
Reach Out And Read seeks to get books into the hands of children ages 2-5 who otherwise wouldn’t have any.  In conjunction with this event, we are trying to get as many donations of my books as possible to give away for free to the kids that attend.  If you’d be interested in donating a copy of Can’t Sleep Without Sheep, Punxsutawney Phyllis, April Fool, Phyllis, Not Yet, Rose, Airplane Flight or Freight Train Trip, you can order from Merritt Bookstore at (845) 677-5857.  Tell them the book is for Susanna Hill’s Reach Out And Read event and you will get a 20% discount and no tax on your purchase of the books for Reach Out And Read.  Open Door will collect the books on February 1st for inventory and transport, so if you’re interested, please call before February 1.
And now, finally, grab your chocolate and get ready for Would You Read It!
This week’s pitch comes to us from Margaret.  (Her blog is just getting started, so hop on over and make her feel welcome to our writing community!)  Margaret is from the Silicon Valley and is a full-time SAHM of 2 young children (SAHM is mom blogger speak for Stay-At-Home-Mom.)  She is also a budding entrepreneur and picture book writer.  Like all of us, she is looking for a formula to stretch time so if you find one… 🙂
Here is her pitch:
Working Title:  Home Is Where The Bird Is
Age/Genre:  Picture Book
The Pitch:  Bird thought he found his perfect birdhouse – until he encountered the mouse living inside.  After a feather-raising experience house hunting on his own, Bird asks Mouse for help.  Mouse leads Bird on a hilarious tour of unconventional housing options.  As winter looms, will Bird accept anything but his perfect birdhouse?
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 Margaret improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  Pitches are currently queued through March 7, but there are lots of openings after that, so send your pitch for a chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Margaret is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Please join us Friday for Perfect Picture Books!  I have such a wonderful book to share that I can barely wait to tell you what it is… but I will 🙂  See you Friday!