Tag: writing fun

Would You Read It Wednesday #286 – Sadie’s Tail (PB)

30 Comments

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

I can’t believe it.  This guy

Scan 28

is getting married!

Where does the time go?!

So I’m running around like a lunatic and will not take up your time with amusing anecdotes from my childhood or unnecessary ramblings about nature on Blueberry Hill.  Let’s get right to Something Chocolate, shall we?  I’m thinking Chocolate Wedding Cake… 🙂

choc wedding 2

What could be more delicious?! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Patricia who is a wife, mother to Two Orange Pups and 3 grown kids, & a pre-published author. I’ve wandered much of my adult life, logging over 20 moves in the past 30 years – there’s a “how to” story lurking somewhere!  I review Perfect Picture Books, primarily international ones, at Wander, Ponder, Write.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Sadie’s Tail

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch: Ryan and his rescue-pup Sadie are the perfect pair, except for one thing. Whenever Ryan tries to brush her fluffy tail, Sadie growls, howls and otherwise avoids the brushing. As Sadie’s tail changes from fluffy to puffy and household items go missing, Ryan must discover a solution to tame that tail.

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 Patricia 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 July, 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!

Patricia is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to going to the wedding!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

(And I’m forewarning you, I don’t think I’m going to manage Perfect Picture Books this week because I’ll be in sunny Brazil, good lord willing and the creek don’t rise! 🙂 )

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #285 – The Day Without Y (PB)

14 Comments

Howdy, Folks!

I would like to announce that at long last the apple tree in my yard has blossomed!

IMG_5576

Aren’t apple blossoms just so beautiful?!

And… while we’re totally not on the subject… 🙂 I know it’s early and you might not have shaken off the cobwebs yet, but I have a question for you.

(And this is an actual question, not a riddle, because I don’t know the answer, which is why I’m asking 🙂 )

What’s red like a fox but shaped like a groundhog?

Because I spotted a critter fitting this description and I have no idea what it might be!

I’d guess a red panda, but I’m pretty sure they don’t hang out in the wilds of Blueberry Hill 🙂

The only other hints I have to offer are that it looked like it might be nibbling on leaves… but it may have just bumped them in its hurry to escape my prying eyes… and it disappeared into an opening in some rocks.

Maybe it was a rotund little baby fox… 🙂

A mini mystery for the day… and maybe a good spark for a story 🙂

While we mull over the identity of my mysterious visitor, let’s have Something Chocolate, shall we?  How about some Salted Caramel Brownie Ice Cream Cake!

Salted Caramel Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Mmm mmm good!  If that doesn’t say “breakfast”, I don’t know what does! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Jennifer who is a part time nurse, full time mom of three (four if you count the dog), wife, avid reader, blogger and picture book writer of the pre-published variety. She’s dreamed of seeing her words in print for as long as she can remember (and feels blessed to have made it this far.) You can find her at her blog, Magnolias & Manuscripts (http://magnoliasandmanuscripts.wordpress.com/blog) where she’s capturing her writing journey and asking questions to authors far more successful than she. If she’s not there, she’s probably somewhere jotting down ideas, playing with her kids or chasing the big goofy dog, always with a cup of coffee in hand.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Day Without Y

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch: As the youngest of a big family, Y struggles to find her place: the Consonants are crowded and the Vowels only let her hang around sometimes. Tired of being ignored, she decides to pretend she’s like the other Letters, but chaos and confusion set in as Y’s family tries to make sense without her.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping 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 July, 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!

Jennifer is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to The Millbrook Literary Festival this Saturday!  Iza Trapani, Karen Orloff, Nancy Furstinger, Tania Guarino, Michael Garland, Jenna Grodzicki, Steven Petruccio, and many others will be there too, so you should all come!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #284 – One Smart Cookie: The Story of Ruth Wakefield and the Invention of the Chocolate Chip Cookie (NF PB)

18 Comments

Darlings, life is a whirlwind!

Thank you all for your enthusiastic WYRI submissions last week – we’ve got a bunch of good ones lined up!

And in honor of the whirlwind just mentioned, for our Something Chocolate today let’s have a good old-fashioned tornado… otherwise known as a Chocolate Milkshake! 🙂

choc milkshake

Recipe HERE at BBCGoodFood

 

Now that we’re all wound up, let’s jump right into today’s pitch (which seems like it fits right in with our chocolate theme here 🙂 ) which comes to us from Jackie who is a picture book author and regional advisor of the SCBWI North Texas chapter.

Find her on the web at https://www.jaclynkruzie.com/blog

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: One Smart Cookie: The Story of Ruth Wakefield and the Invention of the Chocolate Chip Cookie

Age/Genre: Non Fiction Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch: 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.

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 Jackie 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 July, 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!

Jackie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to the whirlwind mellowing just a bit… maybe by the 3rd week of June or so 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #283 – Willamina The Super-Mom Wolf Spider (PB)

20 Comments

Hiya, Peeps!

Hope you’re all having a lovely week so far!

I am having a school visit kind of week – teaching 4th graders about writing – tons of fun!  (But I confess to being away from my desk and absent from social media!)

Remember that baby horse I mentioned a while back?

(Don’t get excited…!)

We’re still waiting!

Such anticipation!!! 🙂

I’ll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, there’s nothing like Something Chocolate to help the waiting time go by… 🙂  Can I interest you in some Dark Chocolate Cream Pie?

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

I know I can interest myself in some 🙂  YUM!

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Corine.  An encounter on a dusty road in southwest Spain between a boar piglet, an abandoned hunting dog, and Corine, inspired her to write and self -publish her first children’s story. Nature is a constant inspiration and this new story idea is no exception. While sweeping the outside terrace of their holiday shack ( on a beach somewhere in Portugal), Corine stumbled upon a wolf spider with hundreds of babies on her back. EEEK! An incident that inspired this story.

Find her on the web at:
website https://www.bicadeideias.com
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ctbicadeideias
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/corineaddis

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Willamina the Super -Mom Wolf Spider

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 6-9)

The Pitch:  Willamina the Wolf spider wants more than anything to keep her spiderlings safe until they are ready to explore the world on their own. But when her tummy starts grumbling, she knows it’s time to leave the den 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 hide from an owl, run away from a shrew, and, in the end, outsmart a lady with a broom—an incident that forces her to release her spiderlings, but not without telling them they are going on an adventure.

*Wolf spiders hunt for prey. Females are single parents and carry their offspring
(hundreds) on their abdomen for about one week— until the spiderlings disperse— at times via ballooning.

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 Corine 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 could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Corine is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to that baby horse!  Maybe we should take bets on what day it will arrive! 🙂  I shall cast my vote for April 25 because that’s today… and it could happen… 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #282 – Sylvia Swan & Cabot (PB)

25 Comments

Howdy, folks!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week so far!

Here on Blueberry Hill it has been the kind of week that motivates me to check in with my favorite laugh-out-loud videos for a little pick-me-up.  Really, doesn’t laughing just make everything seem better?! 🙂

In case any of you need a laugh, I’d like to share this week’s favorite:

SNL – Pro-Chiller Leggings

Please please please feel free to share your favorite laugh-out-loud video in the comment section!  We can all use a laugh 🙂

I think that video has set us up perfectly for a Something Chocolate that prepares itself in the freezer whilst we lie on the couch, catch up on missed episodes of The Voice and eat bonbons!  Check out this delicious no-churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream!

No-Churn-Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Ice-Cream-6

Recipe (including helpful video!) HERE at iwashyoudry.com

All the deliciousness and none of the energy expenditure of churned ice cream – the best of both worlds!

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Amanda who says, “I am a wife, mom of 4, teacher, writer, aspiring children’s book author, runner, and triplet. Writing is my creative outlet and it makes me happy.”

Find her on the web at:
Blog-https://writingstoriesonewordatatime.blog/
Twitter Handle-@jhkmom4

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Sylvia Swan & Cabot

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

The Pitch: When Sylvia Swan’s family is too busy to help her build a blanket fort…again, she takes matters into her own hands. She channels her frustrations into brainstorming, sketching, measuring, drafting and creating the perfect invention—C.A.Bot:Customized Assisting Robot. Will Cabot be the solution she has been waiting for? Will her favorite pastime become a reality? Sylvia Swan soon finds out that Cabot can help her build more than just a fort.

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 Amanda 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 could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Amanda is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to some quality time with my Pro-Chiller Leggings and to any funny videos you guys choose to share! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #281 – Curious Cassandra (PB)

32 Comments

Good morning, my friends!

I am waiting.

Yesterday, it snowed.

I am not making this up.

Huge flakes, so big you could see their crystalline construction.

Lazy, insolent flakes, just daring you to point out they had no business at this time of year making themselves at home on decks and porch railings, tree branches, swing sets and mailboxes, piling up like feathers after a pillow fight on every available surface.

Excuse me.

Did someone forget to mention it’s April?!

So I am waiting.

Waiting for sunshine.

Waiting for the temperature to get above 40 for more than 14 seconds at the warmest part of the day.

Waiting until the dogs and I can walk on Blueberry Hill and see the trees budding and the flowers blossoming, hear the peepers and the red-winged blackbirds in the marshy areas, wear shorts and a t-shirt and not be cold (well, the dogs don’t care about shorts and a t-shirt… 🙂 ), smell the sun warming the earth, trying to be patient…

…waiting for spring.

And I think I speak for all of us when I say nothing is better whilst waiting for spring than Something Chocolate!  Unless maybe it’s Something Chocolate that is also Something Coffee altogether in one mouthful 🙂  In case any of you are also waiting for spring, can I offer you some chocolate espresso layer cake?!

Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake

Chocolate+Espresso+Cake+with+Ganache

Recipe HERE at Pip & Ebby

Mmm-mmm-good!  I feel like I shored up a whole slice of patience!  I may be able to wait until this afternoon for spring to arrive! 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Candace who usually sits in a comfy chair, with a cup of tea and something chocolate, while she reads and writes about things that make her curious.

Find her on the web at:

 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Curious Cassandra

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-7)

The Pitch:  Cassandra is a curious girl. She opens drawers, looks under beds, and rummages in boxes. The tall fence surrounding her neighbor’s garden makes her the most curious. She can’t see over it, under it, or through it, no matter how she tries.

She overhears her mother talking about the plants Mrs Fulton is growing – turtle’s heads, fox’s gloves, and lamb’s ears.  These are plants she must see for herself. Cassandra sits down, at her desk, and draws up some plans for getting into Mrs Fulton’s garden.

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 Candace improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Candace is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to daffodils 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #280 – The Littlest Astronaut (PB)

23 Comments

Happy Wednesday, Chickadees!

What a fun week it has been!

First, totally unexpected and out of the blue, an email arrived in my inbox with sketches for ALPHABEDTIME!  What a thrill!  It’s in the early stages yet, but looks fantastic.  Illustrator Betsy Snyder is doing a great job.  There’s even a pogo stick on page 10 (and any of you who know me know my passion for pogoing 🙂 )

Second (as if first weren’t enough!), I got to see the final art for WHEN YOUR MONKEYS WON’T GO TO BED, due out August 28!  (Apparently it’s art week and I didn’t realize it 🙂 )  Daniel Wiseman has done it again, and I can’t wait to be able to share with you!

As you all know, I cannot draw to save myself, so I feel incredibly lucky to have been paired with such amazingly talented artists who seem to know exactly the right way to bring my stories to life.  If it weren’t for them, my books would look like this:

SLH illustration style

illustration copyright SLH 20…hahaha…I can’t even say it 🙂

 

and nobody wins with that! 🙂

I think this calls for a celebratory Something Chocolate, don’t you?  Also, I believe I speak for all of us when I say it’s time for Second Breakfast!  I vote for Chocolate Swirl Pie!

Chocolate Swirl Pie

choc swirl pie

Recipe HERE (including helpful video!) at Twisted

Yum!  Delicious and nutritious! (Surely there must be some way in which that is nutritious… and I’m certain that if I have a second helping it will give me the brain fuel I need to figure out how 🙂 )

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Rachel who ***nervously waves*** and says, “Hello! My name is Rachel. In no particular order I am a psychologist, mother of three (to a little girl who just turned 1 and two very goofy boxer dogs), a wife, a shoe hoarder and – cosmetics/face creams aficionado!!!

How and why did I start writing Picture Books? I was minding my own business when suddenly, without warning, a children’s book popped into my head, in fact a whole series of them did. They needed to be written down, it was a compulsion, I couldn’t stop. A bit like vomit, you feel better when it’s all out (yes I just compared my writing to vomit).”

Find her on the web at:
Twitter handle – @RachLTomlinson
Blog – https://rachtomlinsonwrites.wixsite.com/rachtomlinsonwrites/blog/

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Littlest Astronaut

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

The Pitch: Even before she was born Seren was destined to become an Astronaut. After all, her parents had given her a name that meant star. When she shares her dreams with others they laugh, making her feel small, just because she isn’t grown up yet. It is a tall order when a space mission is jeopardised, and no-one else can help because they are too big. Can Seren step up and save the day?

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 Rachel improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Rachel is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing my new books progress and getting to share the process with you!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #279 – A Little Witchy (PB)

24 Comments

Greetings, Friends!

I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but things are a bit topsy-turvy in Nature these days.

First (I am not making this up!  I heard it on the radio!) there is a warrant out for Punxsutawney Phil’s arrest because he said 6 more weeks of winter, which expired on March 16, and then we had a blizzard.

Second, we bounce around from 70 degrees to 10 below, sunshine to Nor’easters, like we’re inside a pinball machine.

And the blueberries in the pancakes?

Monday night I had a traumatic experience in which, just past midnight, I heard a frightening sound on my back porch.  My dogs began to growl, low in their throats, and all the fur stood up on their backs.  (And, just let me say, this is highly unusual for them because they need their beauty sleep and generally notice nothing between 9 PM and 5 AM!)

IMG_5096

 

I don’t mind telling you, my overactive imagination (you know, the one that makes me a writer? 🙂 ) went into overdrive and I was thinking up all kinds of terrifying scenarios in which I hoped my brave dogs would rise to my defense and protect me (even though I know they’re more likely to beg for treats from an intruder than pin him to the ground as their fierce ancestors would have done!  Or possibly just sleep through all the high jinx and shenanigans!)

So there I was, creeping around in the dark, the very definition of stealth, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had made the noise, heart pounding, attempting to convince myself that I had probably only heard snow falling off the roof or something, my fierce protectresses bravely bringing up the rear, when suddenly Scout shot past me barking ferociously at the door!

Out in the shadowy moonlight I saw a dark shape stop moving at the noise!

And then, after a moment, slowly move forward again!

I was just about to think up a Clever Plan For Self Defense when the dark shape picked up speed… a distinctly lumbering type of speed…a familiar lumbering… and I realized . . . it was the bear!

The noise I’d heard was him wrecking and stealing my bird feeder!  Fiend!

IMG_5331

. . . the Scene of the Attack! 🙂 . . .

IMG_5332

But this highlights my point about weirdness in Nature.  I have lived on Blueberry Hill for 25 years and never seen the bears before the third week of April!

So, what, I ask, is going on around here?

Clearly we need Something Chocolate!

And what better in this instance than Bear Paw Cookies???!!!

Bear Paw Cookies

Mmmmmm!  Delish!  And perfect for the occasion 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Jean who says, “I began life with aspirations of being a commercial artist, then changed to journalism before answering my true calling. After getting a scholarship to a Highlights Foundation Workshop Retreat, I’ve come full circle, as a beginning writing children’s lit writer learning the craft, work-shopping, pitching, submitting and trying to break in!”

Find her on the web at https://twitter.com/jrichson2013

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: A Little Witchy

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch:  After her mother says Beatrice can be such a little witch at times, while she calls the baby an angel, Beatrice begins doing witchy things in order to make herself into a real witch. But the bad witches tire of her bumbling exploits and warn her to quit—once and for all! And the good witch tells her it would be better if she leave the witching to those who can, and that instead she try to be the best mortal girl she can be.

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 Jean improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Jean is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to getting a new bird feeder…and bringing it indoors at night! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #278 – Navy SEALs: BUD/S From A-Z (PB)

28 Comments

Holy frozen H2O, Batman!

More snow???!!!

According to my research, the first day of Spring was yesterday, beginning at 12:15 PM to be precise.

Something is rotten in the state of New York!

I think we can all agree that the third Wednesday Nor’easter of the month calls for something delightful, something decadent, Something Chocolate right out of the starting gate.  I know we will all feel our outlook on life improve immeasurably after a slice or two of this delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake

A quick examination of the ingredients (peanut=protein, butter=dairy=calcium, chocolate=vegetable (comes from a bean!), mousse=makes you strong as a moose, also mousse is lighter than air so it has no calories :), and cake=the fifth essential food group) reveals this breakfast to be not only scrumptious, but clearly health food! 🙂

So eat up! 🙂

Ah!

It’s like spinach for Popeye!

Now we’re all rarin’ to go! 🙂

So let’s get right to today’s pitch which comes to us from Gayle.  She says, “I’m a Navy SEAL mom who loves to write. I’m working on several picture books, a YA novel, and my masters. You can find me at www.gayleveitenheimer.com.”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Navy SEALs: BUD/S From A-Z

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch: Boys learn their letters Navy SEAL-style while they explore the rigors of BUD/S, the first half of SEAL training, where a sugar cookie isn’t a snack and The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.

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 Gayle improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Gayle is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to a baby!  Yes!  It’s true!  On the farm where I work in the morning, one of the mares is expecting.  After ten-and-a-bit long months she is now less than a month away from bringing her new little colt or filly into the world.  Let me tell you, there is great excitement! 🙂  I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

 

Would You Read It Wednesday #277 – Porcupette And Moppet (PB)

16 Comments

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

First things first!  I have an important announcement!

Today is…

(wait for it…)

National Potato Chip Day!!!

This means it’s time for the age-old debate over which is better: ruffled or smooth?  (I hope you all know the correct answer to that (ruffled), but feel free to attempt to convince me otherwise 🙂 You will need to use solid arguments backed by at least 3 primary sources 🙂 )

It is also time to share your favorite potato chip flavor!  For me it’s a three-way tie between sour cream and onion, barbecue, and plain old regular salty chips.

But let’s be honest.  I haven’t met too many potato chips I don’t like. 🙂  (Except salt and vinegar which I think should be banned, not just from the earth but from the entire solar system, but that’s just me 🙂 )  What flavor of chip rocks your world?

And speaking of chips rocking the world, there are picture books about bagels, and picture books about cupcakes, and picture books about sandwiches… but I can’t think of a picture book about a potato chip.  I think the time has come!  You all have your writing prompt for the day… write a picture book where the MC is a potato chip 🙂

Now then!  From chips to chocolate!

Since it’s nearly St. Patrick’s Day, we obviously need something festively green, so how about some no-bake Mint Oreo Cheesecake for our Something Chocolate today?!

No Bake Mint Oreo Cheesecake

Doesn’t that look so chocolatey and minty fresh?!  Plus it’s green which means it’s a vegetable, and that makes it health food 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Nadine who says, “I am an elementary librarian in an urban school district and I love my job! I am on the selection committee for the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award (PA’s state book award) and a wiener dog owner and lover!”

Find her on the web at

 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Porcupette And Moppet

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)

The Pitch: (background information: a young porcupine is called a porcupette and a natural predator of a porcupine is a fisher.)
Pitch: Porcupette knows the importance and joy in reading. When he encounters a sneaky, sly fisher named Moppet, Porcupette outsmarts this predator armed with his quills? No. Porcupette uses his book!

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 Nadine improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above.  There are openings in April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon  for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!

Nadine is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on potato chips and to reading everyone’s one-sentence pitch for a picture book starring a potato chip!  Ready, GO! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂