Category: writing fun

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 17th Pitch

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Isn’t it great when you wake up looking forward to the day?  And I know you all did because it’s Would You Read It day 🙂

Before we get started, let’s select our Something Chocolate snack.  It’s very drizzly and drab here this morning, so I’m thinking some hot chocolate would be mighty nice.  Care to join me?

because this is exactly how hot chocolate is always served at my house 🙂
google images

Ahh!  That’s better!

Now, before we get to today’s pitch, a couple of teensy housekeeping details.

First, a reminder about our new feature which starts Friday – Perfect Picture Books Friday.  For the full description, click here.  This new feature is intended as a resource for all of us – parents, teachers, homeschoolers, writers, and gift-givers.  The posts will showcase a favorite book and include ideas and links on what it’s good for and how to use it at home and/or in the classroom.  (I’m going to try very hard to get my post up early on Friday so that anyone who needs to look at an example of how it’s done can do so – I might even post it late Thursday.)  Not only will this be a great resource, it will also strengthen our community and hopefully encourage people to visit all of our blogs 🙂

Second, don’t forget that next week is the Thanksgiving writing contest!!!  Click here for details.  (Please scroll down – it’s the last item in the post.)  It should be really fun and the winner will get a prize along with all our admiration, so please join in!  You still have time to write your entry (and it’s short!) 🙂

And last but not least, our theme for this week’s Fun Foto, if anyone wants to do it, will be THANKSGIVING.  This will be out last Fun Foto because it didn’t turn out to be as fun as we thought and we’re hoping people will get a lot more out of Perfect Picture Books!

And now, it’s time for Would You Read It!  If you need to refill your hot chocolate, go ahead.  I’ll wait 🙂

Ready?

This week’s pitch comes to us from Halli who hails from rural Alberta, Canada, and whose YA novel Shifters is being released in March 2012 from Imajin Books.

Working Title:  SIMBIOTE
Age/Genre:  YA Sci-Fi
The Pitch:  Kal is a donor in the illegal bulb trade.  He donates his own symbiotic bulbs to the humans on the multi-million dollar black market.  Their addictions can cost them a pretty penny, but what does it cost Kal?  What does he suffer every year at harvest time?  When he gets caught he realizes the risks he has put upon himself, his potential girlfriend and his family are far worse than he ever imagined.

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 Halli 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.  (And please spread the word about Would You Read It to anyone you know who might be interested in pitching.  I have openings in mid-January which isn’t that far away :))

Halli is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  And I am looking forward to your Perfect Picture Book posts on Friday.  (I can’t WAIT to see what you all choose!)  And also to your Thanksgiving contest entries next week 🙂

Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza, Straight From The Editor #3, and more!

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There is just too much fun to be had to stick to a single category!  So get ready to start your day off with a bang 🙂  We will be whooping it up with Fun Friday Foto, Straight From The Editor #3, the Thanksgiving Contest!!!, and a secret!!!!! (I’m not going to manage Warm Fuzzies this week – I’m afraid of scaring you away with too much reading – but feel free to check out the other Warm Fuzzies :))

So let’s get comfy.  This morning I am in the mood for something besides donuts so, in keeping with the season, we will be having pumpkin muffins hot out of the oven.  Please help yourselves 🙂

google images

Mmmm!!!!

Gfyih shuf fgioh mnbysr
Sorry.  I didn’t mean to talk with my mouth full 🙂

Now then.  Let’s start with Fun Friday Foto.  This week’s theme is HIBERNATION, and you’ll note that those of us who have posted so far are all having the same problem – choosing just one!  Here are mine:
This guy is getting ready!
(and yes, I know he looks like me with my muffin :))
google images
This guy’s thinking of spending the winter here, but he’s afraid you can see him 🙂
google images
These two are looking cozy and settling down for their long winter’s nap 🙂
google images

I hope at least one of those gives you a story inspiration!  If it does, please share 🙂  Now hop on over to Catherine’s and Stacy’s and see their hibernation photos, and then if you’d like to post one (remember, kid-friendly) you can put your link in the comments and everyone will come visit you.

Next, it’s time for Straight From The Editor!  As you will recall, our pitch winner for October was Kim.  Readers felt fairly unanimously that her pitch was strong, and it turns out our fabulous editor felt the same way.  Here, once again, is Kim’s pitch:
Working Title:  Henry Hears You
Age/Genre:  YA
The Pitch:  13-year-old boy finds his voice as the new advice columnist for the school newspaper only to discover that some problems don’t have easy solutions when he gets a letter from a kid threatening to kill himself if the gay bashing doesn’t stop.
And here are Erin’s comments:
I definitely want to read this! I am intrigued. The only advice I can offer is to break it up into two sentences like this: 13-year-old boy finds his voice as the new advice columnist for the school newspaper. But he discovers that some problems don¹t have easy solutions when he gets a letter from a kid who threatens to kill himself if the gay bashing doesn¹t stop. It makes it easier to read -- not such a run-on sentence -- and gives it slightly more punch.

I hope you all find this helpful in writing your own pitches!
And now, the moment all you eager writers have been waiting for….  The announcement of the
Thanksgiving Contest!
Write a children’s Thanksgiving story beginning with the sentence:
They were supposed to go to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving, but the blizzard came in fast….
Maximum word length: 250 (but anything less is fine)  Prose or poetry is fine (and if you choose rhyming poetry you have permission to twist that first sentence a bit so it fits your rhyme scheme, or use the first sentence outside the rhyme and then continue in rhyme.)  Remember everything you’ve learned about writing stories for children 🙂  My assistant judge and I are prepared to be dazzled 🙂
Post your story on your blog any time between Monday November 21 and Thursday November 24 and link to the link list.  Or, if you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, just copy and paste your entry into the comments the week of the contest.
Three finalists will be chosen from among the entries and posted here on Friday November 25, and you wonderful readers will get to choose the winner! 🙂
The prize will be your choice of a Thanksgiving picture book (to be selected) or a $15 Amazon gift card – in time for the holidays 🙂
And now for the secret!  I love secrets, don’t you?  They’re so exciting.  I bet right now you’re rubbing your hands together in anticipation and wondering, what could it be?
Well…
I’ll tell you on Monday.
I know.  I’m just that mean 🙂
Have a great weekend, and see you Monday!!!

Once Upon A Halloweensie Contest

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Due to our freak snowstorm, this post is interrupting Would You Read It Wednesday, so if you haven’t seen today’s Would You Read It, please scroll down or click here so Christie gets her pitch feedback!  Thank you!

Once upon a Halloweensie, 2 feet of snow fell out of the sky and caused all manner of trouble!

So, the good news?  Those of you who would like to enter the Halloweensie Contest and didn’t get around to writing your stories yet still have a chance to join in the fun!  I’ll give you until the end of tomorrow – Friday November 4.  For those of you who might not remember, the contest is for a 100 word story (in poetry or prose) suitable for children, using the words boo, candied apple, and jack-o-lantern.  The story can be a little under 100 words but must not go over!  If you don’t have a blog and want to enter, just copy and paste your story in the comments.

Here’s my sample, just for fun (because obviously I can’t enter my own contest :))

Mom was out, so Caitlyn was babysitting for Dex and Jax.
“Is it time yet?” asked Dex.
“Not yet,” said Caitlyn.
They put two dozen candied apples on a tray.
“Is it time yet?” asked Jax.
“No,” said Caitlyn.
They poured three jumbo bags of mini chocolate bars into the cauldron.
“Now?” asked Dex.
“Nope,” said Caitlyn.
They hung fake cobwebs around the door.
They turned off all the lights.  Caitlyn lit the jack-o-lantern.
It was dark and spooky.
“Is it time yet?” whispered Dex.
“Yes!” Caitlyn whispered back.  “One.  Two.  Three…”
“BOO!” they all yelled.

Boy was Mom surprised!


I think about 6 or 7 people that I know of wrote their entries and posted them on time.  I’m hoping they’ll all see this (or I’ll try to contact them) and get the addresses of their Halloweensie posts into this linky list so they’re easy for everyone to find in one place.  And I hope you’ll all go read the stories they worked so hard on!  And, while I’m hoping, I also hope a few more of you will be inspired to join – especially all you fellow PiBoIdMo folks whose creative thoughts are flowing right now!  Remember, the prize is a signed copy of Haunted Party by the one and only Iza Trapani 🙂

And just so you know?  I’ve decided to make this an annual contest!  Of course we’ll use different words and have a different prize each year, but you might as well go ahead and mark your calendars now for Halloween 2012 🙂  It will give you something fun to work toward.  While I’m at it, I’ll probably do this for most of the major holidays because it’s fun, good practice in writing, educational for all us writers honing our craft, and a chance for me to give away signed books by authors I know and love 🙂  Better start thinking about Thanksgiving 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 14th Pitch

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Greetings, folks!
Apologies for being absent from the blogosphere yesterday and late in posting Would You Read It today!  Yesterday was a C-RAAZY day!

First, I went to the New York State Readers Association Conference in Rye Brook, NY to mingle, sign books, and give a talk to actual professional grown-ups (and any of you who have been around here long know what terror talking to actual professional grown-ups strikes into my pitter-pattery little heart!)  I would be sharing a photo of me with fellow writers Lesa Cline Ransome and Ann Burg, but I don’t have one yet!  (I’ll add it in when I get it, or post it Friday along with my fun foto :))  The talk, much to my surprise, went well – such lovely people attended! – and I ended up having a really nice time.

When that was done, I high-tailed it home, picked up my daughter, drove her back to college after her long weekend (a 4+ hour drive), turned right around and drove back home.  By my reckoning, close to 550 miles of driving in about 11 hours in one day.  Thank goodness for my 3 month free subscription to satellite radio which allowed me to listen to a comedy station on the long drive home alone!  I felt like a cartoon.  Toward the end, near 11 PM which is WAY past my bedtime, I had to get out and run around the car a few times in the cold night air to wake up 🙂  If only I had video footage – it would be so entertaining!  I could post it on YouTube and go viral… but I digress!

So anyway, fueled up on coffee and imaginary chocolate donuts, I am here at last to post this week’s Would You Read It 🙂  Just first, I want to mention that the theme for this week’s Fun Friday Foto Fextravaganza (which I keep thinking I should abbreviate to FFFF but it’s too much fun to say fextravaganza!) is HALLOWEEN!  What a surprise 🙂

I also want to remind everyone about the HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST which will be taking place on Monday, which actually is Halloween – how apropos 🙂  A bunch of people seemed enthusiastic, so lets hope we get some entries – I already have the signed book prize in my hot little hands and I’m looking forward to the fun!

OKAY.  Time to welcome today’s pitcher, Kim, a former journalist and current Communications professor who loves to write creatively.

Working Title:  Henry Hears You
Age/Genre:  YA
The Pitch:  13-year-old boy finds his voice as the new advice columnist for the school newspaper only to discover that some problems don’t have easy solutions when he gets a letter from a kid threatening to kill himself if the gay bashing doesn’t stop.

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 Kim 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.
Kim is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Don’t forget to join us Friday for Fun Foto (Halloween), and get right to work on your Halloweensie Contest entries!!!  I know they’ll be spooktacular 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 13th Pitch… And A Contest!

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Good Morning Everyone!

I know you are all filled with happiness because today is Wednesday and Would You Read It gives you just the motivation you need to get out of bed on a rainy morning in the middle of the week 🙂

But before we get to Would You Read It, let me tell you about my latest contest plan.  This is so much fun it will get you going even better than coffee and a donut!  Are you ready?

Remember 2 weeks ago when I asked for Halloween-related words?  Well now you’ll find out why:

What is that noise in the dark of night?

It’s coming closer…

…and closer…

*dramatic Hollywood scream*  AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

It’s the HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!


courtesy google images

The Contest:  write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children, using the words boo!, candied apple, and jack o’lantern (these words were randomly selected from the words you submitted here and on Face Book!)  Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go a little under, but not over!)  Now do you get it?  Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂

Post your story on your blog on Monday October 31 and link up here (where I will hopefully have some kind of link system working by then :))

The Judge: (probably me unless I can talk someone else into doing it) will narrow down the entrants to three top choices which will be posted here and voted on for a winner.

The Prize:  The winner will receive a brand new free signed copy of one of my favorite Halloween picture books, Haunted Party written and illustrated by the amazing Iza Trapani!  (And in case you click over and see that I won a copy of this book, that one is for my granddaughter – it will be another one up for grabs here :))

Doesn’t that sound like fun?  So get those creative juices flowing and write up a Halloween storm 🙂

And now, allow me to introduce the lovely Tracy (known to readers of this blog as A2Z Mommy), a SAHM of three who lives in New Jersey and writes about food and kids for a hyperlocal news site http://MyVeronaNJ.com.  Tracy has been published in NJ Family Magazine, and was a featured blogger for the NY Times Motherlode blog.  She’s in our Would You Read It spotlight today with her early reader pitch which was inspired by her son and his imagination.

Working Title:  Pizza’s Band
Age/Genre:  Early Reader
The Pitch:  Pizza, JuiceBox and Cake are best friends. Cereal arrives with his brand new guitar they head to the garage for band practice. But when Bratwurst interrupts, will Pizza be brave enough to protect his friends from this bully?

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 Tracy 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.
Tracy is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Don’t forget to join us Friday for Fun Foto (Pumpkins/Jack O’Lanterns), and get right to work on your Halloweensie Contest entries!!!  I can’t wait to read them!  🙂

OH!  And please keep the votes coming for the book’s journey book by going here and scrolling down to the poll!  Many thanks!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 12th Pitch… Plus!

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Has anyone seen the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (you know, the good one with Gene Wilder?)

There’s a scene where Charlie’s teacher says, “I’ve just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we’ve learned it.  But since today is Tuesday, it doesn’t matter in the slightest.  Pencils ready!”

That’s what I feel like this week 🙂  Columbus Day threw a monkey wrench in my “schedule” (can’t really say that with a straight face because, really, I don’t have much of a schedule :))  So today we’ll have Would You Read It as planned, and then I’ll slide Straight From The Editor in with the Fun Foto Fextravaganza on Friday.  Or maybe just save it for next Monday.  Who can say?  The test will be last Tuesday 🙂

Oh, and BTW, the theme for this week’s Fun Foto will be MIGRATION.  So start rooting around for those 0-12 year-old-friendly photos that shout migration to you!

Okay.  So back to our regularly “scheduled” programming…

Oh, but first, remember that surprise I promised?
Do you?
Are you still interested?
Actually, the surprise is likely a lot more fun for me than it is for you, but I have to share it anyway!

You know my story Not Yet, Rose?  It’s about a little girl who is waiting for a new sibling and isn’t sure how she feels about it.  Well, ROSE has been picked up by Frecklebox.com, a website that creates all kinds of awesome personalized gifts for kids.  The result?  As of right this very minute you can order Not Yet, Rose in either hardcover or paperback, for the girl of your choice, as in Not Yet, Olivia, Not Yet, Alexandra, or Not Yet, Brunhilda!  How fun is that?

Check it out:

Even if you don’t want to order one, you can play around with changing the name and see how it looks, which is totally fun 🙂

But should you ever have a little girl in your life who is about to become (or has just become) a big sister, now you can make a very special gift just for her.  Plus, I know the author, so I know how you can also get your book personally signed 🙂  The book is exactly the same as the original, with all of Nicole’s beautiful artwork.  They just change the name for your special girl.  And there’s a place for you to add your own printed dedication, too.

So, apologies if you were expecting a better surprise than that, but it seems very fun to me!

Now.  Onto today’s Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from the amazing Christie, who blogs about picture books and holds picture book contests over at WRITE WILD.  Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Gleek
Age/Genre: MG Contemporary
The Pitch:  A math whiz but not great at reading and writing, eleven-year-old Art Schaeffer unknowingly stumbles upon the school bully’s rule-breaking science fair project and must find a way to expose him before the judges make their final decisions.

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.
Christie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!

And don’t forget to join us Friday for Fun Foto (Migration) and Straight From The Editor!

(Oh, and should you happen to order a personalized copy of ROSE from Frecklebox, you will earn major brownie points and possibly even be elected King and have a servant whose only job is to bring you fresh donuts whenever you snap your fingers, but of course, you know, it’s up to you :))

Would You Read It Wednesday – The Eleventh Pitch!

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You know, one of these days I’m going to stop spelling out what pitch it is and just put numbers… they’re easier to spell at the crack of dawn 🙂  (Probably also easier on the eyes if you happen to be up reading at this hour :))

Because, in case you were wondering, it is the crack of dawn.  Actually, technically, it’s before the crack of dawn since sunrise will not occur until 6:55 AM this morning according to the national weather service which may or may not have anything to do with reality.  But in either case, it’s dark and it’s early and the coffee is still brewing so read on at your own peril 🙂

To begin with, a sneak peek at how the votes in the Pitch Pick are shaping up.  I don’t know how this works out, but there always seem to be two contestants who are neck-in-neck.  Therefore, I implore you to get thee to the polls and cast your vote!  We really cannot have a tie, because that would be imposing on Erin’s good will.  So please, take your pick!

Next up, a quick mention of this week’s theme for Friday’s Fun Foto Fextravaganza:  HARVEST  So sorry I forgot to mention that on Monday (OK, truth time – Catherine and I didn’t think it up until Tuesday, so there was no chance it could have been mentioned Monday), but hopefully you’ll still have time to dig up a 0-12 year-old-friendly photo that says “HARVEST” to you in capital letters.

And now, the reason you turned on your computer this morning, DUN-DUN, DUN-DUN… It’s time for Would You Read It!!!

This week’s pitch comes to us from Carla, a writer, mother, teacher, scientist and explorer who has climbed the Great Wall of China and run a marathon (not at the same time…)  Click on her name to check out her awesome blog.

Working Title:  Witches Don’t Dance
Age/Genre: Picture Book
The Pitch:  What happens when witches dance?  Little Linda knows it can get messy, but she also thinks it might just be the witches’ only chance to save their Halloween Party.

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 Carla 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.
Carla is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And please don’t forget to VOTE on the Pitch Pick – it’s very crucial.  I do not want to have to flip a donut to see who wins 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The Tenth Pitch!

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The results are in!  Although the showing was a little disappointing (a mere 13 votes when I had hoped for more like 100 to make it really official) the clear winner in the Would You Read It Official Snack Poll was Something Chocolate.  Since, technically, chocolate donuts qualify for this category, I am happy 🙂  I’m pretty sure you Something Cereal folks can eat Count Chocula, and the Something Salty folks can eat their Pringles with chocolate milk (OK, yuck, but you get my meaning :))  With a little ingenuity, anything can qualify as Something Chocolate!

Now, just quickly before we get to this week’s pitch, I have to show you something fun that our friend, Jenny, posted on my FB wall yesterday:

Raise your hand if you want this in your writing space 🙂  I totally do!  (Although they forgot “tear your hair out in frustration!” 🙂

Okay!  Are you ready for the pitch?  Here it comes!

Basking in today’s Would You Read It spotlight is Aimee, a Portland, Oregon girl currently living in New Zealand.  She has a great blog at Seeking The Write Life.  Here is her pitch:

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 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 Aimee 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.
Aimee is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I am looking forward to a chocolate-covered chocolate donut with a glass of chocolate milk 🙂



Mish Mash Monday

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Geez, Louise!  I’ve got so much to share with you today!  And none of it has anything to do with anything else, hence the Mish Mash Monday theme 🙂

First things first:  the Would You Read It Official Snack Poll is here!  You have until 11:59 PM EST (unless we’re on EDT because honestly I never know which is which) tomorrow night (Sept. 27) to cast your vote.  I know!  Not much time!  So get right on it!  Because of course we need to have the answer ready for Wednesday morning and Would You Read It with Aimee and her YA pitch!  Ready?  GO!


<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/5533977/”>Official Would You Read It Snack!</a>
I totally love polls, don’t you?  It’s so fun to see how people vote 🙂

Second:  We have a winner in the Present Game from last Monday!  Since I am too cheap broke smart to pay for Random.org, I assigned each entry a number and the used the free sequence generator to pick the winner.  And the winner is *drum roll*  *dramatic music*  *confetti*  *wild cheering*  ROSALIND!!!  Rosalind, please use the handy Email Me button in the right hand sidebar to let me know your choice of prize – any one of my books signed however and for whoever you’d like, or a $10 Amazon gift card.

Third:  This is so much fun I can hardly stand it.  Kerri over at Craft Junkie is running a Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghop on Monday October 24 and I AM IN IT!!!  I hope you’ll all save a little time to choose your adventures that week.  I think there are 24 of us participating in this thrilling tale and it promises to be a most enjoyable experience.  Check out the awesome badge created by Mel:

I’m guessing that sea serpent has you pretty much tingling with excitement and anticipation! 🙂

Fourth: the theme for this week’s Friday Fun Foto Frenzy Festival Fextravaganza (yes, it’s true, we haven’t decided on a name yet – I know you couldn’t tell) is:  OOPS!

So get those wheels turning and start looking for an entry.  We would love to have more than 1 participant this week 🙂  (Although I think the one, Debbie, should get bonus points for being the first to join in :))

So please, hang around, join the fun, have an as-yet-to-be-decided snack!  It’s all fun and games around here 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The Ninth Pitch!

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Well, I am just full of fun and games this week!

First, we had our present game on Monday, which got a way bigger response than I expected!  I think I will leave it open until the wee hours of Friday morning and then post the winner on Friday, just in case anyone else wants to join in and hasn’t had a chance yet.  (If that’s you, go here.)  I got so many amazing, original responses – it was like opening presents for me to see what you all said!

Second, my friend Catherine Johnson and I want to try something fun on Fridays.  We will post a theme for the week and then on Friday, you put a photo on your blog that represents that theme and put the url to that post in our comment section (hers or mine or both until we figure out how to do a linky list – turns out they don’t seem to work with Safari, which is what I have so…) and then everyone can visit each other’s photos to see how they interpreted the theme!  I think we might get more than a few writing prompts from this 🙂  Since we both write kidlit, we want to keep the photos in a range appropriate for ages 0-12.  This will also separate us from other similar photo game/lists because, as far as we know, no one does a kid one.  We hope you’ll all think this is fun and join in!  This week’s theme is “CONFUSION”  So search around and find a photo that represents that.  It can be a family photo or one you find elsewhere.  As we continue, the game may evolve to writing captions or using the photos as prompts, but for now, we’re starting simple, and the first week is a bit of a trial run, so please bear with us – but do join in so we can see if it works 🙂

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… *dramatic music* … It’s time for Would You Read It!!!    (And no, we have not yet decided on an official snack – although muffins warm from the oven are sounding pretty good right about now….  Maybe I’ll put up a poll.  Or maybe I’ll just decide all by myself.  But I digress…)

Today’s pitch comes to us from the lovely and talented Catherine from Canada – yes! the very same Catherine I’m doing the photo game with (how serendipitous is that? :))

Here is the pitch:

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.

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 Catherine 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.
Catherine is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And we are both looking forward to your contributions to the photo game on Friday so please come join us 🙂  (With the added incentive of finding out who won the present game!!!)
There will always be plenty of fun around here 🙂