There may not be any grass to walk barefoot in quite yet (at least not in my neck of the woods! 🙂 ) but a little Whoopie Pie indulgence on the back porch in the sunshine works just fine!
Have two! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah, whom you will remember from several previous pitches (but not the same Sarah as last week!) Sarah 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: Matt, Bratt, and Scit-Scat are three rat friends who leave the rat pack and find their own feast. They become trapped in a trash receptacle. Nudging not a budge, that can just won’t take a shake. The whole pack is summoned, and the friends re-think their initial plan.
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 is one opening left in May, and more in June, so you have a little 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 seeing a PDF of my long-awaited ALPHABEDTIME! It’s been promised, and hasn’t arrived yet, but it could at any minute! You never know! Keep your fingers crossed! 🙂
I am counting the minutes until Spring! (10,080! Or if that sounds like too big a number we can count by hours – 168! or by days – 7! or by weeks – 1!!!)
I realize of course that up here on Blueberry Hill the Spring Equinox does not blossoms and bunnies and green grass make.
But Spring is a state of mind – a state we have official permission to be in in one week!
And I am READY!
So ready that I’ve got the picnic packed with Something Chocolate! How do you feel about Italian Chocolate Cake?
Doesn’t that look scrumptious? It’s part of a complete breakfast along with toast, juice, eggs, milk, fruit, and breakfast cereal! 🙂
Now that we are suitably fortified, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah who says, “After spending most of the past decade living in various parts of Europe with my husband, I’ve recently returned to the US. I currently run a freelance business providing editing and book design services to independent authors while continuing to work toward my own publishing dreams, which began with the paid publication of a short story online. I am an active member of SCBWI.”
The Pitch: Charley Sock-kitty finds a sock with stripes like hers, and then another one. Her wise friend Patrick the Pony tells Charley socks always come in pairs—they’re twins. Charley wonders if she has a twin like the sock does. Her friends—Bubbles the Yarn-Kitty, Teddy the Bear, & Patrick—help her try to find her family. But Charley discovers she’s had one all along.
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 May, 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 🌼🌸🌹 SPRING!!! 🌷🌺🌼(although it is marginally possible I may have already mentioned that! 🙂 )
If you’re feeling especially artistic today, it’s probably because it’s Michelangelo’s 544th birthday. I know this because he and I go way back. “Best buds” is not a stretch. As you may or may not know, we are both known for our terrible fashion sense 🙂 And he was a poet who wrote over 300 poems, and a sculptor of great renown, and I am not a poet and my sculpting ability is taxed by making snowmen 🙂 Kindred spirits, obviously.
🙂
Anyway… while we are not talking about ballet… (and in a stunning example of a non sequitur) I’m pleased to announce that the winner of the January Pitch Pick is Dedra with her PB pitch for Mawbellina Ballerina! Congratulations, Dedra! Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts!
Congratulations to all our other brave pitchers as well! You all wrote fabulous pitches and improved them beautifully based on the feedback you received. It is always a tough pick! I hope everyone feels that they have solidly improved pitches to send out into the world as a result of their courage in asking for input.
You may not all have gotten to have Erin read your pitches but you have DEFINITELY earned Something Chocolate!!! 🙂 How about some Fudge which is total health food because it’s Paleo-friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free! (I think we can just add to that “calorie free” and “guilt free”! 🙂 )
I mean, health food doesn’t get much more delicious-looking than that, does it?! 🙂
And it’s so good for you there’s no reason not to indulge in seconds and thirds! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Shell who says, “My name is Shell LeDrew, I live in beautiful Newfoundland, Canada and I am a grateful Mom to my reader Sam 10 and my tornado Buddha Charlie 7. After a career wearing many hats including that of flight attendant, I married a pilot and wrote a story about it!
Here is a pitch for my silly and sweet 443 word Picture Book (ages 3-7) entitled “Mommy, Where’s Daddy?!””
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Mommy, Where’s Daddy?
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: After Dylan’s day dream of flying fabulous airplanes with his pilot Daddy is interrupted by his Moms insistence of bedtime, he comes up with countless tricks to delay going to bed until he realizes his sleep dream is the way back to being the wingman of his dreams!
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 Shell 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 May, 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!
Shell is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to improving my sculpting skills in the medium of cookie dough! 🙂
After what seems like a long hiatus due to the Valentiny Contest, we’re back to our regularly scheduled Would You Read It Wednesday!
Apparently we’re in a voting mode this week, because if it’s not noon yet there is still time for you to read Valentiny Writing Contest Finalists and vote for your favorite (and also please spread the word to everyone you know who might want to read and vote because we need all the votes we can get!) AND today we have the January Pitch Pick, so you can vote for your favorite of those!
So let’s start with the Pitch Pick. Here are the January pitches, revised by their authors on the basis of all your wonderful and helpful feedback! Please read through them and choose the one you feel is best and most deserving of a read and comments from editor Erin Molta! Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by Sunday March 3 at 5 PM Eastern.
#1 – Aileen – Professor Hound and the Elusive Thieves (CB)
John B. Hound, Professor at the Collarsville Academy and secret agent working for Breeds Over National Emergencies or B.O.N.E. for short, is on a mission to sniff out thieves and recover stolen goods. His job_ to determine why recent burglaries only occur in the homes of wealthy Hound Academy students, if any of the Hound Academy staff are involved, and who sent the perfumed note containing a clue. Will Professor Hound decipher the note and other clues in time or will the sneaky culprits outsmart him and get away with the valuables?
#2 – Dedra – Mawbellina Ballerina (PB ages 3-8)
Mawbelina Ballerina is a young weenie dog desperate to go to dance school with her older siblings. Being the youngest of the family frustrates Mawbelina. Not long enough or tall enough to go, she pirouettes and pliés, whines and pouts until she realizes there is time for dance school later. She understands being home with her mom is special. See how she learns a lesson in patience and decides being small can be fun.
#3 – Jennifer – BYOB, Bring Your Own Bear (PB ages 4-8)
Jillian knew that Rex wasn’t a bear, it wasn’t something that had ever mattered before. But, on the day of the Teddy Bear Picnic, it suddenly mattered… a lot. Realizing she might be the only one without a bear, Jillian decides do whatever it takes for she and Rex to fit in, even if it means keeping a secret from her friends.
#4 – Fanny – Hazel Lee’s Place In The Sky (NF PB ages 6-9)
Hazel Lee is not the stereotypical Chinese-American young woman. She is loud, stubborn, and athletic. Against the expectations of her Chinese community, she earns a pilot’s license, when women in the 1930s are thought to be too emotional to be a pilot. Her high-spirited personality gains friendship and acceptance among fellow WASPs (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots) who had never met a Chinese before. Hazel proves she can fly fighter planes as well as any man.
Always such a hard choice, isn’t it? Clearly we need Something Chocolate after that! Since it’s breakfast, I’m incorporating fruit for your health! 🙂
YUM! Delicious AND nutritious! (from a certain point of view 🙂 ) Please feel free to help yourselves to seconds. There’s plenty for all! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sarah, whom you will recognize from several previous pitches. Sarah 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: Alien Blob hi-jacks my school bus one morning. He tells us that he wants us to help him gather the ingredients to make school-berry muffins, and we’re supposed to be the school-berries! Blob is not exactly familiar with the ways and the words of Earth, so I try to fool him. He is smart enough to see right through my attempts, though. I must plan something really clever.
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 May, 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 seeing who wins the Valentiny Contest! We will find out tomorrow!!! I can’t wait!!! 🙂
This is at least the second year in a row when my best laid plans for getting the Valentiny judging done have found themselves up the creek without a paddle and no help in sight!
What is it about February?!
Once again, Judge #1 ended up with a whole lot of extra family stuff – some expected, some not…plus unexpected work…
…and Judge #2 had a ton of actual job-related work that had to be attended to.
(Judge #3 was awesome in every way and is probably the only reason the judging ever got finished! 🙂 )
But at this rate, we may have to start running the Valentiny Contest in July! 🙂
Add to that that apparently “guilt” was a tough topic! and we were seriously up against it!!!
Nearly all the entries fell into one of 5 categories:
– MC unintentionally makes a V-Day related mess
– MC accidentally ends up eating all the chocolates intended as a gift
– number of Valentines for class comes up short by one/one “mean” child is skipped on purpose
– MC didn’t make/purchase Valentines (either because V-Day is stupid or MC didn’t get around to it)
– a guilty dog is involved 🙂
I’m not sure we’ve ever had a contest where the entries could be so uniformly categorized. This is not to say, of course, that ALL the entries fell into those categories – they did not! – or that there weren’t some very well written entries – there were! – or that the stories weren’t original – but it was interesting that the topic of guilt seemed to be harder than some others to come up with wide variety for.
Anyway, after much agonizing, torment, and second-guessing, we have come up with a list of finalists that we felt did the all-around best job of meeting all the judging criteria. No doubt there will be some you’re surprised not to see – there were some very well written ones that did not make the cut, mostly because the guilt wasn’t strong enough. But we did the best we could!
So, at long last, and with sincere apologies for keeping you waiting 5 extra days, let’s have a look at….
Before we get to the actual list of finalists, I have a couple things to say. (I know you’re shocked as I’m normally so spare with my words :))
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for so many!
Second, I’d also like to thank EVERYONE – writer, reader, or both – who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! 🙂
Third, before I list the finalists, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad. There was a huge amount of competition – about 170 entries of which only 12 made the finals. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point – we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn’t make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn’t write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 214 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Now. Onto the judging criteria which were as follows:
Kid-appeal/Kid-friendliness – remember, this is a story for kids!
Creativity in using guilt and success in making us feel the guilt! (Not enough just to use the word guilt!)
Valentine’s Day appropriateness – this is a VALENTINE story and as such must feel like it is connected to Valentine’s Day/has something to do with it being Valentine’s!
Quality of story – we will look for basic story elements and a true story arc
Quality of writing – use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics
Originality – surprise us with something new and different! 🙂
We really tried to choose stories that did the best job of fulfilling ALL the judging criteria. There were some truly wonderful stories that didn’t have much to do with Valentines Day even if Valentine’s Day was mentioned in passing – they just didn’t seem connected to Valentines – or that didn’t seem to really showcase guilt although they may have used the word “guilt”, or that didn’t seem particularly kid-oriented even though they were very creative and well-written, or that really had us…until the last line or two when things sadly fell apart. We tried our best to select finalists that checked all the boxes.
So without further ado, I present to you the finalists in the 2019 Fourth Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest! Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite in the poll below by Wednesday February 27 at 12 PM (noon) Eastern time. I apologize for the fact that since I’m late posting the finalists, there will be a Tuesday Debut post on Tuesday and a WYRI post on Wednesday, so this post with the finalists and the poll will drop down the blog list – but it will still be there and the poll will be open for voting until midday Wednesday!
To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.
And I’d like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best. Please do that. The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better. HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do nottell people you are a finalist. Please do notask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about the tap-dancing troll who felt guilty for waking up the baby billy goat or whatever. Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit. We operate on the honor system. I thank you in advance for respecting this. Your win will mean more if it’s honestly earned.
Here are the 2019 Valentiny Contest Finalists!!! Some poetry, some prose, some for younger readers, some for older (but still kid) readers, all fabulous 🙂
#1 – The Valentine’s Day Mess & Cure
Dear Mom and Dad,
When you wake up,
you’ll see your tea and coffee cup.
(Don’t worry, ‘cause the broom worked well for cleaning up the plate that fell.)
I made you toast with jam and butter, wiped the crumbs but left some clutter.
(Couldn’t get some sticky spots off counters, tables, chairs, and pots.)
A napkin holds a chocolate heart that you can simply break apart.
(Yes, there were two, but I concede, how much dark chocolate does one need?)
This card is trimmed in frilly lace to put a smile upon your face.
(Oh, by the way, the sewing kit? It now needs straightening up a bit.)
I hope your Valentine’s Day fun is nicer ‘cause of what I’ve done
(and sort of wondering if you might, push back my time for bed tonight?)
XOXOXOXOXOXO
P.S. Uh-oh…I’m feeling bad. I wanted you to be so glad
but went about it like a jerk and caused you both a lot of work.
I wasn’t such a thoughtful kid. I should have cared—not like I did.
When you wake up, let’s make a plan, and I’ll correct what goofs I can.
With Love and Kisses,
You Know Who (I love you both a bunch, I DO!)
#2 – The Queen Of Hearts
Meg didn’t care about candy hearts or lacy cards. Tomorrow was the Valentine’s play!
All she wanted was to be the Queen of Hearts.
All she wanted was to wear the golden crown with the red sequins.
All she wanted was to win the role from Leah and Carly.
“I can’t decide,” said Mrs. Clark. “You would all make exquisite queens.” Then she wrote each girl’s name on a strip of paper and placed them in a basket. “I’ll pick one of you tomorrow.”
The bell rang. Meg lingered.
No one will know. I want it more than they do. Just this once.
Meg wrote her name on two more paper strips. Carefully, she replaced the names of her friends with her own in Mrs. Clark’s basket. She could almost feel the crown on her head as she skipped home.
At dinner, Meg couldn’t eat.
She tried rehearsing, but couldn’t remember her lines.
She went to bed early, but couldn’t sleep.
Her heart hurt.
When Meg arrived at school the next day, she was surprised to see a lacy, red-sequined Valentine on her desk.
Good luck to all of us today! Love, Leah and Carly
Meg’s eyes filled with tears.
“Mrs. Clark,” she said, “I have something to tell you.”
#3 – Mother Knows Best
“Here, let me do the dishes Mom.”
“But you can’t reach the sink.”
“Then let me take the garbage out. I’m strong enough…I think.”
“Dad took the trash out yesterday. Son, what is up with you?”
“Um, nothing. Can’t I want to help?”
“Not when you never do.”
“I hope you liked the Valentine I worked so hard to make.
I cut a billion tiny hearts; I thought my hands would break!”
“I think I told you twenty times how much I loved your card.
Max, if you really want to help, then play out in the yard.”
“A great idea! While I’m out I’ll do some helpful deeds –
like rake the leaves or mow the grass or even pull some weeds.”
“It’s winter – there’s no grass to cut and no leaves anywhere!
Now Maxwell Walter Anderson, you sit down in that chair
and do not move a muscle ‘till you’re ready to confess.”
“Mom,
…if I’ve done something awful will you love my any less?”
“Of course I won’t! Now come on dear, just tell me what you’ve done.”
“You know your Truffles Daddy bought?
I only left you one.”
#4 – Single… Double… TRIPLE GUILTY!
Valentine’s Day tomorrow! Tony could hardly wait. Ms. Flinker was throwing an old-fashioned Valentine’s party with balloons and cupcakes, and a Valentine’s Box for each of them, so all the kids in the class could put in cards.
Tony dumped out his box of SuperZoomer Valentines. Uh-oh. 20 cards per box. 21 kids in his class.
He giggled. He wouldn’t give nasty Lisa one. She said he was too little for Kindergarten. She called him Tiny, even when he yelled MY NAME IS TONY!
On Valentine’s Day, a SuperZoomer Valentine superzoomed into nearly all the Valentine Boxes lined up along the front table. Nobody noticed that Tony didn’t put one in Lisa’s box. His stomach did, though. GUILTY, it told him.
They ate their cupcakes. They drank red juice. Then it was time for the Valentines. The first one out of his box was from – LISA! Oh no. His stomach said DOUBLE GUILTY. The Valentine said, “Tony – I’m sorry. Can we be friends?”
TRIPLE GUILTY said his stomach. He ran to the back of the room. Red construction paper. Markers. SuperZoomer fast, he made a Valentine.
“Lisa, my card for you wouldn’t fit in the box.”
She looked. “To my new friend. Happy VALENTINY Day!”
#5 – The Missing Pupcake
Brayden loved both of his dogs just the same.
They weren’t alike–one was wild, one was tame.
Mona made mischief, she didn’t know, “NO!”
Lisa obeyed because Brayden said so.
Brayden created some Valentine treats,
a doggy dessert made with eggs, oats, and beets.
The piping hot pupcakes were spread out to cool
all over the counter, but underneath—DROOL!
“Let’s grab a pupcake while Brayden is gone,”
Mona said. “I’m too short! Let me climb on.”
Lisa looked back toward the door with remorse.
Mona whined, “Help me out! You be my horse!”
Lisa stood steady while she climbed aboard.
Mona stretched upward, then seized her reward,
nearly inhaled the first pupcake she saw,
leaped down from Lisa’s back, “Got it! Hurrah!”
Lisa slunk out of the kitchen to hide.
She acted guilty, but Mona felt pride.
Brayden came in, heard their skittering feet,
glanced at the counter, saw one missing treat.
“Mona and Lisa!” he cried in dismay.
“I baked those pupcakes for Valentine’s Day.
Which of you took it? It’s time to confess!”
Lisa looked hangdog, her eyes blinked distress.
Brayden inspected them, solving the puzzle.
Mona had cake crumbs all over her muzzle.
“Mona, you’re busted! Now you go to bed!”
Then Brayden gave Lisa two pupcakes instead.
#6 – Cupid’s Last Card
Hands off, it’s mine.
I know what you’re thinking. He’s Cupid. He’s supposed to give out Valentine’s cards. It’s his job.
Well, maybe you’re right, but has anyone ever thought about me? Don’t I deserve some attention too?
It’s not easy flying around delivering all those chocolates and stuffed pandas, you know.
So I’m keeping the card.
Yes, I know it’s supposed to be yours. You’re my last delivery. But let’s just forget about that, okay? I’ll make it up next year. You’ll get a REALLY BIG stuffed panda.
Don’t look at me like that.
I’m sure you’re a nice kid. Eat all your veggies? Brush your teeth every night? That’s great.
But the card’s mine.
What’s that? No one else has given you a card? Well…
Phew. Kinda warm in here.
I’m sure you’re mistaken. Check your mailbox again.
Still nothing? Well…
How about we split it? I’ll take half and you’ll…
Oh, don’t cry.
I can’t stand seeing nice kids cry. If you start then I’m…
WHO’S CUTTING THOSE ONIONS?
How about borrowing it…? No?
Sniffing it…? No?
How about… uh…
OH, I CAN’T STAND IT! Here, take it! Just take it! I hope you’re happy now! And furthermore–
Huh? What’s that?
Oh. Thanks. Thanks, kid.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too.
#7 – Chadwick The Zombie Cooks Up A Valentine
Chadwick the zombie was often alone,
feeling quite lonesome and blue.
While all of his peers nibbled brains, eyes, and ears,
Chadwick baked bread and cooked stew.
“Nobody gets me,” young Chadwick complained.
“But next week is Valentine’s Day!
Instead of fresh hearts I’ll bring raspberry tarts,
That should bring new friends my way!”
Valentine’s came and his classmates gave out
boxes of brains and warm bile.
Chadwick left sweets at the kids’ assigned seats
then waited to see them all smile.
“Ew!” “What is this?” “Who’d bring sweets to a party?”
Chadwick felt tears in his eyes.
His classmates went still when they saw those tears spill,
ashamed as they heard his soft cries.
Norbert, a boy in the back of the class
squeamishly reached for his treat.
He screwed up his face, then he took a small taste…
and smiled! “This is good! Let’s all eat!”
Zombies were gobbling those tarts in a flash.
“Chadwick, good job!” “Crust has flake!”
Chadwick then heard these delectable words:
“Hey, could you teach us to bake?”
Chadwick the zombie was often with pals,
smiling for hours on end.
Blending and stirring, kneading and whirring,
mixing up fun with his friends.
#8 – A Box Full Of Love
Max gave the heart shaped box a big shake.
Empty.
How could all of the candy be gone? He meant to eat only one piece but it had tasted so good…
“Hola, Max,” said Papi. “What is that in your hand?”
“Nothing,” sighed Max. “It was going to be a Valentine’s Day gift for Mama but, I ate all the candy so now it’s just an empty box.”
Papi opened the box. “This box is not empty,’ he said.
“Yes, it is,” said Max.
“No,” said Papi. “You thought of Mama and wanted to make her happy and that is what love is, thinking about others and wanting to make them happy. So you see, this box is full of love. Now how about we go to the kitchen and make Mama some special Valentine’s Day cookies? You get the flour and I’ll get the eggs and sugar.”
On the kitchen counter Max noticed another heart shaped box.
“What is that?” he asked
“That?’ said Papi, furiously mixing the eggs and sugar together. “Ahhh…That is another box of love for Mama.”
Max smiled. “You ate all the candy too, didn’t you Papi?”
“Si,” said Papi. “Now, hand me the flour so we can finish these cookies before Mama gets home. Rapido!”
#9 – Buffa-lonely Love Day
At the zoo, it’s party time:
zebras clamor, monkeys climb.
Elephants hang decorations—
time for Love Day celebrations.
Sending cards, they’re all gung-ho…
all except for Buffalo.
Looking for her valentine…
Doesn’t find one!
“So what?! FINE!”
Scrunched-up nose and pouted lips,
tucks her hooves into her hips.
“Such a wild, rambunctious crowd,
much too lively, much too loud.
Had enough of this commotion.
Too much lovey-dove emotion.”
Quick, she trots around the zoo,
making others cranky too.
Creeps up to the three baboons…
POP! There go their three balloons.
Finds two penguins on the ice…
steals their heart-shaped pebbles (twice).
One bear’s heart cake—Where’d it go?
Who would smash it?
“Buffalo!”
Party ruined: roars and growls.
Buffalo just sits and scowls.
Buffa-lonely, all alone.
“Still no cards, still on my own.
Wrecked their party, made them mad.
What a rotten day I’ve had.”
Maybe if she sent a letter…
she might feel a little better.
“Sorry that I wrecked your bash,
and tossed your goodies in the trash…
See, I found it pretty hard
when all but me received a card.”
Party mix-up, at the zoo…
“You got no card? We never knew!”
“Buffalo, look here and see:
your valentine fell in this tree!”
Buffalo is so excited!
Party re-do… All invited!
#10 – Guess Who?
Who made their bed and fed the cat?
Almost.
Who cleaned up when the milk went splat?
Well, close.
Who carried out the trash with care?
Oops, whoa!
Who fixed the baby’s messy hair?
Oh no.
Who put a drawing at your place?
Rub, scrub.
Who found a flower for your favorite vase?
Mop slop.
Who saved a foil wrapped chocolate kiss?
Yum, yum.
And set it where you couldn’t miss?
“Dear Mum”
I guess you figured out it’s me.
I’m guilty, as no doubt, you see.
I tried to think of something good
but it didn’t turn out quite as it should.
My valentine surprise is done.
With hugs and kisses from your son.
#11 – Heart Socks For The Win
Alex clutched her rainbow wallet. Inside the dollar store, she headed for the clothing aisle.
Her eyes widened. Perfect! Just what she wanted for the Valentine’s party. She gazed at the socks with rainbow-colored hearts. Her own heart raced.
A smaller girl stopped beside her. Through thick glasses, she peered at the heart socks. “Ooh! I’m gonna ask Grandma to buy them with my birthday dollar.” Alex heard the girl’s loose shoes slapping away.
“I saw them first!” Alex grabbed the socks, pressing them to her body. Head down, she marched to the check-out. The clerk gave her change from her $10. Alex barely mumbled “Thank you.”
On Valentine’s Day, she shoved the socks in her backpack. “I’ll put them on later,” she thought.
At school, the gym was open. A little girl with glasses cartwheeled in circles. Alex’s guilty heart did a somersault. She knew what she must do.
Walking quickly to the shoes lining the wall, she knelt and set a heart sock in each of two old sneakers.
Without the socks, the party was just okay. But Alex’s heart soared when she ran to the bus. On a playground swing, a pair of little legs covered in hearts the color of the rainbow flew high.
#12 – Love Bug At The Zoo
I’m know I’m just small, but I must confess,
I am the love bug who caused this huge mess.
I shouldn’t have gone out on Valentine’s Day,
I infected the zoo, I got carried away.
I’m sorry my nibbles caused such a commotion
My bites are much stronger than any love potion.
Now Monkey is gaga and Parrot is squawking
“I love you, I love you…” she doesn’t quit talking.
Poor Panda is spellbound, and Seal is lovesick,
and Frog is enamored with bright red lipstick.
The meercats are staring, with googley-eyes,
at Penguin, who suddenly really loves fries.
Giraffe has gone ape, and Ape is obsessed,
he keeps blowing kisses and pounding his chest.
Lion’s in love, and Emu is entranced
by Flamingo’s new fondness for ballroom style dance.
Bear is bewitched, and so is Baboon.
Zebra saw Peacock and started to swoon.
Peacock keeps prancing to get Snakes attention
But Snake has been charmed, and there’s more I won’t mention.
The bites will wear off, they’ll be fine before morning,
But watch out for love bugs, we strike without warning!
Wow! Those were impressive, weren’t they? Good luck picking! 🙂
Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by Wednesday February 27 at 12 PM (noon) Eastern time.
Tune in Thursday February 28 to see THE WINNERS!!!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to write (if you did), read, and vote! These contests simply wouldn’t be what they are without all of you!
I can’t wait to see who the winners will be!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to lie on the couch, wrap a hot towel around my head, and get a nap 🙂 after all that reading and agonizing and negotiating.
Okay.
Not really.
I will actually be taking my dad’s car to get a recalled part replaced and frantically trying to catch up on things I shoved to the back burner whilst reading Valentiny stories in the dealership waiting room where they will hopefully have a Keurig!
Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!!! . . . now that it’s basically Monday 🙂
The Contest: since writing for children is all about “big emotion for little people” (I forget who said that, but someone did so I put it in quotes!) and Valentines Day is all about emotion, write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone feels guilty! Your someone can feel guilty themselves or make someone else feel guilty. They may feel guilty for good reason, or just because they think they should! Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone guilty (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day 🙂 You can go under the word count but not over! (Title is not included in the word count.) If you are so inclined, you are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself 🙂 No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and tomorrow Thursday February 14th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list below. There will be no Would You Read It or PPBF for the duration of the contest so this post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you would like to enter but don’t have a blog you are welcome to paste your entry in the comment section below (please be sure to include your byline so that if your posting handle is writesbynightlight1 or something I’ll be able to tell who you are!) If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email your entry to me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com and I’ll post your entry for you. But please don’t send attachments! Just copy and paste your story including byline into the email. Also, please only post your entry once – either in the comment section of my blog or on the link list or by emailing me and asking me to post it. Multiple postings of the same entry get confusing. 🙂 P.S. Although I try to stay glued to my computer 24/7 I am sometimes forced to leave my desk. If you haven’t commented on my blog before, your comment won’t show up until I approve it. It may take a little while if I’m away from my desk. Likewise, if you send me an entry to post, I promise I will do it as soon as I can!
The Judging: over the next several days, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 6-10 top choices depending on number and quality of entries (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with the narrowing, so we’ll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Wednesday February 20th (or possibly a day or two later if the judges need extra time.) The winner will be announced Friday February 22nd or Saturday February 23rd depending on judging and voting time needed. The dates of the judging/voting/winner announcements are subject to finagling depending on how much time the judges actually end up needing!
Judging criteria will include:
Kid-appeal/Kid-friendliness – remember, this is a story for kids!
Creativity in using guilt and success in making us feel the guilt!
Valentine’s Day appropriateness – this is a VALENTINE story!
Quality of story – we will look for basic story elements and a true story arc
Quality of writing – use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it.
Originality – surprise us with something new and different! 🙂
The Prizes: Oh, the awesomeness! Such great prizes to motivate you! 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.
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!
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!
Now.
The time has come for my sample.
It could have really benefited from the 65 words I had to cut out of it to make the 214 word limit! I’m warning you now – have some chocolate handy to help ease the pain of reading it 🙂
Valentine Fair and Square (214 words)
Flora and Miles liked all the same things.
Climbing trees.
Fishing.
Baseball.
And peanut butter ice cream with marshmallow sauce.
Unfortunately, Miles didn’t know Flora existed.
But Flora had a plan.
For days she toiled, making the Best Valentine Ever.
Valentines morning, she put her valentine on Miles’s desk.
Miles would notice her now!
But then Isabella put hers on top!
It was HUGE.
It was FANCY.
It came with a whole box of candy.
DISASTER!
There was only one thing to do.
When Isabella wasn’t looking, Flora grabbed the huge, fancy, pink valentine and hid it behind the bookshelf.
During Attendance, Flora’s middle felt pinchy.
She hadn’t stolen it, she told herself. She’d only moved it!
But during the Pledge, her heart felt twingy.
She so wanted Miles to like her. He had to like her valentine most!
But by Morning Announcements Flora’s thoughts were poking her in the brain. Sharply.
Isabella probably worked as hard on her valentine as Flora had.
Flora flooded with guilt.
She didn’t want to hurt Isabella.
She didn’t want Miles to like her when she’d been deceitful.
So she put Isabella’s valentine back.
“Hey!” said Miles, holding up a valentine. “This is the Best Valentine Ever!”
It wasn’t fancy pink.
It was a climbing-tree-fishing-peanut-butter-cup-and-mini-marshmallow-covered baseball-glove heart.
Flora’s.
❤
Alrighty then!
I feel GUILTY for writing such drivel 🙂 But surely you are all feeling a surge of confidence, emboldened to share your stories, now that I have posted this travesty for all the world to see! Never let it be said that I’m not willing to make a fool of myself for you, my friends! 🙂
I can’t wait to read all of yours! I’m SO looking forward to them! I hope there will be LOTS – the more the merrier! And you still have until midnight tomorrow to write, so you have time if you haven’t written yet. Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well. And your reading friends – parents, teachers, etc. The more people who read and enjoy your stories, the better!!!
So!
Contest Entrants, remember to add your post-specific link to the list below so we can all come read your awesome stories! (Post-specific means not your main blog url, but the actual url of the post that has your story in it – otherwise if you post again before the contest ends, your link will take readers… and judges!… to the wrong place!) Please allow a few minutes and possibly refresh your browser before deciding that your link hasn’t posted and adding it a second time or emailing it to me.
Eager Readers – click on the links in the list to visit the blogs and read the stories. And be sure to read the 92 fabulous entries posted in the comment section below!!!
Happy Valentines Week, Everyone! ❤
Scroll through the comments to find these wonderful stories!
Valentine’s Day Confession – Juli
Prince Froggie Went A’ Courtin’ – Sherry
Valentine’s Remorsel – Joel
Sophie Builds A Bridge – Corine
Charity’s Chocolate Bath – Johanna
Candy Hearts – Glenda
Cupid’s Valentine Scrabble – Jill
Momo On Valentine’s Day – Shariffa
A Valentine’s Party At School – Anneberly
Secret Mission Valentine – Ramona
It Wasn’t Me! – Susan
The Little Piggies Celebrate Valentines Day – Sarah
Messy Valentines – Sarah
Wilfred’s Valentine’s Day – Cheryl
A Box Full Of Love – Anne
No Sweethearts – Marcia
The Missing Pupcake – Jill
Cupid And Bob – Jessica
The Important Pink Washcloth – Marcia
Valentine’s Day Smiles – Katie
A Penny For His Thoughts – Charlene
The Girl With The Dragon Choo-Choo – Anne
Where Does Love Go? – Aixa
The Sucker – Megan
I Was Wrong – Nina
Alex & Apple Solve The Case – Nicole
Tamu, The Thieving Cat (Paka Mwizi)! – Ketan
Late Night Snack – Mary
A Way With Words – Susan
A Spiny Valentiny – Rachel
Love Bug At The Zoo – Chambrae
Stan’s First Valentine’s Day – Jessica
Tom’s Dad – ???
The Lovebird’s Valentiny Ball – Barbara
Love LOVES Love – Rebecca
Sasquatch: In Search Of A Valentine – Mary
The Case Of The Missing Valentine’s Candy – Sherry
My Muddy Valentine – Jennifer
Sometimes To Always – Jan
The Heart-Shaped Balloon – Amy
Tater Tot Tilly’s Valentine Treat – Kim
No Ordinary Thursday – Emma
Alma’s GREEN Valentine – Amy
Ahava’s School Valentine Surprise – Amy
An ImPURRfect Valentine Surprise – Deborah
Last Valentine’s – Tonya
Vivi’s Heart – Pai
A Valentine For Papa – Keely
A Valentine Party To Remember – Judy
A Valentine For Prince Donald – Jim
Tiny Crush – Amy
The Valentine’s Day Mess & Cure – Joyce
Hillary’s Heart – Deborah
The Perfect Valentine – Susie
Change Of Heart – Jeannine
The Presents – Kirsten
Teacher Valentine – Rosemary
Happy Valentine’s Day To Everyone – Michele
Conversation Smarts – Lauren
Twenty Chocolate Kisses – Patricia
A Little Heart – Lynn
Guess Who? – Marty
Big Sister For The Day – Alison
Puneet’s Valentine Birthday – Johannah
Ella And Emma And The Valentine Verdict – Cindy
A Valentine For Valentina – Lara
The (Not So) Great Revenge – Darcee
The Glass Heart – Gabriella
All Wrapped Up – Mia
A Valentine’s Day Breakfast “Trip” – Susan
Raisins Or Frosting – Ashely
Buffa-lonely Love Day – Jennifer
Bookworm’s Valentine – Dee
The Saga Of Cupid – Linda
Celebrate Every Day With A Poem – Kathy
Puppies Can’t Eat Chocolate – Jan
Something Special – Deb
Spoon In Hand – DL
The Unkeepable Promise – Juliana
Guilty As Charged – Michelle
Valentines For All – Marjorie
Mom’s Valentine – Scott
How It All Began – Linda
The Coconut Covered Chocolates – Carmen
Valentine Dilemma – Ranessa
Who Will Be Mine? – Susie
Blue Whale’s Big Heart – Susan
Chadwick The Zombie Cooks Up A Valentine – Katrina
Wouldn’t it be great if Would You Read It Wednesday had a theme song?
Something catchy, like The Beverly Hillbillies tune?
Then we could all start our Wednesday mornings singing together!
I’m sure it would bring about great changes for good in the world 🙂
So if anyone is inspired, feel free to make suggestions in the comments – video auditions welcome 🙂
Meanwhile, now that it’s February, it’s time to announce the winner of the October Pitch Pick! (We are right on schedule around here! 🙂 )
The winner of the October Pitch Pick was Ciara with her PB pitch for Drop The Dragon! Congratulations on a fabulous pitch, Ciara! It is on it’s way to editor Erin Molta for her thoughts!
And congratulations also to our other brave pitchers who stepped up and shared their work for all of us to learn from and who hopefully feel they gained from the experience even if they don’t get to have Erin critique their pitches. You are all amazing!
Onward to the November/December Pitch Pick!
Please read through the following pitches, revised on the basis of your helpful feedback, and choose the one you feel is best and most deserving of a read and critique by editor Erin Molta! Vote for your choice in the poll below by Sunday February 10 at 5 PM Eastern.
But Flaminga is willing to try anything to win the admiration of zoo patrons from daring disguises, delightful dances, to gifts of guppies. Her clumsiness may set her plans afoul, but it is also becomes the key to achieving her dreams.
#2 – Mary – The Mouse Of Rocktown Museum (PB ages 3-7)
Parker Higgins adores his museum home until he comes face-to-face with a new security guard, who is decidedly not mouse-friendly. After close calls with a broom, mousetraps, and a hungry cat, Parker launches an ingenious plan to protect the life he loves.
#3 – Sarah – Hive To Move (PB ages 4-8)
Betsie and Leelee’s hive has outgrown its home. The bees swarm, which is explained in the back matter. Betsie, a scout, must find a new home before her sisters are disturbed by the pesky humans. When a bee wrangler is summoned, Leelee encourages Betsie to search faster. This fictitious story is based on Thomas Seeley’s HONEYBEE DEMOCRACY.
#4 – Lily – Ana and Puto – Hungry In The Hills Of Hercegovina (PB ages 4-8) Creative nonfiction (based on my aunt’s true story)
Ana wants to relieve her hunger but it is a struggle in her poor village in the hills of Hercegovina, Yugoslavia in 1956. Puto, her dog, chases foxes and wolves away from the family’s herd of sheep. When Ana and Puto face a hungry vulture and their lives are threatened, she braves the battle with her shepherd’s staff and the bark of her courageous dog. She discovers that being grateful ‘for not just every morsel we receive but for every breath we are given’.
I think a little pick-me-up is in order after all that voting, don’t you? How about Something Chocolate? Continuing our Valentine theme, I’m thinking Red Velvet Brownies With White Chocolate Icing (because red velvet is technically chocolate, red and white are very Valentiny, and if you put the two weaker sisters of the chocolate family together (red velvet and white chocolate) they equal actual chocolate 🙂 )
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Amitha who says, “This is my first book, and I truly enjoy writing. I am a high school student with a passion to learn. In my free time, most can find me reading a book, playing with my dog, or writing more stories! Apart from writing, I enjoy being with animals or reading on a rainy day. Much like my character, I am an introvert and love staying inside and learning new things. However, the times where I interact socially is at the mall or library looking for cute plushies to satisfy my inner child. Speaking of which, I also like to help children learn more about reading, and I set up a reading program for young children for a full year back in my previous primary school.”
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The Genchi War
Age/Genre: Early YA
The Pitch: A girl (Amethyst Capricorn) who’s never fit in, finally finds others like her but must fulfill an ancient prophecy to save her new world, and her hostage family.
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 Amitha 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 March, 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!
Amitha is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to sharing my new classroom guides with anyone who might be interested! Check out the appropriately named Classroom Guides page of my website to see the beautiful Guides By Deb created for WHEN YOUR LION NEEDS A BATH, WHEN YOUR ELEPHANT HAS THE SNIFFLES, WHEN YOUR LLAMA NEEDS A HAIRCUT, and WHEN YOUR MONKEYS WON’T GO TTO BED!
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
P.S. How is your Valentiny Contest entry coming along??? Check the page for updated prizes!
How are things in your reading, writing, teaching, library-ing, and parenting worlds today?
There is snow in my world, and it’s making me want to write a picture book about snow. The Snowy Day has been done 🙂 but there’s got to be another possibility!
For any of you who didn’t notice the post I snuck in on Sunday evening, the guidelines for the 4th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Contest have been posted! And for those of you who did see it, the prize list has been updated! 🙂 So hop on over and check it out.
Then hop back here and make your choice in the October Pitch Pick!
Here are the revised pitches from our talented October participants. Please read through them and choose the one you think is best and most deserving of a read and comments from editor Erin Molta, then vote for your pick in the poll below by Sunday February 3 at 5 PM (see? you’ll be done before the Super Bowl! 🙂 )
#1 – Katie – The Night There Was No Bedtime (PB ages 3-6)
Mischievous Bedtime decides sleeping is boring. When she and one playful little girl sneak outside for some starlit hide & seek, parents everywhere wonder if their children will ever sleep again—until Bedtime discovers the one thing that makes sleeping sound fun.
#2 – Ciara – Drop The Dragon (PB ages 4-12)
Dragon theft is a real problem for Lily. Her best frenemy, the family dog, is a pilfering pup. To thwart the theft of her toy dragon, Lily engineers towers, traps, and more. But when their toy disappears, these two must join forces to save their beloved dragon.
#3 – Meghan – Weeping Willow (PB ages 4-10)
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?
#4 – Sarah – The Punching Ballerina (PB ages 4-8)
KC, a karate student, longs to take ballet lessons. He weaves all things dance throughout his days, which encourages negative attention at school. After several minor social losses, a group of kids confronts him on the playground. He sticks up for himself peacefully, winning confidence, and gaining something else.
Thank you all in advance for your votes! I think everyone has earned Something Chocolate! I’m on a Valentines theme apparently, started last week with the creme filled chocolate cake hearts, so let’s have heart-shaped butter cookies dipped in chocolate today!
That’s what I call breakfast/second-breakfast/elevenses/afternoon snack/dessert/bedtime snack/midnight snack! Perfect for dunking in coffee/hot chocolate/milk/maybe even tea 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Fanny who says, “I’m a Chinese-American writer who used to design multicultural dolls and puppets for the early childhood education market. After my retirement, it’s natural I want to write for children.”
Working Title: Hazel Lee Flew A Fighter Plane As Well As Any Man
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 6-9)
The Pitch: A Chinese-American woman fighter pilot in WWII? No way! Women shouldn’t be flying alone, they are too nervous, too emotional. But Hazel Lee is not the stereotyped Chinese women!
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 Fanny 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 March, 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!
Fanny is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to writing my snow story! I hope I get farther with it than I did with last week’s pie story! 🙂
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
Oh, and P.S. If I manage to scrape it together, I will post a Straight From The Editor post with the 6 I have hopefully on Saturday or Sunday!
You’ve spent the afternoon baking princess cookies and building the world’s most awesome train track around the entire living room with the littles and now it’s time for pajamas and bed!
What on earth am I doing bugging you at this hour?!
Well, I’ll tell you 🙂
I’m trying to give you enough time to cogitate and write! 🙂
Three years ago, a bunch of folks asked for a contest to cheer them out of the winter doldrums!
The result?
The First Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest!
(Valentiny because, like the Halloweensie Contest, it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂 )
We had so much fun that we went ahead with the 2nd and 3rd Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contests and now it’s kind of a tradition! I mean, no one wants to get bested by a doldrum 🙂
So here we are! The reason I’m interrupting your Sunday!
Announcing . . .
The4thAnnualValentinyWritingContest!!!
~ for children’s writers~
The Contest: since writing for children is all about “big emotion for little people” (I forget who said that, but someone did so I put it in quotes!) and Valentines Day is all about emotion, write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone feels guilty! Your someone can feel guilty themselves or make someone else feel guilty. They may feel guilty for good reason, or just because they think they should! Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone guilty (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day 🙂 You can go under the word count but not over! (Title is not included in the word count.) If you are so inclined, you are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself 🙂 No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between 12:00 AM EDT Wednesday February 13th and Thursday February 14th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list that will accompany my February 13th post. There will be no Would You Read It that week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don’t have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it’s up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you! Please copy and paste your entry into the body of the email – no attachments! And please do not submit emailed entries until the contest begins on Feb. 13!) Please only post your entry ONCE! Either on your blog and the associated link list, or in the comment section of my post! Otherwise it gets confusing 🙂
The Judging: over the next several days, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 6-10 top choices depending on number and quality of entries (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with the narrowing, so we’ll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Wednesday February 20th (or possibly a day or two later if the judges need extra time.) The winner will be announced Friday February 22nd or Saturday February 23rd depending on judging and voting time needed. (And there will be no WYRI or PPBF that week either so that everyone will have time to read and vote and so that we don’t confuse PPBF with announcing winners.) The dates of the judging/voting/winner announcements are subject to finagling depending on how much time the judges actually end up needing!
Judging criteria will include:
Kid-appeal/Kid-friendliness – remember, this is a story for kids!
Creativity in using guilt and success in making us feel the guilt!
Valentine’s Day appropriateness – this is a VALENTINE story!
Quality of story – we will look for basic story elements and a true story arc
Quality of writing – use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it.
Originality – surprise us with something new and different! 🙂
The Prizes: As usual I’m still working on prizes. If anyone has anything fabulous to offer, drop me an email 🙂 But meanwhile, here are some of the awesome prizes just waiting to be won!
– “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.
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!
…and more good stuff coming!
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!
Now then! Aren’t you feeling inspired to write the best Valentiny Story you can so you can win one of these awesome prizes?
Get a nice cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream (fuel, people, your brain needs fuel to write and chocolate is the best!), bring it over to your comfiest writing spot, settle in with some kind of writing implement and a cozy throw to keep you warm, and rev those writing engines!
Ready, set, WRITE!
I so look forward to reading your stories in a couple weeks!!! 🙂
In case you were wondering, today is National Pie Day.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure there are a number of picture books in that!
– the biggest pie in the world
– the smallest pie in the world
– friendship pie
– magic pie
– a pie baked by pirates
– a pie that isn’t baked at all
– a pie that burns, ensuring burglars are brought to justice
– a pie with a secret
– a pie that is a trick
– a pie baked with love
– a pie baked for revenge
– a pie for every season
– a pie that goes for a motorcycle ride
– a pie that is sailed down an underground river
– a mystery pie
– a pie with very unusual filling…
I could go on, but I hope all you writers are hastily scribbling notes for the story you’re going to write as soon as you finish Would You Read It! 🙂 Think of me (and pie) as my contribution to Storystorm 🙂 (And if by some bizarre chance you haven’t heard of Storystorm well, by golly!, click that link!)
But enough about pie! (As if…! 🙂 )
The Halloweensie and Holiday Contests wreaked havoc with my resolution to do a better job of keeping up with the Pitch Picks and Straight From The Editor. I was trying to sort it all out Monday night, and realized I don’t think I ever announced that the winner of the September Pitch Pick was Sarah with her pitch for No Shoes Stanley! Congratulations, Sarah! I have, in actual fact, sent your pitch to Erin and I’m sure you’ll hear from her as soon as she’s able! I’m sorry if your win fell through the cracks of October! But more fun for you now… 🙂 A surprise! With confetti and balloons!! And PIE!!! 🙂
The backlog of Straight From The Editors is extreme, due to them all showing up at once the week before Christmas when we were all distracted. I think rather than try to fit about six of them into an already packed Would Your Read It Wednesday, I might just post a special Straight From The Editor Thursday or something. What do you guys think about that?
While you’re thinking (and to help aid in your thinking) how about a little Something Chocolate?
I thought so. Great minds think alike!
What with Valentine’s Day just around the bend, I thought we could all put a little love in our hearts… and a little cream filling in our chocolate 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Jennifer who is an aspiring picture book author, registered nurse and French fry fanatic living in the deep south. She is a woman of many hats but her favorites are the ones that say wife, mom, & writer. She spends some of her time auditing and educating for a regional hospice company and can also be found blogging at her personal site Magnolias & Manuscripts and as a regular contributor on Lafayette Mom’s Blog. She has a passion for creativity and whole heartedly believes Brene Brown when she says, “The magic is in the mess.”
You can also find her on FB and twitter:
Twitter: @jennygprevost
Facebook: @JenniferGPrevost
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: BYOB, Bring Your Own Bear
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Of course, Jillian knew that Rex wasn’t a bear, it wasn’t something that had ever mattered to her before. But, on the day of the Teddy Bear Picnic, it suddenly mattered… a lot. Without a new bear to bring, Jillian decides do whatever it takes to fit in, even if it means keeping a secret from all of her friends.
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 Jennifer improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in February, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Jennifer is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to writing a story about pie! :). I think I’ll start…
The Princess And The Pie
Once upon a time, there was a princess.
She didn’t look much like a princess because she had a passion for wading through swamps in search of bog turtles.
“You are not a princess,” said her swamp-wading companion, Wellsley. “Princesses do not wear hip-waders and smell like pond scum and have brambles in their hair.”
“I’ll prove I’m a princess,” said the princess. “I can feel a pea under twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds!”
Wellsley knew that only a true princess was that sensitive. But where was the challenge if she knew there was going to be pea?
“I’ll put something under twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds,” said Wellsley, “but you have to tell me what it is!”
“Game on!” said the princess.
Charlotte’s Manuscript Wish List: 
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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