You will all be glad to know that I braved the basement and found the window candles!
And I only smashed one by accident on the basement floor!
I put the candles in the windows and then risked life and limb to climb up and put the wreath in the peak of the porch roof. Just call me Spidey 🙂
So now my little house looks very festive 🙂
Just in time for the Holiday Contest which opens tomorrow!
If you know me at all, you will not be shocked to know that I haven’t given even one tiny second’s thought to my sample entry. So no more shilly-shallying! We must get down to business right now so I can go think something up!
If you’re suggesting there’s no better way to get down to business than with Something Chocolate, that just proves we are kindred spirits and great minds think alike 🙂 Not to pick one holiday over another – I just thought these were cute – and they’re made of chocolate cupcakes… 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Lily whom you will remember from September with her pitch for Garden Bed. Lily Erlic is a member of the SCBWI. She has authored many books included Finger Rhymes for Manners and Glaciers: Landscape Carvers. She is a preschool and daycare teacher (ECE) with a BA degree from the University of Victoria.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Hungry In The Hills Of Hercegovina
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: (Based on my Aunt’s True Story) Ana, is a young girl who struggles with hunger. Puto, her dog, chases wolves away from the family’s herd of sheep. Ana and her family do not have enough to eat sometimes in her poor village in the hills of Hercegovina. When Ana faces a vulture with Puto, the real challenge begins.
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 Lily 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 could get your new year of writing of to a great start by getting your pitch up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Lily is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the opening of the Holiday Contest tomorrow!!! I CAN’T WAIT to read your stories!!!
First, the Holiday Contest guidelines on Sunday, then Tuesday Debut yesterday, now Would You Read It today, and we still have Perfect Picture Books on Friday!
But don’t worry. Not every week is like this!
There won’t be any more Sunday posts…for now 🙂 … and I forgot to mention yesterday that Tuesday Debuts will be on hiatus until at least January because I don’t have any debut authors signed up until February (holler if you are one and want a January spot!)
Since I’ve worn you out this week, though, I think we should get right to Something Chocolate! A little pick-me-up! Or, pick-YOU-up 🙂 The holidays are coming and this is so pretty that I think we should have some No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake (with chocolate crust and chocolate topping! YUM!). And by trying this today, you’ll have time to perfect it before making it for your family in a few weeks! (And by “perfecting” I mean, of course, making it several times and having plenty of sample slices to be sure it comes out just right! 🙂 )
I think peppermint tastes better when it’s pink, don’t you? Plus it looks so much nicer with chocolate than green peppermint does! 🙂 Please help yourselves to seconds and thirds – you’ll need your strength for helping with today’s pitch and for working on your Holiday Contest entry!!!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah whom you will remember from her recent pitches for MARSTER SHOES and THE PUNCHING BALLERINA who says, “I am an Optometrist, mother, and lover of the outdoors. I live in NH with my husband and two children. I love to paint in my free time, when I’m not writing.”
The Pitch: Betsie is a honeybee scout, who must find a home for her expanding family. Her hive has swarmed, leaving their old home behind, and clustering on a tree branch while the scouts seek potential new homes. Betsie must act fast, as people have noticed the swarm and summoned an exterminator. This hybrid PB is based on Thomas Seeley’s HONEYBEE DEMOCRACY, and back matter is included.
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 January, so start your new year off with a bang with helpful feedback on your pitch 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 rummaging though the basement for my holiday candles.
Okay.
That’s not precisely true.
I’m not really looking forward to the basement rummaging…
But I AM looking forward to having the candles in the windows so when I come home in the dark my little house has pretty lights that make it look festive 🙂
By Friday it won’t be safe to go within 10 miles of the mall 🙂
And if Walmart hasn’t got you singing holiday tunes already, we’ll all be doing it by this weekend! 🙂
Since I’m sure we all have a lot to do (and by that I mean I am hosting Thanksgiving and I have to vacuum – ACK!!!) I think we should bolster our stamina with Something Chocolate and get right down to business!
In the spirit of the first Thanksgiving, I’d like to share an old pilgrim recipe handed down from our forefathers (forefathers loosely interpreted as my daughter making Pillsbury homemade in her own special way 🙂 ). It is important around Thanksgiving which involves such demanding time demands as vacuuming that recipes be simple. So get ready.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (so Thanksgiving-y, am I right?! 🙂 )
Recipe: 1 box of Pillsbury Pumpkin Bread mix prepared according to the muffin directions on the back with however many chocolate chips seem like a good idea (suggestion: a lot!) added in.
See?
Didn’t I tell you it was simple?
I think we all know where my daughter inherited her genius in the kitchen 🙂
You can make these mini-sized and serve them at your Thanksgiving table, or normal size and enjoy them for Thanksgiving morning breakfast. Ooh! Or you can bring them as a gift if you’re going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving! So versatile!
And I know I don’t even need to point out that they are health food, what with being made out of pumpkin which is indisputably a vegetable! 🙂
That’s just my little gift to you because I am so thankful for you all – no jokes! ❤
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Mary who says, “I am a former teacher who loved reading silly books to my students. In another former life, I was employee at a museum overrun with mice. The Mouse of Rock Town evolved out of those two experiences.”
The Pitch: Parker, a resident mouse of Rock Town Museum, loves his home, but soon realizes the new museum security guard is not mice-friendly. After harrowing experiences involving brooms, mousetraps and a cat, Parker must use his ingenuity to devise a plan and protect the only home he has ever known.
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 Mary 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 polish up your pitch and get your new year off to a great start with helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Mary is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the vacuuming being over! But more importantly, to seeing all the family I’ll get to see 🙂
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
And Happy Thanksgiving!!!
P.S. I’m not sure if I’m going to post PPBF on Friday – depends how much time I have – but if I’m going to run the Holiday Contest, I’ll try to get the guidelines up this weekend! This is your last chance to weigh in on whether you want to have it or not…! 🙂
Hurray! It’s Would You Read It Wednesday! Seems like forever since we had one, what with the Halloweensie Contest running!
Before we get to today’s pitch, I’d like to announce that there’s a new addition to my little household! It is Princess Blue Kitty’s successor!
Apparently I have a favorite color 🙂
She is VERY beautiful! isn’t she? But she does not have a name yet… I will entertain suggestions from the peanut gallery if anyone has one 🙂 I’m pretty sure she’s a she, but I’ve only had her for about 24 hours, so I could be wrong 🙂 She is smaller than Princess Blue, and very zippy 🙂 but she also has tremendous presence.
I think we should celebrate with Something Chocolate, don’t you? How about some Flourless Belgian Chocolate Cake? Look at that dense richness! And anything with the words “Belgian Chocolate” in it has to be decadent and delicious!
Plus it’s flourless and gluten-free, which makes it health food so we can have as much as we want guilt-free! Dig in, my friends! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Ciara, whom you will remember from last month’s pitch for Drop The Dragon, who says, “I am a former teacher, mother of five, and corgi lover. I love puns. I might make them on an hourly basis. And I definitely think that there should be a job where one can be a personal shopper of picture books. That’s a thing, right?”
The Pitch: An affectionate but clumsy flamingo doesn’t quite understand why her hugs are not well received by zoo patrons. But when she tries delightful disguises, daring dances, and fishy gifts, will she be able to garner the affectionate she so desperately desires?
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 Ciara 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 could start the new year out with a bang by getting your pitch up for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Ciara is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I literally can’t wait to post the Halloweensie Contest finalists tomorrow and see how the votes turn out!
Only three more days until the opening moment of HALLOWEENSIE???!!!
I cannot wait!!! – despite the fact that I have been so busy with other projects that I haven’t given even one second’s thought to my sample entry! It’s going to be another down-to-the-wire situation, I’m afraid.
But just you guys wait until you see what the big prize is! You’re going to keel right over!
Let’s just say, you’re going to want to put your best effort forward because this is a prize you’re going to want a real shot at!
So.
Now that you’re DYING to know what the prize is and I’m certainly not going to tell you until Saturday morning when the contest post goes up (MWAH-HA-HA, she laughed evilly 🙂 ) let’s talk September Pitch Pick.
Please read through the pitches below, which have been revised thanks to your helpful input, and choose the one you think is best and most deserving of a read and comments by editor Erin Molta. Then vote for your favorite in the poll by Sunday October 28 at 9PM Eastern. I realize that Halloweensie will already be underway, so to make sure you remember to read and vote you might want to do it before the weekend!
#1 – Katie E – ENOUGH – PB ages 4-9
Elpis is an uncommon thing. With feathers sparkling, she spreads hope. Amicus and his friends play in her brilliant cascade. Until… Moros swoops in, throwing deep, deep shade. The children flee and Elpis sputters. Moros preens and gloats as gloom settles in. Elpis nearly sinks. Until… Amicus and his pals demand a return to joy. Their stubborn spirit buoys Elpis – and everyone else – because stepping up with hope is enough.
#2 – Katie W – THE ADVENTURES OF LOU AND BARLEY – PB ages 3-6
When Lou leaves his stuffed stegosaurus in the pouring rain he and his dog, Barley, set out to rescue him. Braving giant waves, outsmarting hungry alligators, and battling a monstrous T-Rex, the determined pair discover even imaginary adventures can be fun!
#3 – Lily – GARDEN BED – PB ages 2-4
In Garden Bed, a rhyming picture book targeted to ages 2-4, a parent and child tuck each vegetable in for the night, helping the child to become sleepy too. Tomato, cucumber, parsley, eggplant, kale, purple potato, lettuce, carrots and peas are lulled to sleep by the refrain: Sleep, sleep, my dear one,
Sleep until the light,
We’ll both tuck you in,
And sing you goodnight.
#4 – Sarah – NO SHOES STANLEY – PB ages 4-8 (formerly titled MARSTER SHOES)
While mostly human, like mom, Stanley has his dad’s huge Martian feet. This wasn’t a problem when they lived on Mars, where Stanley enjoyed the feeling of being barefoot every day. But Earth’s rules aren’t Mars’ rules, and Stanley must try to come up with a creative shoe solution for life in a new world. Not one to follow the crowd, Stanley’s answer involves a twist.
It’s always a tough choice, but do your best! Something Chocolate awaits as your reward 🙂
Thank you for voting!
Since Halloween is right around the corner, and this is our last WYRI before it, I wanted something Halloweenie for our Something Chocolate today. I thought this Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Chocolate Lasagna fit the ticket pretty well 🙂
YUM! Doesn’t that look scrumptious? I am totally having seconds!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah whom you will remember from last month with her pitch for MARSTER SHOES who says, “I am an Optometrist, mother, and lover of the outdoors. I live in NH with my husband and two children. I love to paint in my free time, when I’m not writing.”
The Pitch: KC is a boy with identity questions, who wishes to express himself via ballet. Mom is hesitant to acquiesce, encouraging karate for self-defense instead. After various attempts to learn ballet on his own, KC dresses as a ballerina for school, thereby inciting a group of bullies. KC reacts in his own way, leaving the situation with new-found confidence in who he is, as well as a potential friend.
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. At this point, I think we’re full for WYRI until after the holidays, but there are openings in January, so you have plenty of 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! Reserve your spot in the new year today!
Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to being struck with inspiration for a Halloweensie sample entry that will delight you all! Failing that, I’m just hoping to write something down before I go to sleep Friday night/Saturday wee hours of the morning!
I’m not sure how we got here… TARDIS? The twilight zone? The yellow brick road? The Starship Enterprise?…but I skipped right over Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. That is what days holed up in front of a deadline will do to a person. Along with eating apple cinnamon cheerios for dinner so you don’t have to take time away from work to shop 🙂
Anyhow, one way or another, here we are at Wednesday, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, shampooed and dressed in outdoor clothes and ready to take on the world!
Or possibly take a nap 🙂
But really, who can nap when the winner of July Pitch Pick is Greg with his PB pitch for The Remindeer!!! Congratulations, Greg! Your pitch will be on its way to editor Erin Molta any minute now as I try to regain control of my email after days of ignoring it!
And congratulations to our other fabulous pitchers who all did a tremendous job! I hope the experience was helpful to you even if Erin doesn’t get to read your pitch.
Now, onto the next item on our agenda:
No Pitch Pick this week! 🙂
I could have done September, but I figured you guys had really earned a break! So… next week 🙂 And thank you from the bottom of my chocolate-loving heart for being so wonderful about voting for weeks in a row!
Speaking of chocolate… How about Something Chocolate? I don’t really think we can go far wrong with 24 Layer Chocolate Cake!!!
I’m not sure I have the patience to actually bake and assemble that beautiful thing, but you can count on me to eat it! 🙂 Breakfast of champions – that’s what I say! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Meghan who says, “My name is Meghan. I am an aspiring author. When I’m not living with my nose in a book or a piece of writing I’m working on, I am teaching third grade, working out, spending time with the people I love, or binge-watching my favorite movies and television shows (I love to Netflix and chill on my own). I have loved books for as long as I can remember, and now I’d like to use that passion to create timeless works of literature for all ages.”
The Pitch: Todd is a young boy that faces an unexpected choice: one that could ruin or fulfill his new friend’s deepest dreams. She is a tree that yearns to be made into something magical, but the consequence might be too much for Todd to bear. Can he handle the pressure?
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 Meghan 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 November, 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!
Meghan is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to that nap I mentioned…except I don’t actually have time for a nap, so maybe I’ll just have a second helping of the 24 Layer Chocolate Cake (fortification, you know – gotta keep my strength up 🙂 ) and forge ahead, plowing through my inbox, boldly going where nobody has gone for many days…
If you don’t hear from me within a reasonable amount of time, send out a search party! 🙂
Somehow I’ve posted three days in a row! Sorry about that!
But Tuesday and Wednesday are regular, and I had to get the Halloweensie Contest guidelines up on Monday to give you all some time to write… and at least you get a day off before PPBF… So next week we’ll be back to normal!
Today, however, I’m delighted to announce that the winner of the June Pitch Pick is Patricia with her PB pitch for Amy’s Birdsong Aires/American Composer Amy Cheney Beach! Congratulations on a fabulous pitch for an interesting-sounding book, Patricia! Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta for her comments.
Congratulations also to all our other pitchers who worked hard on writing and revising their pitches and were brave enough to share them with us. All your stories sound wonderful, and I hope the WYRI experience has helped you strengthen your pitches for future use with agents and editors!
Onward now to the July Pitch Pick – the last of the catch-ups, finally! I so appreciate all of you being willing to read and vote for weeks in a row!
You all know the ropes by now! 🙂 but please read through the pitches and vote for your favorite in the poll below by Sunday October 14 at 9PM Eastern.
#1 – Katie – A BRUSH WITH DISASTER (PB ages 5-9) (previously titled The Boys Who Brushed Teeth Too Much)
Excited about a new toothbrush gaming app, Advik challenges neighbors then nations to compete. Brother Barun doesn’t bite. Instead, he boosts traditional brushing across communities and continents. When overbrushing overruns the world, the boys just stick to their ‘gums.’ Until tooth care supplies run out. United by need, they face (and fix) the painful impacts of their extreme habits. This modernized Panchatantra fable offers layers appealing to ages 5-9.
#2 – Gabrielle – MAGGIE’S NEW BIKE
Maggie wants shiny new wheels, not Dad’s old rust bucket. When Dad hints she could get one after she learns how to ride, Maggie gives the junker a second look. With determination and her barnyard cheering section of hens and roosters, Maggie soon discovers not every treasure comes from a store. This is a delightful story of one girls’ never-give-up attitude.
#3 – Sherry – Firestarter (MG Action/Adventure)
12 year old Cody’s mother left on the last day of school, and the care of his sisters and the small farm became his responsibility while his father works from dawn to dusk. Anxious to get away from his sisters demands and his father’s constant belittling, he makes plans to run away. But when smoke appears on the ridge above their home, he has to make a choice—fight the fire or leave his family to fend on their own. And to make matters worse, he has a secret that could cause him to lose his family for good and land him in jail.
#4 – Greg – The Remindeer (PB ages 4-10)
Wally has a very important job, to make sure everything goes smoothly for Santa on Christmas Eve. After going through his checklist and seeing Santa off, he discovers a present for Laurie has been left behind.
Unlike the other reindeer, Wally can’t fly. He calls a delivery service and finds out they are too busy to deliver the present. He’ll have to find another way to deliver the present and save Christmas for Laurie.
It’s a tough choice, I know! But please vote if you can!
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for Something Chocolate! (Although I’m pretty much always ready for Something Chocolate, so that’s not news 🙂 ). How about some Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies?
Scrumptious! Luckily I made tons so everyone can have two or five or twenty or however many they want 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Ciara who says, “I am a former teacher, mother of five, and corgi lover. I love puns. I might make them on an hourly basis. And I definitely think that there should be a job where one can be a personal shopper of picture books. That’s a thing, right?”
The Pitch: A little girl’s best frenemy, the family dog, keeps stealing her toy dragon. Using her resourcefulness and imagination, she tries to thwart the theft. When the toy is held captive by the dreaded clothes line, these two will have to work together to save their beloved dragon.
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 Ciara 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 is an opening next week! – October 17! – so someone send me a pitch! 🙂 Additional openings in November, 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!
Ciara is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to getting all the prizes organized for the Halloweensie Contest! I’m still searching for an agent or editor who would be willing to give a read and critique of a PB manuscript, so if any of you know anyone, please have your people get in touch with my people! 🙂
Woo hoo! It’s another fun-filled edition of Would You Read It Wednesday!
Not only that, it’s the 300th WYRI! Can you believe it? Apparently we’ve been doing this for awhile 🙂 I think that calls for a celebration! So I’m going to give away a book to one random commenter today!
This is an interesting week on Blueberry Hill. I had a new book out yesterday which was a kind of a first for me. I was hired to write the first-ever picture book version of the well-known movie, Miracle on 34th Street for Sourcebooks and the Valentine Davies estate. A pretty cool project to be part of!
As any of you know who have seen the movie, it is LONG to condense into a picture book, and has elements (drunkenness, being committed to an asylum, etc) which are not necessarily picture book friendly 🙂 So it was an interesting challenge! I think it came out pretty well, although, due to trying to keep the word count down there are a few places where some of the niceties of language and transition in my original manuscript had to be cut in the interest of space. But it tells the story, and the art is beautiful and perfectly suited to the era of the tale. I think it will make a lovely holiday time read.
Since it’s brand new and hot off the presses, and we’re celebrating the 300th WYRI, I will give a copy of Miracle On 34th Street to a randomly selected commenter on today’s post! I’ll even sign it for you if you want since I wrote this particular version, even though the original story belongs to Valentine Davies 🙂
Anyway, we’d better get down to business!
For starters, the winner of the May Pitch Pick was Jackie with her nonfiction picture book pitch for One Smart Cookie: The Story of Ruth Wakefield and the Invention of the Chocolate Chip Cookie!!! Congratulations, Jackie! I have to say, you had me at the title! :). Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta, who, being inundated with this giant pile of pitch winners, will eventually dig herself out from under! I think we’re going to have a huge Straight From The Editor post at some point! 🙂
Congratulations to all our pitchers! You all did an amazing job, and your stories sound so interesting! Keep up the good work! A fair few writers have ended up selling books they pitched here (one of these days I should make a list of exactly who and have a celebratory post about them) but YOU could be next! Why not?! 🙂
Onward, now, to the June Pitch Pick! After this we only have July to catch up… and of course September which we are now ready for as well. But we’re getting there!
Have a look at the revised pitches. Think them over. Make your selection. And then vote below for your favorite and step on up to the chocolate bar! (see what I did there? 🙂 )
#1 – Katie E – The Tooth Fairy Conference (PB ages 5-9)
Tooth Fairy Gwyneth rallies brainy and brawny conference attendees to extract Plaque Man, a rot-minded foe, and save the fairy economy. Gwyneth must convince skeptical speakers presenting key economic and tooth collecting knowledge to form a posse with tough tooth fairies from all over the world. Now if only they can combine their dental and mental derring-do and wash skunky, gunky Plaque Man down the drain.
Amy wasn’t an ordinary child. A musical prodigy, she could accurately sing any song she heard. Amy wanted to sing, play the piano, and write music, but girls in the late 1800’s didn’t grow up to do such manly things. Despite the times, her talents blossomed and she gained recognition.When a professor learned that Amy had perfect pitch, he asked her to help him ‘name the birds’, which ended up being a very important thing.
#3 – Katie B – The Librarian’s Treasure (YA/Fantasy)
Drake’s assignment: Find the child of the lady and the leprechaun. Vague much? The League of Leprechaun’s, at least that is what the three diminutive men called themselves, had shown up at Drake’s pub and offered him more gold than he was willing to turn down.
Drake had narrowed down the “sense” his new bosses had to Raegan, the only person of the right age consistently in this place. She didn’t seem a leprechaun any more than the three men had and how they expected her to save the village from dying out the League hadn’t felt compelled to share.
Getting close to Raegan to discover the truth, Drake became unexpectedly drawn to the goodness and innocence she exuded. He wondered, would she save the village, or might she just save him?
#4 – Yvona – Granny’s Veggie Garden (PB ages 4-8)
The seasons come full circle in this intergenerational story that introduces gardening and cooking adventures with fun, fresh language as the characters plan, plant, till, weed, harvest and cook from their garden’s abundance.
Please vote for your favorite pitch – the one you think most deserving of a read and comments by editor Erin Molta – in the poll below by Sunday October 7 at 9PM Eastern. Many, many thanks for your help! 🙂
Since it’s October and Halloween is coming, I thought we’d do something fun AND delicious for today’s Something Chocolate! How do you feel about Spiderweb Cookie Cake? (Especially appropriate given today’s May Pitch Pick winner 🙂 )
Yum-MY! Really, there’s nothing like homemade chocolate chip cookies! I think I know what I’m doing this afternoon…while I’m working…multi-tasking at its best 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Katie (yes! another Katie!) who says, “I am a Registered Nurse, mother to a sticky boy and a horse-lovin’ girl, and a writer of picture books. I enjoy spending time at the beach building sand castles and gawking at whales.”
Find her on the twitter at @KatieWills79
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The Night There Was No Bedtime
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-6)
The Pitch: Drowsy children everywhere are yawning and hugging their teddies close… but Bedtime is nowhere to be found. She has other plans for the night, and sleeping isn’t one of them. If Bedtime won’t return, the children may never sleep again!
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Katie improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in October – yes – NEXT WEEK! – so someone send me a pitch! You will get helpful feedback from our devoted readers and a chance to have your pitch read and commented on by editor Erin Molta! What are you waiting for?! 🙂
Katie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to receiving an actual copy of Miracle On 34th Street and being able to give a copy to one of you!
In case you were wondering, not only is today Would You Read It Wednesday, it is also Johnny Appleseed Day!
(I KNOW! I, too, am wondering how I got through all these years without knowing there was a Johnny Appleseed Day! Can you imagine?)
It stands to reason there would be one though, because how could we have apple cider donuts without Johnny Appleseed? And we couldn’t really have autumn without apple cider donuts, and just think of the havoc that would be caused by no autumn and therefore no pumpkin-spiced everything!
Because of Johnny Appleseed, pumpkin-spiced trash bags.
Wow.
I think I just did philosophy.
Or possibly locomotiary substitution 🙂
Anyway, enough about Johnny! We’ve got lots to get to today, starting with the winner of the April Pitch Pick who, I am pleased to announce, is Corine with her pitch for Willamina The Wolf Spider!!!
Congratulations, Corine! Your pitch is wending its way along the cyber highway to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts!
Congratulations, too, to our other fabulous pitchers who did an amazing job! I hope Would You Read It was helpful to you and that you all feel you’ve emerged with stronger pitches and a better understanding of what makes a good pitch for your future endeavors. We are lucky to have such wonderful, helpful and discerning readers here to aid us in the pursuit of pitch excellence!
Now then! Moving briskly onward to the May Pitch Pick!
(We’re making progress with the catching up… only June and July to go after this… but by then we’ll need September…!)
Have a look at May’s interesting and entertaining pitches:
#1 – Jackie – One Smart Cookie: The Story of Ruth Wakefield and the Invention of the Chocolate Chip Cookie (NF PB ages 4-8)
For years the invention of the chocolate chip cookie has been hailed a happy accident. Perhaps it was, or perhaps it was the clever invention of a clever lady. Devour every morsel of this mystery and decide if it was a lucky mistake or the creation of one smart cookie.
#2 – Patricia – Sadie’s Tail (PB ages 4-8)
Whenever Ryan tries to brush rescue-pup Sadie’s fluffy tail, Sadie growls and howls. Wary of scaring or hurting her, Ryan stops. Sadie’s fluffy tail grows matted, and things like cooking utensils, toothbrushes and even glasses get stuck in her fur. Ryan tries several ways to tame that tail, and retrieve the missing items, but fails, until he discovers that the solution was wagging at him the entire time.
#3 – Francis/Tim – I Am Not A Hugger (PB ages 4-8)
Val is not a hugger. She just isn’t. But nobody in her extend family of huggers seems to know it. Val has devised elaborate plans to make herself unhuggable, but nobody ever takes the hint. So when the latest family gathering promises to be another hug fest, Val must figure out how to be heard, or endure yet another hugtastrophe.
Now that you’ve had a chance to read through and evaluate, please vote for the pitch you think is best and most deserving of a read and critique by editor Erin Molta in the poll below by Sunday September 30 at 9PM Eastern.
Yowza! (a word just added to the Scrabble dictionary, for those of you who are keeping track.) All that pitch evaluation and voting and talk of cider donuts has made me a mite peckish. How about you? Nothing like 100 layers of Something Chocolate to get that under control!
Mmm!!! So much delightful chocolate-y goodness! I don’t know whose idea chocolate was, but it sure was a good one!!!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah who says, “I am an Optometrist, mother, and lover of the outdoors. I live in NH with my husband and two children. I love to paint in my free time, when I’m not writing.”
The Pitch: Stanley has a human mom, a Martian dad, and a foot problem. MARSTER SHOES is a 425wc PB in which Mom insists Stanley wear shoes for school. Stanley wants to please her, but doesn’t want to give up the feeling of being barefoot. The end comes with a cringe.
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 October (10th and 17th!), 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!
Sarah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to October! How about you guys? I love October – warm days, cool, crisp nights, apples (and all the good desserts that go along with them 🙂 ), orange, gold, and red leaves that make even gray, rainy days seem bright, Sheep & Wool Festival, long walks with the dogs, usually the first cozy fire of the year, fun-size Halloween chocolate (worthy of making the list twice 🙂 ), the Halloweensie Contest… and not too close to winter yet! Lots of good things 🙂
There’s a Calvin and Hobbes collection called The Days Are Just Packed, and that title just says it all! Really, doesn’t it seem like every day is just packed? How is it Wednesday again already?! 🙂
Given the packed-ness of everyone’s days, let’s get right down to business, shall we?
First up, I’m happy to announce the winner of the March Pitch Pick! It is Jean with her picture book pitch for A Little Witchy! Congratulations on a strong (and popular!) pitch, Jean! It is on its way to editor Erin Molta for her expert review!
Congratulations to all our other pitchers as well for excellent pitches and wonderful story ideas! I hope the WYRI experience has helped you strengthen your pitches so that all those stories pique the interest of agents and editors and result in multi-house bidding wars!
Now, let’s move on to the ARPIL Pitch Pick! (I apologize again for getting so far behind with the pitch picks that we’re having to do one a week for eternity here – you guys are very patient with me!)
Please read through our WYRI contestants’ revised pitches below. Choose the one you like best and think is most deserving of a read and comments by Erin Molta and vote by Sunday September 23 at 9PM Eastern. Rachel, Candace, Amanda, Corine, and I all thank you and send virtual Snickers bars your way! 🙂
All Seren has ever wanted is to become an astronaut…but training at the academy is hard work and she cant keep up! If Seren doesn’t improve her grades she won’t be selected for an upcoming space mission. A crisis hits the International Space Station and only a pint sized hero can save the day. Seren has to step up in order to save a team of astronauts and to achieve her dream of going in to space.
#2 – Candace – Curious Cassandra – PB Ages 2-6
The pitch: Cassandra overhears her mother talking about the plants their neighbor, Mrs Fulton, is growing in her garden – turtle’s heads, fox’s gloves, and lamb’s ears. She wants to see these mysterious plants for herself but, Mrs Fulton is on vacation. There must be a way to spy over, under, or through the garden fence and Cassandra intends figure it out.
When Sylvia’s family is too busy to help her build a blanket fort, she takes matters into her own hands. She utilizes her pint-sized engineering skills: brainstorming, sketching, measuring, and drafting to create the perfect invention! She brings CABot, her Customized Assisting Robot, to life. CABot becomes her fort building solution—making her favorite pastime a reality. But Sylvia soon finds out that CABot can help her build more than just a fort when inspiration strikes again—solving her problem of eating eggplant parmesan for dinner.
#4 – Corine – Willamina the Wolf Spider – PB Ages 6-9
Willamina the wolf spider wants more than anything to keep her spiderlings safe, but when her tummy starts grumbling, she knows it’s time to hunt. Not an easy task with three hundred spiderlings on her back! To make matters worse, it is full moon, and she is not the only one who is hungry. Willamina has to outsmart an owl, a shrew, and, in the end, a woman with a broom—an incident that forces her to release her spiderlings, but not before telling them they are going on a flying adventure.
Now then! I think we’ve all earned Something Chocolate, don’t you? What should we have today…? How about some chocolate pound cake with chocolate ganache? That sounds like breakfast, doesn’t it? 🙂
Mmm! Delish! Goes great with coffee, tea or milk, and is guaranteed to either pep us up or put us down for a nap 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Lily. Lily Erlic is a member of the SCBWI. She has authored many books included Finger Rhymes for Manners and Glaciers: Landscape Carvers. She is a preschool and daycare teacher (ECE) with a BA degree from the University of Victoria.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Garden Bed
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 2-5)
The Pitch: Garden Bed is a lyrical rhyming book that takes place in the garden. Each plant is put to sleep gently. Tomato, cucumber, parsley, eggplant, kale, purple potato, lettuce, carrots and peas are lulled to sleep. At the end, a young child is placed in a “garden bed” and gently lulled to sleep as well. An early picture book for children five and under, this book will find an audience in preschool and daycares across the country. This book will resonate with parents especially for nap time or before bed. I can provide back matter for each type of vegetable.
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 Lily 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!
Lily is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the Princeton Children’s Book Festival this Saturday!!! Will any of you be there? I hope you’ll stop by and say hi!
