Therefore I believe it is our duty to jump straight to Something Chocolate without a moment’s delay!
Today we’re going super healthy with vegan cookies. For those of you who may not know, vegan is a word that means “made out of air” because that is all that is left to make things out of when you take out wheat, eggs, milk, butter, and all the other usual ingredients involved in baking – hence, super healthy! 🙂
Mmmm! There’s nothing like confectioners sugar to melt on your tongue – like snow but sweeter 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah whose mother shared a special bedtime wish, and Sarah didn’t realize until she was older, that everyone’s bedtime wish wasn’t the same. While her vivid imagination prevents her from always getting a great night’s sleep, she also uses it to hear her mother send her off to sleep. Sarah is an active member of SCBWI, 12 x 12, and Storyteller Academy.
Working Title: Lilly’sGet A Great Night SleepBook: Trust Me! It Works!
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Lilly had a hard time sleeping. Maybe it was all the TV, the lack of bedtime snacks, or her wild imagination, but she finally figured out the (sort-of) perfect pre-sleep routine. Now she wants YOU to get a great night sleep too! In her made-for-TV style, Lilly shares her seven step method including bedtime buddies and a just right way to say good night.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Sarah improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in February, so you have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to my upcoming school visits! I need to put on my Santa hat and think up some fun things to do with DEAR SANTA and MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET! Feel free to suggest any ideas you have in the comments – I am always open to helpful suggestions!!! 🙂
And tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means (technically) I should be vacuuming.
Rating household chores on a scale of 1 to 5, where
1 = “I am filled with joy at the prospect of making my little home sparkle no matter what the task at hand, 🎶tra-la🎶”
and
5 = “GAH!!! why is this MY job?!”,
cleaning the bathrooms comes in at 963 (“What kind of animals LIVE in this house?! and seriously who scrubs tile grout with a toothbrush?!”
but vacuuming, due to a recent moment of sheer genius, comes in at a mere 37 (“Hmmm…. maybe I can teach the dogs to vacuum up their own hair!”)
Since I haven’t taught them to do it yet, though, and they’re currently exceedingly busy with other more important jobs
telling secrets on the stair landing. . . and catching up on their beauty sleep. . .
it looks like I’m on my own for now so I’d better stop lollygagging about and get to it!
So!
Down to business!
I’m happy to announce that the winner of the October Pitch Pick is Sri with her ER/PB pitch for Mighty Little Nikita! Congratulations, Sri! Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta for her comments. I’m sure you will hear from her at her earliest convenience!
And congratulations to our other fabulous pitchers as well! Since it’s Thanksgiving, here is a virtual chocolate turkey for each of you 🙂
And while we’re on the subject of chocolate, how about a little Something Chocolate for everyone? I’m thinking it’s a perfect day for Thanksgiving Pecan Pie Brownies!
And I know I don’t need to tell you how healthy they are! Everyone knows that pecans are an excellent source of fiber and antioxidants and that brownies are an excellent source of. . . brownies 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Megan who says, “I am a former early education teacher, marketing manager, and photographer. I am also a mom of two, Art Literacy volunteer, library junky, and bookstore crawler. Living in my children’s world provides constant inspiration. And now that both of my children are in school full-time, I am lucky enough to be able to pursue my dream of writing.”
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Wired To Worry
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Every day new Bitty Bots arrive on doorsteps in smiling boxes ready to lead perfectly programmed lives. But what happens when two Caring Bots notice an extra worry port on their new Bitty Bot? Returns are not allowed. The instruction manual is no help. And all Bitty Bot’s clicking, shaking, and leaking is driving them mad. Is Bitty Bot’s attempt to mail himself back the solution or the jolt they all need to manage their feelings?
Megan also shared the inspiration for her story: Inspiration: My daughter struggled with some significant anxiety as a young child. When a local Portland, Oregon artist (Gary Hirsch) visited her elementary school to share his Botjoy Project, I knew I wanted to write a story about robots and feelings. What better way to explore the overwhelming power of feelings than with something not meant to have any at all?
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 Megan 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 have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Megan is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to when my dogs learn how to vacuum! That is going to be a banner day, let me tell you! 🙂
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
And a happy, healthy, love and family-filled Thanksgiving to all those who will be celebrating. I hope you all have much to be thankful for. ❤
In fact, I’m not at all sure I’m actually in this week. I’s pretty sure I’m still in last week.
Certainly if you look at the pile of work on my desk that has yet to be done I should be in last week. . . there are many many things there that ought to be finished if it’s this week that most assuredly are not! (as anyone who is awaiting the results of the Halloweensie Contest can tell you! – SORRY!!!)
But I got to have a lovely visit with my son in sunny Brazil (where it is NOT snowing!😊) so with apologies to all of you for keeping you waiting on the things that should be finished and aren’t, I’m very glad I went!
Let’s just skip right ahead, shall we?
First, I’m happy to announce that the Winner of the September Pitch Pick is Kim with her pitch for P.I. Goat: The Case of the Missing Bone! Congratulations, Kim! Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts, which I’m sure will be along at her earliest convenience!
Congratulations to our other pitchers as well! You all did a terrific job of putting together a pitch, bravely sharing it so you (and all of us!) could have the opportunity to evaluate and learn from it, revising your pitch based on the feedback you received, and hopefully ending up with a better, stronger pitch than you started with, even if you didn’t get the chance for Erin’s input. We are lucky to have such thoughtful, perceptive, dedicated and helpful readers to aid us in improving our pitches! Thank you all!
And now it’s on to the October Pitch Pick! (There will be no grass growing under anyone’s feet around here! 😊)
Please read through the revised pitches below and choose the one you think most deserving of a read and comments by editor Erin Molta, then vote for your choice in the poll below by Sunday November 24 at 9 PM Eastern.
#1 – Sri – Mighty Little Nikita (ER/PB 4-8)
Nikita’s friends call her “Little Nikita” because she is really small but Nikita does not like it a wee bit. When a huge dragonfly enters the class, it scares the jelly out of everyone, except Little Nikita. Nikita shows everyone just how brave she can be even when facing a scary insect, thus earning a new nickname that she is absolutely proud of.
#2 – Greg – Furrysaurus Rex (PB 4-8)
Amateur paleontologist Edwin spies a furry looking dinosaur roaming his neighborhood. He convinces his best friend Jennifer to help him hunt for the creature. They discover his brother in a T-Rex costume, but no dinosaur. Jennifer doubts Edwin saw a dinosaur. Edwin persists and ends up discovering something dinotastic.
#3 – Melissa – Mandy’s Magical Quest (PB 4-8)
Mandy, desperate to save her ailing grove of trees, seeks the help of the four elemental Goddesses. Led by her black crow, Bram, they journey to the far corners of the earth, battling the harsh environment. Mandy falters and is anxious to return home. If she does not complete the quest, the trees will not survive.
#4 – Natalie – The Unexpected Suitcase (MG Mystery 8-12)
When eleven-year-old Henry plummets into a dark abyss, inside a tattered suitcase, he’s unexpectedly transported to 1950s Central Park. His only route home is through the suitcase popup portal. During several journey’s, Henry grows by overcoming the fear of starting middle school and owning up about hiding the suitcase from grandma. But first, he needs to discover what’s hidden within the suitcase while helping his grandma clear out her house and keeping his secret safe.
We should probably rest after all that reading and voting. It’s very stressful having to choose between such great alternatives. Luckily I am here for you. And I am thinking that Oreo Cheesecake Chocolate Cake would be a very excellent antidote to our voting-induced stress 😊
Don’t you feel better? De-stressed and fully operational? Ready to tackle anything that comes along?
Fantastic! Because what’s coming along is today’s pitch which comes to us from Lu – author, former LD teacher, Santa maker, and collector of homeless artifacts.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Mary Janes
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: All 6 yr. old Bella wants is a pair of new shoes, not just any shoes, but red Mary Janes. On her Saturday shopping outing with her grandmother, she notices the shoes of others. There are jump-roping girls wearing Keds, ice cream eating girls in black and white saddle shoes, and well-heeled ladies at her uncle’s butcher shop. Bella’s dream comes true in an unexpected way.
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 Lu 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 have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Lu is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to sharing the results of the Halloweensie Contest with you – hopefully tomorrow!
Hello, Everyone, and welcome to another exciting installment of Would You Read It Wednesday!
We’ve missed a couple weeks for Halloweensie, so it will be good to get back to our regularly scheduled programming!
First off, today (while you’re all warmed up from voting for Halloweensie winners) we have the September Pitch Pick.
Our pitchers, committed to making their pitches the best they can be, have reworked their original versions to reflect the helpful feedback you were all kind and thoughtful enough to provide. So here are the new, updated pitches for you to vote on:
#1 Erin – Airport Goat (PB 3-8)
Under the zooming planes is a herd of goats munching the lawn day after day, but one goat is tired of grass, grass, grass. He follows his nose to the land of concrete in search of exciting things to eat. The luggage is leathery. The sanitation truck is less appealing. But then he gets a whiff of something new. His search creates chaos and sets airport security on a chase, but deep inside the airport is the most delectable discovery: the food court. THE AIRPORT GOAT is a cross between humorous animal stories like DUCK ON A BIKE and airport transportation books like THE AIRPORT BOOK for kids ages 3-8.
#2 – Kim – P.I. Goat: The Case of the Missing Bone (PB ages 4-8)
P.I. Goat has just opened his private investigator office when Puddles, a puppy, hires him to find Paw-Paw’s bone. Elderly Paw-Paw thinks Goat is a pig, but Goat has a worse problem: he faints when startled! A cast of wacky animals helps Goat discover the surprising truth behind the Case of the Missing Bone and that being a P.I. is not for the faint of heart—KLUNK!
#3 – Marcia – Isaac’s Apple Tree (PB ages 4-8; Informational Fiction (includes Author’s Note)
I dropped that apple—the one that helped Isaac Newton discover gravity. I am Isaac’s Apple Tree, and I have a story for you—one that begins with that apple-drop and goes all the way to the International Space Station and back. That’s where my seeds (pips, people, pips!) floated in zero gravity, then came back to Earth where they grew into six beautiful saplings—my space children. At almost 400 years old, my amazing story spans centuries and continents—and space itself!
Once you’ve had a chance to read through and evaluate the three September pitches above, please vote for your favorite – the one you feel most deserves a read and comments from editor Erin Molta, and vote for it in the poll below by Sunday November 17 at 9PM Eastern.
Thank you!
Wow! Nothing like voting to work up an appetite! And you know what that means… 🙂 Time for Something Chocolate!
I think today would be a great day for Chocolate Blackout Cupcakes, but then again, is there ever a bad day for those? 🙂
Okay! Onward and upward! Today’s pitch comes to us from Lynne who says, “I’m an avid reader who is working to push through the fears of coming out of the writer’s closet! Growing up overseas in the 60s and 70s nurtured my love to escape into imaginary and other worlds with books. My daughter’s struggle with dyslexia in elementary school made me realize the importance of great children’s books to keep her engaging in her battle to overcome her reading disability and develop a love to read. She won:)”
Find her on the web at
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Samantha’s Swimsuit
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: Samantha is a girl who knows what she wants when it comes to fashion. When she was imagining the absolutely dreamy suit for summer swim lessons, Samantha forgot about one. Little. Detail. It would get wet. What if water ruins her perfect swimsuit?!? Now Samantha must decide if she is relegated to the lounge chairs (safely outside of the splash zone!) or if she takes a chance in the pool!
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 Lynne improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in January, so you have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta! But no harm in reserving your spot. . . they tend to go like hotcakes!
Lynne is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to seeing this little guy . . .
. . . okay, full disclosure, he doesn’t look exactly like that anymore – more like this
but you know how moms are 🙂
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
Oh, and by the way! I will do my best to post the Halloweensie Winners ASAP, but I’m going to have to be doing it while getting myself to the airport and onto a plane, so I apologize in advance if it takes me some extra time! Have an extra Chocolate Blackout Cupcake while you’re waiting! 🙂
It’s Would You Read It Wednesday again and something about the title of today’s pitch made me think of that old game we used to play on long drives in the car. I’m sure it goes by different names, but in my family we call it “I Packed My Grandmother’s Trunk.” (e.g. I packed my Grandmother’s Trunk and in it I put something beginning with A – apple – and so on through the alphabet, and as each person took their turn they had to recite all the things that had come before) and it occurred to me out of nowhere (a lightning strike of inspiration!) that today we should start with Would You Write It Wednesday! 🙂
So why don’t we pack our October/Autumn/Halloween stories, and in them place something that begins with O (as in ghostly moans OOOOOOOHHHHH! 🙂 ) and then write an October/Autumn/Halloween story with your “O” word in it?
The obvious Halloween-related choices are October, Owl, and Orange, so feel free to write your Would You Write It Wednesday October/Autumn/Halloween story about one (or more) of those. But I thought, why not go with something less obvious and challenge yourself to put that in a story?! So for those of you who want to go advanced, put an Orangutan in your story! 🙂
Since I have Halloween on the brain, and we are all writing our Halloweensie Contest stories (even if choose not to write about Halloween orangutans today) and therefore need serious creativity fuel, I think our Something Chocolate today should be this scarily delicious Death By Chocolate Halloween Cake!
If THAT doesn’t jump start your creative process, I don’t know what will! The amount of sugar and caffeine in a chocolate cake that dark and delicious-looking ought to be enough to set your pen on fire and have you writing like the wind!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Natalie who says, ” I have been writing for over a year now and I am loving every minute of it. I am a substitute teacher with three young kids. So, trying to write sometimes is impossible when they need my undivided attention. I am looking forward to one day having one of my own stories to be physically in my hands because I love the smell of a new book and its crisp pages.”
Find her on the web at Twiter@CohnNatalie
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The Unexpected Suitcase
Age/Genre: MG Mystery (ages 8-12)
The Pitch: A clumsy, eager boy named Henry discovers a tattered suitcase under a floorboard, at grandma’s house. Figuring out the mystery of the suitcase won’t be easy, eventually, he will need to tell the truth to his grandmother, but when Henry falls inside the suitcase, he is taken on an unexpected journey back in time in the 1950s, maybe forever.
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 Natalie improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in January, which is not as far away as you might think! so sign up for a date and polish up your pitch because you could put it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Natalie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to writing an Autumn/Halloween story that involves Orangutans, Oreos, and Ovaltine 🙂
When I was in elementary school, I had a Latin teacher who let us play a game she called “Dictionary” on the day before we got out for school vacations. (Undoubtedly she realized we weren’t going to learn anything on those days, so there was no point in teaching! 🙂 ) Someone would randomly select a word from the dictionary and write the correct definition on a slip of paper, and the rest of us would try to make up a definitions that sounded plausible and write them on our own slips of paper. Then the teacher would gather them up and read all the definitions aloud and we’d vote on which one we thought was the real definition. Whoever got the most votes won… and usually we did NOT choose the actual definition. It was fun!
It’s not a game we can play here, I don’t think, but instead we can celebrate National Dictionary Day by closing our eyes, opening the dictionary to a random point (this is assuming you all still HAVE an actual dictionary and don’t rely solely on online versions) and point to a word on the page you open to. Whatever that word is, let it be a story prompt for your writing today!
Maybe you have to use the word, or the idea of the word, in your story. Or maybe the theme of your story has to be what the meaning of the word is. Or maybe you play anagrams with the word and come up with three words made out of the letters from your word and include those three words in your story. Or maybe you choose the antonym of the word and write your story using that. Or maybe your main character’s name has to be the word… which could make for some interesting names… and characters… 🙂 Who knows?
Give it a try and see what you come up with!
And to fuel your creative efforts, let’s have Something Chocolate! After all, there’s nothing like chocolate to get the old brain in high gear! 🙂 I think today we should have Chocolate-Covered Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons. Only 4 ingredients – that’s my kind of simple 🙂
Now THAT’S a breakfast that will fill you with energy and ideas!!!
Alrighty then! Onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Melissa who says, “As a girl, I roamed the hills and forests. Connecting with nature is still a magical experience that leaves me fulfilled and happy. I hope my manuscript encourages others to appreciate what lies just outside their door and inspires them to nurture our beautiful lands and creatures.”
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Mandy’s Magical Quest
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Mandy and her black crow, Bram, journey to the four elemental Goddesses in the far corners of the earth to save their grove of trees. The journey is not easy, but they persevere. Mandy is rewarded with a thriving grove and a magical thank you.
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 Melissa improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in January, so you have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta, but it doesn’t hurt to snag a date now!
Melissa is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Fall Conference which I am attending today! I’ve never been before, so I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about! 🙂
I’ve been thinking about it and I feel pretty certain that Would You Read It Wednesday needs a theme song! Wouldn’t that be fun?
(Beverly Hillbillies tune)
Let me tell you all a story ’bout a perfect pitch One for which an editor will find a niche…
Okay, so it needs a little work! 🙂
Feel free to submit theme songs in the comments! 🙂
Let’s have Something Chocolate, shall we? It might help us write better pitches. And theme songs! I think this morning we’ll have fudge – the breakfast of champions! (Well, one of the breakfasts of champions, the most well-known being Little Chocolate Donuts! 🙂 )
Mmmmm! Isn’t that delicious? Creamy, chocolatey fudge and ooey-gooey salted caramel on top? With a nice cup of coffee?
I admit it. I’m swooning 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Greg who says, “I’m a chocolate loving, hockey playing happily married, father of an energetic seven year old who keeps me young and inspires me to write silly stories.”
The Pitch: Having seen a live furry dinosaur roaming around in his neighborhood, Edwin grabs his friend Jennifer to investigate. After several false dinosaur sightings, his amateur paleontologist title is on the line.
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. At this point, we’re pretty much looking at the new year (there might be one spot left in December) so you have time to polish your pitch before putting it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta! But there’s no time like the present to secure your date! 🙂
Greg is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch! I am looking forward to Warwick Children’s Book Festival this weekend! Always a well run, super fun event! I hope I’ll get to see some of you there!!!
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
Oh! And P.S.! Hopefully a special post tomorrow on something we’ve all been anticipating…! 🙂
I don’t know about you guys, but now that autumn is officially here I’m wondering what’s up in the animal kingdom.
The only wooly bear caterpillar I’ve seen suggested a mild winter (mostly brown, only a little black at nose and tail.)
But the acorns are falling like nobody’s business – pattering down on the garage roof and the driveway and all through the woods almost constantly –
and the bears are out and about more noticeably than usual.
Last week I saw one little bear in the woods while out horseback riding (luckily my fearless steed was unperturbed by the experience. And by “unperturbed” I mean she happened to be looking the other way and was thusly oblivious 🙂 ) Then, not two days later, another little bear trundled across the Clove Valley Road in front of my car – not so close that we were in any danger of bumping into each other, but close enough for a good view! (This video is actually from last summer, not last week, but I was unable to video whilst driving 🙂 )
What does this mean?
In the old days, I’d think it was a sign of a hard winter. But these days, what with global warming, that doesn’t seem possible. So I think Mother Nature is just having fun at our expense 🙂
In any case, it definitely calls for Something Chocolate because, well, really , around here, doesn’t everything? 🙂 Today I think we should feast on Pecan Pie Bars Dipped In Chocolate, partly because they sound delicious (and everyone knows pecans are good for you! 🙂 ) and partly because they come from a website called Hugs And Cookies and what could be better than that?!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sri who says, “A little bit about me: I love writing stories and reading them to my little kids who turn out to be some of my strongest critiques. I have self published some of my stories but I am looking forward to that day when I can call myself a published author in the more traditional sense!”
Sri gained her inspiration to write stories because of her two young kids who love to read books. Her kids love her stories and are in fact her best critics! Sri presently lives and works as a research administrator in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Sri is also the author of Tales of Rishi and Neela which was published in April 2019. When she is not working or driving her kids around for classes and play dates, Sri likes to spend her leftover time creating jewelry or listening to podcasts.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title:
Age/Genre: Early Reader/Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Nikita has a problem, rather a huge problem. The problem is that she is small – smaller than all of her friends. Everyone in her kindergarten class call her little Nikita. Her friends think it is cute to call her that way but Nikita does not like it a wee bit. Nikita complains to her mom who is also hmm…short but her Mom dusts her off saying that’s just in our genetics. Genetics .. whatever that means, Nikita thinks. Nikita’s fate withLittle Nikita continues until one day a huge insect comes into the class and scares the peanut butter out of everyone; well, everyone except Nikita, who is small but really brave. The rest of this funny story revolves around how Nikita works bravely to trap the huge insect to release it outside. She thus rewrites her name from Little Nikita to Mighty Nikita – a name that she is absolutely proud of.
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 Sri 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 about 2 openings left for this year, so if you want one, let me know! You can polish your pitch and put it up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Sri is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to writing something new today. Who knows what? Maybe something fun! 🙂
And you’ll all be thrilled to know that we get to start today’s proceedings with a triple Straight From The Editor!
You’ll recall that back in June we had a tie between Deborah and Ana.
Deborah’s pitch was for Farmer Jo and the Chicken Coop Calamity (PB) –
Henrietta, Goldie, and Pearl are three chickens with grand ideas. After convincing Farmer Jo to build improvements on their hen house, word spreads and many new chickens come to the farm to roost. But the weight of the situation proves to much to bear and the results are shattering as the hen house splinters apart.
Erin said:
This pitch has potential and could be very funny but it’s not telling the story. Are the three chickens with grand ideas the protagonists or is Farmer Jo? Is the conflict that the hen house collapsed or that too many hens came to roost? If the three hens are the reason for the problem—too many hens in the hen house—how do they resolve it? That’s what you need to get across. Who are the protagonists? What is the conflict and what’s the resolution? Right now you have the first two, but not the solution.
Ana’s pitch was for Bella The Best Quits Again (PB) –
Bella, a Latina girl as sassy as Junie B. Jones, quits everything she (barely) tries because she’s not the best at it: her backflips look like giraffes rolling downhill & her dulce de leche frosting: crocodile skin. Bella must learn it’s ok to try again or she won’t be good @ anything. For kids who enjoy The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes. Back Matter Famous Div. People who struggled. #PB #Humor
Erin’s said:
Bella seems like a great girl and the story could be sweet but the comparisons you make—like Junie B Jones and The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes are taking away from YOUR story. You can say those things outside of the pitch but it would be better to let your story shine through on its own merits. What if you said something like, “Bella, a sassy seven year-old Latina, won’t do backflips because she looks like a giraffe rolling downhill and her dulce de leche frosting tasted like crocodile skin (which are great images BTW), so she refuses to make anymore…” And then you need a sentence that tells the reader how she comes to accept that practice makes perfect…
The July pitch winner was Nancy with her pitch for Cupid’s Tango (PB)
Cupid, the prairie chicken, has his feathers all in a twist over his flock’s step dance contest. If he fails, no hen will pick him to go to the All Species Ball. The problem – he is horrible at step dancing and when he’s nervous, he’s worse. When the contest ends in disaster, Cupid is determined to find a dance he loves and win a hen’s heart to go to the ball.
Erin said:
This looks intriguing. I’d tweak the bit about if he fails no hen will pick him to go to the All Species Dance (which is adorable, BTW) because somebody’s got to lose so only one prairie chicken will go to the All Species Ball from all the contestants? That’s what it sounds like. Even if you phrase it more like “no hen will want to go to the All Species Ball with a chicken with two left feet” it will make a big difference.
So much fantastic pitch feedback straight from our talented and generous neighborhood editor! I hope you all find Erin’s thoughts as instructive as I do!
I’m sure we will all absorb that helpful information much better with Something Chocolate to stimulate our brains! How about some Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes With Oreo Crust?
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Marcia who says, “Aspiring writer, not yet published…I have lived in every New England State but one. I am slowly restoring an 1858 cape and love to explore historic houses. On a mission to visit as many presidential homes as I can, in between responding to the demands of my Siberian princess of a cat. Member NESCBWI and 12×12.”
Find her on the web at:
Twitter: @MZ_Parks
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Isaac’s Apple Tree
Age/Genre: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Book (ages 4-8) – includes Author Note
The Pitch: The tree that facilitated the discovery of gravity (leading to the principles on which all space missions depend) now has “space offspring.” In Isaac’s Apple Tree, the tree under which Isaac Newton sat that fateful day tells its own astounding and far-reaching story.
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 Marcia 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 2 or 3 openings left for this year at the end of November/beginning of December, so you could still get your pitch up before 2020 for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Marcia is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to seeing my new book! Did I say that last week? I think I might have! But I’m still waiting for the books to arrive (because I live on a blueberry-covered mountain in the apparent Middle Of Nowhere! 🙂 )
Since it’s Would You Read It Wednesday, I have something fun to share that I hope you will read! (There should be a rhyme about that… maybe something like how many books would a woodchuck… uh, well, actually maybe not that 🙂 Devouring books is fine, but not necessarily the way a woodchuck might 🙂 )
I am fortunate to have many friends who are talented writers and illustrators, and I always love to share their books. If you’re looking for something great and hot off the presses, check out these two titles released in the past week!
Congratulations to Iza and Della on their newest books! (and don’t miss their previous titles! 🙂 )
Now that we’ve got some good new books to read, let’s cozy up with Something Chocolate – a breakfast treat I’m sure we can all agree is totally healthy and delicious for myriad reasons – Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
Not only is this Something Chocolate totally yummy, I got to use the word myriad and it’s always a good day when you can work that in! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Kim who says, “I’m blessed to be pursuing my dream of writing full-time after a career in mortgage lending. I have two grown boys but no grandkids to read my stories to yet.”
Find her on the web at
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: P. I. Goat And The Case Of The Missing Bone
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: P.I.Goat gets his first case when Puddles, a puppy, hires him to find Paw-Paw’s bone. Nearsighted Paw-Paw thinks Goat is a pig, but Goat has a worse problem: he faints when startled! Despite the lack of help from a cast of wacky farm animals, Goat unravels the startling truth behind the Case of the Missing Bone. He also discovers that being a P.I. is not for the faint of heart—KLUNK!
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 Kim 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 October, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Kim is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to seeing my new book which is due out in a couple weeks and which I am hoping will show up on my porch one of these days VERY SOON! (Not that I’m impatient, mind you. Not me! I’m a model of calm and decorous waiting 🙂 )
