Tag: Delish.com

Would You Read It Wednesday #392 – Chick-A-Gator (PB)

18 Comments

Hi there, Everyone!

Happy First Day of School! (for those of us who didn’t start in August 😊)

And in the spirit of getting back to things we love, welcome back to the one and only Would You Read It Wednesday!

I know that now that you’ve gotten your little munchkins up and out of bed, dressed in most if not all of their clothing (who really needs socks AND shoes?), fortified with at least a few mouthfuls of healthy breakfast (poptart anyone?), and onto the school bus with a solid percentage of the stuff they’re supposed to have with them – let’s face it, you are the epitome of parenting excellence! – there is nothing you want more than to join in the Would You Read It fun! (And not only because of the Something Chocolate you’ve been craving all summer!)

Before we jump into today’s pitch, I want to let you all know that I have open dates for both Would You Read It and Tuesday Debut. If you’d like to share a pitch and get helpful feedback from our wonderful readers, or if you’re an author or author/illustrator with your very first ever picture book debuting, please use the contact page to give me a holler and let me know!

Available Would You Read It dates are:
September 29
October 6, 13, 20, and 27
November (10?), 17, and 24
December 1

Available Tuesday Debut Dates are:
September 21 and 28
October 26
November (9?), 16, 23, and 30

November 9th and 10th are question marks because of the Halloweensie Contest. . . which is another question. Do you guys want to have it again this year? Let me know in the comments if you’re for or against! 🎃

All that planning has put me in the mood for Something Chocolate! How about you? I think Cookies ‘n’ Cream Sandwich Cookies sound just right for back to school 😊

Recipe HERE at delish

I mean, is there any way to go wrong with Chocolate Chip Cookies baked into Oreos? I don’t think so! Grab a glass of milk (almond, cashew, soy, oat, or cow – whatever floats your boat… or your cookie sandwich) and enjoy!

Now that we’re properly fortified, let’s have a look at today’s pitch which comes to us from Elizabeth who says, “I am a retired teacher and was writing for the magazine market before trying my hand at picture books. I have two adult children, one being a published writer. Was she inspired by hearing the typewriter click, click, clicking as a child? 😊 I wrote this story with tongue in cheek when I imagined how such a creature might look. I’m a midwesterner who grew up loving fairy tales, horse stories and mysteries. As a child I always had my nose in a book. That’s a habit I can somewhat indulge in my retirement.”

Find her on the web at elizabethwestra@gmail.com

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Chick-A-Gator

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

The Pitch:

I bet you’ve never met a chick-a-gator. Neither had the hens in the chicken coop. When one hatches from an egg, pandemonium breaks out. None of the hens accept him; they make him sleep outside the fence;They run whenever he comes near; his rooster father disowns him. But there’s more to Chick-a-gator than they know. One night he performs an heroic act that changes their opinion of him. He is hailed as a hero. He’s half chicken and half gator with a mighty roar. He’s the Chick-a-gator!

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

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

Elizabeth is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to everything back-to-school! It feels like New Year’s, doesn’t it? Which I guess, if you celebrated Rosh Hashanah yesterday, it IS! 😊

Don’t forget to give me a shout if you want a WYRI or Tuesday Debut date, and let me know if you want to have Halloweensie this year!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 😊

Would You Read It Wednesday # 350 – Hotdogs Don’t Camp (PB)

22 Comments

Hey there, peeps!

I saw this on FB yesterday, and I think I’m going to adopt it as my permanent motto 🙂

 

Think how cheerful we’ll all feel! 🙂

And to make us even cheerfuller (which should be a word because it’s fun to say) how about Something Chocolate?

I was instantly sold on this recipe because it was advertised thusly:

“If you haven’t made brownies in your waffle iron, you haven’t truly lived yet.”

Whoever wrote that, has the same appreciation I do for all things chocolate!

How is possible that I have never made brownies in my waffle iron?!

This is a situation which must be rectified immediately!

So let’s make breakfast, shall we?

Waffle Iron Brownies

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Recipe HERE at Delish

 

I always say, “Chocolate!  It’s what’s for breakfast!”. . . and today it really is! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah who you know very well by now! 😊  Sarah says, “I am an Optometrist, mother, and lover of the outdoors. I live in NH with my husband and two children. I love to paint in my free time, when I’m not writing.”

Find her on the web at www.sarahheturadny.com

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Hotdogs Don’t Camp

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-8)

The Pitch: Hotdogs, humans, and bears—oh my! All on one campsite? There is bound to be some in-tents conflict. Three stories in one—with the primary story about hotdogs trying the impossible:  to camp like the humans do—explode off the page in this illustrator-heavy manuscript.

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

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

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

Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to Leap Day!  What could be better than a day devoted to leaping?

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Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #295 – The Remindeer (PB)

28 Comments

Shhh!

(I don’t want my computer to hear this conversation!)

But between you, me and the fencepost, I’m afraid it’s going over to the dark side.

I mean, when I turn it on and it looks like this:

IMG_4400

it really can’t be good!

So I think I may be taking a little jaunt to the computer store soon…

…much as I hate the idea of change!

I’m such a tech dinosaur.  I like to keep the devices I’m used to.  (Witness last week’s phone screen disaster when I elected to replace the screen rather than the phone!)

Wait.

Is there a trend here?

Now that I think of it, it’s a bit worrying!  First my phone, now my computer!  I may be in some kind of electronic device black hole.  Do they have those on Blueberry Hill?  Maybe I should check with the neighbors…

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Well, she says she’s not having any problems with her electronic devices and she thinks the green screen is pretty and actually looks quite delicious.

IMG_6391

These guys agree.

So I guess everything’s okay.

It’s making me a little anxious, though, so I think Something Chocolate would be just the thing to settle my nerves 🙂

Scouting around for something delicious for today’s Something Chocolate, I came across the creation of a brilliant mind – someone who clearly said to themselves why have plain chocolate chip cookies when you could have them stuffed with cheesecake?  Really, it’s sheer genius.  Why has no one thought of this before? 🙂

Cheesecake Stuffed Cookies

choc chip cheesecake cookies

Recipe HERE (including helpful video!) at Delish.com

Screen Shot 2018-07-24 at 10.07.19 PM

…and the surprise inside! 🙂

I’m sure you can see the improved nutritional and healthful benefits of this beautiful creation – protein, dairy, whole grains and vegetables (don’t forget – chocolate comes from a bean!) in the cookie, and plenty of calcium in the cheesecake filling!  What could be a better breakfast?!

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Greg who says, “I’m a husband, father, author, hockey player, geocacher, and cockeyed optimist. I enjoy cooking and baking, especially chocolatey goodies. I have two self-published books out and one traditional published book.”

LINKS

https://www.facebook.com/gregoryebray/

http://gregoryebrayauthor.blogspot.com/

Twitter:  @GEBray19

Instagram: gregoryebray

Here is his pitch:

Working Title: The Remindeer

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

The Pitch: Santa has departed to deliver Christmas presents, but one has been left behind. Wally, being Santa’s right hooved reindeer, has to find a way to deliver it.  Unlike the other reindeer, Wally can’t fly. He’ll have to find another means to deliver the present and save Christmas for the intended child.

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

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

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

Greg is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch!  I am looking forward to looking…just looking…at new computers… and what might come of that no one knows so no current computers should take offense or feel insulted and stop working completely if they happen to be overhearing this conversation!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #288 – The Tooth Fairy Conference (PB)

15 Comments

You know it’s June when suddenly there are fiercely protective does everywhere and, if you’re lucky, you get to see tiny new fawns wobbling along behind them.

A doe with a new fawn has taken up residence on the wooded outskirts of my yard.  I have yet to see the baby, but I know it’s there because the doe is terrorizing my dogs!  (Not that they don’t deserve it – they’re entirely too interested in the proceedings, and even though I know they’d never hurt the fawn – if only because they’d have no idea what to do with it! – they make the doe nervous with their investigations.  And as someone who is a mother, I understand 🙂 )

Since I haven’t seen the fawn yet, I’ll entertain your with baby horse antics instead 🙂

 

You will recall that we had a barn baby back in April… whose mother, coincidentally, is named April 🙂  At the moment, this little dickens is referred to as Sassy… when she isn’t being called something less polite 🙂  She is quite a handful 🙂

Anyone feel a picture book coming on? 🙂

Alrighty, then!

Since today’s pitcher is a self-professed Ice Cream Lover, and since summer is coming, and since what could be better for breakfast than ice cream, let’s have Something Chocolate Ice Cream for today’s snack!

Brownie Cup Ice Cream Sundae

brownie cup sundae

Recipe HERE (with helpful video!) at delish.com

Obviously either chocolate or coffee is the best flavor of ice cream to use, along with hot fudge and/or caramel topping, but since it’s breakfast time, if you feel compelled to have some fruit, you can go strawberry ice cream 🙂

Delish! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Katie who says, “I’m an educator, Word Nerd, and Ice Cream-Loving Optimist. Faith, family, and fitness are my motivators. My #1 writing goal is picture books featuring Big Ideas for Young Minds (also the name of my main blog). My side gig is creating teaching resources (my own and for hire).   Additionally, you may want to know:

        1. “Goodnight, Moon” is my least-favorite classic, but “Runaway Bunny” is tied for first with “Harold and the Purple Crayon” and “The Lorax.” Also, I have too many modern favorites to pick even the Top 10.
        2. I want to know why zillions of the facing-out picture books (e.g. hot sellers) in stores rhyme when verse is supposed to be verboten.
        3. Age ranges on picture book queries make me wince since I think picture books are perfect for any age. The little plus sign I put after the age range (e.g. 4-8+) makes me feel better.”

 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Tooth Fairy Conference

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-9)

The Pitch: Tooth Fairy Gwyneth rallies brainy and brawny conference attendees to extract Plaque Man, a rot-minded foe, and save the fairy economy. Gwyneth must convince skeptical speakers presenting key economic and tooth collecting knowledge to form a posse with tough tooth fairies from all over the world. Now if only they can combine their dental and mental derring-do and wash skunky, gunky Plaque Man down the drain.

·        ~1250 words, PB ages 5-9+  It’s dreadfully long as a fiction PB, but it has nonfiction elements integral to plot and character development. I’m open to input on if it should be a chapter book instead.

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

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

Katie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing that little fawn one of these days soon 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂