Roses are red
Violets are blue
Valentinies rock
And so do YOU!
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Tag: Alayne Christian
Announcing The Guidelines For The 9th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest!!!
Darlings!
Do you know what time it is?
It is LATE!
And I have a very urgent matter to bring to your attention:
Continue reading
The 2022 Valentiny Contest WINNERS!!!
Once upon a time. . .
. . . on a blueberry-covered hill not all that far, far away in upstate New York. . .
. . .a princess lived in a little house in the woods.
(I know. You’re wondering why the princess lived in a little house in the woods. “That’s not right!” I hear you saying. “Princesses are supposed to live in castles, or be trapped in towers or dungeons!” But this is not your usual run-of-the-mill princess. . .)
This princess was a champion pogo-sticker (yes, that is too a word.) She had been training for years, doing hours of jumping, and keeping to a strict diet of Spring Beans and Garbouncebos. It was very effective. The villagers could often be heard proclaiming, “That princess sure is full of beans!” And, “Boy! Can she bounce!”
The Bouncy Trouncy Pouncy Flouncy Pogosticking Championship, the most prestigious of all pogosticking competitions in the Universe, was only days away, and the princess (whose name was Poppy – so fitting, don’t you think? due to all that popping up and down? it’s almost like her excellence in pogosticking was foreseen when her parents picked her name. . .) but anyway, Poppy passionately wanted to win the competition and the life-size golden pogostick trophy that was the prize!
There was just one small problem. . .
She was supposed to have posted the winners for the 7th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest and she had spent so much time jumping and bouncing and eating beans and various other explosive foods that she had not done it. NO, SHE HAD NOT!
So her mother said, “Poppy, there will be no Pogosticking Championship for you until you have met your obligations! I will not have shirkers in my little house in the woods!”
Well. Poppy REALLY wanted to get to that Championship! So she sat on her hippity-hop (great indoor leg strength building for bouncing and jumping muscles) and made the list of winners and honorable mentions in record time (because Poppy was all about making records, whether in pogosticking or in judging whilst hippity-hopping and continuing her bean eating!)
“I am so proud of you, Poppy,” her mother said. “Not only have you fulfilled your obligations, you have kept up with your exercise regimen and your bean eating at the same time, showing great commitment to your sport and your goals! Now, go to the Bouncy Trouncy Pouncy Flouncy Pogosticking Championship and jump the socks off your competitors!”
There will now be a short commercial break to announce the WINNERS of . . .
The 7th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest
~ for children’s writers ~
(don’t worry – you’ll find out what happened to Poppy after this break from our sponsors)
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for so many! As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all! The other judges and I are blown away anew each time!
Second, I’d also like to thank EVERYONE – writer, reader, or both – who took the time to read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! 😊
Third, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. We chose 14 finalists, and around 35 Honorable Mentions which we also loved, and even with those 49 total there were nearly 150 entries we couldn’t list! So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad. You’re in good company! There was a huge amount of competition. And remember that the judging is based on the contest criteria. If you wrote a great story that didn’t showcase pride enough or that was too grown-up or not related to Valentine’s Day, you didn’t make the final cut. But that DOES NOT mean you didn’t write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 214 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Because it was such a hard choice, and there were so many wonderful stories, before we get to the winners, my assistant judges and I would like to award bragging rights, recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: (entries we truly wrestled with not including in the finalists!)
Lori Sheroan for The Proudest Pencil
Susannah Lee for Shelby’s Heartache
Claire Noland for The Valentine Surprise
Chayala Nachum for My Icky Sticky Valentine (great kid appeal too!)
Rachel Bandy for V’s For Valentine
Terri Hellard-Brown for Isabella’s Valentine
Becky Goodman for ValenTalent Show
Lauri C. Meyers for My Gummy Love
Susanne Whitehouse for The Mural
Judy Sobanski for Sloth’s Original Valentine
Laura Bower for Llama Love
Sara Kruger for The Perfect Present
2. For Great Read Aloud:
Brigid Finucane for Love Somebody (makes you want to sing and dance 😊)
3. For Great Story For Younger Readers:
Patti Ranson for Valentines Breakfast For Mom
Cindy Greene for Valentine’s Day Heartache
Tara Knox Cerven for The Purrfect Valentine
Lori C. Evans for Never Too Many Valentines
4. For Humor:
Donna Kurtz for Don’t-Let-The-Dung-Beetle-Make-The-Valentine-Brownies!
Jill Purtee for Gumballs
5. For Fun POV/Character:
Jenna Elyse Johnson for Hammie’s Valentine Surprise (dog)
Deborah Foster for Gary Groundhog Conquers The Shadow Monster (groundhog/snowhog)
6. For Great Ending:
Alayne Kay Christian for What Kind Of Cupid Am I?
Kristy Roser Nuttall for Love Inside
Mary Schultz for Taffy’s Sweet Surprise
7. For Well-Written Story With Great Sibling Interaction:
Julianna Helt for Allie’s Biggest Heart
Armineh Manookian for Lost But Found
Erika Romero for You Make Me So Proud
8. For Beautiful Writing:
A. Kidd for Three Hearts
Corine Timmer for It’s A Matter Of Taste (also educational and funny ending!)
9. For Best Short Valentiny Story:
Marty Findley for A Valentine For You (64 words!)
10. For Sweet Valentiny:
Heather Ferranti Kinser for Teeny Houdini
Kathy Crable for Valentine Barks
Lindsay Moretti for A Valentine For Mr. Weatherly
11. Best Story From A Young Writer:
Sophie Moore (age 10) for Detective Spot And The Search For A New Cupid (also clever and funny!)
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! Please email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com subject line Prize Winner to collect your award badge and prize, which is five dollars in a format that can be emailed for you to put toward something you’d like at a large online store (and I’m being cryptic because when I’ve done this for previous contests I got a ton of problematic spam mail because of the way I worded the post, but hopefully you can figure it out. The store starts with the letter A 😊) I know it’s not much, but hopefully it will come in handy for something!
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2021 VALENTINY CONTEST as voted on by you, our devoted readers!!!
rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat
DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!
In First Place…
Winner of the whole shebang…
who gets first choice of all the prizes…
Michaela Almeida
for
A Change Of Heart!!!
Congratulations, Michaela! Terrific job 😊
In Second Place
Daniella Kaufman
for
Sweet Valentine
Congratulations, Daniella! You get to pick your prize after Michaela.
In Third Place
Katie Brandyberry
for
Valentine Delivery – Part II
Congratulations, Katie! You get to pick your prize after Michaela and Daniella.
In Fourth Place…
Jesse Anna Bornemann
for
Showdown In Smoochalot
Congratulations, Jesse! You get to pick your prize after Michaela, Daniella, and Katie!
In Fifth Place…
Allison Strick
for
Percy’s Performance
Congratulations, Allison! You get to pick after Michaela, Daniella, Katie, and Jesse!
In Sixth Place...
Katie Palazzola
for
Oog Love Rock
Congratulations, Katie! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 😊
In Seventh Place…
Sarah Meade
for
V-Day!
Congratulations, Sarah! You get to pick next 😊
In Eighth Place…
Amy Leskowski
for
Cupid’s Confidence
Congratulations, Amy! You get to pick after Sarah 😊
In Ninth Place…
Laura Bost
for
Flicker’s Valentine
Congratulations, Laura! You get to pick after Amy! 😊
In Tenth Place…
Kate Thompson
for
The Valentine’s Cake
Congratulations, Kate! You get to pick after Laura! 😊
In Eleventh Place…
Sara Petersohn
for
Valentine Wins
Congratulations, Sara! You get to pick after Kate! 😊
In Twelfth Place…
Kimberly Shrack
for
The Perfect Valentine
Congratulations, Kimberly! You get to pick your prize after Sara! 😊
In Thirteenth Place…
Emily Keener
for
Special Delivery
Congratulations, Emily! You get to pick after Kimberly!
In Fourteenth Place…
Zach Schloss
for
Hoppy Belated Valentine
Congratulations, Zach!
All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! (The sooner the better!) And for your convenience, the whole prize list is included at the bottom of this post.
Congratulations again to all our winners – it was a stiff competition!! – and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest. You all deserve a huge round of applause and a gigantic chocolate heart… or lots of little chocolate hearts… or both… really, you can never have too much chocolate 😊 .
Oh! And as a special reward I will tell you that Princess Poppy went to the Bouncy Trouncy Pouncy Flouncy Pogosticking Championship and pogoed with astounding energy, bouncing and jumping as, one by one, all the other competitors fell victim to Jelly Legs and toppled off their pogo sticks, and she was so impressive that not only did she win the competition and the life-sized golden pogo stick trophy (“That’s my girl!” her mother said proudly), they also named a brand of beans after her, so now you can buy Princess Poppy Beans – Beans That Pop With Flavor and Will Make You Jump For Joy! They are high in fiber and an excellent source of protein so you really can’t go wrong! Try some with your chocolate! (er… or maybe that WOULD be wrong 🤣)
Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people’s stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals. It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!
Have a marvelous Wednesday, everyone! 😊
The Prizes: Swoonworthy! As always, we are so fortunate to have an abundance of wonderful prizes donated by our very generous friends in the kidlit community! Just look at all these goodies!
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Read & Critique from agent Mary Cummings of Great River Literary, “an agency devoted exclusively to representing authors and author/illustrators of books for children and teens. Strong relationships with editors have resulted in a rapidly growing list of sales of board and picture books, chapter books and novels to such publishing houses as Knopf; Philomel; Viking; Nancy Paulsen/Penguin; Balzer & Bray; Walker; Little, Brown; Henry Holt; Holiday House; Feiwel & Friends; FSG; Running Press; WorthyKids; Abrams; Random House; Wiseman S & S; Chronicle; Candlewick; HarperCollins and many others.”
⭐️ 1/2 Hour Zoom Picture Book Manuscript Critique or Mentoring Session with author Lynne Marie!
Lynne Marie is the accomplished author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten – art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog’s 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play — art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares — art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019), Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World — art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019) and The Three Little Pigs And The Rocket Project — art by Wendy Fedan (Mac and Cheese Press 2022) and American Pie — art by Dea Lenihan (Dancing Flamingo Press, April 12, 2022)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Zoom Ask Me Anything with Keila Dawson, author of THE KING CAKE BABY (Pelican Publishing 2016), NO VOICE TOO SMALL (Charlesbridge 2020), and OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK (Beaming Books, 2021)
⭐️ Access to author/editor Alayne Kay Christian‘s webinars! Alayne is the author of BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA (Blue Whale Press, 2008), SIENNA THE COWGIRL FAIRY: COWBOY TROUBLE (Blue Whale Press 2021), THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS (Blue Whale Press, 2020), and AN OLD MAN AND HIS PENGUIN (Blue Whale Press, 2020)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction) from Melissa Stoller, author of SCARLET’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH (Spork 2018), READY, SET, GORILLA! (Spork 2018), THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION (chapter books) (Spork 2017), SADIE’S SHABAT STORIES (Spork, 2020) and PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: PEACE, SALAAM, SHALOM
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Rebecca Gardyn Levington author of BRAINSTORM! (Sleeping Bear Press, Summer 2022), I WILL ALWAYS BE…(HarperCollins, Spring 2024) and a contributor to the delightful anthology HOP TO IT: POEMS TO GET YOU MOVING (Pomelo Books, October 2020)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (nonrhyming) from Rebecca Kraft Rector, author of SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House, 2021), LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR (Aladdin, September 2022), and TRIA AND THE GREAT STAR RESCUE (Delacorte/Random House)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique and Query Letter Critique from Jessica Stremer author of the forthcoming GREAT CARRIER REEF (Holiday House, 2023)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Cathy Ballou Mealey author of WHEN A TREE GROWS (Union Square Kids, 2019), SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE (Kids Can Press, 2021), and the forthcoming MAKE MORE S’MORES (Sleeping Bear Press, 2023)
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of THE KING CAKE BABY by Keila Dawson
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: PEACE, SALAAM, SHALOM by Melissa Berger Stoller
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of IT’S A MUFFULETTA! IT’S A WHATA? (Spork 2021) by Patricia Saunders
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of Winner’s Choice of any available Susanna Leonard Hill picture book
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
With Prideful Heart – The 7th Annual Valentiny Contest Is HERE!!!
Hi Everyone! I’m so sorry, but there is absolutely no chance I’m going to have finalists Friday morning as I originally posted. I’m not even sure when to say I will have them, though I’ll get them up as soon as I can. It will not be over this weekend, I’m sure of that. Thank you all for your patience. I’m so sorry for the delay!
[For those trying to post, you must click on the Blog Post Title to get on the blog post page and access the comments]
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Valentinies rock
And so do YOU!
Whether your characters are filled with pride and joy, puffed up with pride, or in danger of pride going before a fall, the time has come for . . .
The 7th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest
~ for children’s writers ~
The Contest: since writing for children is all about “big emotion for little people” (I forget who said that, but someone did so I put it in quotes!) and Valentines Day is all about emotion, write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone feels proud! They can be proud in a good way or a bad way. They can be proud of themselves for asking someone to be their Valentine, or they can be proud of how they asked. They can be proud of a Valentine they make, or a Valentine celebration they plan. They can be proud of giving something up, or proud of asking someone they’re not sure about for some reason in order to be nice. They can be proud of their performance in a Valentines Day play or concert or parade. . . sky’s the limit! Just make sure it is clearly Valentine-centered! Think beyond the obvious! Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone proud (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day 😊 ) You can go under the word count but not over! (Title is not included in the word count.) If you are so inclined, you are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself 😊 No illustration notes please!
Post your story in the comment section below between right now this very second and Sunday February 13th by 11:59 PM EDT. There will be no regularly scheduled posts for the duration of the contest (Tuesday Debut, Would You Read It, or PPBF), so the post and all of your entries will stay up for everyone to enjoy. If you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you. [Also, a small note: I have a serious family situation at the moment. I didn’t want to cancel the contest at the last minute, but please be patient with me if it takes me a while to post emailed entries and update the link list etc. I will do my best, but apologies in advance for delays.]
The Judging: my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 6-12 top choices depending on number and quality of entries (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with the narrowing, so we’ll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Friday February 18th (or possibly a day or two later if the judges need extra time.) The winner will be announced Monday February 21st depending on judging and voting time needed. The dates of the judging/voting/winner announcements are subject to finagling depending on how much time the judges actually end up needing!
Judging criteria will include:
- Kid-appeal/Kid-friendliness – remember, this is a story for kids!
- Creativity in using pride, and success in making us feel the pride (whether it’s good pride or bad)!
- Valentine’s Day appropriateness – this is a VALENTINE story and Valentine’s Day must be central to it!
- Quality of story – we will look for basic story elements and a true story arc
- Quality of writing – use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it, PROOFREADING!
- Originality – surprise us with something new and different! 😊
- How well you followed the Submission Guidelines – agents and editors expect professionalism. This is a chance to practice making sure you read and follow specified guidelines.
The Prizes: As always, we are so fortunate to have an abundance of wonderful prizes donated by our very generous friends in the kidlit community! Just look at all these goodies!
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Read & Critique from agent Mary Cummings of Great River Literary, “an agency devoted exclusively to representing authors and author/illustrators of books for children and teens. Strong relationships with editors have resulted in a rapidly growing list of sales of board and picture books, chapter books and novels to such publishing houses as Knopf; Philomel; Viking; Nancy Paulsen/Penguin; Balzer & Bray; Walker; Little, Brown; Henry Holt; Holiday House; Feiwel & Friends; FSG; Running Press; WorthyKids; Abrams; Random House; Wiseman S & S; Chronicle; Candlewick; HarperCollins and many others.”
⭐️ 1/2 Hour Zoom Picture Book Manuscript Critique or Mentoring Session with author Lynne Marie!
Lynne Marie is the accomplished author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten – art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog’s 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play — art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares — art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019), Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World — art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019) and The Three Little Pigs And The Rocket Project — art by Wendy Fedan (Mac and Cheese Press 2022) and American Pie — art by Dea Lenihan (Dancing Flamingo Press, April 12, 2022)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Zoom Ask Me Anything with Keila Dawson, author of THE KING CAKE BABY (Pelican Publishing 2016), NO VOICE TOO SMALL (Charlesbridge 2020), and OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK (Beaming Books, 2021)
⭐️ Access to author/editor Alayne Kay Christian‘s webinars! Alayne is the author of BUTTERFLY KISSES FOR GRANDMA AND GRANDPA (Blue Whale Press, 2008), SIENNA THE COWGIRL FAIRY: COWBOY TROUBLE (Blue Whale Press 2021), THE WEED THAT WOKE CHRISTMAS (Blue Whale Press, 2020), and AN OLD MAN AND HIS PENGUIN (Blue Whale Press, 2020)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (fiction) from Melissa Stoller, author of SCARLET’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH (Spork 2018), READY, SET, GORILLA! (Spork 2018), THE ENCHANTED SNOW GLOBE COLLECTION (chapter books) (Spork 2017), SADIE’S SHABAT STORIES (Spork, 2020) and PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: PEACE, SALAAM, SHALOM
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Rebecca Gardyn Levington author of BRAINSTORM! (Sleeping Bear Press, Summer 2022), I WILL ALWAYS BE…(HarperCollins, Spring 2024) and a contributor to the delightful anthology HOP TO IT: POEMS TO GET YOU MOVING (Pomelo Books, October 2020)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique (nonrhyming) from Rebecca Kraft Rector, author of SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House, 2021), LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR (Aladdin, September 2022), and TRIA AND THE GREAT STAR RESCUE (Delacorte/Random House)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique and Query Letter Critique from Jessica Stremer author of the forthcoming GREAT CARRIER REEF (Holiday House, 2023)
⭐️ Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Cathy Ballou Mealey author of WHEN A TREE GROWS (Union Square Kids, 2019), SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE (Kids Can Press, 2021), and the forthcoming MAKE MORE S’MORES (Sleeping Bear Press, 2023)
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of THE KING CAKE BABY by Keila Dawson
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of PLANTING FRIENDSHIP: PEACE, SALAAM, SHALOM by Melissa Berger Stoller
⭐️ Personalized Signed Copy of IT’S A MUFFULETTA! IT’S A WHATA? (Sprok 2021) by Patricia Saunders
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
Now! Put your heart into it and proudly post your entries!
I can’t wait to read your stories!!!
Eager Readers: Check out the comment section for all the fabulous entries! 😊
ENTRIES (all entries are linked) [will be linked tomorrow – sorry for delay]
- The Perfect Present – Sara Kruger
- Dr. Basil Discovers His Secret Admirer – Royal Baysinger
- Teeny Houdini – Heather Ferranti Kinser
- How To Win At Wordle – Anne Lipton
- Eva Valentina’s Day – Katie Fischer
- Chick Forgot Valentine’s Day – Jess Burbank
- The Make-A-Valentine Contest – Hanna Geshelin
- Never Too Many Valentines – Lori C. Evans
- Proud As A Peacock – Bru Benson
- Valentine Farm – Jennifer Lowe
- Gary Groundhog Conquers The Shadow Monster – Deborah Foster
- Tucker And The Sneezies – Susan E. Schipper
- When Dad Is Away – Aileen Stewart
- It’s Valentine’s Day, Thomas, The Worm – Maria Lahman
- The House On The Corner – Elyse Trevers
- Staying In The Lines – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
- Top Of The World – Christine Alemshah
- The Canape Caper – Cathy Stenquist
- My Icky Sticky Valentine – Chayala Nachum
- The Best Card Maker – Stephanie Maksymiw
- Dad Gets Weird On Valentine’s Day – Debbie Day
- The Valentine Tiff – Sally Yorke-Viney
- Glitter & Glue – Janna MacLean
- Heart Aflutter – Kelly Clasen
- Little Things – Molly Ippolito
- Veronica’s Surprise – Janel Caverly
- My Quiet Valentine – Amanda Sherlock
- Who’s Ana? – Ellie Langford
- Prince Of The Pride – Jessica Seitz
- Cupid’s Big Day – Marty Bellis
- A Match Made In Socks – Laura Heath
- Momma’s Smile – Amber Hendricks
- The Perfect Valentine – Kimberly Shrack
- Miss Frog And Mister Turtle – Sharon McCarthy
- The Trees Of The Girl Who Raised Bees – B.J. Genovese
- Mailbirds: Valentine’s Day – Reed Ambrose
- The Perfect Card – Keely Leim
- Valentine’s Day Is For Everyone – Janet Scratchley
- Valentine’s In The Jungle – Melissa Rafson Friedman
- The Lovesick Groundhog – Debbie Daugherty
- Rosas For Senor Perez – Carmen Castillo Gilbert
- Get Well Soon, Mrs. Love – Rebekah Hoeft
- A Valentine For You – Marty Findley
- Cupid, A New Generation – Linda Staszak
- A Valentine For Her – Marty Findley
- Mr. Sunder’s Valentine’s Day Cookie – Marta Cutler
- Valentine Countdown – Marta Cutler
- V’s For Valentine – Rachel Bandy
- ValenTINY – Jessica Milo
- Three Hearts – A. Kidd
- I Whale Always Love You – Kimberly Horch
- Isabella’s Valentine – Terrie Hellard-Brown
- Dear Moon – Carissa Brown
- A Nose For Love – Julie Kurtz
- Rabbit [heart] Rebecca – Anne Bromley
- The Heart Of A Wizard – Jany Campana
- Sweet Valentine – Daniella Kaufman
- The Valentine’s Cake – Kate Thompson
- Gene’s Forbidden Valentine – Vanessa Konoval
- The Best Part – Sarah Meade
- V-Day! – Sarah Meade
- The Special Valentine Card – Sherry Roberts
- Cutting Is Hard – Ashley Chance
- Hammie’s Valentine Surprise – Jenna Elyse Johnson
- Pinky’s Message – Elizabeth Muster
- Everyting You Taught Me – Shuba Mohan
- It’s A Matter Of Taste – Corine Timmer
- Broken Hearts Need Love Too – Stephanie Henson
- All Aboard – Debbie Whittam
- Dove Letters – Amy LaMae Brewer
- My Furry Valentine – Tiffany Hanson
- A Squawking Serenade – Tiffany Hanson
- Proud That You Are Mine – Tonnye Fletcher
- Mother, You Are One In A Million – Elaine D’Alessandro
- King Of Love – Sue Ko
- Rose’s Creative Valentines – Elaine D’Alessandro
- Dear Valentine – Jill Burns
- Subterranean Lovesick Blues – Andrea MacDonald
- Love, Mama And Me – Karen Olmstead
- A Gift For My Mami – Lana Montalban
- Baby Bear’s Heart – Lori Himmel
- Gumballs – Jill Purtee
- Beaming With Pride – Paul Kurtz
- Proud As A Peacock – Paul Kurtz
- Don’t-Let-The-Dung-Beetle-Make-The-Valentine-Brownies! – Donna Kurtz
- Best Valentine’s Day Ever! – Donna Kurtz
- To Sarah – Elizabeth Westra
- The Heart-Shaped Mitten – Sherri T. Mercer
- Love Inside – Kristy Roser Nuttall
- Valentine’s Field Trip – Darcee Freier
- Heart And Hands – Marjorie David
- Flicker’s Valentine – Laura Bost
- A Valentine For Birders – Geraldine Oades-Sese
- The Floofabims – Sabrina Shah
- I Wanted To Say I Love You – Joy Curtis
- Percy’s Performance – Allison Strick
- Showdown In Smoochalot – Jesse Anna Bornemann
- Theo’s Not-So-Perfect Valentine’s Day – Kelsey E. Gross
- Mama, Are You Proud Of Me? – Pamela Swanson
- Awesome Together – Sarah Hetu
- Valentine’s Breakfast For Mom – Patti Ranson
- Special Delivery – Emily Keener
- Harriet’s Cards – Jessica Reed
- Dolley’s Favorite Month – Lincoln Mansch
- Llama Love – Laura Bower
- Will You Be My Valentine? – Michelle S. Kennedy
- Sunshine Valentine – Vashti Verbowski
- Shelby’s Heartache – Susannah Lee
- Taffy’s Sweet Surprise – Mary Schultz
- Where Is Puppito? – Bridget Magee
- Princess Candace – Sheila R. Schmotzer
- Suzie And Jordan’s Special Day – Shadi Kafi
- Valentine Delivery – Part II (sequel to 2021 Valentine Contest Entry) – Katie Brandyberry
- A Friend For Valentine’s Day – Daniele Arndt
- Hoppy Belated Valentine – Zach Schloss
- Remember The Love – Ashley Murray
- The Proudest Pencil – Lori Sheroan
- My Gummy Love – Lauri C. Meyers
- Love ME – Melissa Rutigliano
- Love Potions And Laughter – Tiffany Hanson
- A Cake-tastrophe – Tiffany Hanson
- The Valentine’s Day Invitiational – Lori Keating
- Lost But Found – Armineh Manookian
- L-O-V-E – Ronda Einbinder
- Shakesbear In Love – MaryLee Flannigan
- A New Friend – Steve Jankousky
- What Kind Of Cupid Am I? – Alayne Kay Christian
- My Hero – Dawn Young
- Valentine’s Day Dance-Off In Nestville – Lynn Marie Moore
- Hidden In These Hallowed Hills – Shuba Mohan
- A Rose For Toad – Ashlee MacCallum
- I Do NOT Like Rohini Rao – Sandhya Acharya
- Untitled – M.M. Sutanto
- A Heart Of Gold – Ryan Schneck
- Haiku Valentines: Love In 5-7-5 Rhyme – Brenda Whitehead
- Kate’s Valentines – Sheila M. Hausbeck
- A Nest For Bluegill – Katie Palazzola
- A Puzzling Valentine – My Side Of The Phone Call… – Ingrid Boydston
- Smelly Kelly – Glenda Roberson
- Underneath It All – Carrie Charley Brown
- How To Find A Valentine – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
- My Daddy’s Valentine – Gayle Krause
- Proud Valentine’s Day – Deborah Hunt
- A Valentine For Annie B. Bear – Charlotte Dixon
- Valentine’s Day Heartache – Cindy Greene
- Valentine Shenanigans – Vasilia Graboski
- You Make Me So Proud – Erika Romero
- I Am Proud To Be Your Friend – Kerry Porter
- Love Somebody – Brigid Finucane
- Marcus Is Not An Elephant: How A Woolly Mammoth Makes A Friend – Susan Schwartz Twiggs
- Purple Lace – Liz Kehrli
- Puppy Love – Kathy Halsey
- Valentine’s Day Booty – Danielle Sharkan
- Wholeheartedly – Catherine Brewer
- Valentine Barks – Kathy Crable
- Oog Love Rock – Katie Palazzola
- C.I.T. (Cupid In Training) – Colleen Murphy
- Allie’s Biggest Heart – Julianna Helt
- Detective Spot And The Search For A New Cupid – Sophia Moore (age 10)
- The Valentine Surprise – Claire Noland
- The Purrfect Valentine – Tara Knox Cerven
- A Valentine For Mr. Weatherly – Lindsay Moretti
- A Proud Mum – Shariffa Keshavje
- Valentine’s Day At Sweet Pig’s – Patricia Corcoran
- Poppy’s Gift – Melanie Adkins
- Go Tell Bully Brady – Mona Pease
- Valentine Surprise – Abby Wooldridge
- Full Of Heart – Allison Burke
- Two Little Valentines – Judy Abelove Shemtob
- A Change Of Heart – Michaela Almeida
- The Mural – Susanne Whitehouse
- The Perfect Friend Chip – Cheryl Simon
- Sloth’s Original Valentine – Judy Sobanski
- Be My Fred – Lisa Furness
- Cupid’s Confidence – Amy Leskowski
- The Flower Code – Ashlee Hashman
- A Valentine For Jake – Andrew Fairchild
- Cardi V – Alicia Meyers
- The Heart Of The Matter – Sarah Marhevsky
- Bear And Fish – A Love Story – Aly Kenna
- Valentine Wins – Sara Petersohn
- Sweet Breakfast – JC Kelly
- ValenTalent Show – Becky Goodman
- Marla’s Mistake – Jessica Watts
- The Koi That Should Have Been In The Zodiac – MeiLin Chan
- Surprise Valentine’s Day Party – Una Belle Townsend
- My First Love – Adolfo Gomez-Herrera
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #7!
Can you believe it?
We’ve arrived at Week #7!
The last week of the 2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!
You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)
To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.
For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)
To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)
To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)
To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)
To read the Week #5 entries or add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)
To read the Week #6 entries of add your Week #6 entry, please go HERE (Week #6)
Before we get to today’s challenge, one little housekeeping detail:
If you want to qualify for the prize drawing, you must have completed an entry for each of the 7 weeks and posted them on the appropriate week’s post by Saturday June 26th at midnight Eastern time in order to qualify, so that I can post the winners on Monday June 28th! So take note of that deadline – all 7 completed and posted by Saturday June 26th at midnight!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #7 for Week of June 21:
So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, turning songs into stories with themes, concept stories in particular settings, and relationships and emotions between characters! 😊 This week, since it’s the last week, it seems fitting that we do something with endings.
But not just anything. . . 😊
Endings do not exist in a vacuum. In order for endings to feel satisfying – make readers, laugh, cry, gasp with amazed delight, or sigh with satisfaction – the ending must feel connected to the beginning.
So. This week, choose a beginning from Column A and an ending from Column B and write a 100 word story for kids that fits between them using a tidbit of onomatopoeia from Column C if you want to (just for fun 😊).
| Column A – Beginnings | Column B – Endings | Column C – Onomatopoeia (optional) |
| Once upon a time… | And that is why she/he tucked it very carefully into her/his pocket. | splish, splash, sploosh |
| When [Character Name] woke up, a thunderstorm was brewing. “OH, NO!” (or, “HURRAY!”) | Then he/she snuggled close and whispered with a smile, “I love you more than marshmallows.” | kackata-kack-krack-POP! |
| It all began when the mermaid’s tail got caught on the handle of [Character Name]’s umbrella. | Never let an alligator get in the way of your plans! | plink-plank-plunk |
| She/he wasn’t always a bad piggy. | So he/she/they rushed back out of the woods shout-singing Ain’t No Bugs On Us until he/she/they was/were really, truly, sure it was true! | slurrrp |
| There was a sloth who lived all alone. | [Character Name] knew summer was here at last! | buzzz bzzz-bzzz |
| [Character Name] was all ready for the beach! | Aunt Ruby was right. It had been a better day! | splop |
| We’re finally on our way! We’re having the best time ever! Until… | Inch by inch, step by step, they made it all the way to the tippy top. | chirp |
| Holly, Molly, Ollie, Wally, and Little Boo packed a picnic and set out in search of adventure. | And so he/she/they did. | bee-beep |
| On the Fourth of July, Max went into hiding. | And they lived happily ever after. | murmur |
| [Character Name] had a problem with watermelon. | Shushshush, the waves whispered. Shushshush. | hissss |
I have been so enjoying reading all your amazing stories every week – so many different, creative, delightful, entertaining stories! – that I’m sad this is the last hurrah for this year!
So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!
Ready, set, WRITE! 😊
(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)
Check Out The Week #7 Stories:
Beach Baby – Bru Benson
The Worm’s Halloween Adventure – Marty Findley
Perfect Piggy – Robin Currie
Watermelon Woes – Rose Cappelli
Beach Bound – Sue Lancaster
The Unexpected Ride – Dawn Young
Sloth Finds A Friend – Jen Subra
The Fairy And The Thunderstorm – Erin Cleary
Will Summer Begin? – Erika Romero
Max And The Fireworks – Sara Kruger
Melodia’s “Mis” Adventure – Susan E. Schipper
Untitled – Lauren Scott
Max And The Alligator – Marta Cutler
Duck’s Creek – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
Sam’s Trouble With Watermelon – Lyn Jekowsky
Game, Game, Go Away! – Hannah Roy LaGrone
Watermelon Delight – Jeannette Suhr
The Fear Of Fireworks – Amy Leskowski
Merchant Pips – Elenore Byrne
The Very Slow Sloth – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez
Sloth And The sUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) – Laura Bower
Why Piggies Have Curly Tails – Jill Lambert
Dorothy’s Umbrella – Brenna Jeanneret
Beach Adventure – Ashley Sierra
Sloth And Bee – Linda Schueler
Maddy Wants More, More, More – Sarah Meade
Climbing Up – Marty Findley
This Little Piggy – Marty Bellis
Sloth And The Bees In The Tree – Barbara Renner
Munch Goes The Pirate – Aly Kenna
Marianna And The Mermaid – Sally Yorke-Viney
Undersea Soiree – Nicole Loos Miller
Ella’s Wild Ride – Michelle S. Kennedy
A S’more By The Fire – Allison Strick
The Ant Raid – Deb Sullivan
A Wagonful Of Trouble – Susan Summers
A Nap And A Watermelon Field – Jana Mattern
Rules For A Pig-Perfect Life – Joyce Uglow
Wanted: ESPR – Colleen Own Murphy
Not So Bad After All – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
Watermelon Problem – Mia Geiger
A. Sloth Or Not A. Sloth – Katie Schwartz
Saltwater Kisses – JC Kelly
Where There’s A Skate There’s A Way – Sarah Hawklyn
The Prince And His Alligator – Deb Buschman
The Lonely Sloth – Ashley B. Pedigo
Untitled – Lauri Meyers
Tilly’s Mermaid – Dianne Irving
Untitled – Padgy Soltis
PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!
When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from the lovely and talented Sara Kruger!
⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.
⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian
⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)
⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal
⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield
⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann
⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey
⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar
⭐️A copy of PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA! by Linda Ashman
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
⭐️Picture Book Writers Rock! Mug for the writing fuel of your choice! 😊
⭐️Writing Journal (with a side of prompts 😊)
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #6!
Look at us! Half way through June and up to Week #6 in our Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge! Can you believe you’ve written at least 5 brand new stories so far (I know some of you are writing more than one per week!) with two weeks of inspiration still to go? Who knows how many new picture books might be getting their start during this challenge!
So let’s fire up the old brain cells and show Week #6 who’s boss!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!
You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)
To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.
For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)
To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)
To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)
To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)
To read the Week #5 entries or add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #6 for Week of June 14:
So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, turning songs into stories with themes, and concept stories in particular settings! 😊 This week, we’re going to explore the importance of relationships and emotion!
Picture books are often about relationships – parent/child, sibling, friends/enemies, child/pet, grandparent/child, babysitter/child etc. and those relationships can cause emotions or be affected by emotions.
Choose a main character from Column A, a second character from Column B, and an emotion from Column C and write a 100-word story for kids where the story centers around the emotion between them. (For example, 2 friends where one is jealous of the other, or a child who feels angry toward his beloved dog for chewing up his prized baseball glove, or a child who feels nervous about visiting her elderly grandmother who is wrinkly and smells like mothballs but whom she is supposed to love.) Feel free to make “siblings” a dog and a cat, or “friends” a dinosaur and a goat, etc – you don’t have to stick with all human characters – write monsters, fairies, and aliens if you like 😊
| Column A – Character 1 (MC) | Column B – Character 2 | Column C – Emotion |
| Rosie | Grandma or Grandpa (Gran, Grand Dad, Oma, Poppa, etc) | awe (looks up to/hero worship) |
| Tuck | Pet (any kind – your choice) | jealousy |
| Maisie | Friend | anger |
| Chip | Sibling (older, younger, twin, step) | sadness |
| Bentley | Mom or Dad or Step | betrayal |
| Esme | Babysitter (any age or gender) | boredom |
| Enzo | Dragon | worry, anxiety, nervousness |
| Xander | Dinosaur | joy |
| Dylan | Fairy Godmother | love |
| April | Enemy | pride |
| August/Auggie/Gus | resentment |
I am ready to be bowled over by your creativity and talent!
So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!
Ready, set, WRITE! 😊
(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)
Check out the Week #6 stories!
Gus – Robin Currie
My Sister’s For Sale – Rose Cappelli
Esme And Enzo, Aquatic Besties – Candice Marley Conner
Alice And Ollie – Joyce Uglow
Enzo The Pelican – Lyn Jekowsky
Tuck And Pops – Marty Findley
Anna And Granna – Marty Findley
Mighty Maisy – Jen Subra
Dance! Dance! – Leslie Degnan
Gus Gets A Pet Dragon – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez
Big Dog – Marty Findley
Chip Goes Blip – Laura Bower
My Grandpop Can Fix Anything – Susan Schipper
The Chosen One – Sue Lancaster
Fire Circle – Sarah Hawklyn
The Festival – Erika Romero
I Have A Poem For You – Padgy Soltis
A Fork In The Road – Jill Lambert
Birthday Surprise – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
How A Radio Flyer Brought Two Unlikely Friends Together – Erin Cleary
Maisie And Dana – Sarah Meade
Dylan Loves His Friend – Barbara Renner
The Tooth Fairy And The Dragon – Aly Kenna
Grammy’s Twinkles – Dawn Young
Date Night Betrayal – Allison Strick
Maise Marigold Mariah Munder Would Not Let Her Face Go Under – Sara Kruger
Maisie Astounds – Jeannette Suhr
Dear Tooth Fairy – Nicole Loos Miller
Creating Joy – Jeannette Suhr
I Don’t Need A Babysitter – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
According To My Grandma – Marta Cutler
Bentley’s Bad Behavior – Susan Summers
A New Day – Mia Geiger
Rosie’s Great Gramma Mary Onion – Sally Yorke-Viney
Maisie’s Big Brother – Marty Bellis
The Fairy Godmother Problem – Ashley Sierra
The Most(ly) Boring Babysitter – Amy Leskowski
Love – Lauren Scott
Maisie’s Surprise – Deb Sullivan
Little Dragon Worries – Hannah Roy LaGrone
The Green Dragon – Marta Cutler
Betrayed – Colleen Owen Murphy
Hearts More Like Me – Elenore Byrne
Little Gus Giraffe Goes To Tokyo – Dianne Irving
I Hate Puppies – Deb Buschman
Not The Enzo But A Beginning – Bru Benson
The Great Escape – Katie Schwartz
Monster And Alien – Brenna Jeanneret
Late For School – Again – Michelle S. Kennedy
Xander And The Dinosaurs – Linda Schueler
Esme And Rex – JC Kelly
Enzo’s Fire – Ashley B. Pedigo
Untitled – Lauri Meyers
PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!
When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from the lovely and talented Sara Kruger!
⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.
⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian
⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)
⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal
⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield
⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann
⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey
⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar
⭐️A copy of PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA! by Linda Ashman
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
⭐️Picture Book Writers Rock! Mug for the writing fuel of your choice! 😊
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #5
It’s a hot, hot Monday in June, so what better way to spend the day then on a cool porch, in a shady hammock, or in the air-conditioned library with an iced beverage, your writing implements, and the prompt for Mix ‘n’ Match Week #5?!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!
You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)
To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.
For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)
To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)
To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)
To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #5 for Week of June 7:
So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, and turning songs into stories with themes! 😊 This week, we’re going to have fun with concepts!
Kids have a lot to learn about the world, and picture books can be education disguised as entertainment 😊. Think Z IS FOR MOOSE by Kelly Bingham, MOUSE PAINT by Ellen Stoll Walsh, and ROUND IS A TORTILLA by Roseanne Thong.
For this week’s challenge, choose a concept from Column A and a setting from Column B and write a 100 word concept story for kids in which you utilize the setting to show your concept.
| Column A – Concept | Column B – Setting |
| Shapes | Halloween |
| Colors | Beach |
| Numbers/Counting | Farm |
| Alphabet | School |
| Time | Car Trip |
| Place/Location (in, on, above, under, around, through, etc.) | Circus |
| Emotions | City or Country |
| Seasons | Amusement Park or County Fair |
| Weather | Supermarket |
- Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
- You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
- If you’re deeply inspired by a concept or a setting that isn’t included you’re welcome to use it, just please say what it is at the top of your entry – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
- For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which concept and setting you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.
Can’t wait to see what amazing, creative things you guys come up with this week!
So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!
Ready, set, WRITE! 😊
(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)
Check out the Week #5 stories!
F Is For Fish Farm – Candice Marley Conner
The Reason For Seasons (At The Beach) – Laura Bower
Go To The Beach And Find. . . – Erika Romero
Circus Countdown – Sue Lancaster
ABCs Of Abstract Art – Christine Alemshah
What Color Is Fall? – Jen Subra
Toucan Counts His Berries – Marty Findley
Weather Check – Dawn Young
The Colors In The Farm – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez
One Fine Bluebird – Rose Cappelli
Road Trip! – Erin Cleary
Wise Willie Wonders Where – Susan Schipper
On My First Easter Party – Ashley Sierra
Senses Dance At The Beach – Lyn Jekowsky
Roller Coaster – Barbara Renner
Alphabet Road Trip – Aly Kenna
A Trolley Full Of Feelings – Elenore Byrne
It’s Time For The State Fair – Joyce Uglow
They’re Coming! – Jill Lambert
The Colorful Car Trip – Deb Sullivan
Are We There Yet? – Marta Cutler
The Number Line – Colleen Owen Murphy
Five At The Fair – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
Are We There Yet? – Leslie Degnan
A Win At Walmart – Sara Kruger
Circus Opposites – Lauren Scott
Runaway Stroller – Allison Strick
Ghost Crabs At The Beach – Susan Summers
Ups And Downs – Jeannette Suhr
Sleepytime ABCs – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
I’ll Grocery Shop For You – Bru Benson
Weather Or Not – Marta Cutler
At the Beach – Marty Bellis
Counting the Colors of Sunset // Contando los colores del atardecer – Hannah Roy LaGrone
Farm Time – Robin Currie
Halloween Alphabet – Sally Yorke-Viney
Alphabet Road Trip – Deb Buschman
At Grandma’s House – Sarah Meade
Not The Only One – Amy Leskowski
Beach Day – Katie Schwartz
At The Beach – Sarah Hawklyn
Monday Mornings – Padgy Soltis
Farm Life – Michelle S. Kennedy
Seasons Market – Linda Schueler
Untitled – Lauri Meyers
Roller Coaster – Nicole Loos Miller
Ten Little Sea Creatures – Mia Geiger
Head Down Under And Count To Ten – Dianne Irving
The Halloween Seasons – Brenna Jeanneret
“Is It Halloween Yet?” – Ashley B. Pedigo
I Simply Cannot – JC Kelly
PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!
When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)
⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.
⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian
⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)
⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal
⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield
⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann
⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey
⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week #4
Good Monday Morning, Everyone!
I know it’s Memorial Day and many of you are busy with family celebrations, parades, and honoring those who have done so much for all of us.
But in case you also have the day off and a little free time. . .
. . .let’s have some Mix ‘n’ Match fun because it’s time for Week #4!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!
You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)
To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.
For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)
To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)
To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #4 for Week of May 31:
So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, and a picture prompt with random words and a secret! This week we’re going to have some musical fun with themes! 😊
Choose a song from Column A, a theme from Column B, and an important item from Column C (optional.) Write a 100 word story for kids where your version of the song tells a story that shows your chosen theme (including your important item if you wish!) You may use the original song opening if you like, but you are not required to (just make it obvious in your writing and/or identify which song you’re using along with your title and word count), and if rhyming isn’t your thing you can write in prose as long as it’s still clear which song you’re working with. You may add or subtract characters (e.g. Bob and Joe rowed their boat gently down the stream), change the destination (e.g. Row, row, row your boat up the mountainside), change the type of action (e.g. Row, row, row your boat wildly down the stream) etc… Anything you like! Have fun with it! (For examples in kidlit, see Iza Trapani’s extended nursery rhyme songs.)
| Column A – Song | Column B – Theme | Column C – Important Item (optional) |
| Row, Row, Row Your Boat | It’s important to try new things | Necklace |
| The Itsy Bitsy (Eensie Weensie) Spider | Even when you’re bad, you’re still loved | Teddy bear |
| Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star | It’s important to stay true to yourself | Blackberries |
| Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? | Just because it looks good doesn’t mean it is | Pink Blankie |
| The Bear Went Over The Mountain | If you work together you can solve a problem | Story book |
| Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush | You don’t have to be big to stand up for yourself | Map |
| It’s Raining, It’s Pouring | Friends should always stick together | Tractor |
| Jack And Jill | Believe in yourself and you can achieve your dreams | Moon |
| Rock-A-Bye Baby | If you don’t succeed the first time, try again | Daisy |
Post your story in the comment section below! (If for some reason you have trouble posting, you may use the contact form to email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you.)
- Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
- You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
- If you’re deeply inspired by a theme that isn’t included you’re welcome to use it, just please say what it is at the top of your entry – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
- For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which song, theme (and important item if you choose to use one) you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.
I am SO looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with! You continue to knock my socks off with your creativity every week!!!
Now come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!
Ready, set, WRITE! 😊
(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)
Check out the Week #4 stories!
It’s Raining! It’s Pouring! – Leslie Degnan
Dreams Inside! – Robin Currie
Jack And Jill’s New Adventure – Jen Subra
Untitled – Lauri Meyers
Charlie’s Search – Rose Cappelli
Rock A Bye Daisy – Laura Bower
Arachnid At Your Service – Jill Lambert
The Itsy Bitsy Spider And The Moon – Erika Romero
About Our Friends Who Tried To Row A Boat (Perhaps Under A Full Moon?) – Erin Cleary
Untitled – Lauren Scott
Believe In All You Imagine – Sally Yorke-Viney
The Itsy Bitsy Puppy – Marty Findley
All That Glitters Is Not Gold – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
Spunky Little Teddy – Joyce Uglow
Flap Flap Flap Those Wings – Marty Bellis
Dress Dress Dress For Rain – Amy Leskowski
Mark And Grace – Colleen Murphy
I Love Shopping With My Mom – Sara Kruger
Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Pet Spider Gone – Aly Kenna
Where, Oh Where Has My Story Book Gone – Ashley Sierra
Ninja, Ninja, Little Sneak – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
Jack And Jill Revisit Their Hill – Ashley B. Pedigo
Jo And Flo – Christine Alemshah
Little Lilly’s Blunder – Elenore Byrne
Ride, Ride, Ride My Bike – Sue Lancaster
Friends For Life – Deb Sullivan
Fireflies – Lyn Jekowsky
The Rescue – Marta Cutler
Bear’s Fresh Start – Allison Strick
Rock A Bye Zombie – Susan Summers
Rainy Day Problem…Solvers – Susan Schipper
To Grandmother’s House We Go – Jeannette Suhr
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring – Dianne Irving
Tinkle, Tinkle, Potty Stress! – Michelle S. Kennedy
Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez
Use Your Map – Padgy Soltis
The Daisy – Barbara Renner
Oopsy Daisy! – Marta Cutler
Yummy, Yummy, Little Pie – Nicole Loos Miller
The Bat Flew Over The Pumpkins – Sarah Meade
Read A Book – Dawn Young
Sun And Moon – Dawn Young
The Itsy Bitsy Scratchy Spider – Bru Benson
Wait For Me – Candace Kubinec
Untitled – Sarah Marhevsky
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring – Sarah Hawklyn
Don’t Row The Boat Please – Linda Schueler
How Much Is That Bicycle In The Window – Mia Geiger
The Itsy Bitsy Tadpoles– Hannah Roy LaGrone
Rock Star Baby Brother – Katie Schwartz
Albert Went Over The Mountain – Deb Buschman
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Is Bored – Brenna Jeanneret
The Just Right Story Book – JC Kelly
PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!
When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)
⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.
⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian
⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)
⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal
⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield
⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann
⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey
⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge Week #3
Ok, writers, are you ready?
Forget the dishes in the sink, the pile of work in your inbox, and the fact that it’s your mother-in-law’s birthday on Thursday and you still haven’t thought of a good present!
It’s time to Mix ‘n’ Match your way to a new story! 😊
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!
You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)
To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.
For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)
To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #3 for Week of May 24:
So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, and with writing a cumulative story. This week we’re going to play with a picture prompt, 3 random words. . . and a secret!
Here’s the picture, drawn by the incredibly talented Julie Rowan-Zoch (author/illustrator of I’M A HARE, SO THERE! HMH Books For Young Readers 2021, and illustrator of LOUIS by Tom Lichtenheld HMH October 2020!) and used with her permission for your writing fun 😊 (Thank you, Julie!!! 💕)
And here are random words! Choose one from Column A, one from Column B, and one from Column C.
| Column A | Column B | Column C |
| raindrops | picnic | strawberry tart |
| nest | rope swing | pond |
| cherry tree | mistake | bucket/pail |
| unicorn | lost | tantrum |
| bridge | spring | admire |
But wait! There’s a twist! One of the characters has a secret! Which character? What secret? And how does it impact the story? You will probably want to think up your own secret, but in case anyone needs an idea, here are a few suggestions:
-took something that didn’t belong to them
-hid something on purpose
-told someone something that wasn’t true
-doesn’t want to play hide ‘n’ seek (or duck, duck, goose, or musical chairs, or tag, or. . .)
-only wants to play hide ‘n’ seek (or duck, duck, goose, or musical chairs, or tag, or. . .)
-is allergic to acorns
-wants to invite someone to their birthday party (or for a sleepover, or. . .)
-is afraid of dogs (or cats, or bicycles, or bees, or swimming, or. . .) and doesn’t want anyone else to know
-plans to bake a surprise cake for someone
-has a special present for someone
-isn’t telling someone something they should
-secretly really likes someone
-secretly doesn’t like someone
-is getting something they know everyone will love
Write a 100 word story for kids about the pictured characters, using three random words and giving one of the characters a secret which you incorporate into the story, and post your in the comment section below! (If for some reason you have trouble posting, you may use the contact form to email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you.)
- Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
- You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is a guideline
- If you’re deeply inspired by random words that are not on the list you can use them instead – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
- For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which random words you’re using you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, word count, and title if you have one.
I am SO looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with! There have been so many amazingly creative, clever, fun, and entertaining stories written so far!!!
Now come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!
Ready, set, WRITE! 😊
(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)
Check out the Week #3 stories!
Ruth’s Birthday Surprise – Sue Lancaster
The Perfect Gift – Erika Romero
Getting There – Rose Cappelli
A Hare Raising Mistake – Bru Benson
Acorn Day – Jen Subra
The Secret – Marty Findley
The Secret Spot – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez
The Smashed Bash – Laura Bower
The Secrets of Beryl The Bunny – Elenore Byrne
Hare…Or Not – Susan E. Schipper
Better Than Acorns – Erin Cleary
Acorns And, Er, What?! – Marty Bellis
Bunny’s Problem – Deb Sullivan
Floppy And The Rope Swing – Dawn Young
Untitled – Elizabeth Volkmann
The Cherry Pie Problem – Ashley B. Pedigo
Chip, Drip, And Skip – Meg King-Sloan
A Small Mistake – Leslie Degnan
Turtle’s Strawberry Hill Surprise – Joyce Uglow
Disappearing Dewberries – Candice Marley Conner
Rabbit Won’t Have To Wait – Sara Kruger
Hare Today And Gone Tomorrow: From Brey To Form, A Secret That Saved! – Sally Yorke-Viney
Miss Bun’s Secret – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
A Happy Tail – Marta Cutler
Safe Cracking Squirrels – Susan Summers
Clueless Squirrels – Lyn Jekowsky
Scratch And Scritch’s Show Stopper – Ashley Sierra
Fireworks – Aly Kenna
Late Lunch – Hannah Roy LeGrone
Bunny’s Magic – Dianne Irving
Thoughtful Harry – Padgy Soltis
A Secret Entrance – Lauri Meyers
The Scavenger Hunt – Barbara Renner
Vanishing Act – Marta Cutler
Rabbith’th Thee-cret (Rabbit’s Secret) – Allison Strick
Harah Helps Look – Sarah Meade
Momo’s Cherry Tree – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
In The Mood To Play? – Amy Leskowski
A Couple Of Nuts – Jill Lambert
Mr. Bunny’s Secret Skill – Mia Geiger
B-U-N-N-Y Spells Trouble – Jeannette Suhr
Rainy Picnic – Nicole Loos Miller
The Secret of Sassafras – Linda Schueler
A Friend In Need – Candace Kubinec
Untitled – Lauren Scott
The Unicorn – Lynn Katz
Unicorn’s Secret – Michelle S. Kennedy
The Happiest Habit – Christine Alemshah
The Bunny’s Secret – Marla Yablon
Watch Out For Bear? Watch Out For Hare! – Katie Schwartz
The Will To Win – Colleen Owen Murphy
Magic Unicorn – Robin Currie
Happy Spwing – Deb Buschman
The Unicorn’s Mistake – Brenna Jeanneret
Tantrum Blues – Sarah Hawklyn
That Hare – JC Kelly
PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!
When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)
⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.
⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian
⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)
⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal
⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield
⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann
⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey
⭐️A copy of BINDU’S BINDIS by Supriya Kelkar
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – Week 2!
Writers, start your computers!
It’s time for Week #2 of the 2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge!
WOOHOO!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost or a little encouragement to get writing….or maybe just a little fun!
You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies…which keeps getting added to!)
For a full description of the challenge or to enter your Week #1 entry, please go HERE.
Let’s jump into Week #2!
Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #2 for Week of May 17:
Last week we played with character needs, an important thing to keep in mind when you’re writing because characters should always need or want something desperately – a goal, an object or possession, a role, a quality, to prove something (to herself or someone else), to overcome something. . . You all did splendidly!
This week we’re going to play with a specific story type: the cumulative tale!
Cumulative stories build and build, growing sillier, or more chaotic, or more outrageous, or more complicated with each new addition, as in There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog …
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird …
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.…
Some published examples of clever re-tellings are:
There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed A Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann
There Was An Old Monster (Who Swallowed A Tick) by Adrian, Rebecca & Ed Emberly
There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth by B.J. Lee
Your mission, should you choose to accept it 😊 is to choose an adjective from Column A, a character from Column B, a verb from Column C, and a noun from Column D. Mix ‘n’ Match and write your own version!
e.g. There Was An Old Cowboy Who Lassoed A Bear
There Was A Huge Baby Who Lived On A Boat
There Was A Shy T-Rex Who Wished For A Friend
| Column A – Adj. | Column B – Character | Column C – Verb | Column D – Noun |
| Old | Monster | Turned Into | Ghost |
| Smart | Grandma | Followed | Toad |
| Brave | Warthog | Fought With/Bullied | Friend |
| Shy | T-Rex | Ran From/Ran To/Ran Up | Sword |
| Huge | Kitten | Played Tricks On | Bear |
| Small | Python | Wished For/Wished On | Moon/Star |
| Mean | Cowboy | Lassoed | Bee |
| Strange | Baby | Swallowed | Witch |
| Wild | Zookeep | Taunted | Tree |
| Cute | Lion | Lived With/Lived In/Lived On | Boat |
If choosing from all 4 columns is more than you want, or if you don’t like any of the words but the list inspires you to think up your own words, feel free to use as many or as few from the columns as you like and supply the other words yourself, but you must follow the format:
There Was A(n) ___ADJ___ ___CHARACTER___ Who ___VERB___ A(HIS, HER, THE) ___NOUN___
and it must be a cumulative story!
- Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you!
- You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is just a guideline
- If you’re deeply inspired by another set of words, go for it! – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing!
- For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which column items you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, title, and word count.
For example:
There Was A Cute Kitten Who Followed His Nose
by Marcia Writer
107 words
cute, kitten, followed
So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!
Post your Week #2 story in the comment section below, or, if you have trouble for any reason and can’t post yourself you may email it to me using the Contact Form and I will post it for you.
Ready, set, WRITE! 😊
(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)
Check out the Week #2 stories!
There Was A Small Baby Who Wished For A Star – Sue Lancaster
There Was A Wild Warthog Who Wanted To Dance – Sally Yorke-Viney
There Was A Shy Monster Who Followed A Toad – Jen Subra
There Was A Young Cowboy Who Lassoed A Bee – Rose Cappelli
There Was A Strange Witch Who Turned Into A Bee – Candice Marley Conner
Who Might She Be? – Dawn Young
There Was A Brave Grandma Who Followed A Star – Erin Cleary
There Was An Old Grandma – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez
Where Is Baby’s Bear? – Hannah Roy LaGrone
There Was A Smart Grandma Who Bullied A Bee – Kimiko Wadriski Lumsden
Traffic Jam Baby – Elenore Byrne
There Was A Huge Monster That Lived In A Tree – Erika Romero
There Was A Huge Baby Who Followed A Bear – Leslie Degman
I Know A Small Baby Who Swallowed Some Milk – Lauri Meyers
There Was A Mean Cowboy Who Lassoed A Bee – Aly Kenna
There Was A Huge Heron Who Followed A Toad – Jill Lambert
There Was An Old Cowboy Who Wished For A Boat – Candace Kubinec
There Was A Shy Kitten – Nicole Loos Miller
There Was A Shy Monster Who Lived On A Star – Susan E. Schipper
There Was A Small Kitten Who Followed A Toad – Barbara Farr Renner
There Was A Weird Warthog Who Lassoed A Bear – Lyn Jekowsky
There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Bee – Deb Sullivan
There Was A Wild Warthog Who Wished For A Witch – Susan Summer
There Was A Young Writer Who Wrote A Great Word – Sarah Meade
Wishing Kitten – Julie Kurtz
There Was An Old Monster Who Wished For A Boat – Brenda Whitehead
The Nose Of A Kitten – Elizabeth Volkmann
There Was A Mean Monster Who Swallowed A Toad – Laura Bower
Come To My Party – Ashley B. Pedigo
There Was A Brown Cow Who Lived In A Tree – Marty Bellis
There Was A Strange Cowboy Who Wished For A Friend – Sophia Zafra
There Was A Shy Lion Who Wished For A Friend – Marta Cutler
There Was A Brave Woman Who Wrote Down A Note – Ashley Sierra
The Hungriest Python Turned Into A Boat – Allison Strick
There Was An Author Who Got Stymied By The Prompt – Joyce Uglow
There Was A Small Kitten Who Followed A Bee – Diane Irving
Are you New? – Marla Yablon
There Was A Shy Lion Who Wished For A Friend – Lauren Scott
There Was A Strange Kitten Who Lassoed The Moon – Linda Schueler
There Was A Smart Baby Who Followed A Star – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf
There Was An Old Grandma Who Followed A Ghost – Marta Cutler
There Was A Brave Grandma Who Lassoed A Witch – Jeannette Suhr
There Was A Brave Zookeeper That Taunted A Bear – Sarah Hawklyn
There Was A Wild Zookeeper Who Ran From A Bear – Jana Mattern
There Was A Smart T-Rex Who Played Tricks On A Witch – Bevin Rolfs Spencer
A Huge Baby Swallowed A Witch – Bru Benson
There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Bee – Jamie Bills
The Old Cowboy – Katie Schwartz
There Was A Cute Baby Who Charmed A Mommy – Christine Alemshah
There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Bee – Sara Kruger
There Was A Strange Cowboy Who Lived On A Boat – Michelle S. Kennedy
The Grandma Who Bullied A Bear – Lynn Katz
There Was A Brave Baby Who Followed A Witch – Padgy Soltis
There Was A Shy Monster Who Taunted A Tree – Amy Leskowski
A New Friend – Mia Geiger
There Was A Smart Grandma – Marty Findley
There Was An Old Cowboy Who Lassoed A Star – Melissa Wrex
There Was An Old Cowboy Who Wanted A Friend – Robin Currie
Not Guilty – Colleen Owen Murphy
There Was A Wild Warthog Who Ran Up A Tree – Deb Buschman
There Was A Wild Grandma Who Turned Into The Moon – Brenna Jeanneret
There Was An Old Cowboy Who Lassoed A Friend – JC Kelly
PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!
When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊
⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)
⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)
⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade (details coming)
⭐️ Webinar: How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro by author and editor Alayne Kay Christian
⭐️ A copy of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Writers, donated by Nicole Loos Miller
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing 2021) by Candice Marley Conner
⭐️ Making Picture Book Magic Self Study Class (any month)
⭐️A copy of A FLOOD OF KINDNESS by Ellen Leventhal
⭐️A copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Vivian Kirkfield
⭐️A copy of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT by Penny Parker Klostermann
⭐️A copy of SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE by Cathy Ballou Mealey
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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