Tag: OMG Chocolate Desserts

Would You Read It Wednesday #244 -Fiona Flynn Finds Out (MG)

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So, in a complete break with my usual MO, I am writing this post AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!

I know.

It boggles the mind.

But here’s my reasoning: every single weather service that exists appears convinced that we’ll be getting heavy snow in our area on Tuesday.  Heavy snow (or light snow… or a cloud… or an overzealous hummingbird in the wrong spot…) means my internet will most likely not be functioning for an extended period of time.  And I didn’t want this week’s scheduled pitcher to get bumped by bad weather.  So here I am, making sure the post is written and scheduled on Monday night, so that whatever my fickle, unreliable internet decides to do I will Be Prepared!

All that preparing ahead definitely earns us Something Chocolate… not to mention all the snow we’re going to have struggled through by the time you’re actually reading this!  So I think we need some Triple Chocolate Cheesecake with Oreo Crust, don’t you?

I knew you’d think so.  And I think we can all agree that was definitely the right choice!  Feel free to help yourselves to seconds or thirds, especially if you had to do a lot of snow shoveling!

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Alexandria who is the author of over a dozen children’s books, including the Scott O’Dell award winning Worth and Walking Home to Rosie Lee, a picture book about the heroic journey to reunify African American families after the emancipation proclamation. She teaching the MFA program in the Writing and Illustration for Children and Young Adults at Hollins University. You can catch up with her in her Facebook community, Sylvanocity, on Twitter, or her website.  ”

Find her on the web at:
http://www.facebook.com/alafayeauthor
http://www.alafaye.com
@artlafaye

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Fiona Flynn Finds Out

Age/Genre: Middle Grade (ages 8-12)

The Pitch: Fiona Flynn finally takes her long-awaited first horseback ride on the fiesty Snickers who canters right into her familial role as fairy physic—a physician to a magical world of animal guides who are in the fight for their lives against the evil goddess, Epona who seeks to destroy everything the fae protect and anyone who stands in her way. What can Fiona do to stop her?

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 Alexandria 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 can get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

Alexandria is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to digging out from the snow and stepping lightly into spring! 🙂

Hope everyone who was in Stella’s path stayed safe and warm!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wedesday #238 -Stalking Seagulls (PB) PLUS The November/December Pitch Pick

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Big news on Blueberry Hill, my friends!

Cable internet is (AT LAST!) coming to our road!

It just goes to show that technology can even (tually) come to the Back Of Beyond 🙂

Look!

It does not get more exciting than this!

Now, I realize that this is a big project.  The cable won’t be laid for weeks…maybe months, and then there’s all manner of high-tech whatnot that will have to be organized no doubt, but it’s coming!  There is a light at the end of the tunnel!  The prehistoric internet I’ve been working with for years, which moves at the speed of hibernating turtles…walking backwards…through the mud…, does not allow for Skype, webinars, uploading photos and files, or even accessing email half the time.  So this upgrade is long-awaited and much-anticipated!

Who knows what amazing opportunities await once our internet moves at the same speed as the rest of the world’s!  (And NO! of course the ability to stream Netflix and binge watch Parks & Rec which my children have informed me I must do has nothing to do with my excitement! 🙂 )

So, if you all would stop talking about your favorite TV series to binge watch, we could get down to work! 🙂

First off today, we have the November/December Pitch Pick!

Here are the pitches:

#1 Carolyn – Celebirdy (NF PB ages 7-11)

This nonfiction story tells the account of a chicken that lived without its head for 18 months. The truth doesn’t get much weirder than that!

#2 Anne – Harry’s Magic (PB ages 4-8)

Eliza wakes up on the wrong side of the bed feeling quite grumpy, almost as if a monster has taken over her body. Her brother Harry says will cast a magical spell to drive out the angry beast and restore Eliza to her sweet, silly self.  This 560 word, rhyming picture book will have children ages 4-8 laughing as they watch Eliza running about gathering up all of the necessary and ridiculous ingredients for Harry’s magic potion, but will Harry be able to save his sister in time?

#3 Nadine – Armadillo Pillow Fight (PB ages 4-8)

It is Willow Armadillo’s birthday and she wants a pillow fight party.  She asks her friend to help spread the word of this nocturnal affair. Her animal friends mess up the message spreading details by accident.  Did Willow say to meet at the peat moss or where the streams cross?  Poor Willow. Hopefully she will have someone show up to her burrow tonight.

#4 Noel – Good Old Gus (PB ages 5-8)

No longer safe working on the boat, Gus, an ice cream loving dog is left to retire on the pier and wait for his captain’s evening return. Torn between obeying his master and engaging in the tempting seaside activities, when someone needs help, Gus’s decision becomes clear.

 

Please vote for the pitch you think is best and most deserves a read by editor Erin Molta in the poll below by Sunday January 22 at 5 PM EST.  Results will be posted next Wednesday!

Golly!

It’s hard work reading and evaluating those pitches and trying to decide which one is best when they’re all so good!  I think we need Something Chocolate, don’t you?  (Though let’s be honest… when do we ever NOT need Something Chocolate?! 🙂 )

Seeing as how Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and we should be taste-testing and recipe-practicing, I’m thinking Strawberry Chocolate Cake!

It’s what’s for breakfast! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Michelle who says, “I am an active member of SCBWI, numerous critique groups, and am on the advisory board for Authors.me. I am also a mother of 2 and married to a great man from Finland!”

Find her on the web at Twitter @Mmvattula

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Stalking Seagulls

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8)

The Pitch: One boy.  One sandwich.  A flock of seagulls.  The dive bomb debacle of last summer will not happen again!  Those sneaky seagulls have one mission, Alec’s sandwich!  It’s Alec’s duty to foil their plans and not let those pesky birds triumph.  Victory is on the horizon until he unwraps his sandwich.

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 Michelle 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 February, so you could have a turn pretty soon to get  helpful feedback and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!

One last item on today’s agenda: just a heads up that everybody’s favorite I-Heart-Writing competition, The Valentiny Writing Contest!, is coming soon to a blog near you!  (Er, that would be this one 🙂 )  If someone would just light a fire under the people in charge around here, the guidelines might ever get posted one of these days 🙂  But just so you know, the contest will run from February 10-14, so mark your calendars and get those thinking caps out of mothballs 🙂

Michelle is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to getting high speed internet (although not holding my breath) and to someone posting the guidelines for the Valentiny Writing Contest (and although not holding my breath for that either , it could happen at any moment and is likely to beat the high speed internet into existence 🙂 )

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #229 – Pochon’s Monster (PB)

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Happy Wednesday, Folks!

As we are all picture book folk, immersed in the world of That-Which-Matters-To-Kids, I’m sure you all woke up this morning with only one thought on your minds:

Today is Take Your Teddy Bear To Work Day!

A lot of us, being writers, or work-at-home parents, are not going to supply much of an outing for our teddy bears.

(And I’m guessing it’s pretty unlikely that anyone besides a preschool or kindergarten teacher would actually consider leaving the house with a teddy bear :)… but I mention the whole Take Your Teddy Bear To Work idea because I think there’s a picture book in it somewhere… from the teddy bear’s POV!)

Of course, some of us (that would be me) never actually had a teddy bear.  I had a camel I was fond of.  He has no hair now.  And a Snoopy with an engineer hat and overalls.  Alas…he has no clothes or hair now…  But no actual bear.  (There’s probably a whole nother story idea in that…! 🙂 )

So on this Take Your Teddy Bear To Work Day I’m bringing my Brown Bear – not that coming to work is any big deal for her.  She does it every single day 🙂  The chair in my office that I recently had reupholstered has somehow become hers… I could probably have really skipped that reupholstering! 🙂

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As you can see, she is wide awake and on the job – a tremendous aid to my writing efforts 🙂

Did/do you have a teddy bear or stand-in?  Will you take it to work?  If so, what job will you take it to?  I’m serious – there may be a future picture book in this! 🙂

Okay, so now that I’m feeling like I had an underprivileged childhood because I never had an actual teddy bear, I believe it’s time for Something Chocolate!

How do you feel about Cookie Dough Brownies?

I knew you’d be fans!  I mean, it’s a brownie AND a (sort of) cookie with oodles of chocolatey goodness… how can you go wrong?! 🙂

Now.  Onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Greg, whom you will remember from his pitch back in the summer for The Bath Of Least Resistance.  Greg (clearly a kindred spirit!) says, “If I didn’t have to work for a living I’d be writing, eating chocolate and writing about eating chocolate.  For fun I play hockey, geocache, cook, and chase around my son.”

Find him on the web at https://www.facebook.com/gregoryebray/

Here is his pitch:

Working Title: Pochon’s Monster

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

The Pitch:

A sock stealing monster made of socks?” Viola couldn’t believe the story she heard at a slumber about Pochon’s Monster was true.

Viola sets out to find the monster and get her socks back. With an act of kindness, she gets the monster to relinquish what it has taken.

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

Greg is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch!  I am looking forward to the upcoming 6th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest, which I’m hoping you all saw the announcement for on Monday!  Here’s the LINK in case you missed it.  And there’s already a prize update – one lucky winner will have the opportunity for a read and critique from editor Marilyn Brigham of Two Lions!  And KidLit 411 is contributing a bundle of picture books!  And more stuff is rolling in, so stay tuned!

Have a wonderful start-looking-forward-to-Halloweensie Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂