Tra la!

It’s Would You Read It Wednesday!

And to start off the festivities we have Straight From The Editor for May!

You will recall that the May Pitch Pick was won by Andrew with his PB pitch for Dorian And The Silent Piano.

His pitch was:

Dorian And The Silent Piano (PB ages 6-8)

In a search to find his talent, Dorian becomes captivated by an old man playing a piano with great gusto and joy. There’s just one problem-Dorian is deaf. Guided by the old man, Dorian struggles to read music, hear notes, and learn proper hand movement across the keys. As their special friendship develops, Dorian learns that talent can be one of heart.

Here are editor Erin Molta’s comments:

This looks quite intriguing. The only thing I would suggest is that you SHOW us HOW he hears the music. I’d even simplify it a bit, as I show below, and make it less about talent but doing something despite a so-called disability..

Dorian becomes captivated by an old man playing a piano with great gusto and joy. But–Dorian is deaf. Guided by the old man, Dorian struggles to read music, hear notes (by how? Does he feel the vibrations?), and learn proper hand movement across the keys. As their special friendship develops, Dorian learns that even if you can’t hear the music you can make beautiful sounds….

As always, I find Erin’s thoughts interesting and helpful!  I hope you all do too!

And now, I think it’s time for Something Chocolate!  How do you feel about Loaded Cowboy Cookies?  They are chewy oatmeal cookies filled with chocolate, coconut and pecans! Absolutely impossible to resist!!

Loaded Cowboy Cookies

And given that they are made out of oatmeal they are obviously breakfast! 😊 Also, a lot like trail mix or granola bars in case you need a snack for your summer outings! 😊  I guess they’re called Cowboy Cookies because they are hearty and portable for taking out on the range!

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Nancy who says, “I’m Nancy Riley, writer, competitive adult figure skater, and retired wildlife biologist. I’m a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI and live on 35 acres of Colorado heaven north of Denver with my husband, two horses, and a happy dog named Scout. When not writing, I’m out and about with Scout or figure skating!  ”

Find her on the web at:

 nancyrileynovelist.com
Twitter: @NancyDereyRiley
Facebook: Nancy Derey Riley
Instagram: Nancy Derey Riley

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Cupid’s Tango

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

The Pitch: Cupid’s heart is not into step dancing, the traditional dance of the prairie chickens. He doesn’t like it. He won’t practice enough, but he must do well in his flock’s dance competition to win a date to the All Species Ball. When his first contest is a disaster, he decides to find his own dance style. His heart comes alive when he discovers the tango. He wows the crowd at the Second Chance Dance, but will it be enough to impress the judges and win a date?

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 Nancy 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 September, 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!

Nancy is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to going out on the range just so I have a reason to bring Cowboy Cookies!  I’m not sure where I’m going to find a range on Blueberry Hill, but that is a mere technicality! 😊