Gather ‘round, my friends.
Plump up your pillows.
Burrow into your blankets.
Wrap your hands around a gently steaming mug of sweet hot chocolate.
All comfy and cozy?
Lovely! It’s time for a heartwarming story.
Continue reading
Tag: winners
2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge – The End!
We made it, my friends!
7 weeks of writing – check! √√√
And we are going to CELEBRATE!
Dance along with the animal marching band!
Help yourself to some ice cream. . .
. . . and ask bunny for a balloon – you know you want one! 😊
Now that you are dancing with a balloon while eating ice cream, let’s talk about how amazing you are! 😊 For starters, you are extraordinarily coordinated! 😊
But let’s look at the stats, shall we?
7 weeks of writing!
74 writers who participated in at least one week!
47 writers who completed the whole 7 Week Challenge!
4 writers who wrote 1 or more extra entries – 1 who wrote 5 extras!
some number I didn’t have time to count of writers who participated last year and this year (I’ll have to add that in…!)
394 stories written altogether!
And more than 2200 comments you left for each other to support, encourage, admire, and cheer each other’s efforts!
I mean, that is something to be proud of! You guys all did a fantastic job, writing so many wonderful, entertaining, creative stories filled with humor, heart, cleverness, rhyme, nonfiction elements, and unexpected surprises while simultaneously supporting each other! Way to go!
When any of these stories turn into published picture books, I wish to be informed! 😊
So now it’s time for my favorite thing! Handing out prizes!
Since 47 people completed the challenge and I didn’t have that many prizes, I got creative so everyone who qualified could get a prize. Of course, you have all already gotten a prize just by writing all these new stories, getting your creativity flowing, getting to read everyone else’s work, and getting to tell people how much you loved their stories while hearing how much they loved yours! I hope a whole pile of new books will come out of this little fun fest 😊
I put all your names in one hat, and all the prizes in another, and randomly drew a name and a prize to go with it until I ran out. The prizes are all listed below so you can see them in all their glory and appreciate the talented and generous people who offered them. And then the names of the winners and the prize they won are listed at the bottom. I’m hoping it will be clearer this way then it was last year!
Scroll along and look for your name to see what you won, and then email me using the handy contact form on my website (or my email address if you know it) subject line Prize and I’ll get everything sorted out with the mailing and getting in touch with critiquers and etc and whatnot!
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) (x 3)
⭐️WHAT’S THE STORY CARDS created by yours truly 😊 Inspiration for writers to download and print. The ultimate mix ‘n’ match. You’ll never be stuck for an idea again! (x 13)
⭐️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
⭐️A copy of THE LITTLE KITTEN by Nicola Killen
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of MOON’S FIRST FRIENDS by yours truly
⭐️ A personalized signed copy of MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS by yours truly
⭐️ Magnetic Poetry – Little Box of Happiness (x 3)
⭐️Picture Book Writers Rock! Mug for the writing fuel of your choice! 😊 (x 3)
⭐️Writing Journal (with a side of prompts 😊) (x 6)
- Katie Schwartz – What’s The Story Cards
- Bru Benson – Making Picture Book Magic Self Study
- Allison Strick – What’s The Story Cards
- Jill Lambert – Making Picture Book Magic Self Study
- Barbara Farr Renner – What’s The Story Cards
- Rose Cappelli – BINDU’S BINDIS
- Lauri Meyers – Making Picture Book Magic Self Study
- Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf – WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT
- Ashley Sierra – Zoom Chat with Becky Scharnhorst
- Susan E. Schipper – Writing Journal with Prompts
- Dawn Young – What’s The Story Cards
- Colleen Owen Murphy – SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL (personalized and signed)
- Amy Leskowski – Picture Book Writers Rock Mug
- Sarah Meade – SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE
- Sue Lancaster – Writing Journal with Prompts
- Dianne Irving – Writing Journal with Prompts
- Deb Buschman – Picture Book Writers Rock Mug
- Elenore Byrne – Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Jen Raudenbush
- Padgy Soltis – Picture Book Manuscript Critique and Audio Recording from Sarah Meade
- Erika Romero – What’s The Story Cards
- Robin Currie – MOON’S FIRST FRIENDS (personalized and signed)
- Brenna Jeanneret – How To Write Powerful First Pages Like A Pro Webinar
- Michelle S. Kennedy – What’s The Story Cards
- Nicole Loos Miller – THE LITTLE KITTEN
- Marty Bellis – Picture Book Writers Rock Mug
- Susan Summers – Writing Journal with Prompts
- Sally Yorke-Viney – Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Happiness
- Marta Cutler – What’s The Story Cards
- JC Kelly – What’s The Story Cards
- Sarah Hawklyn – What’s The Story Cards
- Ashley B. Pedigo – Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Happiness
- Lyn Jekowsky – A FLOOD OF KINDNESS
- Jen Subra – Magnetic Poetry Little Box of Happiness
- Laura Bower – What’s The Story Cards
- Sara Kruger – Writing Journal with Prompts
- Bevin Rolfs Spencer – Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR Query Letter Critique from Jenny Buchet
- Isabel Cruz Rodriguez – THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT
- Lauren Scott – What’s The Story Cards
- Linda Schueler – Writing Journal with Prompts
- Hannah Roy LaGrone – Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Penny Klostermann
- Aly Kenna – PHOEBE DUPREE IS COMING TO TEA!
- Marty Findley – Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR Query Letter Critique from Sara Kruger
- Mia Geiger – MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS (personalized and signed)
- Jeannette Suhr – 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann
- Joyce Uglow – MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD
- Erin Cleary – What’s The Story Cards
- Deb Sullivan – What’s The Story Cards
Please be a little patient – it’s going to take me awhile to sort out 47 prizes but I will do it as quickly as I can! 😊 And if anyone thinks I screwed up (entirely possibly given the juggling act life is right now 😊) please let me know!!!
I hope you all had as much fun with the Mix ‘n’ Match as I did!
And although I hope to see you here for Tuesday Debuts through August 3, things will quiet down here on the blog for July and August, so have a wonderful, happy, healthy, writing-filled summer everyone!!! 💕
The 2020 Valentiny Writing Contest WINNERS!!!
Darlings!
Do you know what today is?
Of course you do!
That’s why you’re here!
No one wants to miss National Tortilla Chip Day!
Let’s take a poll!
Which is better: potato chips or tortilla chips?
and
What is your favorite dip? Guacamole? Salsa? Queso? Other?
These are the burning questions that can only be answered by the great minds here in our little community.
Now I come to think of it, there is probably a picture book in this. . . The Search for Perfection. . . or maybe, Who Stole The Dip?
But back to the point, I think we can all agree that for un-dipped flavor, our friends the potato chips have poor plain tortillas beat hands down. Also, I would argue that ruffled potato chips have more flavor than smooth ones. But once dip is involved, all bets are off. Tortilla chips with both guacamole AND salsa may surpass the lowly plain potato chip. (Although, if you get a good barbecue or sour cream and onion potato chip, the tables turn again!)
MY! What a knotty problem! Thank goodness you’re here to weigh in!
Now off you go to your Mondays to enjoy your properly-dipped tortilla chips.
Ta-ta.
See you tomorrow for Tuesday Debut.
Thanks for stopping by.
Buh-bye now.
What?
You DIDN’T come to talk about tortilla chips?
What else could possibly be on your mind on National Tortilla Chip Day?
Ah. . .
. . . I know what it is!
You’ve spent the whole weekend in a fever of anticipation to find out who won
The 5th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest!!!
So I suppose, if you’re very nice to me and agree with everything I say (for example, that ruffled potato chips are better than smooth ones) and are willing to give me a tiara and elect me Princess of Clove Valley, I will tell you.
But first a few words from our sponsor (me) which I know shocks you (not!) 🙂
As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! (Did I mention there were nearly 150?!) Really! 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!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you last week for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another, or that the judges couldn’t reach a consensus on. It is SO HARD! One of our favorite entries – well written and curious – was over the word limit! Two entries came in after the deadline. Many other entries were so well written but simply weren’t curious enough, although they were fabulous in other ways!
So my assistant judges and I would like to award 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!)
Ingrid Boydston for What’s Love?
Theresa Kiser for Little Card’s Purpose
Rebecca Loescher for Crabby’s Heart Speaks
Mia Geiger for Secret Stash
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Laura Howard for Bags Of Love (fun and sweet!)
Kelsey Gross for Moe’s Valentine’s Day Discovery (good story structure and curiosity, sweet ending)
Sarah Meade for Valenturtle
Mary Warth for Mystery Marks
3. For Original POV:
Amy Flynn for Mailbox (POV of a mailbox! – well-written!)
4. For Humor:
Genevieve Puttay for Cupid Caper (clever and funny! but we thought maybe some of the humor would escape the 12 and under set)
Katrina Swenson for Cupid’s Love Trials
Jen Bagan for Cupid And Curtis
Andrea MacDonald for Peck! (funny, original inside-the-egg POV)
5. For Well-Written, Fun Story With Great Sibling Interaction:
Jilanne Hoffman for Double-Crossed Hearts
Joy Pitcairn for February 14
6. For Well-Written Scariest Valentine Ever That Totally Gave Us The Shivers! :
Sofia Dibble for Ophelia Divine (so original and very Edgar Allan Poe!)
7. For We Loved It But Not Curious Enough!:
Aundra Tomlins for Better With Bear
Elizabeth LaGrange Muster for Cupid’s Curious Conundrum (great mash-up of holiday characters!)
MaryAnn Cortez for Yeti Wants A Valentine
Sue Lancaster for Shelly & Saul
Claire Lewis for My Piggy Valentine
Elsie Duffany for The Curious Kitten (well done, Elsie! Keep up the great work!)
Cindy Williams Schrauben for How To Find Your Valentine
Anne Bromley for A Shelter Dog’s Valentine
Kate Thompson for When Love Gives You Wings
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all 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 did this for Halloweensie 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 🙂 )
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2018 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…
Nicole Loos Miller
for
Seeds Of Love!!!
Congratulations, Nicole, on a beautifully written entry which had us wondering right along with your main character what would grow and what would be done with it, along with a lovely message!
In Second Place
Kelly Conroy
for
Candy Conundrum
Congratulations, Kelly, on a delightfully kid-friendly entry we loved for your MC’s very believable curiosity and subsequent taste-testing of the candy hearts and perfect final question 🙂 You get to pick your prize after Nicole.
In Third Place
Sarah Meade
for
Gibbon’s Valentine’s Surprise
Congratulations, Sarah! You did a terrific job of writing a fun, well-structured story in 214 words! We were especially fond of Sloth 🙂 You get to pick your prize after Nicole and Kelly.
In Fourth Place…
Nancy Riley
for
Finding A Friend
Congratulations, Nancy, on an engaging story of a curious little rover on a Valentine mission on Mars in perfect rhyme! You get to pick your prize after Nicole, Kelly, and Sarah!
In Fifth Place…
Charlotte Sheer
for
Scraps Of Love
Congratulations, Charlotte, on your heart-warming story. We felt Papa and the neighbors’ curiosity over what on earth Sergio was up to! How lovely that he was doing something nice for those who had helped him. . . using reclaimed and recycled items! You get to pick after Nicole, Kelly, Sarah, and Nancy!
In Sixth Place…
Jean James
for
The Stinky Valentine
Congratulations, Jean! You really had us wondering what kind of awful stinky thing was in that box! And what a fun twist that a Valentine mix-up had occurred! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 🙂
In Seventh Place…
Marty Bellis
for
Dear Cupid
Congratulations, Marty! You made us laugh 🙂 You get to pick next 🙂
In Eighth Place…
Sara Ackerman
for
Congratulations, Sara! You did a beautiful job of showing curiosity in an unfamiliar world xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You get to pick after Marty 🙂
In Ninth Place…
Chelsea Tornetto
for
Sending Love
Congratulations, Chelsea! We loved your imaginings of how a Valentine might get from one side of the map to the other! You get to pick after Sara!
In Tenth Place…
JC Kelly
for
Always. Every Day. No Matter What.
Congratulations, JC! We loved how believably “kid” Johnny was with his curiosity over how far his mom’s love went, and how patient and forgiving his mom! You get to pick after Chelsea!
In Eleventh Place…
Michelle Howell Miller
for
Whose Valentine Could This Be?
Congratulations, Michelle, on a wonderful entry for youngest readers, beautifully done! You get to pick after JC 🙂
In Twelfth Place…
Chambrae Griffith
for
Beetle’s Valentine
Congratulations, Chambrae, on a lovely, curiosity filled story in well-written rhyme!
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 🙂 . (Or perhaps you’d rather have a shower of tortilla chips and some lovely dishes of dip 🙂 )
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 Monday, everyone! 🙂
The Prizes: Oh, the awesomeness! With heartfelt thanks to all who donated!
– Penny’s Two Cents – an incredible opportunity for any picture book writer!
Sometimes it’s helpful to chat with a published author about your writing journey. Penny Parker Klostermann is offering her two cents. The prize includes six thirty-minute Skype/Google Hangout sessions with Penny. The sessions can be used anytime during 2020. Ask her anything related to writing for children and getting published. Up to two sessions can be used for general comments on a manuscript (not a full critique). Penny doesn’t claim to have it all figured out, (by any means) but she’s happy to share her two cents based on what she’s learned and continues to learn on her journey as an author.
Penny is the author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) (now available in board book and with matching pajamas! 🙂 ) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Rosie Pova, author of If I Weren’t With You (Spork 2017), Sarah’s Song (Spork 2017), and the forthcoming Sunday Rain (Lantana Publishing, September 2020)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or non-rhyming) from Katey Howes, author of GRANDMOTHER THORN (Ripple Grove Press 2017), MAGNOLIA MUDD AND THE SUPER JUMPTASTIC LAUNCHER DELUXE (Sterling Children’s Books 2018), BE A MAKER (Carolrhoda Books, 2019), and the forthcoming RISSY NO KISSIES (Lerner/Carolrhoda Spring 2021)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Ellen Leventhal, author of DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS (Spork 2017), LOLA CAN’T LEAP (Spork 2018), and HAYFEST A HOLIDAY QUEST (ABCs Press 2010)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Sherry Howard, author of ROCK & ROLL WOODS (Spork 2018)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Lydia Lukidis, author of NO BEARS ALLOWED (Blue Whale Press 2019) and many educational titles.
– a spot in Making Picture Book Magic (Interactive or Self Study version – winner’s choice) – an online picture book writing course from Yours Truly. If you choose the interactive version, month to be mutually agreed on by me and the winner.
– Prize Pack #1 – a personalized signed copy of A MORNING WITH GRANDPA (Lee&Low Books 2016) by Sylvia Liu and the 2020 Guide To Literary Agents (which you may exchange for the Children’s Writer’s And Illustrator’s Market 2020 if you prefer)
Lee&Low New Voices Award 2013
– Picture Book Prize Pack – a personalized signed copy of NOT QUITE SNOW WHITE (HarperCollins 2019) by Ashley Franklin and a personalized signed copy of NOAH NOASAURUS (Albert Whitman & Co 2019) by Elaine Kiely Kearns
– Picture Book Pack From Chris and Chris: a personalized signed copy of EMILY’S IDEA (Sounds True, March 2020) by Christine Evans and a personalized signed copy of HEY, HEY, HAY! A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them (Holiday House 2018) by Christy Mihaly
– Historical Women Picture Book Pack: a personalized signed copy of QUEEN OF PHYSICS: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom (Sterling Children’s Books 2019) by Teresa Robeson and a personalized signed copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (Little Bee Books 2020) by Vivian Kirkfield
Asian/Pacific American Award Picture
Book and ALA Notable Picture Book
– A SURPRISE PACK! – 2 additional picture books (not signed) donated by Darshana Khiani (who will have her own book, How To Wear A Sari, out in Spring 2021!): What Color Is Night? by Grant Snider and Caspian Finds A Friend by Jacqueline Veissid
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, buying and recommending their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, writing them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and showing your appreciation to them in any way you can! 😊
2019 Valentiny Contest WINNERS!
Do you know what Thursday is perfect for?
Barely squeaking under the wire of Last Day of February to announce the winners of the 4th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest for Children’s Writers!!!
. . .but first a few words from our sponsor (me) which I know shocks you (not!) 🙂
As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! (Did I mention there were nearly 170?!) Really! 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!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you last week for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another, or that the judges couldn’t reach a consensus on. It is SO HARD! One of our very favorite entries – well written and full of guilt – never mentioned a thing about Valentine’s Day! Many other entries simply weren’t guilty enough, although they were fabulous in other ways!
So my assistant judges and I would like to award 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!)
Joy Pitcairn for I Didn’t Give Rufus A Valentine
Kalee Gwarjanski for Chocolates For Mom
Mary Vander Plas for Sasquatch: In Search Of A Valentine
Mia Geiger for All Wrapped Up
Lynn Katz for A Little Heart
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Helen Ishmurzin for Mila’s Cookies (we could totally see a kid struggling with that temptation! )
Sherry Peace for The Case Of The Missing Valentine’s Candy (fun kid detective work 🙂 )
Jeannine Pao Brown for Change Of Heart (very believable boy behavior 🙂 )
Sarah Hetu-Radny for A Slippery Situation (no one wants to be in trouble 🙂 )
3. For Original/Unique/Entertaining POV:
Megan Hoffman for The Sucker (POV of a Valentine sucker! – well-written!)
Deborah Dolan Hunt for Hillary’s Heart (POV of an actual heart! – loved the health angle)
4. For Humor:
Sarah Tobias for A Valentine For Mom
Susie Sawyer for Who Will Be Mine? (also wins for shortest entry with only 36 words! 🙂 )
Lauri Meyers for Don’t Eat Your Valentine (dark humor! 🙂 )
5. For Great Depiction of Family:
Scott Kinder for Mom’s Valentine (we found all the characters believable and felt like we were there! 🙂 )
6. For Favorite Character:
Joy Pitcairn for I Ate It… (we LOVED Otto – such a believable guilty dog! 🙂 )
Rachel Hobbs for Valentine Cookie Surprise (we loved Carla – so exuberant! and we can imagine an expanded version of this as a picture book! 🙂 )
7. For We Loved It But Not Guilty Enough!:
Kelly Conroy for Glitter, Paint, and Glue
Lynn Baldwin for The Year Without Sweethearts
8. For Lovely Writing:
Kelly Hughes for Will You Be Mine?
Keely Leim for A Valentine For Papa
9. For So Cute!:
Amy Flynn for Tiny Crush
10. For More Appealing For Grown-ups But Well-Written And Enjoyable!
(These entries were terrific but either focused on content we felt was more appropriate for over age 12 or that had humor that we considered funnier for adults than kids)
Emma Wood for No Ordinary Thursday (very sweet, beautifully written, and a believable depiction of husbandly behavior! 🙂 )
(And although we’re not awarding prizes for these this time, we always enjoy seeing some of your familiar characters back from other contests for new adventures, including Candice’s Bean and Jilly, Nicole’s Alex and Apple, and Lucretia’s Marvin The Chipmunk 🙂 )
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they’re about) (and if you request a paperback, please include your snail mail address!)
For Kindle:
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
How To Query An Agent Or Editor: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Getting Published: How To Access Editors: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
The Easy Way To Write Picture Books That Sell by Robyn Parnell OR
Self-Publish Your Book: A Quick And Easy Step-By-Step Guide (Writing In A Nutshell Series Book 6) by Jessica Bell, OR
The Write Ideas Creative Writer’s Toolkit: A Genre-Spanning Box Set of Writing Prompts And Creative Exercises by Kate Krake
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi , OR
The Postitive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To City Spaces by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Personal And Natural Places by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Ultimate Fiction Thesaurus by Sam Stone, OR
Writing In A Nutshell: Writing Workshops To Improve Your Craft (Writing In A Nutshell Series Book 4) by Jessica Bell, OR
In paperback:
Show And Tell In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Telling To Showing by Jessica Bell
The Six Senses In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Bleak To Bold Narrative by Jessica Bell OR
Adverbs And Cliches In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions Of Adverbs & Cliches Into Gourmet Imagery by Jessica Bell OR
Creating Extraordinary Characters by Angela Hunt, OR
Evoking Emotion by Angela Hunt, OR
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard
Just For Fun…
Magnetic Poetry – Little Box Of Awesome Kit – Words For Refrigerator (let me know your color choice if you care 🙂 )
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2018 VALENTINY CONTEST as voted on by you!!!
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…
Chambrae Griffith
for
Love Bug At The Zoo!!!
Congratulations, Chambrae, on an imaginative, entertaining, well-written poem that made us feel the chaos ensuing from your MC’s guilty behavior! 🙂
In Second Place
Jennifer Broedel
for
Buffa-lonely Love Day
Congratulations, Jennifer, on an entry we loved for your MC’s very believable and understandable grumpiness leading to bad behavior and guilt! You get to pick your prize after Chambrae.
In Third Place
Anne Sawan
for
A Box Full Of Love
Congratulations, Anne! You had us laughing over your “chip off the old block” guilt 🙂 You get to pick your prize after Chambrae and Jennifer.
In Fourth Place…
Colleen Murphy
for
Mother Knows Best
Congratulations, Colleen, on a delightfully believable story of guilt in perfect rhyme! You get to pick your prize after Chambrae, Jennifer, and Anne!
In Fifth Place…
Tiffany Dickinson
for
Heart Socks For The Win
Congratulations, Tiffany, on your heart-warming story. We felt Alex’s guilt and appreciated her empathy! You get to pick after Chambrae, Jennifer, Anne, and Colleen!
In Sixth Place…
Rose Cappelli
for
The Queen Of Hearts
Congratulations, Rose! You really made us feel Meg wrestling with her guilt! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 🙂
In Seventh Place…
Katrina Swenson
for
Chadwick The Zombie Cooks Up A Valentine
Congratulations, Katrina! You won us over with your zombie sweet-maker the same way he won over his fellow zombies 🙂 You get to pick next 🙂
In Eighth Place…
Marty Bellis
for
Guess Who?
Congratulations, Marty! You captured a child’s good intentions and not-so-good execution perfectly 🙂 You get to pick after Katrina 🙂
In Ninth Place… a tie!
Joyce Schriebman Jill Lambert
for for
The Valentine’s Day Mess & Cure The Missing Pupcake
Congratulations to both of you on very humorous entries! You get to pick after Marty 🙂 (And since you tied, we’ll work it out…)
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. Jose and Beth, if you’d like to choose a prize from the Honorable Mention selection of prizes above you are most welcome to!
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 🙂
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 Monday, everyone! 🙂
The Prizes: Oh, the awesomeness! With thanks to all who donated!
– “Skip The Slushpile” AND get a Query Letter Critique from Charlotte Wenger, associate editor at Page Street Kids, the picture book division of Page Street Publishing. She earned her Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from Simmons University (then College) and is a board member of the Mazza Museum’s National Advisory Board of Visitors. She enjoys working with debut picture book authors and illustrators and is excited about the 19 Page Street Kids picture books pubbing in 2019.
Charlotte’s Manuscript Wish List: http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/charlotte-wenger/Find Charlotte on Twitter at @WilbursBF_Char, and learn more about Page Street Kids via www.pagestreetpublishing.com, Twitter: @PageStreetKids, and Instagram: pagestreetkids.
Charlotte will read the winner’s picture book manuscript of choice, then send an email letting you know she’s read your story and including one thing you did well and one thing you might work on to improve the manuscript. In addition, she will give you a query letter critique. Like all editors, she has a hectic schedule, so she will aim to fulfill the prize within 2 months of receiving the manuscript.
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the incredibly talented, multi-published author/illustrator Iza Trapani!
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the Queen of KidLit411 herself, Elaine Kiely Kearns, author of Noah Noasaurus, forthcoming April 1, 2019 from Albert Whitman!
– Top Ten Reasons for Rejection – a 52 minute webinar from Alayne Kay Christian, author of Butterfly Kisses (picture book) and the Sienna The Cowgirl Fairy series (chapter books), and Content and Developmental Editor of Blue Whale Press.
Webinar Description: If you want tips on some corrective action that you might take to improve your chances of submission success, and/or if you would like to deepen your understanding of plot and arc, this webinar is for you.
(And if you’re interested in seeing what else Alayne has to offer, like her Writing For Children Webinars and Courses page on FB and keep an eye out for upcoming offerings!)
– 15-30 Minute Your Questions Answered Phone Call – with Ryan Sias, author/illustrator of Balloon Toons: Zoe And Robot, Let’s Pretend, Sniff Sniff!, and the Woof And Quack beginning reader series (Green Light Readers), and the Super Doodle Series. He has worked in animation, film, and television, including Sesame Street 🙂
Do you have questions about writing, revising, submitting, whether or not to try for an agent, what happens after the sale, or anything else publishing industry related? If so, this is your chance to ask away and get answers from a professional!
– Query Letter Critique by Heather Ayris Burnell, creator of the Sub It Club and author of Bedtime Monster, Kick! Jump! Chop! The Adventures Of The Ninjabread Man, and the Sparkly New Friends early chapter book series from Scholastic!
– 2-Pack of Personalized Signed Picture Books from amazing author Melissa Stoller – Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush and Ready, Set, Gorilla!
– The Writer’s Tool Box: Creative Games And Exercises for Inspiring The “Write” Side Of Your BrainAND a $10 Amazon Gift Card
– Children’s Writer’s And Illustrator’s Market 2019 – by Robert Lee Brewer AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card (2 available)
I can’t thank these authors enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
The 2018 Halloweensie Contest WINNERS!!!
Somehow it is the 19th of November, and I’m sure you all know what that means!
It’s time to start getting ready for my long winter’s nap!
Yep. Me and the bears.
Preparations are well underway! We’re putting on our flannel jammies, getting out the fleece blankets and the down comforters, fluffing up the extra pillows, selecting which books warrant inclusion on the bedside table (or in the extra pile within reach on the floor), making sure the nightlight has a fresh bulb (because no one wants to come briefly to the surface at 1:37 AM on a cold night in January in utter, complete, and total darkness!), and negotiating for space with the dogs. They are winning. My portion of the sleeping quarters is currently 2 inches wide…
But we interrupt these proceedings for an important announcement from our sponsor! Because it’s not quite nap time yet, and I have a sneaking suspicion there’s some interest in what I’m about to say… 🙂
As you are all aware by now, we had an amazing turnout for the Halloweensie Contest – 237 entries! Golly gee willikers!!!
I was thrilled beyond measure to see so many wonderful stories and meet so many new writers! And I don’t know about you guys, but the Halloweensie Contest always makes Halloween so much more fun for me! I mean, fun-sized chocolate is fabulous on its own, but it’s even better with entertaining stories to read! 🙂
With large entry numbers come hard choices, though. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Thursday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another (one reason being that, at a certain point, we just had to stop adding finalists to the list! :))
So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: (all-around well-written stories we loved that just missed the finals for one small reason or another!)
Jenna Waldman for My Best Trick Yet (also great use of language!)
Mia Geiger for Guess Who?
Maile McCarthy for Halloween Banquet
Katie Engen for Pirate’s Halloween Mutiny
Pat Finnegan for Midnight Fright
Nannette Brophy Major for Fright Fight
Jennifer Raudenbush for Little Miss Halloween
Jean James for Tricks On You
2. For Best Ending Lines!:
Henry Herz for When Candy Goes Bad
Jim Chaize for Are You Sure?
Susan Valli for Eat Up Your Carrots!
Lauren Neil for Trick-Or-Sweet
3. For Best Descriptive/Mood Piece:
Heather Kinser for Fearsome Brew
MaryLee Flannigan for The Gathering
Sarah Tobias for Dancing With The Night
Mary Ann Cortez for Halloween Party Scene
Laura Bower for The Halloween Ship
4. For Great Use of Language: (not already in the finals)
Diana Gibson for Chef Crone
5. For Spookiest Entry: (not already in the finals)
Delfina Salimbene for The Dancing Figurine
Michael Neuenschwander for Full Moon Rising
Ella Hron, age 9, for Untitled
6. For Funniest Entry: (not already in the finals)
JC Kelly for No Bones About It
7. For Sweetest Entry: (not already in the finals)
Jessica Reiner-Harris for A Calm Halloween
Anne Bromley for Halloween Stew For Two
Joan Leotta for Wolfie’s Pumpkin
8. For Unique Character: (not already in the finals)
Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez for Needed (MC is a lonely umbrella!)
Jill Lambert for The Candivore (MC is The Candivore)
9. For Best Entry In Fewest Words! 🙂 :
Su Moon for Three Pig-Witches (47 words)
Michelle S. Kennedy for Halloween Haiku (11 words)
Anna Hron, age 11, for Untitled (13 words)
10. For A Little More Appealing For Grown-ups But Well-Written And Enjoyable!
Sherry Howard for Love Potion Number 9
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com subject line Prize Winner to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they’re about.). If you choose a prize that must be snail mailed, please include your address in your email!
If you are age 11 or under and received Honorable Mention, you may choose any book on Amazon you’d like to read that is under $10 if you prefer that to the prizes listed below 🙂
For Kindle:
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
How To Query An Agent Or Editor: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Getting Published: How To Access Editors: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
The Easy Way To Write Picture Books That Sell by Robyn Parnell OR
Self-Publish Your Book: A Quick And Easy Step-By-Step Guide (Writing In A Nutshell Series Book 6) by Jessica Bell, OR
The Write Ideas Creative Writer’s Toolkit: A Genre-Spanning Box Set of Writing Prompts And Creative Exercises by Kate Krake
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi , OR
The Postitive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To City Spaces by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Personal And Natural Places by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Ultimate Fiction Thesaurus by Sam Stone, OR
Writing In A Nutshell: Writing Workshops To Improve Your Craft (Writing In A Nutshell Series Book 4) by Jessica Bell, OR
In paperback: (PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR EMAIL!)
Show And Tell In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Telling To Showing by Jessica Bell
The Six Senses In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Bleak To Bold Narrative by Jessica Bell OR
Adverbs And Cliches In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions Of Adverbs & Cliches Into Gourmet Imagery by Jessica Bell OR
Creating Extraordinary Characters by Angela Hunt, OR
Evoking Emotion by Angela Hunt, OR
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard
Just For Fun… (PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR EMAIL!)
Magnetic Poetry – Little Box Of Awesome Kit – Words For Refrigerator
OR
If you already have all these, or can’t decide, or want to build up your wish list fund:
A $5 Amazon Email Gift Certificate
Now then. A word about the prizes before I announce the winners.
We have 11 fabulous prizes, generously donated by authors and various professionals in the writing field. My policy is to let the first place winner have first pick of all the prizes, the second place winner have second choice, etc. That way hopefully nobody gets something they already have, and hopefully everyone gets something that’s valuable to them. All prizes are listed at the bottom of this post for your convenience in perusing the goodies 🙂 The reason there are 11 prizes for 10 places is because one of them can only go to an unagented unpublished writer and may therefore not qualify depending how things work out…
Now.
Finally!
Onto the moment you’ve all been waiting for. . .
. . . the reason you got out of bed this morning. . .
. . . in spite of shadows under your bleary eyes. . .
. . . and the candy corn that is stuck in your hair!!!
. . . THE WINNERS OF THE 2018 HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST as chosen by you, our esteemed voters!!!!!
In First Place, winner of the whole entire contest and top of the heap who gets first choice of all the prizes…
Jennifer Broedel
for
Stitchy Witchy Brew
Congratulations, Jennifer, on a fabulously written, entertaining entry that was all around well done and clearly very popular with judges and voters alike!!!
In Second Place,
Keatley Eastman
for
Belinda’s Broken Brew
Congratulations, Keatley, on a creative, wonderfully written entry with a great sense of humor! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Jennifer chooses!
In Third Place,
Susie Sawyer
for
The Scariest Night Of The Year
Congratulations, Susie, on a beautifully written entry with great use of language that we all loved! You made our hearts pound and included a nice message for kids! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Jennifer and Keatley choose!
In Fourth Place,
Kirsten Ealand
for
Halloween Prize
Congratulations, Kirsten, on a fun story with laugh-out-loud ending! You get to pick a prize after Jennifer, Keatley, and Susie!
In Fifth Place,
Kelly Conroy
for
Witches’ Brew
Congratulations, Kelly, on your delightfully well written entry that cast the spell to begin Halloween! You get to pick your prize after Jennifer, Keatley, Susie, and Kirsten!
In Sixth Place,
Kalee Gwarjanski
for
Dracula Wants Pie
Congratulations, Kalee, on your fun entry for younger readers! You get to pick your prize after Jennifer, Keatley, Susie, Kirsten, and Kelly!
Now… just to be difficult, there was a 4-way tie for Seventh Place and the remainder of the prizes! I mention this because technically all four of the following entries received the same number of popular votes and should be thought of as having earned 7th place. But for the sake of choosing prizes which a 4-way tie makes extremely difficult, the judges put their heads together and placed them 7th-10th. So…
In Seventh Place,
Debbie Day
for
Broken-down Broom
Congratulations, Debbie, who knew broomsticks required gasoline? 🙂 You get to pick your prize after Kelly!
In Eighth Place,
Charlene Taber
for
The “Wolf” At The Door
Congratulations, Charlene, for a beautifully written kid-friendly entry! You get to pick your prize after Debbie!
In Ninth Place,
Jen Bagan
for
Gordie Goblin’s Potion
Congratulations, Jen, on nice use of misdirection and cooking up something in the cauldron that no one else thought of 🙂 You get to pick a prize after Charlene…!
In Tenth Place
Linda Staszak
for
If You Can’t Beat Them…
Congratulations, Linda, on making us laugh at your opening line! You get to prize pick after Jen.
And, I don’t think I need to remind anyone that in addition to all these fabulous prizes, everyone mentioned on this page has bragging rights as having won or placed in the Pretty Much World Famous Halloweensie Contest! Not just anyone can say that 🙂
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! Finalists who did not finish in the top 10 (Jennifer (Potion Commotion), Joy (Next Week), Laura (Monster Vacancy), and Debbie (The Halloween Shack)) may also contact me for their choice of the Kindle or paperback prizes listed above. If you choose a prize that requires snail mailing, PLEASE include your snail mail address so we don’t have to email back and forth too many times 🙂
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, a confetti parade, and a large amount of chocolate cake 🙂
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, or by donating a prize! It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!
And before we go, I will give you all advance warning so you can start planning a little time into your December schedule…
Assuming you guys are up for it – and you’d better let me know in the comments!!! – the 8th Annual Holiday Writing Contest will be coming up sometime in the neighborhood of December 7 so we can all fully enjoy it and still have time for last minute holiday things. I will do my best to post the rules well in advance (maybe the Saturday after Thanksgiving, good lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise! 🙂 ) so you all have time to work on your stories! But please let me know if you feel like it’s too much and you’d rather not do it!
Have a terrific weekend everyone, and thanks again for making the Halloweensie Contest such a wonderful time for all! 🙂
The Prizes:
(NOTE: There are 11 prizes listed for the 10 winners because one of them is only available to an unagented unpublished writer, so may not be applicable to all.)
– Skip The Slushpile with Hannah Lambert, Senior Editor at Little Simon!!!
The lucky winner of this prize will get to place the picture book manuscript of his/her choice directly into editor Hannah Lambert’s hands! (FYI, Hannah is the editor of all 4 of my books in the WHEN YOUR… series.) Hannah will read the manuscript and then send you an email to let you know she’s read your story. She will include a brief mention of something she likes, and something you can work on. (Not a full critique.) Of course what makes this prize so incredible is that if you send her a really, really good manuscript the dream could come true! You’re putting your ms directly in front of a senior editor. This is your chance! – knock her socks off! 🙂 And if your ms isn’t for her at this time, she will still know who you are should she see your work in future. So good luck to whoever wins this! Hannah is particularly interested in mss with a very low word count and/or board book potential, and always has an eye out for excellent holiday stories.
(with thanks to Tania Guarino for thinking up the idea of skipping the slush pile!)
– PB MS Critique – from Cori Doerrfeld, author/illustrator of The Rabbit Listened, A New York Times Editor’s Choice, An Indie Next List pick, and A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018, and many other wonderful picture books including Penny Loves Pink, Little Bunny Foo Foo: The Real Story, and Good Dog.
– PB MS Critique – from Heather Ayris Burnell, author of Bedtime Monster, Kick! Jump! Chop!: The Adventures of the Ninjabread Man, and the forthcoming Unicorn and Yeti books (an Acorn Chapter Book series). Heather is also the founder of SubIt Club
– PB MS Critique – from Melissa Stoller, author of Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush, Ready, Set, GOrilla, and the Enchanted Snow Globe Collection (a chapter book series)
– 15-30 Minute Your Questions Answered Phone Call – with Ryan Sias, author/illustrator of Go Greenie! Are You Eating Something Red?, Go Greenie! Are You Eating Something Green?, Balloon Toons: Zoe And Robot, Let’s Pretend, Sniff Sniff!, and the Woof And Quack beginning reader series (Green Light Readers) He has worked in animation, film, and television, including Sesame Street 🙂
Do you have questions about writing, revising, submitting, whether or not to try for an agent, what happens after the sale, or anything else publishing industry related? If so, this is your chance to ask away and get answers from a professional!
– Extra Entry into Writing With The Stars – Tara Luebbe (only for unagented, unpublished writer)
“Writing with the Stars is a mentorship opportunity for aspiring picture book writers and illustrators to win a free, three-month mentorship with a published author or author/illustrator. Mentors will help mentees further develop their craft and share invaluable advice and insight into the publishing world.” (~from the website)
Writers are allowed to enter 3 times, but the winner of this prize will get an extra 4th entry to this amazing writing mentorship opportunity!!!
– 2-Pack of Personalized Signed Picture Books by the lovely and talented Tania Guarino, author of MEET THE QUACKERS (Spork, 2017) and GARDEN PARTY: A COUNTING ADVENTURE (Spork, 2018)
– a personalized signed copy of NOT SO SCARY JERRY by the wonderful and gifted Shelley Kinder
– Surprise Bundle Of Books – assorted PBs, MGs, YAs – generously donated by Elaine Kiely Kearns and KidLit411
– Yes You Can Learn How To Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, And Build A Successful Writing Career – Nancy I. Sanders
– Making A Living Writing Books For Kids: Tips, Techniques, and Tales from a Working Children’s Author – Laura Purdie Salas
Please join me again 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 holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N or anywhere else if you like them, or supporting them in any other way you can dream up 🙂
2017 Holiday Contest WINNERS!
Look at us!
Hanging out together on a Tuesday! 🙂
Now, normally I’d go through some kind of song and dance about why you’re here, since Tuesday isn’t a regular posting day in these parts, and I’d pretend I had no idea what was up.
But it’s Holiday time, and all of us are busy, and I am seriously SUPER-busy, so I won’t waste any of your valuable time with silly runarounds.
Nosirree bob!
Not today!
Today, it’s right to the point!
And the point is. . .
. . .is. . .
. . .what was the point?
Oh, no!
I’ve forgotten the point!
But knowing me, it probably had something to do with chocolate. . .
That’s chocolate and it has points. . . looks like about 14 points 🙂
Yep. That was probably it.
So, enjoy some solid dark chocolate moose wherever you are (or, if solid dark chocolate isn’t your thing, a decadent chocolate mousse will do just as well) and have a lovely day!
Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Only 5 more shopping days til Christmas, so go on! Skedaddle!
*
*
*
Uh. . .
. . .why are you still here?
There’s shopping and baking and wrapping and freaking out because your mother-in-law showed up two days early and you’re out of eggnog to be getting on with!
What’s that?
You wanted to know about what?
Windows?
Swindlers?
Twizzlers?
Gosh! I can tell you a thing or two about Twizzlers!
Oh, winners?
You want WINNERS???
Okay.
You twisted my arm 🙂
Without further ado, the WINNERS of the
7th Annual Holiday Contest
2017
are . . .
Okay.
A little ado.
Just a teensy bit because I have just a couple quick things to say first 🙂 But the winners are coming very soon, I promise!
As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! Really! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Friday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another, or that the judges couldn’t reach a consensus on.
So my assistant judges and I would like to award 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!)
Matthew Lasley for Midnight Delivery (an entry we loved for the writing and kid-friendliness)
Jonathan Merkel for mom and i on Christmas (a lump-in-your-throat bittersweet story)
Carolyn Leiloglou for Old MacDonald Had A Farm. Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! (well-written and fun!)
Delfina “Sugarplum” Salimbene 🙂 for Sparkle McSprinkle’s Surprise (lively and fun, great rhyme and meter!)
Ryan Roberts for Not Even A Mouse (a fun twist on the original with a great last line!)
Jennifer Prevost for Ginger’s Gift (a sweet story with an original POV – a Christmas tree ornament!)
Susan Schade for Favorite Day (an original story personifying the days of the week!)
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Eleanor Peterson for A Surprise For Ava
Michelle de Freitas for Penelope Violet’s Christmas Surprise
Rose Cappelli for Christmas Chaos
Deborah Boerema for Christmas Eve DRAMA
3. For Excellence In Evoking Mood And Holiday Spirit And Tradition:
Elaine D’Alessandro for Here Comes… (we felt like we were there in that kitchen 🙂 )
4. For Beautiful Rendition Of The Christmas Story:
Janie Reinart for Channah’s Star
5. For Lovely Depiction Of Treasured Family Tradition:
Kathy Halsey for Roger The Christmas Squirrel
6. For Favorite Character: (enjoying the continuing adventures 🙂 )
Lucretia Schafroth for Marvin The Chipmunk (The Animated Elf – Marvin Strikes Again!)
Christine Evans for Lulu and Betty (Lulu And Betty’s Christmas Surprise)
Candice Conner for Bean and Jilly (Bean And Jilly And The Holiday Surprise Visitor)
7. For More Appealing For Grown-ups But Well-Written And Enjoyable!
(These entries were terrific but either focused on the relationship between Santa and Mrs. C or had humor that we considered funnier for adults than kids)
Judy Sobanski for The Very Last Gift
Laura Bower for A New Day For Mrs. Claus
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they’re about) (and if you request a paperback, please include your snail mail address!) Lauri and Kaye, who were finalists with terrific stories but placed out of the top 10, please feel free to choose a prize from the list below if there’s something there you’d like!
For Kindle:
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
How To Query An Agent Or Editor: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Getting Published: How To Access Editors: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
The Easy Way To Write Picture Books That Sell by Robyn Parnell OR
Self-Publish Your Book: A Quick And Easy Step-By-Step Guide (Writing In A Nutshell Series Book 6) by Jessica Bell, OR
The Write Ideas Creative Writer’s Toolkit: A Genre-Spanning Box Set of Writing Prompts And Creative Exercises by Kate Krake
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi , OR
The Postitive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To City Spaces by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Personal And Natural Places by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Ultimate Fiction Thesaurus by Sam Stone, OR
Writing In A Nutshell: Writing Workshops To Improve Your Craft (Writing In A Nutshell Series Book 4) by Jessica Bell, OR
In paperback:
Show And Tell In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Telling To Showing by Jessica Bell
The Six Senses In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Bleak To Bold Narrative by Jessica Bell OR
Adverbs And Cliches In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions Of Adverbs & Cliches Into Gourmet Imagery by Jessica Bell OR
Creating Extraordinary Characters by Angela Hunt, OR
Evoking Emotion by Angela Hunt, OR
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2015 HOLIDAY CONTEST as voted on by you!!!
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…
Elizabeth Curry
for
Waiting For The Winter Gift!!!
Congratulations, Elizabeth, on a beautifully written entry that had a nice element of suspense and a sweet ending and was clearly very popular!!! 🙂
In Second Place
Jennifer Broedel
for
The Just Desserts
Congratulations, Jennifer, on an entry we loved for your MC’s sneaky plan… and how it backfired 🙂 You get to pick your prize after Elizabeth.
In Third Place
Lucretia Schafroth
for
Santa’s Delivery Dilemma
Congratulations, Lucretia, on a delightfully fun, kid-friendly entry! How can you not love pink unicorns? 🙂 Apparently you’re on a roll! 3rd in the Halloweensie Contest and now 3rd in the Holiday Contest!!! You get to pick your prize after Elizabeth and Jennifer.
In Fourth Place…
Mishka Jaeger
for
Binah’s Journey
Congratulations, Mishka, on a poignant entry with a nice feeling of history and family! You get to pick your prize after Elizabeth, Jennifer, and Lucretia!
In Fifth Place…
Megan Walvoord
for
Vegan Cut-Out Cookies
Congratulations, Megan, on an entry that had something for both our allergy-conscious young readers and our dinosaur-lovers! Who knew Santa was a stegosaurus? 🙂 You get to pick after Elizabeth, Jennifer, Lucretia, and Mishka!
In Sixth Place…
K. Callard
for
Lizard In A Blizzard
Congratulations, K! We loved your clever and creative take on Christmas ornaments! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 🙂
In Seventh Place…
Jen Bagan
for
Racing The Sun
Congratulations, Jen! You managed an ending that was a REAL surprise! 🙂 You get to pick next 🙂
In Eighth Place…
Heather Kinser
for
Rigby and Tuttle: The Pinecone
Congratulations, Heather! Adored your funny ending 🙂 You get to pick after Jen 🙂
In Ninth Place
Mona Pease
for
Family Is Home And Home Is Wherever It May Land
Congratulations, Mona, on your sweet, fun entry! You get to pick after Heather 🙂
In Tenth Place
Rebekah Hoeft
for
Travelin’ Blues
Congratulations, Rebekah! We so enjoyed your taste of Christmas in other countries! You get to pick after Mona!
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 Holiday Treat (gingerbread chocolate truffle anyone?… not that I’m trying to get rid of them or anything… 🙂 )
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!
As I… hmm… maybe didn’t mention…?, I’m taking a little blogging break so I can spend time with my family – I’ve got children to fetch, cookies to bake, Christmas presents to shop for and wrap, and my sister and her family are arriving from Georgia today! 🙂 And, I’ve been so busy I haven’t put up my holiday decorations or gotten a tree yet, can you believe it?! So I will see you all in a couple weeks – most probably the first week of January 🙂
So now, I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday filled with love, laughter, joy, and family, and a happy, healthy and successful new year! It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to spend time with you all, and I’m happy and grateful to know each and every one of you!
Looking forward to all the things we’ll do in 2018!
Happy Holidays, and all best wishes for a wonderful New Year!!!
The Prizes:
– a critique of a picture-book manuscript or dummy by agent Rachel Orr of Prospect Agency!!!
– a spot in Renee LaTulippe’s fantastic INTENSIVE RHYME AND METER SELF-STUDY COURSE!!!
– a Picture Book Manuscript Critique from the FABULOUS Vivian Kirkfield, author of the forth coming Sweet Dreams, Sarah and experienced and much-loved critiquer!
– a Picture Book Manuscript Critique from the amazing Lori Degman (NORBERT’S BIG DREAM – Sleeping Bear Press 2016, COCK-A-DOODLE OOPS! – Creston Books 2014, 1 ZANY ZOO – Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers 2010) – a terrific choice for any rhymers out there!
– a Picture Book Manuscript Critique from the wonderful Amy Dixon (MAURICE THE UNBEASTLY – Sterling Children’s Books 2017, SOPHIE’S ANIMAL PARADE – Sky Pony Press 2015, MARATHON MOUSE – Sky Pony Press 2012)
– Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class – in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me)
– 2018 Children’s Writer’s And Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. (2 available)
– a bundle of (mostly) winter picture books!
We Wish For A Monster Christmas by Sue Fliess
Before Morning by Joyce Sidman
Ten On The Sled by Kim Norman
Someone Like Me by Patricia MacLachlan
The Gingerbread Man Loose At Christmas by Laura Murray
– a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards (scroll about 1/2 way down the page…
I can’t thank these authors and other industry professionals enough for their incredible generosity! Please visit their sites, buy and recommend their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, write them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and show your appreciation to them in any way you can!
The 2016 Holiday Contest Winners!!!
Well, hi there!
What brings you to this neck of the woods on a Monday?
Oh wait. I bet I know…
You heard about my Snickerdoodle experiments and came to try some!
By all means, help yourselves! I’ve got more Snickerdoodles at this point then I know what to do with!
I’ll put on some coffee. Take a load off. Have a little break from the holiday craziness 🙂
Ah, that’s better, isn’t it? Nothing like hot coffee and buttery, cinnamon-sugary cookies to ease your cares.
But I won’t keep you.
I know you’ve still got:
12 square miles of paper a-wrapping
11 hundred yards of ribbon a-curling
10 hour days of baking
9 million cards a-mailing
8 light-up reindeer to set up artfully on your lawn a-grazing and a-looking nobly into the distance like they’re completely natural…next to the inflatable Santa on a motorcycle…
7 miles of Christmas lights a-stringing
6 -ty-seven Christmas movies a-watching (yes, Virginia, you CAN put up with Frosty The Snowman in it’s entirety 67 times in a row if it will keep the little darlings out of your hair long enough to get these other things done!)
5 tumblers of egg nog (with ALL the ingredients 🙂 )
4 thousand verses of Jingle Bells
3 days left to get a picture of the little darlings with Santa
2 hours of sleep if you’re lucky
And a lovely balsam fir tree to trim! (and keep the cat from climbing!)
Thanks ever so much for stopping by! Have a happy, happy holiday and a terrific 2017!
Bye now.
Buh-bye.
So long.
Why aren’t you leaving?
We just went over that list of all manner of holiday busy-ness you have yet to get to…!
Off you go!
Scoot!
You want WHAT?
Well deck me out in tinsel and call me a Christmas tree! I KNEW there was something else that had to go on that list!
Instead of trimming the fir tree I guess the last line should have been…
AND TO FIND OUT WHO THE WINNERS OF THE HOLIDAY CONTEST ARE!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
The 6th Annual Holiday Contest!!!!
WINNERS!!!
As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! Really! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all!
But with large entry numbers, all of high quality, come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Tuesday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another, or that the judges couldn’t reach a consensus on.
So my assistant judges and I would like to award 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!)
Ingrid Boydston for A Child’s First 12 Days Of Christmas (which would make a terrific board book for youngest readers! and could also have won a prize for best entry in fewest words! 🙂 )
Jennifer Garthe for The 12 Mice Of Christmas (a sweet story, beautifully written!)
Karen Morgan for Bear’s Longest Twelve Days Ever (delightful 🙂 )
Mariah ??? for A FURever Home For Christmas (poignant with a lovely message!)
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Rebekah Hoeft for Sneaky Snoop: A Cautionary Christmas Tale
Greg Bray for My Favorite Christmas So Far (also great kid voice)
Leslie Goodman for Santa’s Twelve High-Tech Days Of Christmas
KT for The Twelve Days of Vacay
3. For Excellence In Evoking Mood And Holiday Spirit And Tradition:
Melissa Stoller for The Eight Nights Of Chanukah (also lovely portrayal of family)
4. For Beautiful Rendition Of The Christmas Story:
Sue Frye for A Star Shown In The Sky
Carmen Castillo Gilbert for Burrito’s Epiphany Gift
5. For Lovely Christmas Spirit:
Tracy Potash for Kindness Counts To Twelve
6. For Fun Educational Holiday Stories From Other Places:
Anne Lipton for The Twelve Days Of Canadian Winter
Marla LeSage for 12 Days Of Christmas In New Brunswick
7. For Wonderfully Woven Folk Tale/Fairy Tale Stories: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Jennifer Rugge for Twelve Crows At Christmas
Elizabeth Steffenson for The Partridge In-A-Pear-Tree
8. For Skillful Combination Of Multiple Holidays/Cultures/Traditions:
Erin Nowak for The Twelve Days Of Dishes
Ellen Leventhal for Happy Everything (also appealing kid voice)
9. For Favorite Character: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Mary Miller for Doug The Turtle in The Twelve Days Of Giftmas
Johnell DeWitt for the irascible Griselda in Griselda’s Christmas Witch List (which should also win a prize for humor 🙂 )
10. For Humor And Fun: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Carol Samuelson Woodson for The Glorious Tree
Shelley Kinder for A Cold And Clammy Christmas?
Deborah Boerema for The 12 Strays Of Christmas (also a great message 🙂 )
11. For Thinking-Outside-The-Box Creativity:
David McMullin for The Twelve Daisies Of Christmas
Jennifer Kaap for Christmas Clues (fun riddle format)
Amanda Sincavage for The Gift Of Reading: A Picture Book Riddle (fun riddle format)
12. For More Appealing For Grown-ups But Well-Written And Enjoyable!
(These entries were terrific but either focused on the relationship between Santa and Mrs. C or had humor that we considered funnier for adults than kids)
Judy Sobanski for The Christmas Parade
Vivian Kirkfield for Twelve Days Of Surprises For Santa
Kathryn Rammell for 12 Days After Christmas
Kristen Olsen for Doughnuts In The Fir Tree
Maggie Jeffrey for Grandma’s Christmas (fun entry for Grandmas 🙂 )
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they’re about) (and if you request a paperback, please include your snail mail address!)
For Kindle:
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
How To Query An Agent Or Editor: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Getting Published: How To Access Editors: A Children’s Writer’s Insider Guide From Mentors For Rent by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
The Easy Way To Write Picture Books That Sell by Robyn Parnell OR
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi , OR
The Postitive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To City Spaces by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, OR
The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Personal And Natural Places by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
The Ultimate Fiction Thesaurus by Sam Stone OR
In paperback:
The Six Senses In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Bleak To Bold Narrative by Jessica Bell OR
Adverbs And Cliches In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions Of Adverbs & Cliches Into Gourmet Imagery by Jessica Bell OR
Creating Extraordinary Characters by Angela Hunt, OR
Evoking Emotion by Angela Hunt, OR
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2015 HOLIDAY CONTEST as voted on by you!!!
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…
Lucretia Schafroth
for
The Woodland Christmas Tree!!!
Congratulations, Lucretia, on a fun, kid-friendly entry that was clearly very popular!!! 🙂
In Second Place…a tie!
Susan Schade
for
The Christmas Cookie Crook
Hermanator33
for
A Plane Ticket In A Rare Tree
Congratulations, Susan and Hermantor33 (sorry I don’t know your name – no byline!) on entries that were creative, kid-friendly and fun!!! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Lucretia makes her choice. (We’ll have to sort it out between us since you tied.)
In Fourth Place…
Eileen Washburn
for
The Twelve Days Before Christmas
Congratulations, Eileen! You get to pick your prize after Lucretia, Susan, and Hermantor33!
In Fifth Place…
Lynne Marie
for
Let Witchmas Begin…
Congratulations, Lynne! You get to pick after Lucretia, Susan, Hermanator33, and Eileen.
In Sixth Place…
Jodi McKay
for
The Way We Celebrate Holidays: A Merry Mash-Up
Congratulations, Jodi! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 🙂
In Seventh Place…
Jen Bagan
for
The 12 Emotions Of Arbor Day
Congratulations, Jen! You get to pick next 🙂
In Eighth Place… another tie!
Monica Anderson
for
A Gift For The Princess
Jean James
for
The Evil Dr. Gerbil’s 12 Days Of Christmas
Congratulations, Monica and Jean! You get to pick after Jen! And again, we’ll just have to sort it out between us since you tied!
In Tenth Place…another tie!
David McMullin
for
The Twelve Daves Of Christmas Town
Joni Klein-Higger
for
Farmer Bubbe’s Chanukah
Congratulations, Dave and Joni! You get to pick after Monica and Jean! And again…! we’ll just have to sort it out between us since you tied!
And in Twelfth Place, rounding out the top dozen of these amazing finalists and the 82 Holiday Contest Entries for 2016…
Kim Ball
for
The Twelve Days Of Zoo Christmas
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! 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 Holiday Treat (Snickerdoodles anyone? she asked hopefully 🙂 )
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!
As I… hmm… maybe didn’t mention…?, I’m taking a little blogging break so I can spend time with my family – I’ve got children to fetch, cookies to bake, Christmas presents to shop for and wrap, and my sister and her family are arriving form Georgia on today! 🙂 So I will see you all in a couple weeks – most probably Wednesday January 4th for Would You Read It 🙂
So now, I want to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday filled with love, laughter, joy, and family, and a happy, healthy and successful new year! It is a pleasure and a privilege to get to spend time with you all, and I’m happy and grateful to know each and every one of you!
Looking forward to all the things we’ll do in 2017!
Happy Holidays, and all best wishes for a wonderful New Year!!!
Love,
Susanna
The Prizes!!!
– A Picture Book Manuscript Critique and Chat with Sarah (Miller) Rockett of Sleeping Bear Press (ms due January 1st, chat in February) kindly donated by Jodell Sadler and KidLit College
– Enrollment in literary agent Jodell Sadler‘s Pacing Picture Books 2 WOW picture book writing class!
– A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the fabulous Cori Doerffeld, author/illustrator of Penny Loves Pink, Little Bunny Foo Foo, and many more…!
– A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by the awesome Vivian Kirkfield, author of Show Me How: Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting And Cooking, and the forthcoming picture book from Creston Books, Sweet Dreams, Sarah.
– A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by talented agent Jodell Sadler (or other staff of Kidlit College)
– Enrollment in Making Picture Book Magic (my online picture book writing class – in January or a later month to be mutually agreed upon by the winner and me)
– 2017 Children’s Writer’s And Illustrator’s Market and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. (2 available)
– Book Markets For Children’s Writers 2017 and Magazine Markets For Children’s Writers 2017 published by The Institute Of Children’s Literature.
– a pack of Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing What’s The Story Cards (scroll about 1/2 way down the page…) (2 available)
– winner’s choice of ANY 3 of the Kindle or Paperback books listed above in the prize offerings for Honorable Mention Categories
2016 Valentiny Contest WINNERS!
Happy Friday, Folks!
There’s something so delicious about Fridays, isn’t there? That knowledge that the whole weekend stretches out before you – yours to do whatever you want with… sleep late (if you don’t have young children 🙂 … or dogs with very specific ideas of what time breakfast should be served 🙂 )… read a good book by the fire… go to the movies… fill out financial aid forms… you know, whatever blows your hair back 🙂
And there’s something especially delicious about this Friday! Something I know you’ve all been anticipating with great intensity!
Unfortunately, I’m having trouble remembering what it is.
I blame avocado deprivation.
They say avocados improve brain and memory function and I cannot remember the last time I had an avocado. But that may be because I haven’t had any avocados to boost my memory of when I last had an avocado!
As you can see, it’s a knotty conundrum.
It is quite possible that I may wander in a fog for days unless someone arrives to rescue me with guacamole.
Should anyone feel so inclined, I shall be in my tower…
…very damsel in distress…
…with a bag of tortilla chips… 🙂
But wait.
What were we talking about?
Friday…
Something important…
OH!
RIGHT!
I bet you don’t give a flying fig about avocados OR guacamole!
I know you’re really here to…
…seek my fashion advice on what you should wear on that hot date this weekend…
What?
You would be more likely to ask a potato for fashion advice?
Well, you’re probably wise in that regard 🙂
Nah. I’m just foolin’ with you 🙂
I know you’ve been climbing the walls waiting to find out who won the First Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest!!!
Am I right or am I right or am I right???
Well…I’ll tell you!
In a minute… 🙂
As you are all aware by now, we had a record turnout for the Valentiny Contest – 154 entries!
I was thrilled beyond measure to see so many wonderful stories and meet so many new writers!
But with large entry numbers come hard choices. My assistant judges and I worked hard to winnow the total down to a manageable number of finalists that we felt were truly all-around deserving of that distinction, and those were the ones we presented to you on Monday for your vote.
There were, however, many other entries that were outstanding in certain areas even though they might not have qualified all-around for one reason or another (one reason being that, at a certain point, we just had to stop adding finalists to the list! :))
So my assistant judges and I would like to award recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1. For Honorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole:
Christie Allred for Gumshoe Goose
Linda Schueler for Witch Walenda’s Grumpy Valentine’s Day
Ingrid Boydston for The Grumps
Gabi Snyder for The Bookstore Cat’s Valentine
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already in the finals)
Marlaina Gray for Cupcake Party
Robin Brett Wechsler for The Case Of The Missing Valentine Party Supplies (also the only Valentine Mystery! :))
3. For Great Kid Voice: (not already in the finals)
Terry Turner for The Stupid Valentine
Tammi Truax for How To Ungrump A Bad Day
4. For Funniest Entry: (not already in the finals)
Kristen Foote for Shoo Fly, Valentine (funny and dark! :))
Cathy Hookey- for The Problem With Love Potions
Robyn Campbell for Romeo Duck
5. For Sweetest/Most Touching Entry:
Molly Felder for Dog And Pup
6. For Best Written Original Point of View:
Meredith Palmer for The Right Angles (POV of scrap paper!)
7. For Originality/Creativity:
Judith Roth for Dragon Hearts (because Valentine’s and dragons aren’t an obvious match-up 🙂 and for creative and beautiful use of language)
Katie Gast for No More, Said The Door (love story between a door and a door mat :))
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com to collect your prize, which is your choice of one of the following: (the titles are all links so you can go see what they’re about)
For Kindle:
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
How To Query An Agent Or Editor by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Getting Published: How To Access Editors by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
The Easy Way To Write Picture Books That Sell by Robyn Opie Parnell, OR
How To Write A GREAT Children’s Book (The Easy Way To Write) by Robyn Opie Parnell, OR
How To Write A Children’s Picture Book by Darcy Pattison, OR
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
In paperback: (if you choose paperback please include your snail mail address in your email!)
Show & Tell In A Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions From Telling To Showing by Jessica Bell, OR
Creating Extraordinary Characters by Angela Hunt, OR
Evoking Emotion by Angela Hunt, OR
Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard, OR
Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way by Laura Salas and Lisa Bullard
Now then. A word about the prizes before I announce the winners.
We have 10 fabulous prizes, generously donated by authors and various professionals in the writing field. My policy is to let the first place winner have first pick of all the prizes, the second place winner have second choice, etc. That way hopefully nobody gets something they already have, and hopefully everyone gets something that’s valuable to them. All prizes are listed at the bottom of this post for your convenience in perusing the goodies 🙂
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
…THE WINNERS OF THE 2016 VALENTINY CONTEST as chosen by you, our esteemed voters!!!!!
In First Place…
Winner of the whole shebang…
who gets first choice of all the prizes…
Dawn Young
for Grumpy Bear’s Valentine!!!
Congratulations, Dawn, on a fabulous entry that was all around well done and clearly very popular!!! 🙂
In Second Place…
Cathey Graham Nickell
for Kandie’s Kiss
Congratulations, Cathey!! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Dawn makes her choice.
In Third Place…
Shelley Kinder
for No Snacks For Max
Congratulations, Shelley! You get first choice of the prizes that are left after Dawn and Cathey choose theirs.
In Fourth Place…
Mishka Jaeger
for Come In For The Cold
Congratulations, Mishka! You get to pick after Dawn, Cathey, and Shelley.
In Fifth Place…
Christine Rodenbour
for XOXO, Your Secret Admirer (Larry)
Congratulations, Christine! You get to pick after Dawn, Cathey, Shelley, and Mishka.
In Sixth Place…
Ann Magee
for Grumpy Badger’s Valentine
Congratulations, Ann! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now 🙂
In Seventh Place…
Marla LeSage
for Pirate Gets A Valentine
Congratulations, Marla! You get to pick next 🙂
In Eighth Place,
Cheryl Secomb
for Jasper And Abigail
Congratulations, Cheryl, on a delightful entry! You get to pick your prize after Marla.
In Ninth Place,
Sam Altmann
for The Lonely Hearts Club!
Congratulations, Sam! You get to pick a prize after Cheryl!
And in Tenth Place,
Susan Schade
for A Colorful Valentine’s Day
Congratulations, Susan! You get to pick a prize after Sam!
And, I don’t think I need to remind anyone that in addition to all these fabulous prizes, everyone mentioned on this page has bragging rights as having won or placed in the 1st Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Contest! Not just anyone can say that 🙂
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! Finalists who did not finish in the top 10 (Jess, Anne) may also contact me for their choice of the Kindle or paperback prizes listed above.
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 standing ovation, a glitter heart confetti parade, and a large amount of Valentine chocolate 🙂
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 terrific weekend everyone, and thanks again for making the 1st Annual Valentiny Contest such a smashing success and a wonderful time for all! 🙂
The Prizes:
– A Picture Book Read and Critique from literary agent Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis who is actively building her picture book list!
CHRISTA HESCHKE graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children’s Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively acquiring for all age groups in children’s. For YA, she is especially interested in contemporary fiction, thriller/mystery, and horror. She is always on the lookout for a compelling voice combined with a strong, specific hook that will set a YA novel apart in its genre and the flooded market. She is open to all types of middle grade and especially enjoys adventure, mystery, and magical realism, whether in a voice that is more light and humorous or one with more of a timeless, literary feel. For both YA and MG, she is particularly interested in unique settings and cultural influences, interesting storytelling structure, complicated romances, diverse characters, sister or friendship-centric stories, and stories that feature artists of any kind. In picture books she is drawn to cute, funny stories (as opposed to sweet and quiet) with strong hooks that will grab both kids and their parents as well as the occasional nonfiction biography on a unique subject whose story has yet to be told.
Please feel free to follow her on twitter and enjoy her blog! Twitter: @ChristaHeschke
Blog: Neverending Stories
– Enrollment in Julie Hedlund and Emma Walton Hamilton‘s Complete Picture Book Submissions System!
– Enrollment in literary agent Jodell Sadler‘s Pacing Picture Books 2 WOW picture book writing class in March 2016!
– A spot in an upcoming Ariel Richardson webinar, Rule Breaking In Picture Books: The Chronicle Books Edition offered by Jodell Sadler
– Winner’s choice of free enrollment in ART OF ARC: HOW TO ANALYZE YOUR PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT OR a deep analysis critique from Alayne.
ART OF ARC is a self-study course that will deepen your understanding of picture books written with a classic arc and introduce you to other picture book structures. The course gives you tools to analyze your work prior to investing in professional critiques. It shows you how to avoid common writing errors and how apply writing elements that will enhance your stories to take them to a higher level. It includes 217 pages with ten lessons, seventeen supplements, and eighteen worksheets. Plus bonus materials and resources.
– A Picture Book Critique/Developmental Edit (non-rhyming picture book manuscript) from Beth Stilborn. (Beth does developmental editing and copy editing through her Flubs2Fixes Editing, Consulting and Writers’ Resources service for writers. http://www.flubs2fixes.com )
– A Picture Book Critique from the fabulous Robin Newman, author of The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake and the forthcoming, eagerly awaited Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep (please don’t miss the fantastic trailer! 🙂 )
– personalized signed copies of The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake and Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep by Robin Newman
– a personalized signed copy of The Night Before Valentines Day by Natasha Wing! Natasha Wing loves Valentine’s Day because it’s a week after her birthday. Natasha is the bestselling author of The Night Before series (Grosset & Dunlap). To find out more: www.natashawing.com
– personalized signed copies of Clara Bowman-Jahn‘s delightful picture books Annie’s Special Day and Edmund Pickle Chin
– I Heart Picture Books – a 5-pack of Valentine picture books including A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berger, Love, Ruby Valentine by Laurie B. Friedman, Zombie In Love by Kelly DiPucchio, Love, Splat by Rob Scotton, and Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood PLUS 3 Endangered Species Chocolate Bars!
Once again, please join me in thanking Christa, Jodell, Julie & Emma, Alayne, Beth, Robin, and Natasha for their incredible generosity, and show your appreciation by visiting their sites, buying and recommending their books and services to your writer friends and/or friends with kids, writing them nice reviews on Amazon, GoodReads etc if you’ve read and liked their books, and showing your appreciation to them in any way you can! I truly can’t thank them all enough!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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