In case you're wondering what I did, I had a very exciting weekend. I got to babysit for my granddaughter (oops, sorry - I'm physically unable to resist one tiny photo :))
... and I confess I was forced to go to the mall (a truly hair-raising experience - really, what happens to people?) but not because of holiday shopping. No. It was much more serious. We had to get basketball shoes. And not just ANY basketball shoes, the RIGHT basketball shoes. Because when you are on the court, playing hard, racing up and down against the other team, it is certainly not all about function. It is about fashion! I am happy to report that in spite of grave risk to life and limb, out mission was successful!
I also spent WAY too much time on our holiday card. I don't know about you folks, but somewhere along the line I got sucked into these holiday cards filled with family pictures and produced by a company whose name starts with S but I am not plugging anyone :) So this is what I do every year: I sort through the family photos. Usually I have virtually no decent ones and that is a huge challenge. This year I had so many good ones I had the opposite challenge - 2 graduations and a new baby in the family will do that to you :) Anyway, once I get the photos, I spend about 3 solid days messing around with card design until I'm completely cross-eyed. Then I usually end up choosing the first card I made. Do not say I could save a lot of time by just doing one and pressing order. Really. Do not say it.
So that was my exciting weekend. I know. It may take me days to recover :)
So now, on to today's excitement! The November Pitch Pick! One lucky Would You Read It participant from November is going to get her pitch read by the fabulous Erin Molta. So let's get right to it!
First, our pitch refresher:
#1 Christie
Working Title: The Tooth Fairy Star
Age/Genre: Picture Book
The Pitch: Tiffany Faye loves being the tooth fairy, but when all the other fairies complain about her terrible dancing, she has to find a way to dance without being clumsy or else give up her job as the tooth fairy.
#2 Dee
Title: Hating Ric
Age/Genre: YA Verse
The Pitch: On the day of his brother, Jason's funeral, 17 year-old Ric's anger explodes, and he races Jason's car through the streets, crashing and badly injuring jogger, Kate. Ric is sent to a juvenile justice centre, where survivor guilt and grief set him on a reckless destruction course. Help comes through his music and from an unexpected source in Kate who is struggling to put her own life back together.
#3 Halli
Working Title: SIMBIOTE
Age/Genre: YA Sci-Fi
The Pitch: Kal is a donor in the illegal bulb trade. He donates his own symbiotic bulbs to the humans on the multi-million dollar black market. Their addictions can cost them a pretty penny, but what does it cost Kal? What does he suffer every year at harvest time? When he gets caught he realizes the risks he has put upon himself, his potential girlfriend and his family are far worse than he ever imagined.
#4 Ashley
Working Title: Prelude To An Apocalypse
Age/Genre: YA Literature
The Pitch: Jack wakes up in the hospital to find a mysterious man offering to take her in, to teach her everything she needs to know about being a Wizard, but something deep inside tells her she can't trust him.
Please place your vote now! Poll will be open until Tuesday December 6 at 11:59PM EST so I can announce the winner on Wednesday!
Have a great Monday :) And P.S. I hope everyone is hard at work on their Holiday Contest entries (please scroll down that link for the rules) so they'll be all ready before the mad holiday rush - you wouldn't want to miss your chance at a great prize! :)
I have most of my cards addressed. A few rogue addresses are in my inbox - as I needed updates. Now, to run out and get stamps. No mall trips for me. I still need to mail one package. And, that baby is a cutie!
ReplyDeleteI found it really hard to choose from this months' pitches! Perhaps because I was in cute-heaven after looking at the photo of your granddaughter, Susanna. :)
ReplyDeletePS I hope you have noticed that France is now #3 in your blog charts!!!
Wow, all sound very good!
ReplyDeleteAnd your granddaughter is adorable!
Oh my gosh. I don't know if it has ever been so hard to vote. I really had a hard time choosing on this one. They were all so great. Good luck everyone!
ReplyDeleteCute picture of your granddaughter. So adorable!
ReplyDeleteI'm slow with the Xmas cards this year and we must decorate the tree soon. I got the gift I've wanted since 2009, finally, after asking Hubby for it every year and birthday. Hoorah! ;O)
Oh it's a Sat Nav we've called it Emily.
I voted for 3. Loved the science fiction overtones, and I think I'd read just to try to figure out what the heck a 'bulb' is. :)
ReplyDeleteEJ
I liked all the stories, and narrowed it to two. But, in the end I really like the pitch I selected. Great message.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame you for taking every opportunity to share a photo of your granddaughter. Such a happy baby!
Some really great pitches today. It was hard, but I chose one, finally.
ReplyDeleteGlad you survived the mall-maul. It is getting quite interesting out there. I think I will do more online shopping than anything. Seems safer :-)
Stacy - you are so far ahead of me my head is spinning :) And thank you - I think she's a cutie too :)
ReplyDeleteJoanna - I know it! Just too precious :) And I am sure I have you to thank for telling all of France to visit my blog :)
Kelley - I know - it's a hard choice! And thank you :)
Madeleine - thank you :) And don't worry - you can't be slower than me on the cards! Our Sat Nav is named Edna - I wrote a whole post about her but haven't had a moment to put it up :)
E.J. - so nice to see you!!! Thanks for voting :)
Pat - I know - lucky for me I'm not allowed to vote :) And yes, she is a happy baby and I'm completely under her spell :)
Angela - I avoid the mall at all costs, but when basketball shoes must be bought you just have to throw caution and common sense to the wind :)
Oh my your grandgirl just gets cuter and cuter!
ReplyDeleteI ordered my S...bug cards too, knowing that once they come I must get busy addressing them! Maybe my eyes will be uncrossed by then, but I did put every digital photo into a folder for Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall!
Voted...it was tough. All had good premises!
Cathy - why thank you, I think so too :) Folders? Really? You are SO much more organized than I am!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy the granddaughter pics--super cute :) I also spent part of the weekend on the "S" site, playing around with cards and photos. Still haven't ordered any yet though!
ReplyDeleteOh what a cutie! I feel your pain on the photo cards, I did those calendar ones last year.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week Susanna!
Awwww. She's adorable. :D
ReplyDeleteThe pitch for the YA verse sounds very similar to one of Simone Elkeles's books. Fortunately, it's not exactly the same. Loved the book, though.
What an exciting weekend you had-and what an adorable granddaughter!! I missed out on your Thnaksgiving contest, but I am in for the Holiday one. What fun!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous shot of your granddaughter. I don't do Christmas cards or letters and plan to keep it that way at least until we have kids. Don't know why, just not my thing.
ReplyDeleteAlways a difficult choice when it comes to the pitch pick but I have cast my vote! It will be interesting to see who wins! :-)
All of the selections were very good which made it really tough to choose. Your granddaughter is absolutely adorable! Good luck to all the finalists
ReplyDeleteColeen - I hope you agonize less than I do and get your cards done soon :)
ReplyDeleteCatherine - there's just got to be an easier way :)
Stina - thanks!
Kelly - yay! I'm so excited you want to enter the contest!!!
Cally - you are very wise!
Julie - I know - it's a tough choice! And thanks, I think so too :)
Hi :) Could someone explain what a pitch is?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Erik
I will explain, Erik! A pitch (for the purposes of Would You Read It) is one to two sentences that explain your book in such a way as to make whoever you're telling want to read it desperately! It's the classic what you should say if you happen to run into a famous editor in an elevator and have 30 seconds or less to get her attention. Although for other purposes a pitch can be a bit longer, here we're focusing on really boiling it down to the nitty-gritty. These are all for people who have WIPs (works-in-progress). Does that help? If not, feel free to ask for more clarification!
ReplyDeleteOooh . . . this was a hard choice! Best of luck to all the pitch entrants. :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about that S place. I have spent many an hour myself doing something similar. And how cute is your granddaughter! :)
Thanks, that DOES help! I have ONE more question - Is that what you send to editors/publishers when you try to sell a book? :)
ReplyDeleteJanet - my problem is that my pictures are always oriented the same way (landscape) so none of the formats with portrait orientations ever work!
ReplyDeleteErik - no. What you send to editors is a query letter - much longer (well, maybe not THAT much) than a one-two sentence pitch. The pitch is really for meeting in person. Not just editors - anyone who might ask you what your book is about - friends, relatives, potential customers :)
Beautiful, beautiful granddaughter pic. Of course you had to share! ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you survived the mall!
The pitches were all great. It was a hard choice.
Thank you Ms. Hill! I understand now :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ruth! :)
ReplyDelete