Tag: Life Love and Sugar

Would You Read It Wednesday #363 – Winx Thinks Dinosaurs (MG)

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Howdy, Everyone!

Even though it’s only been autumn for one day, there’s been a nip in the air the past couple mornings – only 36 degrees here on Blueberry Hill. The birds are flocking to the feeder. . . and so are the squirrels. . . and the chipmunks! A friend of mine posted the best picture ever on FB:

This is a whole new level of cheekiness!

How did he even get in there?! 😊

While the chipmunks steal all the birdseed, I have the perfect Something Chocolate for the second day of Autumn – Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake! Doesn’t this look SO delicious???

Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake

Recipe HERE at Life Love and Sugar

Also, I know I don’t need to point out that it’s totally healthy, since it’s made out of vegetables (pumpkin and chocolate beans!) and calcium and protein (I mean, that’s what cheesecake is, right? 😊)

So definitely. Have seconds. Or even thirds 😊

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Katie. Katie writes stories and learning resources to engage young minds with big ideas. Happy to leave her desk for family fun and sports Katie is fueled by faith, laughter, and ice cream. She lives in Maryland where one of her favorite runs is the ~10 miles to the Washington Monument in D.C. Her website is here and she’s on Twitter @KTOEngen

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Winx Thinks Dinosaurs

Age/Genre: MG

The Pitch: Winx Muller never outgrew dinosaurs. He’s got the wall art, book stash, and paleontologist autographs to prove it. But his panicky dislike of dirty things means a life spent digging up fossils may never be. And with his parents missing while his older sister, Marta, deals with some mystery illness, Winx doesn’t expect to leave Aunt Lena’s house anytime soon. But while poking around his great aunt’s attic Winx finds a pair of filthy, smelly socks that sing promises of Time Travel. Suddenly the future – and the past – seem wide open. The siblings try everything (even research!) to see Mesozoic dinosaurs. But the Time-Space Continuum does not play and the aftereffects of bungled Time Travel Rules are no joke. Stumbling through unexpected paleontology hot spots, Winx learns to cope with dirty realities without giving up on his ‘dangerous lizard’ dreams.

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 as soon as next week, so you could get your pitch up very soon 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 going apple picking. I don’t have an actual time in mind to go, but I want to! 😊 🍎

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 😊

Would You Read It Wednesday #313 – School-Berry Muffins (PB) PLUS The January Pitch Pick!

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Howdy folks!

After what seems like a long hiatus due to the Valentiny Contest, we’re back to our regularly scheduled Would You Read It Wednesday!

Apparently we’re in a voting mode this week, because if it’s not noon yet there is still time for you to read Valentiny Writing Contest Finalists and vote for your favorite (and also please spread the word to everyone you know who might want to read and vote because we need all the votes we can get!) AND today we have the January Pitch Pick, so you can vote for your favorite of those!

So let’s start with the Pitch Pick.  Here are the January pitches, revised by their authors on the basis of all your wonderful and helpful feedback! Please read through them and choose the one you feel is best and most deserving of a read and comments from editor Erin Molta! Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by Sunday March 3 at 5 PM Eastern.

#1 – Aileen – Professor Hound and the Elusive Thieves (CB)

John B. Hound, Professor at the Collarsville Academy and secret agent working for Breeds Over National Emergencies or B.O.N.E. for short, is on a mission to sniff out thieves and recover stolen goods. His job_ to determine why recent burglaries only occur in the homes of wealthy Hound Academy students, if any of the Hound Academy staff are involved, and who sent the perfumed note containing a clue. Will Professor Hound decipher the note and other clues in time or will the sneaky culprits outsmart him and get away with the valuables?

#2 – Dedra – Mawbellina Ballerina (PB ages 3-8)

Mawbelina Ballerina is a young weenie dog desperate to go to dance school with her older siblings. Being the youngest of the family frustrates Mawbelina. Not long enough or tall enough to go, she pirouettes and pliés, whines and pouts until she realizes there is time for dance school later. She understands being home with her mom is special. See how she learns a lesson in patience and decides being small can be fun.

#3 – Jennifer – BYOB, Bring Your Own Bear (PB ages 4-8)

Jillian knew that Rex wasn’t a bear, it wasn’t something that had ever mattered before. But, on the day of the Teddy Bear Picnic, it suddenly mattered… a lot. Realizing she might be the only one without a bear, Jillian decides do whatever it takes for she and Rex to fit in, even if it means keeping a secret from her friends.

#4 – Fanny – Hazel Lee’s Place In The Sky (NF PB ages 6-9)

Hazel Lee is not the stereotypical Chinese-American young woman. She is loud, stubborn, and athletic. Against the expectations of her Chinese community, she earns a pilot’s license, when women in the 1930s are thought to be too emotional to be a pilot. Her high-spirited personality gains friendship and acceptance among fellow WASPs (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots) who had never met a Chinese before. Hazel proves she can fly fighter planes as well as any man.

 

 

Always such a hard choice, isn’t it? Clearly we need Something Chocolate after that! Since it’s breakfast, I’m incorporating fruit for your health! 🙂

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake

Chocolate-Covered-Strawberry-Cheesecake4

Recipe (including helpful video) HERE at Life, Love, & Sugar

YUM! Delicious AND nutritious! (from a certain point of view 🙂 ) Please feel free to help yourselves to seconds.  There’s plenty for all! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah, whom you will recognize from several previous pitches.  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: School-Berry Muffins

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

The Pitch: Alien Blob hi-jacks my school bus one morning.  He tells us that he wants us to help him gather the ingredients to make school-berry muffins, and we’re supposed to be the school-berries!  Blob is not exactly familiar with the ways and the words of Earth, so I try to fool him.  He is smart enough to see right through my attempts, though.  I must plan something really clever.

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 May, 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!

Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing who wins the Valentiny Contest!  We will find out tomorrow!!!  I can’t wait!!! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would If You Could Read It Wednesday

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Good morning, my friends!

Guess what?

You get today off!

Due to life situations I will not bore you with, I ran out of Would You Read It submissions and didn’t realize it until the wee hours last night when I went to write today’s post!

(That is a totally undisguised plea for submissions!  If you’d like to submit a pitch, please do so and you can go next week or soon after – first come, first served!)

Meanwhile, just because we don’t have a pitch and you don’t have to give your expert opinions doesn’t mean we can’t have Something Chocolate!   Put your feet up!  Indulge and enjoy! 🙂

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE!!!

And now that you’ve had a healthy serving of fruit to fuel you… 🙂 … go forth and write something awesome! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!  🙂

(And PLEASE SEND PITCHES!!! 🙂 )

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #278 – Navy SEALs: BUD/S From A-Z (PB)

28 Comments

Holy frozen H2O, Batman!

More snow???!!!

According to my research, the first day of Spring was yesterday, beginning at 12:15 PM to be precise.

Something is rotten in the state of New York!

I think we can all agree that the third Wednesday Nor’easter of the month calls for something delightful, something decadent, Something Chocolate right out of the starting gate.  I know we will all feel our outlook on life improve immeasurably after a slice or two of this delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake

A quick examination of the ingredients (peanut=protein, butter=dairy=calcium, chocolate=vegetable (comes from a bean!), mousse=makes you strong as a moose, also mousse is lighter than air so it has no calories :), and cake=the fifth essential food group) reveals this breakfast to be not only scrumptious, but clearly health food! 🙂

So eat up! 🙂

Ah!

It’s like spinach for Popeye!

Now we’re all rarin’ to go! 🙂

So let’s get right to today’s pitch which comes to us from Gayle.  She says, “I’m a Navy SEAL mom who loves to write. I’m working on several picture books, a YA novel, and my masters. You can find me at www.gayleveitenheimer.com.”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Navy SEALs: BUD/S From A-Z

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

The Pitch: Boys learn their letters Navy SEAL-style while they explore the rigors of BUD/S, the first half of SEAL training, where a sugar cookie isn’t a snack and The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.

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 Gayle 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 April, 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!

Gayle is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to a baby!  Yes!  It’s true!  On the farm where I work in the morning, one of the mares is expecting.  After ten-and-a-bit long months she is now less than a month away from bringing her new little colt or filly into the world.  Let me tell you, there is great excitement! 🙂  I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #268 – The Wildness In Mellie Feye (MG)

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(Go HERE to read the Halloweensie finalists and vote for your favorite!)

Does anyone know how it is possible that Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow???!!!

Seriously!  I do not know where October and November went!

I guess that’s what happens when you’re very busy 🙂

giphy

Since I am so busy (and we got such a tremendously wonderful number of entries in the Halloweensie Contest!) the posting schedule got a little messed up.

The poll is still up for you to vote for your favorite Halloweensie entry until tomorrow at noon.  If you haven’t had a chance to read the finalists and vote, please go HERE.  We need all the votes we can get!  Tell your friends and relations to come read and vote for their favorite too!  They will have the pleasure of reading some fantastically entertaining stories and it will only take them a couple minutes! 🙂

Even though I didn’t want to interrupt the voting, I also didn’t want to disappoint Candice who is signed up for Would You Read It today.  So please have a look at her pitch below and let her know what you think!

To give you strength, here is Something Chocolate!

Oreo Brookie Layer Cake

Mmmm!  Lip-smackin’ YUM!

I know that will fortify you for the job ahead! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Candice who says, “An avid reader of fairytales, I have to take turns with my six and four year-old on who gets to play the villain. Evil cackles have been mastered by all.. I blog at candicemarleyconner.wordpress.com, tweet @candice_marleyc, and facebook at www.facebook.com/CMarleyConnerAuthor ”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Wildness In Mellie Feye

Age/Genre: Upper Middle Grade Eco-Fairytale Retelling

The Pitch: Mellie isn’t sure what her mama’s curse made her—a half sea serpent, a water spirit, a freak of a mermaid. Or simply cursed.

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

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in January, so you have 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!

Candice is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing who wins the Halloweensie Contest… which we will know on FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #255 – Olive Hills (PB)

21 Comments

Howdy folks!  Can you believe tomorrow is June???!!!

April showers bring May flowers… what do May flowers bring?  (And don’t say “pilgrims”! 🙂 )  I’m serious… are May flowers supposed to bring something June?  Maybe June bugs? (About which my mother has a dreadful story concerning what her aunt used to do to them which I will not share at this hour of the morning!)  🙂  Up on Blueberry Hill I’m afraid the answer is deer flies, but that doesn’t sound very nice!  We also get lovely things like this:

IMG_0137

awww! 🙂

and this:

IMG_1744

Mountain Laurel

I think everyone should say in the comments what they think May flowers bring for June!  Who knows?  There could be a story in that…!

Anyway, let’s see May out in style with Something Chocolate!  How about Mocha Chocolate Chunk Cookies today?

Mmm mmm good!!!  Perfect with a nice hot cup of coffee (or a nice cold cup of iced coffee if you happen to live somewhere where the weather is seasonable – as opposed to here where, with the exception of 2 90 degree days, we’re still keeping an eye out for frost! 🙂 )

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Cortney.  Cortney Benvenuto is a picture book writer and illustrator living with her family in Portland, Oregon. She is an active member of SCBWI and 12×12 and loves reading, writing, and illustrating.

Find her on the web at:

 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Olive Hills

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

The Pitch: Elle, a little girl struggling with ways to remember her beloved grandma chances upon Olive, a forgetful brontosaurus in search of something she cannot recall.  Together the two set out to retrace their fading steps in hopes to relive their memories before the oncoming storm washes them away.  As they comfort each other in this poignant, sweet journey of love, loss, and remembrance they discover, sometimes you have to let go to find what you’re looking for.

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 Cortney 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 June, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Cortney is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to the New Jersey SCBWI conference this weekend!  Anyone else going?

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂