Once upon a time, I had a hairbrained scheme to send Phyllis on a World Tour. During the tour, it came up somewhere along the line that the treasure hunt in April Fool, Phyllis! was based on the birthday hunts my dad used to make for us when we were kids, which I now do with my kids. A dear friend of mine, who welcomed Phyllis into her Saskatchewan home during the tour, remarked that a birthday hunt sounded like fun, and she'd really like to give it a try sometime.
Beth Stilborn is a pillar of our writing community. She writes a wonderful blog about writing and the arts, with a special love of theatre. She, along with Emma Walton Hamilton, established The Children's Book Hub Face Book page. She is incredibly supportive to all of us in the writing community, and she is always up for a hairbrained scheme :) And she's a nice person :) and kind to groundhogs :)
So, Beth, Happy Birthday from me, and Phyllis, and a whole bunch of your blogging family. Here is your birthday hunt :) It's not quite the way my dad did it, but hopefully it will work and be fun. And of course, anyone else who likes solving puzzles is welcome to play along! It's not too hard because it is a bit long (12 clues because your birthday is 12/12 :)) but should you have any difficulty, there are hints :) Many hints can be found right here on my blog too, in the side bars or recent posts.
Instructions:
Solve each clue in order. When you have cracked the code and figured out what the clue says, do what it tells you. When you get there, you will find a word in colorful bold-face font. Write it down! Then come back here for the next clue. Eventually all the words will make a message and lead you to your present :) If you need a hint, click the HINT button :)
#1
ashowy omet whowt swithe ipositivet aparentall oparticipationg
egor etherel
HINT #1
#2
LEVI GSV ML DZGVI IREVI ZMW GSILFTS
GSV DLLWH GL IVMVV'H YOLT DV TL!
HINT #2
#3
#4
HINT #4
#5
1-18-20-9-19-20, 23-18-9-20-5-18, 23-9-6-5, 1-14-4
8-15-13-5-19-3-8-15-15-12-9-14-7 13-15-13 12-9-22-9-14-7
9-14 20-8-5 23-15-15-4-19 15-6 13-1-9-14-5 - 19-20-15-16
9-14 6-15-18 1 22-9-19-9-20!
HINT #5
#6
A3 C4 C2 A5 B3 A1 E3 A5 D3 C4 C2 A5 B1 D5 C3 A1 D4
D4 B3 A5 B3 A1 A2 B4 D4 D5 A1 C1 D2 B3 E4 C2 A5 D2 ' D3
HINT #6
#7
...- .. ... .. -
- .... .
- .- .-.. . -. - . -..
.- .-. - .. ... -
.-- .... ---
-.-. .-. . .- - . -..
- .... .
.--. . .-. ..-. . -.-. .
.--. .. -.-. . ..- .-. .
-... --- --- -.-
.-.. --- --. ---
HINT #7
#8
golf oscar foxtrot india november delta alpha papa lima alpha charlie echo whiskey hotel echo romeo echo charlie hotel india lima delta romeo echo november' sierra bravo oscar oscar kilo sierra hotel echo alpha lima
HINT #8
#9
Cubomube crubeubatube cuburubiuboubus wubith Kubirstuben!
HINT #9
#10 (apologies, I ran out of secret codes and time so I'm reusing one! but no hint since you've already done it :))
HLNV KVLKOV ZIV ZIXSRGVXGH,
VMTRMVVIH, XLLPH
YFG GSRH LMV RH HKVXRZO -
GSRH PRW IVERVBH YLLPH!
TL KZB SRN Z ERHRG!
(I told you - no HINT :))
#11
g s jl rwn zch wh wrts llstrts nd rds chldrn's bks
HINT #11
#12
HINT #12
PHEW! I hope Beth (and at least a few others) made it this far before next week :) and I hope everything worked as it was supposed to and there weren't too many glitches and/or mistakes. Any complaints about execution may be directed to the management, who will probably refer you to the resident Seer Of Seers, Prognosticator Of Prognosticators, Weather Prophet Extraordinaire :) (because she's cute and furry and hard to stay annoyed at :))
(Side note: this hunt will only work properly (assuming it ever does :)) on 12/12/12. After that, when you follow the clue directions, you will have to scroll back to the bloggers' 12/12/12 post.)
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming :) Would You Read It!
The winner of the first ever tied pitch pick is: LARISSA!!!
That was quite a hard-won win - congratulations! Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta for a read and comments! And congratulations to everyone who wrote wonderful pitches and then made them even better. You are all winners as far as I'm concerned :)
Now then, the runner up of the first ever tied pitch pick, has a new pitch!
Kim is "Mama" to a wonderful 8-year-old with multiple nicknames, wife of a genius, and has switched careers numerous times in her short (ha!) life. She has been passionate about picture books since her first encounter with Dr. Seuss, though it has taken her decades (don't ask) to realize that writing them is something that she can probably do for the rest of her life. She writes a wonderful blog over at Kid Lit Dish and is a regular participant in PPBF. She would love it if you'd like to follow her on Twitter or like her on Face Book!
Here is her new pitch:
Working Title: Oyster And Pearl
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Pearl is a tiny grain of sand that lives in the bottom of the ocean. She feels insignificant in her world and both envious AND enamored of the star in the sky that she can see above her at night. As she sets her sights on joining the star, she encounters many challenges... until finally, one night, she meets Oyster, who helps her become a star of her own.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Kim improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in January, so you have time to polish :) for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Kim is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! And I am looking forward to seeing whether Beth can solve her birthday hunt and whether anyone else takes a crack at it! If you solve it, let me know :)
Have a terrific day, everyone! And happy birthday dear Beth, happy birthday to you :)
Kim is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! And I am looking forward to seeing whether Beth can solve her birthday hunt and whether anyone else takes a crack at it! If you solve it, let me know :)
Have a terrific day, everyone! And happy birthday dear Beth, happy birthday to you :)
